Holly Jackson has become a standout name in YA thrillers thanks to tightly wound plots, sharp twists, and heroines who refuse to let the truth stay buried. With A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, she showed how teen mysteries can be every bit as clever, suspenseful, and emotionally layered as adult crime fiction. Her books balance page-turning investigations with believable characters, making every reveal feel hard-earned.
If you enjoy reading books by Holly Jackson then you might also like the following authors:
Karen M. McManus is known for fast-moving thrillers packed with secrets, shifting loyalties, and teen characters who feel authentic. Her novels are highly readable, with plenty of tension and just enough emotional drama to deepen the mystery.
Fans of Holly Jackson will especially enjoy McManus's popular novel One of Us Is Lying, in which five students enter detention but only four leave alive, setting off a twisty investigation full of suspicion and surprises.
E. Lockhart writes novels built around unreliable narrators, buried truths, and revelations that reframe everything that came before. Her prose is crisp and controlled, and her stories often carry an eerie, emotional undercurrent.
Readers who enjoy the layered mysteries in Holly Jackson's work will likely connect with Lockhart’s notable novel We Were Liars, a psychological thriller about memory, privilege, family tension, and devastating secrets.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes high-concept mysteries filled with danger, clever puzzles, and ambitious teenage protagonists. Her books often combine suspense with family intrigue and complicated relationships, creating the same addictive momentum that makes Holly Jackson so hard to put down.
Barnes's novel The Inheritance Games introduces Avery Grambs, a girl who unexpectedly inherits a fortune from a man she's never met—but only if she can live among his suspicious heirs in a mansion full of riddles and secrets.
Maureen Johnson excels at suspenseful mysteries driven by sharp, observant teen protagonists and a strong sense of atmosphere. Her books mix humor, tension, and intricate clues in a way that keeps the investigation feeling lively.
She also has a talent for blending present-day sleuthing with older, half-buried crimes, which makes her a great match for readers who love Holly Jackson’s layered storytelling.
In her novel Truly Devious, readers follow Stevie Bell, a gifted young detective determined to solve both a famous cold case and a new murder at an elite private academy.
Courtney Summers writes intense, emotionally charged novels about teen girls facing brutal realities and impossible choices. Her work is fearless, intimate, and often deeply unsettling in the best way.
Readers who appreciate Holly Jackson's willingness to tackle dark material should find a lot to admire in Summers's blend of mystery, emotional urgency, and social critique.
Her acclaimed novel Sadie follows a girl on a relentless search for justice after her sister’s murder, combining a gripping investigation with podcast-style storytelling and powerful commentary.
Kara Thomas specializes in dark, unsettling mysteries that slowly reveal the truth piece by piece. Her books are full of tension, small-town secrets, and morally messy characters, all of which make the final payoff especially satisfying.
If you liked Holly Jackson's suspenseful pacing, you might enjoy Thomas's The Cheerleaders, a chilling mystery centered on tragic deaths, long-buried secrets, and the rumors that never quite disappear.
Tiffany D. Jackson brings together mystery, emotional intensity, and sharp social insight. Her novels are gripping on the surface, but they also dig into injustice, trauma, and the realities many teens face.
Readers who value Holly Jackson's realism and strong sense of stakes may be drawn to Jackson's Monday's Not Coming, a haunting story about friendship, absence, and the troubling disappearance of a young girl.
Jessica Goodman writes tightly constructed mysteries about teens caught in toxic friendships, fierce competition, and carefully guarded secrets. Her stories capture the pressure of status-driven environments while keeping the suspense front and center.
Fans who enjoyed Holly Jackson's character dynamics and high-stakes plotting will appreciate Goodman's They Wish They Were Us, a prep-school mystery about privilege, loyalty, and a murder that refuses to stay in the past.
Kit Frick writes atmospheric mysteries shaped by deception, memory, and the emotional turbulence of adolescence. Her novels often explore trust, identity, and the uneasy space between what people say and what really happened.
If you appreciated Holly Jackson's strong characterization and careful plotting, try Frick's I Killed Zoe Spanos, a mystery involving a confession, blurred memories, and a case that grows stranger the deeper it goes.
Caleb Roehrig creates brisk, entertaining mysteries filled with sharp dialogue, escalating tension, and well-drawn characters. His books often balance suspense with humor and emotional honesty, which gives them a fresh, energetic feel.
Fans of Holly Jackson's compelling plots may enjoy Roehrig's Last Seen Leaving, about a teenager investigating his girlfriend's disappearance while confronting secrets much closer to home.
Dana Mele writes suspenseful thrillers set in high-pressure school environments where friendships can be as dangerous as enemies. Her stories are twisty, dramatic, and especially interested in the dark side of teenage social circles.
Mele's book, People Like Us, delivers a dark prep-school murder mystery with layered characters, shifting alliances, and plenty of sharp turns along the way.
Natasha Preston writes compulsively readable thrillers that lean into danger, fear, and escalating suspense. Like Holly Jackson, she draws readers into stories where young people are forced to uncover disturbing truths hidden in familiar places.
Preston's popular novel, The Cellar, explores a tense story of kidnapping and survival, building dread steadily and keeping the stakes high until the last pages.
Megan Miranda is known for psychological mysteries with clever structures, moody settings, and carefully timed reveals. Her novels tend to build quiet unease before delivering major twists.
Readers who appreciate Holly Jackson's tightly constructed mysteries will likely enjoy Miranda's talent for exposing hidden truths in ordinary-seeming communities.
Her novel All the Missing Girls stands out for its reverse chronological structure and its slow, compelling unveiling of small-town secrets.
Chelsea Pitcher writes thrillers that tap into the volatility of teen relationships, social pressure, and dangerous secrets. Her stories often feel claustrophobic in an effective way, pushing characters into situations where every choice carries risk.
Readers who enjoy Holly Jackson's high-school intrigue may connect with Pitcher's This Lie Will Kill You, a suspenseful novel about teens trapped in a twisted game that forces hidden truths into the open.
Kimberly Derting writes suspenseful YA fiction with strong female leads and a blend of mystery, danger, and romance. Her storytelling moves quickly, making her books easy to race through.
Readers who enjoyed Holly Jackson's mix of suspense and character-driven stakes might also like Derting's The Body Finder, a gripping mystery about a girl who can sense murder victims—and the killers connected to them.
