The BEST young adult mystery books

Here are 10 young adult mystery book recommendations.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price – Holly Jackson

18-year-old Bel has lived her entire life with the knowledge that her mother, Rachel Price, vanished into thin air, leaving behind Bel in the car. No one knows what happened to her. The case is being dragged up again when Bel’s family agree to be part of a true crime documentary about the case and they’re all shocked when Rachel reappears. She has a crazy story about what happened to her, but Bel becomes immediately suspicious when she begins to notice some inconsistencies in Rachel’s story.

Release Date: 2/4/24. Thank you to the publisher for sending an early copy to review.

How We Fall Apart – Katie Zhao

Popular ‘It Girl’ at Sinclair Prep, Jamie Ruan, has disappeared and is soon found dead. Soon after she’s found, rumours that her 4 ex-best friends are involved. Someone naming themselves ‘The Proctor’ knows all of their secrets and is incriminating them on social media and they soon find themselves the prime suspects.

And Don’t Look Back – Rebecca Barrow

Harlow has lived her entire life on the run with her mother but she has no idea the reason they keep running. One night, her mother is unexpectedly killed in a tragic car accident and her last words direct Harlow to a safety deposit box and beg her to never stop running.

But when Harlow finds a deed to a house in the box, she must decide whether she’ll go to the house to find answers about her past, or keep running.

Suddenly A Murder – Lauren Munoz

To celebrate the end of high school a group of wealthy teenagers attend a week-long 1920s-themed party at the glamorous Ashwood Manor on an isolated island. Until one of them turns up dead.

Investigators declare he’s been murdered and when a storm traps everyone on the island, detectives are determined to find out who killed him. There’s the girlfriend, the other girl, the old friend, the new friend, the brooding enigma, and Izzy – the girl who brought a knife to the party.

This Is Not the Jess Show – Anna Carey

It’s 1998 and Jess’ life seems to be going in the perfect direction, everything is going right for her. Until one day a tiny black oobject with an apple logo falls at her feet. But Jess’ friends refuse to ackowledge the object and it begins to seem like everyone is hiding secrets from her. 

Nothing in Jess’ world is as it seems and she slowly begins to realise that her entire life has been curated and it’s nothing more than someone else’s entertainment.

The Woods Are Always Watching – Stephanie Perkins

Best friends Neena and Josie spent high school as outsiders, but they always had each other. They’re preparing to head off to college on opposite ends of the country so decide to have one final weekend together. They decide on a three-day hike in a National Forest.

But after they get into an argument and take a wrong turn on the trail, they walk straight into a waking nightmare.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler – Casey McQuiston

Chloe Green lives in a small town where the only thing keeping her going is winning valedictorian. Her only rival is Shara Wheeler. But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and then disappears.

Chloe soon discovers Shara kissed 2 other people before leaving and has left behind clues for them to find her. Chloe ends up working with Shara’s neighbour and her boyfriend as they attempt to figure out what has happened to her.

The Name of the Star – Maureen Johnson

Rory Deveaux moves from Louisana to London to start a new life at an English boarding school on the same day that someone begins recreating the horrifying murders of Jack the Ripper. The police are left with no leads but one day, Rory sees a mysterious man near one of the crime scenes and believes him to be a main suspect. Except that no one else could see him. 

Rory soon finds herself the next target and must find out what is going on and where the suspect went.

They All Fall Down – Roxanne St. Clair

Once a year, the lives of 10 girls at Vienna High are transformed because of the list. The boys vote on the 10 hottest junior girls at school and this year Kenzie Summerall has made the list. She’s shocked since she’s not very popular but being on this list usually means you’ll get invited to all the best parties and all of the hottest boys will be interested in you. Kenzie immediately becomes popular.

But this year, being on the list means that your life will end. As girls on the list begin to die in what seems like tragic accidents, Kenzie must figure out what is going on before she’s next.

The Boyband Murder Mystery – Ava Eldred

Harri and her best friends worship Half Light – an internationally famous boyband. One day frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend and Harri feels like her life is about to fall apart. But Half Light superfans know he could never have done it and they know more about the band than anyone so Harri meets up with her online friends and together they attempt to prove Frankie’s innocence. They show the world that you should never underestimate a teenage girl with a passion…