Books like 'If You Come Softly'
Readers who enjoyed If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
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The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsTold in two distinct and irresistible voices, Junauda Petrus’s bold and lyrical debut is the story of two black girls from very different backgrounds finding love and happiness in a world that seems determined to deny them both.Trinidad...Categorized as:
multicultural black-mc young adult contemporary f-f fantasy african-american dual-pov -
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story...Categorized as:
multicultural black-mc futuristic contemporary young adult insta-love african-american new adult -
One True Loves by Elise Bryant
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsLenore Bennett has always been a force. A star artist and style icon at her high school, she’s a master in the subtle art of not giving a . . . well, you know what. But now that graduation is here, she’s a little less sure.She’s heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for “undeclared”) written across her chest... -
Everyone's Thinking It by Aleema Omotoni
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMean Girls meets Dear White People in this big-hearted, sharp-witted UK boarding school story about family, friendship, and belonging—with a propulsive mystery at its heart.Within the walls of Wodebury Hall, an elite boarding school in the English countryside, reputation is everything. But aspiring photographer Iyanu is more comfortable observing things safely from behind her camera... -
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Withered Rose by Valicity Elaine
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA Christian Romantic Suspense NovelBook One in the Withered Rose TrilogyRosa De Luca has finally escaped the Italian mafia. She wants nothing more than to live a life free of crime, violence, and lawlessness. When she takes up shelter with a Christian family just outside New York City, she finds God and she finds peace...Categorized as:
black-mc multicultural christian fantasy contemporary mafia young adult from hate to love -
Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsJane the Virgin meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in this charming debut romantic comedy filled with Black Girl Magic. Perfect for fans of Mary H. K. Choi and Nicola Yoon, with crossover appeal for readers of Jasmine Guillory and Talia Hibbert romances.Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life...Categorized as:
black-mc young adult contemporary fantasy historical humor african-american length-medium -
Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D Jackson
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsSix critically acclaimed, bestselling, and award-winning authors bring the glowing warmth and electricity of Black teens in love to this charming, hilarious, and heartwarming novel that shines a bright light through the dark.A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks...A first meeting.Long-time friends... -
Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThree days. Two girls. One life-changing music festival. Olivia is an expert at falling in love . . . and at being dumped. But after the fallout from her last breakup has left her an outcast at school and at home, she’s determined to turn over a new leaf... -
Fresh Ink by Nicola Yoon, Malinda Lo
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsIn partnership with We Need Diverse Books, thirteen of the most recognizable, diverse authors come together in this remarkable YA anthology featuring ten short stories, a graphic short story, and a one-act play from Walter Dean Myers never before in-print.Careful--you are holding fresh ink. And not hot-off-the-press, still-drying-in-your-hands ink...Categorized as:
multicultural high-school black-mc young adult contemporary fantasy african-american racism -
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.A flying demon feeding on human energies...Categorized as:
black-mc high-school young adult fantasy contemporary urban fantasy magic love triangle -
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
The shadows have risen, and the line is law.All Bree wanted was to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death. So she infiltrated the Legendborn Order, a secret society descended from King Arthur’s knights—only to discover her own ancestral power. Now, Bree has become someone new:A Medium. A Bloodcrafter. A Scion.But the ancient war between demons and the Order is rising to a deadly peak... -
The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon
If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear. You will know it’s coming, and it will hurt. But you’ll be able to prepare. Someone found him in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death...Categorized as:
multicultural black-mc contemporary young adult christian suspense virgin heroine secret child -
Drama High: Pushin' by L. Divine
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIf only there was a potion to make all Jayd Jackson's troubles disappear. . . Even though Jayd's finished with the AP exams and finally has some space of her own at her mother's house, she's got to deal with the drama all around her...Categorized as:
high-school multicultural black-mc young adult african-american contemporary paranormal fantasy -
The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
In the city of Shadow, beneath the World Tree, alleyways shimmer with magic and godlings live hidden among mortalkind. Oree Shoth, a blind artist, takes in a homeless man who glows like a living sun to her strange sight. This act of kindness engulfs Oree in a nightmarish conspiracy. Someone, somehow, is murdering godlings, leaving their desecrated bodies all over the city... -
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Sweet Dreams by L. Divine
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsIn Jayd Jackson's world, the end is just the beginning... If only life could always be as sweet as Jayd's dreams...Categorized as:
high-school black-mc young adult contemporary african-american magic paranormal fantasy -
Me: Moth by Amber McBride
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA debut YA novel-in-verse that is both a coming-of-age and a ghost story.Moth has lost her family in an accident. Though she lives with her aunt, she feels alone and uprooted.Until she meets Sani, a boy who is also searching for his roots. If he knows more about where he comes from, maybe he’ll be able to understand his ongoing depression...Categorized as:
high-school multicultural black-mc young adult fantasy contemporary paranormal death -
Me by Amber McBride
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsMoth has lost her family in an accident. Though she lives with her aunt, she feels alone and uprooted.Until she meets Sani, a boy who is also searching for his roots. If he knows more about where he comes from, maybe he’ll be able to understand his ongoing depression. And if Moth can help him feel grounded, then perhaps she too will discover the history she carries in her bones...Categorized as:
high-school multicultural black-mc young adult fantasy contemporary paranormal death -
Pawsitively Poisonous by Melissa Erin Jackson
Every town has its secrets, but no one has a secret like hers. Amber Blackwood, lifelong resident of Edgehill, Oregon, has earned a reputation for being a semi-reclusive odd duck. Her store, The Quirky Whisker, is full of curiosities, from extremely potent sleepy teas and ever-burning candles to kids’ toys that seem to run endlessly without the aid of batteries... -
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson, Luc Rigoureau
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsBoth Elisha (Ellie) and Jeremiah (Miah) attend Percy Academy, a private school where neither quite fits in. Ellie is wrestling with family demons, and Miah is one of the few African American students. The two of them find each other, and fall in love -- but they are hesitant to share their newfound happiness with their friends and families, who will not understand...Categorized as:
high-school multicultural black-mc young adult contemporary african-american racism fantasy -
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
For more than a decade, Jenna Metcalf has never stopped thinking about her mother, Alice, who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident. Refusing to believe that she would be abandoned as a young child, Jenna searches for her mother regularly online and pores over the pages of Alice’s old journals... -
Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsA teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HCBU for the young, Black, and magical . Enroll in this fresh fantasy debut with the emotional power of Legendborn and the redefined ancestral magic of Lovecraft Country...Categorized as:
black-mc fantasy young adult magic mystery urban fantasy contemporary african-american -
Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Corthron
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFollow a black teen as she finds her place among a family of women gifted with magical abilities.In the Jim Crow South, white supremacy reigns and tensions are high. But Evalene Deschamps has other things to worry about. She has two little sisters to look after, an overworked single mother, and a longtime crush who is finally making a move...Categorized as:
black-mc fantasy young adult historical magic paranormal african-american urban fantasy -
A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsStill reeling from her recent battle (and grounded until she graduates), Alice must abandon her friends to complete her mission: find The Heart and prevent the Red Lady's rise. But the deeper she ventures into Wonderland, the more topsy-turvy everything becomes. It’s not until she’s at her wits end that she realizes—Wonderland is trying to save her...Categorized as:
black-mc fantasy young adult urban fantasy magic african-american contemporary paranormal -
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs... -
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A Crown So Cursed by L.L. McKinney
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAlice is doing her best to recover from her last boss battle, but members of her crew start having these... dreams. And they’re all the same dream: visions of a dark past―and an even darker future. It seems the evil in Wonderland may not be as defeated as they’d hoped... -
This Side of Home by Renée Watson
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIdentical twins Nikki and Maya have been on the same page for everything—friends, school, boys and starting off their adult lives at a historically African-American college. But as their neighborhood goes from rough-and-tumble to up-and-coming, suddenly filled with pretty coffee shops and boutiques, Nikki is thrilled while Maya feels like their home is slipping away...Categorized as:
high-school multicultural black-mc young adult contemporary african-american racism paranormal -
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsAn award-winning literary author enters the world of magical realism with her World Fantasy Award-winning novel of a remarkable woman in post-apocalyptic Africa. In a post-apocalyptic Africa, the world has changed in many ways; yet in one region genocide between tribes still bloodies the land... -
American Street by Ibi Zoboi
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsThe rock in the water does not know the pain of the rock in the sun.On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie—a good life.But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S...Categorized as:
high-school multicultural black-mc young adult contemporary african-american fantasy magic -
Switch Heater by K.L. Moore
Three years. Three years at the Omega Center, learning everything I need to learn, becoming the omega that they say we're supposed to be. You know what else they say? That we'll find our pack, our alphas, while here. There hasn't been an omega yet that's walked through those doors and not walked out ready to bond with their intended packs and alphas. The exception being me... -
A Phoenix First Must Burn by Elizabeth Acevedo, Amerie
Rated: 3.97 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsSixteen tales by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and magic.Evoking Beyoncé’s Lemonade for a teen audience, these authors who are truly Octavia Butler’s heirs, have woven worlds to create a stunning narrative that centers Black women and gender nonconforming individuals...Categorized as:
black-mc fantasy young adult contemporary magic dystopian urban fantasy african-american
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