If the dreaded reading slump has hit you, or perhaps you’re just in the mood for a young adult thriller book, I have recommendations for you. I find thrillers are the perfect way to get addicted to reading and be hooked to find out what happens next.
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A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is set in an English town, following a schoolgirl doing a project that involves investigating a case that happened many years ago. I was completely swept away by this book, I felt hooked from the first few pages and I couldn’t put it down until I knew how it ended. I really liked the familiar setting and found it easier to fall into the world Holly Jackson had created. If you want to test the waters with YA thrillers, this is definitely a good choice.
One of Us Is Lying, Karen M. McManus
One of Us Is Lying features the stereotypical highschool characters all trapped in detention when one of the students dies. This book is all about finding out what happened to the dead student and how these characters ended up in detention. I read this book in one sitting, it was thrilling and gripping throughout and completely pulled me into the mystery. The sequel One of Us Is Next is also absolutely phenomenal, I would highly recommend this series for an easy thriller fix.
All Your Twisted Secrets, Diana Urban
This book has similar themes to One of Us Is Lying, there are the stereotypical characters all in a room together, but this time they must decide whether to kill one student or all die. The structure of this book is what makes it so captivating, the flashes between past and present mean you are constantly on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens. I became obsessed with this book and am now recommending it to anyone who loves a good YA thriller!
Stalking Jack the Ripper, Kerri Maniscalco
This is a book inspired by the Jack the Ripper killings in which a young woman who is desperate to break society’s moulds, gets swept up in the investigation of a mass serial killer. I’ll be honest and say I found this book quite predictable and wasn’t really surprised by the big ‘who done it’ reveal, but I know a lot of people hold it in high regard, so it’s on my list.
Truly Devious, Maureen Johnson
And finally, Truly Devious reminded me of A Good Girls’ Guide to Murder with the school setting and a crime to investigate. This trilogy follows the main character as she tries to solve a crime that happened years ago at a school for gifted children. I really liked the premise of this book, but I found it a little slow-paced. The mystery is clever and well written though and I’m intrigued to see where it goes.
I’ve had One Of Us Is Lying sitting on my shelf for far too long and keep hearing amazing things about it. I’m definitely going to have to get to it. I haven’t read any of these but loving the sound of them! Great list.
Nice choices!
I need to read some of these books! It’s so hard to find good YA thrillers so I’ll definitely be using this list to read a few that I haven’t!
This is a great list! I’ll have to check out Truly, Devious and One of Us Is Lying because I’ve heard soo much about these books, it’s about time I give in! I’ve been on a contemporary kick lately, so it’ll be a nice change of pace! I can’t even remember the last true thriller I read (although The Grace Year was pretty thrilling!). Great post!