Books like 'The Holy Innocents'
Readers who enjoyed The Holy Innocents by Gilbert Adair also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary dark romance young adult 20th century queer horror
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Foxes by Suki Fleet
Rated: 4.54 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen Dashiel's body is found dumped on an East London wasteland, his best friend Danny sets out to find the killer. But Danny finds interaction difficult and must keep his world small in order to survive... -
![End of the Innocence by John Goode]()
End of the Innocence by John Goode
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsKyle Stilleno is no longer the invisible boy, and he doesn’t quite know how he feels about it. On one hand, he now has a great boyfriend, Brad Greymark, and a handful of new friends, and even a new job. On the other hand, no one screamed obscenities at him in public when he was invisible... -
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![Where All Paths Meet by Gregory Ashe]()
Where All Paths Meet by Gregory Ashe
Holmeses. 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... -
![The Old Wheel by Gregory Ashe]()
The Old Wheel by Gregory Ashe
Blackmail. 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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![Foxes by Suki Fleet]()
Foxes by Suki Fleet
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Dashiel’s body is found dumped on an East London wasteland, his best friend Danny sets out to find the killer. But Danny finds interaction difficult and must keep his world small in order to survive... -
![Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake]()
Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 50 ratingsFor readers of Girl in Pieces and The Way I Used to Be comes an emotionally gripping story about facing hard truths in the aftermath of sexual assault. Mara and Owen are as close as twins can get, so when Mara’s friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn't know what to think... -
![Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole]()
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 realize. that a woman doesn't get that mad. so mad that her hair turns to snakes. so mad that her rage turns blood to boulder. all on her own... -
![Little Universes by Heather Demetrios]()
Little Universes by Heather Demetrios
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsOne wave: that’s all it takes for the rest of Mae and Hannah Winters’ lives to change. When a tsunami strikes the island where their parents are vacationing, it soon becomes clear that their mom and dad are never coming home... -
![The Law of Inertia by Sophie Gonzales]()
The Law of Inertia by Sophie Gonzales
When 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... -
![Dear Adam by Jaclyn Osborn]()
Dear Adam by Jaclyn Osborn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratings**WARNING: This story contains suicidal material that may be sensitive to some readers. **. Things weren’t supposed to turn out this way. My story should have been different. Happier. Maybe in another life, it would’ve been. But, life isn’t a fairy tale, and the good guys don’t always win. I didn’t mean to cause anyone pain. I just wanted to end my own. The letter, his words—crushed me... -
![Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, Abby McDonald]()
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, Abby McDonald
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 45 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 Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout]()
The Dead List by Jennifer L. Armentrout
It's Ella's senior year of high school and she and her best friend Linds plan to make it the best year ever. At Brock Cochran's end of summer pool party, the girls vow to have as much fun as possible before they head off to different colleges next fall. But when Ella is mysteriously attacked on her way home from the party, everything changes... -
![The Law of Inertia by Sophie Gonzales]()
The Law of Inertia by Sophie Gonzales
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsMysteries have a way of gaining momentum. When James’s boyfriend dies by suicide, a foster kid with a checkered past, no one asks too many questions. “Ash always had problems,” they say. But to James, the so-called facts are just the first of many mysteries. And when the very person who can answer his questions skips town, James wonders what else is being hidden... -
![This Is Not a Love Story (Love Story Universe) by Suki Fleet]()
This Is Not a Love Story (Love Story Universe) by Suki Fleet
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsWhen fifteen-year-old Romeo's mother leaves one day and doesn't return, he finds himself homeless and trying to survive on the streets. Mute and terrified, his silence makes him vulnerable, and one night he is beaten by a gang of other kids, only to be rescued by a boy who pledges to take care of him. Julian is barely two years older than Romeo... -
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![A Broken Kind of Life by Jamie Mayfield, Cody Kennedy]()
A Broken Kind of Life by Jamie Mayfield, Cody Kennedy
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsWith a foreword by C. Kennedy. Aaron Downing is broken, barely clinging to the hope that one day, he will be normal again. His life remains a constant string of nightmares, flashbacks, and fear, but he perseveres and starts college, determined to move on. Then Aaron gets assigned to work with Spencer Thomas for his programming project... -
![Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim]()
Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 35 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... -
![The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis]()
The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Evan Panos doesn’t know where he fits in. His strict Greek mother refuses to see him as anything but a disappointment. His quiet, workaholic father is a staunch believer in avoiding any kind of conflict. And his best friend Henry has somehow become distractingly attractive over the summer...Categorized as:
queer young adult contemporary abuse m-m high-school friends to lovers mental illness -
![Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass]()
Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsConnor Major’s summer break is turning into a nightmare. His SAT scores bombed, the old man he delivers meals to died, and when he came out to his religious zealot mother, she had him kidnapped and shipped off to a secluded island. His final Nightlight Ministries, a conversion therapy camp that will be his new home until he “changes. ” But Connor’s troubles are only beginning... -
![Finding Home by Garrett Leigh]()
Finding Home by Garrett Leigh
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsWith their mum dead and their father on remand for her murder, Leo Hendry and his little sister, Lila, have nothing in the world but each other. Broken and burned, they’re thrust into the foster care system. Leo shields Lila from the fake families and forced affection, until the Poulton household is the only place left to go... -
![The Lies We Tell: A Darker MM Romance by Alex J. Adams]()
The Lies We Tell: A Darker MM Romance by Alex J. Adams
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratings"Lies destroy – especially the ones we tell ourselves. But reality can destroy too, revealing a truth that can shake you to the core. ". Nate. My marriage was done. The criminal I was chasing was giving me the runaround. I was doubting everything, wondering where my life was going. I’d given everything to the job, but it had cost me everything, including my family and my home...Categorized as:
queer m-m young adult contemporary hurt-comfort forced proximity dark age difference -
![The Elite by Serenity Ackles]()
The Elite by Serenity Ackles
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsJames Keyingham University: a college for the country’s richest, most powerful and influential elite…. My brother is serving a life sentence for a murder I know he didn’t commit. Things don’t add up, and all the evidence about the case seems to have disappeared. One scholarship later, and I’m attending James Keyingham University...Categorized as:
queer reverse harem contemporary young adult dark super rich hero suspense new adult -
![Ivory by Kira Roman]()
Ivory by Kira Roman
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAttending an Academy for spoiled rich kids is not on my bucket list, but killing my abuser is. He made my childhood a living hell, until the day Man saved me, and brought me to the Belladonna Mansion. Now it’s time to return the favor. Three targets, one mission. Three broken boys, and three victims. They say bad things come in threes, but there's only one me... -
![Cheerleading Can Be Murder by Carissa Ann Lynch]()
Cheerleading Can Be Murder by Carissa Ann Lynch
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGetting on the cheerleading squad is hard enough without a psycho on the loose…. For Harrow High freshman Dakota Densford, life should be easy. All she has to worry about is talking to cute boys and remembering her locker combination. But when cheerleading tryouts draw near, she learns the cards are stacked against her—spots on the varsity team are limited... -
![The Value of Rain by Brandon Shire]()
The Value of Rain by Brandon Shire
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCharles is 14, and after being discovered with his first love he is forced into a mental hospital to cure his sexuality. For the next ten years he endures mental and physical torture as part of that treatment and when he is finally free, he begins a relentless quest for vengeance against the woman who abetted his commitment into that hospital, his mother Charlotte... -
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![Vandal by Rachel Leigh]()
Vandal by Rachel Leigh
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI have a secret. A deep and painful secret that has been feasting on my insides. Clawing at my heart and lacerating it in a slow and painful agony. If Wyatt thinks that he can just walk into my life and rattle things up,. he’s got another thing coming. He’s nothing to me. Scum. Dirt. As good as dead. You see, I have a secret, but so does he. It’s my turn to get my revenge,... -
![Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead]()
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 39 ratings"You're gonna need a rock and a whole lotta medicine" is a mantra that Jonny Appleseed, a young Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer, repeats to himself in this vivid and utterly compelling novel. Off the reserve and trying to find ways to live and love in the big city, Jonny becomes a cybersex worker who fetishizes himself in order to make a living. Self-ordained as an NDN glitter princess,... -
![Garden of Shadows by V.C. Andrews]()
Garden of Shadows by V.C. Andrews
Olivia dreamed of a sun-filled love, a happy life. Then she entered Foxworth Hall. .. V. C. Andrews' thrilling new novel spins a tale of dreadful secrets and dark, forbidden passions -- of the time before Flowers in the Attic began. Long before terror flowered in the attic, thin, spinsterish Olivia came to Virginia as Malcolm Foxworth's bride... -
![Oblivion by Sasha Dawn]()
Oblivion by Sasha Dawn
Rated: 3.81 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsLisa McMann's Dead to You meets Kate Ellison's The Butterfly Clues in a psychological thriller full of romance, intrigue, and mystery. One year ago, Callie was found in an abandoned apartment, scrawling words on the wall: "I KILLED HIM. His blood is on my hands. His heart is in my soul. I KILLED HIM. " But she remembers nothing of that night or of the previous thirty-six hours... -
![Heartless by J. Roman]()
Heartless by J. Roman
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsKeeping Secrets: Book One. For gay teens in the South, Erwin High School is as good as it gets. The prevailing liberalism means being gay doesn’t have to be the focus of your life—which frees up seventeen-year-old Jason Strummer to take on the role of bully. Jason understands his beauty and power and has a reputation to match his attitude... -
![Jaya and Rasa: A Love Story by Sonia Patel]()
Jaya and Rasa: A Love Story by Sonia Patel
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Jaya Mehta detests wealth, secrets, and privilege, though he has them all. His family is Indian, originally from Gujarat. Rasa Santos, like many in Hawaii, is of mixed ethnicity. All she has are siblings, three of them, plus a mother who controls men like a black widow spider and leaves her children whenever she wants to... -
![Intervention by Mia Kerick]()
Intervention by Mia Kerick
Rated: 3.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAs a musician at the popular college café Coed Joe’s, high school senior Kai Manter is never lacking for male attention. Out, proud, free-spirited, and sexually aware, Kai sets his sights on his darkly Gothic and undeniably bad-tempered coworker, Jamie Arlotta, a freshman at the local arts university... -
![Pretty Dead Queens by Alexa Donne]()
Pretty Dead Queens by Alexa Donne
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsSeaview High's homecoming queen is dead . . . and she's not the first. From the critically acclaimed author of The Ivies comes a nonstop thriller about a deacades-old mystery, a copycat killing, and the teen who won't stop until she discovers the truth... -
![What Girls Are Made of by Elana K. Arnold]()
What Girls Are Made of by Elana K. Arnold
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsSixteen-year-old Nina isn't made of sugar and spice and everything nice. She is flesh and blood and desire, but she longs to know real love. Unconditional love. The kind her mother told her doesn't exist. National Book Award Finalist. Reeling from a shameful breakup with a boy she unabashedly worshipped, Nina drifts between school and her days volunteering at a dog shelter... -
![The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas]()
The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 36 ratings"Gripping from start to finish, The Darkest Corners took me into an underbelly I didn't know existed, with twists that left me shocked and racing forward to get to the end. "-Victoria Aveyard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Queen... -
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![Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews]()
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
Rated: 3.82 of 5 stars · 72 ratingsWay upstairs there are four secrets hidden. Blond, beautiful, innocent little secrets, struggling to stay alive. Flowers In the Attic. The four Dollanganger children had such perfect lives -- a beautiful mother, a doting father, a lovely home. Then Daddy was killed in a car accident, and Momma could no longer support the family... -
![What You Hide by Natalie D. Richards]()
What You Hide by Natalie D. Richards
Rated: 3.77 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFrom Natalie D. Richards, the New York Times bestselling author of mystery books for teens, comes a pulse-pounding thriller about two teens who uncover something sinister, perfect for fans of Natasha Preston and Karen McManus. Mallory didn't want to leave home, but it wasn't safe to stay... -
![How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent]()
How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent
Meet Kitty Collins. FRIEND. LOVER. KILLER. Have you ever walked home at night, keys in hand, ready to throw a punch in self-defence? That’s how it all started. The killing spree, I mean. I sort of tripped into this role… Literally. The first one was following me. That guy from the nightclub who wouldn’t leave me alone. I pushed him, he stumbled, and fell onto his own broken wine bottle. Oops... -
![Stay With Me by Kira Hawke]()
Stay With Me by Kira Hawke
Rated: 3.56 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsLogan Woods just survived an attempted murder. Maybe. Left for dead in the sketchiest part of town, Logan has no idea how much time he has left. But through this disaster forms an unlikely friendship that might be worth living for. -
![The Falling Girls by Hayley Krischer]()
The Falling Girls by Hayley Krischer
Rated: 3.65 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShade and Jadis are everything to each other. They share clothes, toothbrushes, and even matching stick-and-poke tattoos. So when Shade unexpectedly joins the cheerleading team, Jadis can hardly recognize who her best friend is becoming. Shade loves the idea of falling into a group of girls; she loves the discipline it takes to push her body to the limits alongside these athletes... -
![Burn It Down by Katie A. Perez]()
Burn It Down by Katie A. Perez
Rated: 3.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsLast month I was a normal girl living a normal life not thinking of the dangers outside my door. Less than a month later I have been exposed to some of the most powerful and dangerous men, and their secrets that were in my own backyard. I will never return to the sweet girl I once was. I will be the danger these men need to worry about. I will be the hushed secrets spoken in the shadows... -
![Rage: A Love Story by Julie Anne Peters]()
Rage: A Love Story by Julie Anne Peters
Rated: 3.68 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsA National Book Award Finalist offers an intense portrait of an abusive relationship. Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs—it can’t give her Reeve Hartt. Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna’s fluttering moth... -
![Brooke by V.C. Andrews]()
Brooke by V.C. Andrews
Rated: 3.61 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe Orphans is a novelized miniseries credited to V. C. Andrews, but ghostwritten by Andrew Neiderman. It focuses on the lives of four teenage girls and their lives as "orphans. " The four novels each focus on one of the four main characters. There is a final fifth book (not included) that ties all of their lives together. They were released from May to October 1998... -
![Crystal by V.C. Andrews]()
Crystal by V.C. Andrews
Rated: 3.62 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsThe Orphans is a novelized miniseries credited to V. C. Andrews, but ghostwritten by Andrew Neiderman. It focuses on the lives of four teenage girls and their lives as "orphans. " The four novels each focus on one of the four main characters. There is a final fifth book (not included) that ties all of their lives together. They were released from May to October 1998... -
![Tenderness by Robert Cormier]()
Tenderness by Robert Cormier
Rated: 3.58 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsEighteen-year-old Eric has just been released from juvenile detention for murdering his parents. Now he's looking for tenderness--tenderness he finds in killing girls. Fifteen-year-old Lori has run away from home again. Emotionally naive and sexually precocious, she is also looking for tenderness--tenderness that she finds in Eric... -
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![Butterfly by V.C. Andrews]()
Butterfly by V.C. Andrews
Rated: 3.62 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThe Orphans is a novelized miniseries credited to V. C. Andrews, but ghostwritten by Andrew Neiderman. It focuses on the lives of four teenage girls and their lives as "orphans. " The four novels each focus on one of the four main characters. There is a final fifth book (not included) that ties all of their lives together. They were released from May to October 1998... -
![Raven by V.C. Andrews]()
Raven by V.C. Andrews
Rated: 3.61 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThe Orphans is a novelized miniseries credited to V. C. Andrews, but ghostwritten by Andrew Neiderman. It focuses on the lives of four teenage girls and their lives as "orphans. " The four novels each focus on one of the four main characters. There is a final fifth book (not included) that ties all of their lives together. They were released from May to October 1998... -
![Summer Rental by Rektok Ross]()
Summer Rental by Rektok Ross
Rated: 3.55 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsMEAN GIRLS meets SCREAM in this heart-pounding psychological thriller about a group of friends stranded on an island with a serial killer on the loose. Riley March and her friends are headed to ritzy, remote Palm Key Island for one last blow-out party weekend before college... -
![You'll Always be Mine by Natasha Preston]()
You'll Always be Mine by Natasha Preston
Rated: 3.48 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAfter escaping from police custody, Clover tries to piece his life back together. Determined to return to home and be reunited with his family, he has to first elude the country wide man hunt. Will he be able to resist his old ways in order to remain undetected? After hearing that Colin has escaped, Summer and Becca prepare themselves for the inevitable; Clover is coming back for them... -
![They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire]()
They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire
Rated: 3.55 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsPretty Little Liars meets Final Destination in this YA psychological thriller that will have readers' hearts racing right till the very end! Every year, the lives of ten girls at Vienna High are transformed. All because of the list... -
![A Night to Die For by Lisa Schroeder]()
A Night to Die For by Lisa Schroeder
Rated: 3.32 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Night Of meets Carrie when a boy finds a girl's body in the ditch on prom night. .. and becomes the primary suspect in her murder. All Mario wants is one normal night before he graduates. He's spent most of high school riding solo and gaming with his only friend, Lucas...
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