Khristina Chess

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Khristina Chess, YA Author, Blog

Khristina Chess is the author of books about teens tackling tough issues like anorexia, drinking, anxiety, and depression.

Authors Like Lisa Jewell That You'll Want to Binge

Khris Chess December 7, 2025

Looking for more amazing authors like Lisa Jewell? As an award-winning author and veteran blogger, I’ve spent over a decade analyzing and recommending the most impactful novels and authors across a broad spectrum of genres and themes.

You’ll find detailed reviews of many favorites below in the roundup below. It’s a broad compilation. Some authors here may be names you’ve heard before, but there are others you may have not discovered yet. Some are adult, and some are YA. With such a varied collection, something here is guaranteed rouse your curiosity.

If you’re looking for authors similar to Lisa Jewell, you’ve come to the right place. Happy reading!

Khristina Chess

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how this Author is Like lisa jewell

A prolific author with a broad range of stories across multiple genres, including contemporary, romantic, thriller, dystopian, mystery, historical, and adventure.

Which novels are my favorite

  • Junior Missing — a seductive and chilling thriller about a runaway teen, drawn into an intoxicating relationship with an older man who takes her in—and won’t let her go!

  • The Delinquent Hero — a grieving teen investigates the mystery surrounding her anorexic sister's suspicious and tragic accident.

  • Coywood Creek — a lighthearted dystopian thriller about teen battling anxiety and binge eating disorder, forced to adopt new coping strategies as society crumbles around her.—proof that Chess doesn’t fit neatly into any box.

Why I Love her

Khristina Chess’ books hook me from page one, grab my heartstrings, keep the pages turning, and leave me thinking long after the last chapter. Like Colleen Hoover, every story is so unique, so immersive. With more than twelve gripping novels, Chess dives into tough, unfiltered topics—anorexia, self-harm, mental illness—yet always balances them with hope, wit, and often a touch of romance. Some of her books are raw, emotional journeys; others are pulse-pounding thrillers that will leave you breathless.

If you’re looking for an author whose books will keep you hooked from page one, look no further—Khristina Chess is pure binge-reading gold. But don’t just take my word for it—hundreds of Goodreads and Amazon reviewers rave about her binge-worthy books.

Kristin Hannah

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how this Author is Like Lisa Jewell

A bestselling and prolific author with epic novels that often focus on themes of love and family, as well as offering resilient female characters facing significant challenges—usually in a historic context.

Which novels are my favorite

  • The Nightingale - Set in occupied France during WWII, two sisters contribute to the war effort in different ways, each heroic in its own right.

  • The Women - A young woman enlists as a nurse in Vietnam, where life teaches her the harshest lessons, both before and after the war.

  • The Great Alone - An epic story about a young girl growing up in a remote homestead in Alaska in the 1970s.

Why I Love her

I learn so much from reading Kristin Hannah’s books! For example, The Four Winds give a deeply emotional viewpoint into the lives of Americans living after the depression, when horrific natural disasters destroyed lives in the plains. Not since The Grapes of Wrath has that era come so alive for me. Or in The Women, there is a scene where the protagonist shows up for duty in a ridiculous “proper lady” dress with high heels—in a Vietnam war zone.

There’s a reason why this author is such a bestselling phenomenon.

Kate Alice Marshall

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how this Author is Like lisa jewell

If you’re looking for dark and creepy YA novels, read Kate Alice Marshall.

Which novels are my favorite

  • I Am Still Alive — After strangers murder her father in front of her, Jess and a dog are stranded in the Canadian wilderness and must find a way to survive—and get revenge.

  • Rules for Vanishing — A teen girl and her friends embark on a journey to find a missing sister, but they encounter supernatural danger on “The Road.”

Why I Love her

I loved, loved, loved Rules for Vanishing and Our Last Echoes, which are deliciously eerie. After reading these two novels, I immediately put this author on my Amazon Follow list. Her wilderness survival novel, I Am Still Alive, is one of my personal favorites. From the beginning, this book grabbed me and didn’t let go!

Although I prefer her earlier books more than her more recent ones, all of this author’s books are pretty amazing. If you are looking for authors like Lisa Jewell to binge, check out Kate Alice Marshall.

Mindy McGinnis

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how this Author is Like lisa jewell

Like Lisa Jewell, Mindy McGinnis writes page-turning novels with cross-genre appeal—but more in the YA space. Her novels are gripping, complex, and driven by strong female protagonists. Think of them as “tough topics with a twist.”

Which novels are my favorite

  • The Female of the Species - An unflinching, painful, searing, riveting, brutal YA book about rape and sexual assault that will shock you to the core.

  • Heroine - A powerful story of addiction and recovery after a teen girl wakes up to find all of her friends dead.

  • Be Not Far From Me - After becoming lost and injured, a teenage girl must hike out of the wilderness barefoot with only her wits to keep her alive.

Why I love her

Honestly, I have loved every one of her books. She has a rich and diverse library of YA novels to choose from (too many to show on this page). They’re unique and thrilling! If you are looking for authors similar to Lisa Jewell to binge this summer, check out Mindy McGinnis.

Colleen Hoover

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how this Author is Like lisa jewell

Both Colleen Hoover and Lisa Jewel write gripping, heartfelt narratives that frequently also have suspense, and with more than 20 bestselling novels under her belt, if you love Lisa Jewell, you will have lots of new material to read.

Which novels are my favorite

  • Verity - A twisty, mind-blowing, super hot thriller about an author who takes a writing job that is not at all what she expected.

  • Layla - A romantic suspense novel that includes a love triangle with a ghost.

Why I love her

Every one of Colleen Hoover’s books are unique, and she tackles difficult topics like relationship violence, mother-daughter relationships, etc. I never know what I’m going to get when I pick up one of her titles, but I always know I’m going to love it!

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E. Lockhart

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how this Author is Like Lisa Jewell

E. Lockhart’s novels combine themes of family dynamics and mental health into compelling plots with lots of twists.

Which novels are my favorite

  • We Were Liars - A hypnotic, disorienting story about lifelong friends and a secret that threatens all of them.

Why I love her

If you like twisty, thrilling novels with secrets and unreliable narrators, E. Lockhart’s books might be for you. I discovered her first with We Were Liars, which was completely unexpected and surprising, and its prequel, Family of Liars, is just as amazing. You won’t be able to put either of them down! Genuine Fraud is a modern-day take on The Talented Mr. Ripley. E. Lockart is a must-have author to add to your list of authors like Lisa Jewell that you’ll want to binge.

T. Greenwood

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how this Author is Like lisa jewell

With more than 15 novels to her name, T. Greenwood offers a rich list of contemporary fiction with complex relationships, engaging storytelling, and relatable themes.

Which Novels are My favorite

  • Rust & Stardust - Based on a true story, an 11-year-old girl is kidnapped by a pedophile and held for two years before escaping.

  • Keeping Lucy - A woman steals her 2-year-old daughter from a state-run institution and flees across state lines in a fight to be able to keep her.

Why I love her

T. Greenwood’s storytelling is amazing. She writes novels that don’t flinch away from the ugly things, but at the same time, they’re not vulgar. With a light hand, for example, she conveyed the utter horror that Sally endured after being kidnapped by a pedophile, and that story has lingered with me long after I finished it.

Other Authors Like Lisa Jewell That You’ll Want to Binge

If you’re looking for other authors like Lisa Jewell, check out Readers Who Enjoyed Then She Was Gone. You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of book reviews.

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Khristina Chess is an award-winning author of a dozen young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, The Delinquent Hero, and Junior Missing. Hollow Beauty, her book about eating disorders, was named a finalist in the Next Generation India Book Awards. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, and adventure.

In a recent interview from her alma mater, she described how her experience in the creative writing program prepared her for success.


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