Books like 'Thirteen Reasons Why'
Readers who enjoyed Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher & Knut Krüger also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary young adult dark romance mystery high-school
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Dark Legacy by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you a new dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.That our love could start a war...Dear reader,Dark Legacy is the twelfth book in my Knight's Ridge Empire series, and the third book of Calli and Batman's story... -
Mafiosa by Catherine Doyle
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsA blood war rages on the streets of Chicago.Protected by an infamous mafia family, Sophie is living a dangerous lie, pretending to lead a normal life. But the deceit can’t last for ever. Her heart belongs to a killer and Sophie’s the prime target of a rival clan... -
You'd Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a breathtaking story about a town, its tragedies, and the quiet beauty of everyday life.For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one--the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister...Categorized as:
mystery high-school young adult contemporary mental illness substance abuse dark death -
Real Girl by Sheridan Anne
Lucien Valentine must die.It’s the thought that’s kept me going for four long years. I’ve imagined it, dreamed about it, relished in it. I want it so bad, but the question is, do I have what it takes to make it happen?Taking a life isn’t for the faint-hearted. Just ask Lucien, he knows.He’s taken me back to where it all started and I know exactly how it’s going to go... -
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More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer
Rev Fletcher is battling the demons of his past. But with loving adoptive parents by his side, he’s managed to keep them at bay...until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.Emma Blue spends her time perfecting the computer game she built from scratch, rather than facing her parents’ crumbling marriage...Categorized as:
high-school mystery young adult contemporary abuse friends to lovers mental illness dark -
The Sinners by Ruby Vincent
I knew when I started this path it would lead to destruction......but nothing could have prepared me for this.Drugs flooding campus. Tensions brewing between the factions. Old enemies reappearing. New secrets taking over my life. Love awakening a soul I long thought was dead.Cassius, Clay, Hiro, and Royal have named me one of them, but sharing a title is easy... -
Sadie by Courtney Summers
A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial-like podcast following the clues she's left behind. And an ending you won't be able to stop talking about.Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water... -
On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
I'm dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I tell him about Hannah, who lives in the unfinished house by the river. Hannah, who is too young to be hiding away from the world. Hannah, who found me on the Jellicoe Road six years ago... -
Wild Girl by Sheridan Anne
Have you ever known what it feels like to die?It’s not great. Trust me, I don’t recommend it.I’ve always said that my life is about surviving, but I didn’t realize how true that was until the devil sent me soaring off a bridge with the love of my life and lodged a bullet through my thigh.It’s not my time to die...Categorized as:
high-school mystery dark contemporary sports young adult cruel hero from hate to love -
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 56 ratingsA contemporary YA novel that examines rape culture through alternating perspectives. Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people... -
Reckless Dynasty by Tracy Lorraine
USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Lorraine brings you the next installment of her dark mafia, high school bully romance story set in the Knight's Ridge Empire world.My life has been full of half-truths tangled in lies—I’d been to hell and back more times than I could count... -
Game by Barry Lyga
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsBilly grinned. “Oh, New York,” he whispered. “We’re gonna have so much fun.” I Hunt Killers introduced the world to Jazz, the son of history’s most infamous serial killer, Billy Dent. In an effort to prove murder didn’t run in the family, Jazz teamed with the police in the small town of Lobo’s Nod to solve a deadly case... -
Someone I Used to Know by Patty Blount
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIt's been two years since the night that changed Ashley's life. Two years since she was raped by her brother's teammate. And a year since she sat in a court and watched as he was given a slap on the wrist sentence. But the years have done nothing to stop the pain.It's been two years of hell for Derek. His family is totally messed up and he and his sister are barely speaking... -
Now Is Everything by Amy Giles
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThis is a previously published edition of ISBN 0062495739.The McCauleys look perfect on the outside. But nothing is ever as it seems, and this family is hiding a dark secret.Hadley McCauley will do anything to keep her sister safe from their father... -
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Boys of Oak Park Prep by Callie Rose
A long time ago, I was one of them. Now I’m back, and they hate me for it.Plucked out of the harsh life I was living and thrust into a world of unimaginable wealth, power, and privilege, all I want to do is keep my head down and survive until graduation.But they have other plans—Mason, Finn, Elijah, and Cole.Everyone at my new school calls them the Princes, and that’s exactly what they act like...Categorized as:
high-school mystery reverse harem contemporary dark cruel hero from hate to love young adult -
Barbie B*tch by Sheridan Anne
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsCold-blooded murder. Do I have it in me? I’ve watched the people I love commit the worst kinds of crimes and within the blink of an eye, I could be just like them. I feel the jagged glass beneath my fingers, but do I have the strength to follow this through? How much of my soul am I willing to sacrifice to make this right?Nic was supposed to be my rock...Categorized as:
high-school mystery dark new adult reverse harem contemporary suspense from hate to love -
Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsKendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail-- her abuser's identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands... -
Before I Break by Portia Moore
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsOut of the past six years of my life, I only remember about half of it. After a dozen doctors and thousands in medical bills, I was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder--one that causes me to lose track of time. Sometimes it’s hours, days or even weeks with no recollection of anything. The good thing is it's been almost two years since I had my last ‘black out’...Categorized as:
mystery young adult contemporary love triangle suspense new adult dark other-man-woman -
Forever Golden by Rachel Jonas, Lessa Lamb
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsWest Golden—Fierce protector. The one.The cocky jock I once wanted to kill with my bare hands is now the only one I trust with my heart.In a city full of corruption and dark secrets, knowing who’s on your side gets harder to determine every day. Especially now that Vin’s on the warpath, passing out threats he fully intends to see through to the end... -
Where All Paths Meet by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.55 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHolmeses. Moriartys. Adlers. What’s a Watson to do? When Jack Moreno receives an anonymous invitation to the Zodiac anniversary gala, he’s inclined to ignore it. His best friend (and more), Holloway Holmes, vanished from his life five months ago, and Jack has no desire to bump into Holloway’s terrifying father, Blackfriar... -
In Chaos by K.G. Reuss
A Dark High School Bully RomanceSome things are better left unsaid. Others demand chaos. Good thing I excel at both.Everything fell apart before we were able to pull ourselves together. When tragedy demands my silence, I have no choice but to give it because losing a life also means saving so many more.I finally have everything I want. Having my best friend back is a dream come true... -
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, Abby McDonald
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsIt's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations... -
The Girl in the Hoodie by SarcasticallyWitty
A girl moved to California two years ago.No one knows what she looks like.All they know is that she wears a hoodie...Categorized as:
mystery high-school contemporary young adult friends to lovers angst dark found-family -
The Old Wheel by Gregory Ashe
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsBlackmail. Breakups. Boys. Trouble always comes in threes.Life is different for Jack Moreno. Good. Definitely good. Well, better, anyway.He’s back in school (although classes are harder than he expected). And his dad is healthy (which means he’s worrying again about things like Jack’s curfew and, oh yeah, grades)... -
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Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsThis searing and intimate novel in verse follows a sixteen-year-old girl coping with sexual abuse as she grapples with how to reclaim her story, her anger, and her body in a world that seems determined to punish her for the sin of surviving.I'm starting to realizethat a woman doesn't get that madso mad that her hair turns to snakesso mad that her rage turns blood to boulderall on her own... -
Perfectly Flawed by Nessa Morgan
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsI thought I was okay.I mean, I went through my days just fine, pushing toward a goal I could easily achieve. I had friends that loved me, an aunt who adored me, and everything was just okay.But what I thought was okay and fine, all of that changed... -
Unraveling You by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsLyric Scott has always had a good life. Outgoing, spunky, and musically talented, she’s constantly surrounded by family and friends, yet she still feels there’s something missing. Then she meets her new next-door neighbor Ayden Gregory. Mysterious, sweet, and sad, Ayden is the exact opposite of Lyric and exactly what she needs to fill the void in her life...Categorized as:
mystery high-school contemporary young adult musicians virgin heroine dark friends to lovers -
Yakuza Fiance: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii Vol. 2 by Asuka Konishi
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsDepuis la disparition de la fille d’un yakuza allié au clan Miyama, et le meurtre d’un de leurs hommes,Yoshino est contrainte à passer tout son temps avec Kirishima pour sa propre sécurité. Situation compliquée pour ses nerfs ! À l’occasion d’une sortie, elle aperçoit la soi-disant disparue dans un quartier branché...Categorized as:
mystery contemporary mafia young adult dark new adult marriage of convenience length-short -
Never His Girl by Rachel Jonas, Nikki Thorne
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsWest Golden--Football star. Playboy. Dead to me.Nothing puts the final bullet in a girl’s rep like a leaked sex tape. Especially one starring her and the cocky quarterback who’s had it out for her since day one. Yep, you guessed it. That girl is me.At Cypress Prep, West is king, but all I see when I look at him is the wicked prick who gets off on trying to break me.His plaything.Go ahead...Categorized as:
high-school mystery contemporary new adult sports dark young adult from hate to love -
These Dark Hearts by L.A. Cotton
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsHarleigh Wren Maguire has loved Phoenix Wilder for as long as she can remember.He's everything she isn't.Brave.Reckless.One-hundred percent unapologetic.But it's Halloween... the perfect excuse to dress up and be someone you're not. To step out of your comfort zone and do things you wouldn't usually do.And Harleigh is determined to make her best friend notice her for once.There's only one problem...Categorized as:
high-school mystery friends to lovers new adult sports contemporary dark young adult -
Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsAt the age of eight Brian Lackey is found bleeding under the crawl space of his house, having endured something so traumatic that he cannot remember an entire five–hour period of time... -
A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsAn emotionally charged story of music, abuse and, ultimately, hope.Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken...Categorized as:
high-school contemporary young adult abuse dark mental illness male-pov length-medium -
Letting Ana Go by Anonymous
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsIn the tradition of Go Ask Alice and Lucy in the Sky, a harrowing account of anorexia and addiction.She was a good girl from a good family, with everything she could want or need. But below the surface, she felt like she could never be good enough. Like she could never live up to the expectations that surrounded her. Like she couldn’t do anything to make a change...Categorized as:
high-school young adult contemporary mental illness eating disorder dark death length-medium -
The Art of Breaking Things by Laura Sibson
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn the tradition of Laurie Halse Anderson and Sara Zarr, one girl embraces the power of her voice: rules are meant to be broken and she won’t stay silent.Seventeen-year-old Skye has her sights set on one thing: getting the heck out of Dodge. Art school is her ticket out and she’s already been accepted to her first choice, MICA... -
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Hometown Girl Memories by Kirsten Fullmer
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"I was crying one minute and laughing the next. A definite must read!" Winnie is content in her role as the reining matriarch of Smithville, but when a letter arrives from a long-lost friend, the door to her past is reopened. Memories come flooding in, drawing her back to 1968, her college days; a time filled with people and events she hasn’t allowed herself to recall... -
The Law of Inertia by Sophie Gonzales
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhen James’s boyfriend died by suicide, no one questioned what happened. A foster kid with a checkered past and a history of suicide attempts, Ash was just another number in a system that failed him. But to James, Ash was never just a number, and the facts around his death no longer stack up so neatly... -
We the Pretty Stars by Eden O'Neill
He's a supernova... wild and untamed but I refuse to let his light die. If need be, I'll be that light for him.We'll end this together.The body count is rising in Maywood Heights and Royal seems determined to add to that number. He wants to take out those who hurt Paige. Though I want justice too, I'm not sure how far his need for revenge will take him. These flames might consume him in the end...Categorized as:
high-school mystery dark new adult young adult from hate to love cruel hero contemporary -
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 54 ratingsFive months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets... -
Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii Vol. 2 by Asuka Konishi
Depuis la disparition de la fille d’un yakuza allié au clan Miyama, et le meurtre d’un de leurs hommes,Yoshino est contrainte à passer tout son temps avec Kirishima pour sa propre sécurité. Situation compliquée pour ses nerfs ! À l’occasion d’une sortie, elle aperçoit la soi-disant disparue dans un quartier branché...Categorized as:
mystery contemporary mafia marriage of convenience young adult dark length-short glimpses-kisses -
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe...Categorized as:
mystery high-school contemporary young adult tearjerkers strong heroine suspense dark -
Wicked Promises by S. Massery
I made a promise to Caleb, and I intended to keep it.I just didn’t anticipate the aftermath.One betrayal.One lie.One devastating cover up.It’s all out in the open now, and this time, I’m not running away.The secrets I hold are enough to destroy us.The truth is supposed to set us free—but we aren’t destined for freedom.This is a dark high school bully romance with mature content and themes... -
Like You Know by Kaydence Snow
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe fourth, and final, book in the Devilbend Dynasty series...Categorized as:
high-school mystery suspense contemporary age difference m-f strong heroine sassy heroine -
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWhen he was nine, Kip set another child on fire. Now, after years in a juvenile ward, he is ready for a fresh start. But the ghosts of his past soon demand justice, and he must reveal his painful secret... -
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsFaulkner’s most famous, most popular, and most anthologized short story, “A Rose for Emily” evokes the terms Southern gothic and grotesque, two types of literature in which the general tone is one of gloom, terror, and understated violence... -
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Nerd Queen by Ivy Clyde
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsI survived the first year at Knighstwood Academy but my struggles are far from over. People still don’t want the Charity Case hanging around on the campus of their elite prep school.While I have the Kings of the academy backing me, they can’t predict every attack coming my way. And while I am struggling to endure it all, secrets of my past resurface, secrets that my mother took to her grave... -
All in Pieces by Suzanne Young
Rated: 4.02 of 5 stars · 30 ratings“Anger-management issues.”That’s how they classified Savannah Sutton after she stuck a pencil in her ex-boyfriend’s hand because he mocked her little brother, Evan, for being disabled. That’s why they sent her to Brooks Academy—an alternative high school that’s used as a temporary detention center.The days at Brooks are miserable, but at home, life is far more bleak... -
The Falling of Hadley by Jessica Sorensen
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMy life is getting more complicated the longer I remain in Honeyton. But I'm tough. I always have been. But trying to handle everything on my own is becoming difficult, especially when I discover a family secret. I hate to admit it, but I may need some help if I want to protect my sisters. And the only people I may be able to turn to for help are my next-door neighbors who drive me insane...Categorized as:
mystery high-school bad boys contemporary poly young adult new adult from hate to love -
Lucy in the Sky by Anonymous
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsA riveting first-person tale of addiction, in the tradition of Go Ask Alice and Jay’s Journal.The author of this diary began journaling on her sixteenth birthday. She lived in an upper middle class neighborhood in Santa Monica with her mom, dad, and Berkeley-bound older brother. She was a good girl, living a good life...but one party changed everything...Categorized as:
high-school young adult contemporary mental illness dark substance abuse death length-medium -
Ugly Girl by Sheridan Anne
Slade Cruz is a d*@k.He’s intimidating, sexy as sin, and unpredictably wild. His eyes draw me in while his vicious smirk screams at me to run and never look back. I’m a toy to him, a pawn to use in his devilish games.I’ve already suffered through hell and back and if it’s games he wants then it’s games he’ll get, but he should be warned, this time it’s my turn to play the lead... -
Court Kept by Eden O'Neill
The black hole has sucked me in... and I don't want to get out.Ramses plan is dark. It can GET dark but not only am I here for it I'm so ready. It's time to bring some justice in this town. It's time to open some f*cking doors and be a voice for someone who didn't have one. My sister Paige didn't get to tell her story. What happened to her was covered up and I'm going to prove that...Categorized as:
high-school mystery dark new adult young adult contemporary from hate to love found-family
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