What YA' Reading: Thrillers
What YA' Reading: Thrillers
It's interesting that July is usually when the most YA thrillers are published and checked out. It’s hard to say why this is but my guess is this is when everyone starts to feel “over” the heat and starts yearning for the cool, spooky temperatures of October. Whatever the reason, I’m here to help. Here are some of my favorite YA Thrillers.
E. Lockhard is a queen of YA literature and We Were Liars is one of her best titles. It’s difficult to describe this book without giving anything away. In fact most reviews will tell you to “just read it.” It’s best described as tragic, haunting and beautiful.
Cadence is a sullen teenager. For her entire life she’s visited her family’s private island, Beechwood, with her three cousins and a close friend as well as her snobby mother and extended family. This year is different. This year she is struggling to remember the previous summer and is suffering from intense debilitating migraines. Throughout the book we follow Cadence through the emotional anguish of misremembering as well as family members who are not helpful in the least.
Be prepared for twists and turns you won’t see coming and some emotional anguish of your own.
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany Jackson
Claudia’s best friend, Monday, stops showing up to school one day and no one seems to know, or care, where she could be. Her phone doesn’t work, the school removed their records of her and her family is being extremely tight lipped about the whole thing.
Monday’s Not Coming keeps things interesting by including multiple timelines and difficult topics like child abuse, homophobia and slut shaming. The timeline hopping can be a little confusing and the main character has the tendency to sometimes act a little young for her age.
The ending is shocking, as is usually true with a good thriller, and eyebrow raising.
“A mesmerizing, punch-in-the-gut story about the power of friendship and the horrors hiding right in front of us.” — Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Chains
Better Left Buried by Mary E. Roach
Better Left Buried is a highly anticipated upcoming YA thriller that will be published in August 2024. Luckily for you, it’s already in the library catalog so can you put it on hold.
Lucy is looking forward to a sunny beachy vacation with her dad. However, before her trip her mom forces her to make one more stop to a creepy little town. Unfortunately, they discover the friend Lucy’s mom is supposed to meet is dead. This begins the unraveling of secrets and a family history Lucy didn’t know about.
Lucky(?) for them, Lucy’s mom is an investigator and she's determined to figure out what happened. Along the way Lucy befriends someone who wants the same answers. Oh and did I mention the creepy amusement park aspect of the whole thing? Because yeah, there’s that too.
