Must-Read Books Like Pretty Little Liars

Looking for Books Like Pretty Little Liars? I have a list of YA Books Like Pretty Little Liars and believe it or not, I also have some Books Like Pretty Little Liars for Adults. These books are filled with intrigue, dark secrets, and mysterious people out for revenge. Check out all my top picks!

Books for Fans of Pretty Little Liars. Graphic with the promo poster for the show on a TV screen

Books Like Pretty Little Liars

I am excited to share my very favorite books like Pretty Little Liars. It all started with a series of YA books by Sara Shepard that came out waaaaaay back in 2006.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the books but I loved the show. Yes, it got super wacky, what with A 1.0, 2.0, 3.0. I lost track. The original show ran between 2010 and 2017, with 160 episodes. Then there was a spinoff. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin kicked off on HBO Max in 2022. Season Two, Summer School aired in 2024.

What Makes a Book Like Pretty Little Liars?

It should have:

A group of friends
Probably keeping a BIG secret from the world and/or from each other
But two can keep a secret if one of them is dead. (omg that theme song might be the best part of the show!

Now, you might be saying, Jen, that sounds like what you have called a Friend Group Thriller. And some of the books on that list DO qualify as Books Like Pretty Little Liars. But I think a true PLL book also has a big revenge theme. I lost track of all A’s grievances in the OG show, but in the spin-off, the girls of PLL Original Sin are being punished for a murder their parents were involved in back in 1999.

So, let’s discuss the books!

YA Books Like Pretty Little Liars

A photo collage of books like Pretty Little Liars

The one that got away with murder by trish lundy (2024)

I just finished this new debut YA thriller and was really impressed. This book has the devious, twisty, “who can you trust” feel of Pretty Little Liars. I

t’s about Lauren, a girl who finds out on the first day at her new school (Sandy and Danny in Grease style) that Robbie, the guy she was dating over the summer, is notorious.

Robbie and his brother Trevor are both thought to have killed their girlfriends. Could this really be? Is Robbie a cold-blooded killer? Of course, Lauren starts poking around and stirs up a hornets nest of secrets and danger.

Check out my review of The One That Got Away With Murder!

get even by gretchen mcneil (2014)

Let’s head back to 2010s YA and recall a classic book like Pretty Little Liars. Four private school students aren’t really friends, but have a secret link: their membership in DGM, or “Don’t Get Mad.” It’s a club that gets revenge on bullies and creepers at school.

But then someone comes after them and things get treacherous. This was made into a Netflix show that’s set in the UK and I thought both that and the book were pretty good!

Check out my review of Get Even back from the 2010s!

premeditated by josin L. Mcquein (2013)

Another 2010s YA classic, this was an under-the-radar title that I liked a lot. (Back in the 2010s, YA thrillers weren’t that popular, sadly.)

In this story, a girl disguises herself and goes undercover at her cousin’s private school to get revenge on the guy who drove her cousin to attempt to take her own life. This sounds dark, but it has some dark humor as well, and I love a good undercover revenge story.

You can read my review of Premeditated!

One of us is lying series by Karen M. Mcmanus (2017-2023)

Back to the 2020s! The first book in this well-known series is like a locked room version of the Breakfast Club, with murder.

But over the three books, this series starts being WAY more Pretty Little Liars inspired.

My review of One of Us Is Lying

My review of One of Us is Back

I also have a post with plot summaries and character lists for books one and two, One of Us is Lying and One of Us is Next!

the takedown by corrie Wang (2017)

I’m not sure why this book didn’t get the attention I think it deserved. It’s an interesting book. I called it a “a futuristic Pretty Little Liars with a sharp, witty feel. The main characters were all pretty unlikeable mean girls, but I think the book pulled it off by at least helping me understand the characters even if I couldn’t relate to them.”

You can read my full review of The Takedown here!

Books Like Pretty Little Liars for Adults

Peter Miles has to die (2025)

This twisty and surprising revenge book featured three friends who band together to seek vengeance for the death of their friend, Beck.

The police seem oblivious to the fact that Peter Miles did it, and there are reasons that they’d look the other way. So these women have to take matters into their own hands.

Except things don’t go according to plan….

a Lovely Lie by Jamie Lynn Hendricks (2024)

This fast-paced, plot-driven suspense book had a past-present format.

The narrative switches between a night in 1999 in which a car accident killed two high school students, and the present, in which the children of one of the students involved in the crash, decides to investigate that night.

The 1999 flashbacks feel very PLL: Original Sin, there’s a plot point that’s similar to the show, and the overall vibe is perfect for fans of either the original Pretty Little Liars or especially the spin-offs!

Check out my Review of A Lovely Lie by Jamie Lynn Hendricks

the Collective by Alison Gaylin (2021)

Original photo by Jen Ryland of The Collective on a bookshelf

This was a super-twisty, super out-there adult thriller with all the Pretty Little Liars vibes. It’s about a grieving mom who is drawn into a bizarre revenge club filled with people who get revenge for others by swapping victims, Strangers on a Train-style.

It sounds completely implausible, but it’s twisty, suspenseful and surprising.

I have a Spoiler Discussion post for the Collective that you should join after you read the book!

in my dreams I hold a knife by Ashley winstead (2021)

Original photo of a copy of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife on a shelf with a black rose

A bunch of deeply unlikeable people gather for their college reunion, and to (fakery) pretend to be sorry about the death of a classmate.

Six friends. Years of secrets. And one person who wants to make them pay. Lol if that’s not a book like Pretty Little Liars for adults, I don’t know what is!

I reviewed this book on Goodreads back in 2021.

the girls are all so nice here by laurie flynn (2021)

Very similar in plot to the book above, this is about two friends at their college reunion. Yes, another reunion.

Threatening messages are a staple of the PLL story, and these two are pursed by an “A” like figure who wants them to pay for something that happened freshman year.

I reviewed this book on Goodreads in 2021.

dare me by megan abbott (2012)

Megan Abbott is known for dark and edgy books about young women, and Dare Me is definitely in the Pretty Little Liars lane.

Two friends, an influential cheerleading coach, and a girl who takes her own life. This story depicts a toxic mix of friendship and rivalry.

only if you’re lucky by stacy willingham (2024)

A copy of Only if You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham with some Rutledge collage swag

A group of girls living in an off-campus house next to a fraternity are rocked when one of the fraternity brothers turns up dead, and one of the girls vanishes.

I really liked this book about the lines between female power, sisterhood, and toxic female friendship.

My review of Only if You’re Lucky is here (with a spoiler discussion!)