The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is one of those novels that refuses to be set aside. These days, it's rare that I spend a weekend with my nose in a book, but I did with The Silent Patient.
The premise is simple enough: a woman killed her husband and is now in a mental institution. She refuses to speak. The protagonist is a therapist who wants to help her regain her voice.
Will he? What will she tell him? The therapist is one part detective, one part analyst, and one part guy with his own demons to overcome. His journey to understand what happened to Alicia that night leads to a jaw-dropping twist. If you haven't picked up this one yet, add it to your reading list for 2025!
If you liked The Silent Patient as much as I did, explore my reviews of similar books. I hope you find something new that catches your interest. Happy reading!
Unquiet Riot by Khristina Chess
“Best friends don’t label each other as crazy or rat each other out to adults.” ― Khristina Chess, quote from Unquiet Riot
Riley isn’t a psychopath—he just doesn’t feel emotions.
Embarrassment, insecurity, suspicion—it’s all mysterious. He’s learned to read faces, but they never match the words people say.
Then Henry arrives. Henry is fascinating. Henry is dangerous. He believes the world is crawling with robot impostors, that shadows escape from electrical wires, that knives beneath his mattress will keep the monsters away. For Riley, stepping into Henry’s world is like visiting a foreign country—thrilling, unpredictable, alive.
When Henry vanishes, the police come knocking. And Riley lies.
Now it’s a game. If Henry talks, Riley loses.
Chilling and compulsive, Unquiet Riot is a mind-bending YA thriller that unravels friendship, deception, and the disturbing factors that allow tragedy to unfold. With an unforgettable unreliable narrator and a slow-burn descent into chaos, this is a must-read for anyone drawn to stories exploring the psychology of school violence.
Fans of The Silent Patient will devour this book. In fact, Khristina Chess is on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because she has so many suspenseful novels.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
"Some families are lucky enough to never experience a single tragedy. But then there are those families that see to have tragedies waiting on the back burner. What can go wrong, goes wrong. And then gets worse."—Colleen Hoover, quote from Verity
Colleen Hoover is a mega bestselling author of both adult and young adult fiction. Verity is my personal favorite. The hot (hot, hot) romance was definitely a big part of the appeal, but the spicy sex wasn’t the only part. This is more than a romance novel. I loved the twisty, dark, and disorienting plot that kept me guessing until the very end. In this novel, the characters aren’t who they seem to be, and that multi-dimensional layer was the aspect that made Verity so wonderful for me.
If you’re looking for authors like Alex Michaelides that you’ll want to binge, pick this one up.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
What more can I say about The Housemaid than has already been said? Fast-paced, full of surprises, chilling twist ending, compelling and unexpected characters -- this novel has all that and more!
"I'm going to let you out... Just not yet."
Holy guacamole! Yikes!
The Housemaid kept popping up as recommended reading for me, and since I've been seeing it everywhere, I thought, "Let's see."
I was delighted and entertained. In fact, I will definitely be reading more Freida McFadden novels! If you loved The Silent Patient, you will devour this one.
Never Lie by Freida McFadden
“I believe that any human being is capable of terrible things if you push them hard enough.” ― Freida McFadden, quote from Never Lie
"Never Lie" is my third Freida McFadden novel, and it didn't disappoint.
After a snowstorm traps newlyweds Tricia and Ethan in a deserted house, Tricia finds herself invested in the mystery surrounding the previous owner's disappearance.
The story is compelling, and I was surprised by the various plot twists. McFadden has a unique writing voice that makes her protagonists, whether the housemaid or Tricia, seem a little "off." The setting seemed a little contrived, but it didn't hurt the novel in the least. Yes, this is how all horror movies begin.
Bring it.
If you liked The Silent Patient, check this one out for sur.e
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston is one of those psychological thriller / mystery books that grabs you from the beginning and never lets go.
Evie Porter is a free agent who handles various “jobs” for a mysterious Mr. Smith. She’s good at her job. In fact, she’s so good that she doesn’t trust Mr. Smith and sets safety nets around her to make sure that when she’s double-crossed (not if, she knows it’s coming), she’ll be ready.
About halfway through the book, I was certain that I'd figured out who the mysterious "Mr. Smith" was--but I was wrong! The ending had a great twist and surprise. After a modest start to the narrative, I had to sit down and read the rest of the book in a single afternoon. I loved the premise, the mystery, and the conflict. I can see why people loved this one. Excellent read! If you liked The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, give this one a try!
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
"If she could rewind the timeline, untwist it and roll it back the other way like a ball of wool, she'd see the knots in the yarn, the warning signs. Looking at it backward it was obvious all along. But back then, when she knew nothing about anything, she had not seen it coming. She had walked straight into it with her eyes open." ― Lisa Jewell, quote from Then She Was Gone
This is an unputdownable novel. In fact, I was about 20 pages in when I realized I was going too fast and maybe, like the missing girl Ellie, I was overlooking important clues, so I went back and read from the beginning again.
I had to know what happened to Ellie, and then, bit by bit, new mysteries began to emerge. New horrors. The more I learned about Ellie and Noelle, the worse things became. The whole story became very... weird. Scary.
The relationship between Ellie’s mom and the American writer, Floyd, is where things take a turn. Floyd has a daughter who looks just like Ellie. I mean, how weird is that?
The ending was not predictable to me, and the path to reach the conclusion was not straight. I definitely loved this novel and want to read more of Lisa Jewell. Fans of The Silent Patient will agree that this is a thrilling, twisty read.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
The Girl on the Train is definitely one of the books you’ll devour if you liked The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. It has unreliable narrators, as well as a twisty and confusing plot that will keep you guessing. Things definitely aren’t what they seem to be. The mystery keeps the pages turning. What, exactly, did Rachel see that day?
This book was a total roller coaster. I was all over the place with my feelings about it, and that was a good thing.
Pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
It’s hard to say much about this one without revealing spoilers. A man’s wife disappears, and he’s the main suspect—perhaps with good reason. But is he really the killer?
Fans of The Silent Patient will love the page-turning plot with shocking revelations and love that turned sour. Characters aren’t who they seem to be in this one, either. Everyone poses and lies.
But do they kill?
The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve
In this list of books you’ll devour if you liked The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, The Pilot’s Wife might seem to be an unusual choice. It’s a quieter mystery. Older. A slow burn. A woman learns that her husband, a pilot, has died. Then, she realizes that he was living a secret life. She pulls on that thread.
What I love about this novel—and other books by Anita Shreve—is the writing. The characters are beautiful. The story unfolds at its own pace, not at breakneck speed, but gripping nonetheless.
Drowning Instinct by Ilsa Bick
“This is a fairy tale with teeth and claws.” ― Ilsa Bick, quote from Drowning Instinct
And speaking of twisty thrillers with inappropriate relationships, how about Drowning Instinct, with a teen girl and her teacher?
I didn't know what to expect when a friend loaned this book to me, but wow! This book has layers. The way the author wove the "drowning instinct" theme throughout the story was really well done, and I loved the complexity of the characters and the plot twists. The pacing kept getting more intense and compelling as I read further. Addictive.
I don’t want to give too much away. If you liked T The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, just read it.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This novel is beautiful, thrilling, sad, surprising, and engrossing. Kya Clark is a resilient child who is abandoned by her mother at six. Her alcoholic father is barely a parent, and he soon leaves her as well. Somehow, she finds a way to survive on her own, even thrive, despite an aching loneliness.
But a beautiful young girl who lives in solitude in the woods is destined for danger. And heartbreak.
The mystery surrounding the death of Chase Andrews is the inciting incident of the novel, and it's soon clear that he was not such a swell guy. Foul play is suspected. Is Kya a murder? Or someone else?
There's plenty to love here, and the pages definitely turned quickly for me. Kya’s character and voice is compelling. If you enjoyed The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, you won’t want to miss this coming-of-age mystery about love, nature, and the secrets people keep.
A Sorrow Called Sarah by Charlotte Roddy
I couldn't put this twisty, psychological thriller down. I wanted to know what happened to Sarah. This question relentlessly drove the narrative as her younger sister chased one lead after another. To make matters worse, more girls who look like Sarah are ending up dead in Golden Gate Park, and the younger sister looks just like Sarah. Would she be next?
If you liked The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, you’ll find that A Sorrow Called Sarah delivers a similar wild ride and a totally unexpected ending. I was guessing until the final pages. I have mixed feelings about whether or not actually liked that ending, but I was definitely surprised.
Layla by Colleen Hoover
Okay, I would be remiss if I didn’t include some other Colleen Hoover books in this list because (let’s face it), she’s prolific and wonderful. Every one of them has been totally unique, and Layla is no exception. If you loved The Silent Patient, you must read it immediately.
How do I categorize it? A ghost story? A love story? A psychological thriller? It's hard to put a label on it. What I know for sure is that I sat around all day and turned the pages until the end. I had to know. The twist was not as much of a surprise; I had an inkling about what was happening in the middle of the book. That didn't matter. How? Now what? There were so many pressing questions. Half the time, I wasn't sure I really trusted Leeds to be a reliable narrator.
Buy it. Read it. You won’t be sorry.
Other Books You’ll Devour If You Liked The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
If you are looking for other books like The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, Goodreads also offers a great book list: Readers Who Enjoyed The Silent Patient. You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads.
Do you have any recommendations? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Khristina Chess is the award-winning author of several YA novels about troubled teens turning corners. You can find her on Amazon, Goodreads, and Twitter as an active daily contributor in the #5amwritersclub.