Looking for an eclectic collection of books like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (AGGGTM) by Holly Jackson? As an award-winning author and longtime blogger, I’ve spent over a decade reading, analyzing, and recommending the best novels to answer that question.
You’ll find detailed reviews of more than twenty of my favorite YA mysteries in the roundup below. I’ve personally curated this collection from my own bookshelves. While many lists stick to mainstream bestsellers, I’ve hand-picked some offbeat authors and titles that Holly Jackson fans might not have discovered yet.
This list provides follows a “pair of sleuths” approach and recommends two mysteries from the same author in many cases.
Forgotten But Never Gone by Khristina Chess
“I think it was this rebellious quality about her that allowed everyone to write off her disappearance so easily. Kids like Half-pint ran away. This whole generation was full of delinquents. Blah, blah, blah.” – Khristina Chess, quote from Forgotten But Never Gone
I love watching those “small-town cold case” shows and old unsolved mysteries, and Forgotten But Never Gone had that kind of vibe for me.
The story opens with the disappearance of fifteen-year-old Rosie Fields. One of the last to see her was her friend Bobby, a foster kid whose life Rosie once saved. When the police dismiss her case as just another runaway, Bobby refuses to accept it, and in his relentless search, he follows one lead after another until he makes a shocking discovery.
Set in 1980, this YA novel really transported me back to a nostalgic time before AMBER alerts and 24-hour news cycles, when carefree teenagers roamed neighborhoods with little supervision and always returned home in time for supper.
Except sometimes they didn’t.
I felt like Bobby, the amateur sleuth in this novel, was a lot like Holly Jackson’s investigative style in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (AGGGTM). Unlike many female-led mysteries that focus on social hierarchies, Bobby’s journey is defined by his "outsider" status, making this amateur sleuth story a compelling choice for readers looking for YA books with male characters.
I liked how the layered and unsettling mystery in Forgotten But Never Gone exposes some of the reasons why more people seemed to vanish without a trace in the 70s and 80s. What made this book especially powerful for me was its dual resonance: it’s both a gripping page-turner and a thoughtful exploration of how society failed vulnerable youth in the past.
Bobby’s determination to find out what happened to his friend reminds us that sometimes the most unlikely person can become the keeper of truth, and that refusing to forget is itself an act of justice.
The Delinquent Hero by Khristina Chess
“I stare at my sister in this bed. She is mine. She is here, and I cannot imagine that she is not. That she will never be here again. How can it be true? I see her before me. Her chest is rising, falling, rising, falling. Her hand is warm in mine.” ― Khristina Chess, quote from The Delinquent Hero
The Delinquent Hero is a hidden gem for AGGGTM (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder) fans because of the life-or-death stakes regarding a suspicious and ultimately fatal traumatic brain injury.
I loved the complex and tragic sister relationship between Molly and Kat. At its core, the story is about Molly, an amateur sleuth who is desperate for answers after her older sister, Kat, lands in the hospital. Something is suspicious. The investigation unfolds in real time, peeling back layers of secrets, regrets, and the painful bond they’ve always shared. For Molly, reconnecting with Kat means slipping into their old patterns of relating to one another.
What made The Delinquent Hero truly unforgettable for me was the heart-wrenching puzzle—not just unraveling what happened that night, but understanding Kat herself in the final months of her life. The novel didn’t just tell a story; it forced me to feel every ache, every unanswered question, every regret, every desperate search for why.
A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis
“Good people can do terrible things, Lydia. The longer you live, the more you see it.” ― Mindy McGinnis, quote from A Long Stretch of Bad Days
Mindy McGinnis is one of my favorite YA authors, so I couldn’t wait to dive into this new book. The setup and beginning starts off slow, but once Lydia and Bristal begin chasing a murder mystery in their small town, the plotting was great. The ending was a surprise to me, but I’m an easily fooled reader.
I especially enjoyed the friendship that developed between the girls, despite the fact that they come from very different socioeconomic backgrounds. Lydia is right. Bristal comes from the poor part of town and has a family reputation. People think of her as disposable. She’s not. She sharp-witted and funny, and she helps Lydia to see things very differently.
For fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder who are searching for an offbeat mystery with interesting characters, be sure to check out A Long Stretch of Days!
A Madness So Discrete by Mindy McGinnis
"I think we're all quite mad. Some of us are just more discreet about it." ― Mindy McGinnis, quote from A Madness So Discreet
Imagine that you could be imprisoned in an insane asylum just because you're a woman and a male in your life wants to get rid of you. This sort of thing happened to women in the last century. For real. This is what happened to Grace, the protagonist in A Madness So Discreet. The man who sent her to the facility was her own father, and the inconvenient truth was that she was pregnant with his child.
This is the beginning of A Madness So Discreet. But the novel does not linger in the horrors of lobotomies and torture of mental patients. Instead, Grace escapes into the hands of a doctor who uses her talents to help solve murders.
As a serial killer mystery unfolds, though, you know that a showdown between Grace and her father, a powerful senator, is coming. He thinks she is dead. He is about to move on to her younger sister. She is motivated to stop him, even at risk to herself.
What happens in the end of this dark novel is astonishing. No spoilers here. Just treat yourself and read this unusual and twisty YA mystery if you enjoyed A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Mindy McGinnis is near the top of my favorite YA authors.
Broken Things by Lauren Oliver
“Before we were the Monsters of Brickhouse Lane—before everyone from Connecticut to California knew us by that tagline, and blogs ran pictures of our faces, and searching our names led to sites that crashed from all the traffic—we were just girls, and there were only two of us.” ― Lauren Oliver, quote from Broken Things
Once there were three friends who were writers and obsessed with a fantasy novel about a magical world. But one of the girls was murdered, and everyone thought the other two killed her. They didn’t.
Five years after Summer’s death, the friends are reunited and put on a path to find out the identity of the real killer.
This YA book about friendship is a mystery told in alternating viewpoints. I wanted to know what happened to Summer. Who murdered her and why? What happened that day in the woods? The dark plot twisted and kept me guessing until the end.
Both of Lauren Oliver’s novels, Before I Fall and Broken Things, are irresistible YA mystery and thriller books that you should add to your TBR pile, especially if you enjoyed A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. (Plus, isn’t the cover of Broken Things gorgeous?)
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
“The last laugh, the last cup of coffee, the last sunset, the last time you jump through a sprinkler, or eat an ice-cream cone, or stick your tongue out to catch a snowflake. You just don’t know.” ― Lauren Oliver, quote from Before I Fall
Samantha Kingston is dead.
In this YA-version of Groundhog Day, a “mean girl” gets a chance to relive her last day and the party she attended with her friends before the fatal car crash. She has an opportunity to make the same choices over and over, until she makes different ones.
This beautiful novel is a mystery about redemption. Samantha’s character arc really blew me away, and although I disliked her in the beginning, I was cheering for her by the end, and I love the way Lauren Oliver wrote the ending.
Be sure to add Before I Fall to the stack of YA books you’ll enjoy if you liked A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
Sadie by Courtney Summers
“I live in a place that's only good for leaving.” ― Courtney Summers, quote from Sadie
Sadie knows who killed her younger sister.
She leaves home and goes on a journey to seek justice against her sister’s killer. She has plenty of personal reasons to hate him, and he deserves to die for his crimes.
This novel alternates between young Sadie, who is a missing teen, and a podcast show, where details of her disappearance are told through a series of interviews. I think I would have loved this book even more in audio format than paperback
Still, Sadie is a great read. The pacing increases as the story unfolds and Sadie gets closer and closer to her target. The conclusion to her quest for justice is a surprise. If you enjoyed A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, this heartbreaking YA book about sisters will stay with you long after the last page.
And if you’ve already read Sadie, be sure to check out my blog about Books You’ll Enjoy If You Liked Sadie.
Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
“You get away with a lot, even after you're caught.” ― Courtney Summers, quote from Cracked Up to Be
If you’re looking for a twisty mystery and a protagonist who is mean, unsympathetic, and yet strangely someone you want to hug, this is the book for you.
Parker Fadley has a secret.
She used to be the captain of the cheer team, top student, queen B, perfect at everything, but something happened. Something she never told.
By the time we meet Parker, we’re in the middle of her “after,” when she’s busy wrecking her perfect life and torturing herself, so it takes a while to understand how deep this secret really goes.
It’s not what you think.
It’s worse!
One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus
“That's the kind of person you can get away with killing: someone everybody else wants dead.” ― Karen McManus, quote from One of Us Is Lying
What a fantastic novel! I spent all afternoon reading because I had to know who did it. The story is engrossing; the characters are unique and interesting; and I was surprised by the ending. There’s a reason it’s a top-selling book in the YA mysteries and detective, thriller, and suspense categories. Check it out!
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus
I definitely love Karen McManus mysteries! Her first book, One of Us Is Lying, was amazing, so I anticipated the release of Two Can Keep a Secret.
The first few chapters felt slow and hard to follow, and I worried that I'd be disappointed by this book. Not to worry! Once I settled into the "who's who" in the narrators and "what's what" in the mystery, I blazed through this book!
McManus kept me guessing about the killer until the very end, and I enjoyed the surprises along the way. The title of the book is great because there are twins (two sets of them), and friends, and couples, and keeping secrets is easier when one of them is dead. I will definitely look forward to more books by this author.
Fans of Holly Jackson’s novels like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will love Karen McManus books like One of Us Is Lying and Two Can Keep a Secret.
Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
“She believed that the way you speak is often more important than anything you have to say.” ― E. Lockhart, quote from Genuine Fraud
I picked up Genuine Fraud because I loved Lockhart’s other books so much, and the premise sounded intriguing. I’m sure mystery fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson will agree.
Genuine Fraud is a close re-imagining of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley (another binge-worthy series of books), but with female protagonists and a plot that has been lightly shuffled, so events are in different sequence but still end up being very, very familiar when you encounter them.
Because the book opens with a bang and gives a great big story question, I definitely wanted to find out what happened and how things in the mystery were going to pan out. However, the ending felt a little anti-climactic to me. Still, Lockhart is one of those authors whose writing is worth following, wherever it goes, and I'll be back for more.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
“Life feels beautiful that day. The four of us Liars, we have always been. We always will be. No matter what happens as we go to college, grow old, build lives for ourselves; no matter if Gat and I are together or not. No matter where we go, we will always be able to line up on the roof of Cuddledown and gaze at the sea. This island is ours. Here, in some way, we are young forever.” ― E. Lockhart, quote from We Were Liars
What an unexpected and beautiful story about friendship, coming of age, and sorrow!
I wasn’t sure I’d like this book, but I fell in love with it. By the end it made me cry. This YA book about friendship is about a group of privileged young friends and their lies, family secrets, grief, and love. It’s a mystery. Its private island setting evokes all kinds of summer images: the beach, the heat, the sun. The beautiful and disorienting plot will leave you reader breathless until the very end.
If you’re looking for books like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, do yourself a favor and add it to your summer reading list. It’s a whirlwind and makes a great beach read.
Family of Liars by E. Lockhart
"They're doing just as I asked them to. As we Sinclairs always do. Pretending. Lying. Trying to have a good time.” ― E. Lockhart, quote from Family of Liars
Lockhart's prequel to We Were Liars does not disappoint! The narrator, Carrie, tells the story of the summer of the boys' visit to the island, but long before those events, there are ominous hints of what is to come. In her early teen years, for example, Carrie's father insists on a surgery to break her jaw, and an infection sets in.
But Carrie bends to his will. She is a "credit to the family."
This novel has some brilliant symbolism, a few great twists, some predictable story-lines, and other unexpected turns. I finished in 4 days because the pages turned fast and furious. I had to know the secrets these liars were keeping.
The pages are full of great details about summertime on the island. The lemon hunt was very vivid, as well as the details about clothing, food, and the picnic table. Lockhart painted a vivid sense of place, siblings, and privilege.
Find Me by Romily Bernard
“Pretending to be normal makes you feel like you’re bleeding to death.” ― Romily Bernard, quote from Find Me
Wick is a teenage girl with a lot of things going on in her life. She and her little sister are living in a new foster home with great people, and her side business as a hacker/private detective is going well. Except that there's a cop parked outside her house all the time. And the girl next door, a childhood friend, committed suicide and left a journal behind with disturbing information. Wick's dad and best friend are criminals and have a talent for threatening Wick into cooperating in their schemes. There's also a cute boy...
There's more. Like I said, Wick has a lot going on in her life.
Find Me is a page-turner with a fantastic heroine and loads of conflict. The ending was amazing, and although I thought I knew what was happening, the actual unfolding of the story was heart-pounding.
If you like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and are looking for more YA mysteries, Romily Bernard's book is worth a look.
Missing by Kelly Armstrong
“Reeve’s End is the kind of town every kid can’t wait to escape. Each summer, a dozen kids leave and at least a quarter never come back. I don’t blame them—I’ll do the same in another year. We thought it was just something that happened in towns like ours. We were wrong.”― Kelley Armstrong, quote from Missing
Winter Crane’s sister is missing.
In missing-person cases, police only have so much time to find victims before their chance of returning home safe diminishes, and in this instance, the timeline for how long Winter’s sister has been missing happened to her—and other missing kids—is tied to an invisible clock like a heartbeat. It creates suspense is already unclear. As the mystery quickly unfolds, the urgency to find out what might have and raises the stakes. The tension increases with each turn of the page because we believe the situation is life-or-death. The hero spends a lot of time literally running from one place to another, trying to beat the clock.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plucky heroine and her determination to get to the bottom of the mystery of the missing teens, even at increasingly dangerous personal cost to herself. The West Virginia setting seemed vibrant and real without being cliched or overdone. The killer was gruesome, creepy, and sinister.
If you enjoyed A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, you won’t want to miss this thrilling story about missing teens and the search for what has happened to them.
The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson
“We might as well make some trouble together.” ― Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson, quote from The Agathas
I absolutely love Glasgow’s novels. The Agathas is a quick read, and I could not guess who the killer was until the very end. I enjoyed the growing friendship between Plucky Alice and sensitive Iris, as well as the secondary cast of sidekick characters they brought onto the case.
I felt the book fulfilled its mission in its mystery genre, and if the characters and writing weren’t as lovely as Glasgow’s other books, that’s more of a byproduct of the category. Also, it’s a collaboration and my first glimpse into anything by Liz Lawson.
If you liked A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and The Breakfast Club, this fun cozy mystery by Kathleen Glasgow definitely belongs on your TBR pile.
Dark & Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain
“Knowing is hard, but it's a thing you can survive. The not knowing will kill you in the end. It's the secrets that fester." ― Ginny Myers Sain, quote from Dark and Shallow Lies
Fans of the diverse ‘Breakfast Club’ kind of characters in Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will enjoy this atmospheric mystery. A girl is missing from a small town where all her peers have some kind of paranormal skill, yet despite all the supernatural power pulsating in the air, no one seems to be able to find her or reveal what happened to her.
The magic kept me guessing until the very end. I couldn’t wait to figure out what happened to Elora, and there were plenty of suspicious characters to blame for her disappearance.
There’s lots to love about this novel, including the setting, alligators, mud, and strange powers of the summer children. You can practically feel the thick humidity in the evening over the Louisiana bayou. You won’t want to miss this enchanting YA mystery with layers of magic, magical realism, and other supernatural things.
People Like Us by Dana Mele
“Fashion gets a reputation for being frivolous, but it's the one form of art I understand It has the ability to transform bodies and environments, to conceal or seduce, to break hearts or make them sing." ― Dana Mele, quote from People Like Us
If you liked A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, you’ll find that this chilling YA mystery has the right ingredients for a dark academia thriller. A young girl is found dead, and the main character is the primary suspect. Along the way, other bodies drop, and other suspects surface. Friends become enemies, and enemies become friends.
The main character, Kay, isn't especially sympathetic, and neither are her friends. Kay's flatness makes it hard to connect with her, even with the backstory about her brother or her romantic entanglements with the other girls. I just didn't like her very much; I wouldn't care if she went to jail.
Still, overall this book has the good pacing, plotting, and setting just right. For Holly Jackson fans who enjoy mean girls and mysteries, it's a quick read and offers several surprises
Here Lies Daniel Tate by Cristin Terrill
“If there's one thing I've learned, it's that people are bad at keeping secrets, and eventually everything shows.” ― Cristin Terrill, quote from Here Lies Daniel Tate
This YA mystery/thriller is about a stolen identity, secrets, and scams. The story has a great premise, and the protagonist, Daniel Tate, is an interesting and unreliable narrator to the very end. The pacing of the story is excellent. I liked the way the author pulled everything together. I won’t give away the mystery except to say that it seemed both fitting and sad.
If you enjoyed A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I recommend Here Lies Daniel Tate for your mystery reading list.
Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall
“I know Becca didn’t run away. That leaves one possibility and one impossibility, and I long for the impossible. Because if she isn’t dead, if she’s only been taken, she can be brought back.” ― Kate Alice Marshall, quote from Rules for Vanishing
Sara’s adopted sister Becca vanished a year ago.
Although everyone has given up the search, Sara is determined to find her because she believes Becca has gone into the woods and is lost on The Road. Sara convinces (tricks) a group of her friends to join her on this terrifying journey.
Not everyone comes home. Because at some point they break the rules:
Don’t leave the road.
Don’t let go.
Don’t follow other roads.
Rules for Vanishing is dark, mysterious, creepy, and full of scary and supernatural stuff. I loved it and devoured it in a few days. The ending was an unexpected twist, especially because of the connection to Kate Alice Marshall’s other novel, Our Last Echoes, which I’d read first.
Other YA Books You’ll Enjoy If You Liked A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
For more recommendations, be sure to check out the Books Similar to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder list on Goodreads.
You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of reviews of other YA books reviews.
About the Author: Khristina Chess
Khristina Chess is an award-winning author of more than a dozen young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, The Delinquent Hero, and Junior Missing. Her novel about eating disorders, Hollow Beauty, was named a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, dystopian, and adventure.
