Chilling YA Friend Group Thrillers
Here’s my list of 5 Chilling YA Friend Group Thrillers to Read!I love a good book about a group of friends keeping or hiding a dark secret. Of course, skeletons always fall out of the closet!
I also have a list of Adult Friend Group Thrillers on Jen Ryland Reviews, but teen friend group thrillers are also a staple in YA fiction.
What is a Chilling YA Friend Group Thriller?
- At least three friends tied together by at least one dark secret
- Someone or something threatens to reveal the secret(s)
- Backstabbing (real or metaphorical) ensues
Chilling YA Friend Group Thrillers
This first section of books I have personally read and reviewed. I will also include some titles I have yet to try!
Friends Like These by Jennifer Alvarez (2022)
Tegan Sheffield’s annual end-of-summer beach party is the only way to start their senior year. At least that’s what Jake Healy tells his girlfriend Jessica Sanchez.But when a video prank from the party goes viral and a body is discovered at the beach, Jake and Jessica find themselves at the centre of a national media storm and a police investigation.It’s a race to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.
We Were Liars by e. lockhart (2014)
We Were Liars by e. lockhart (2014)
- Possibly unreliable narrator
- Rich people behaving badly
- “Piece it together” narrative
- Shocking twist
This book was a huge hit in the 2010s.
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
Five Survive by Holly Jackson (2022)
Five Survive by Holly Jackson (2022)
- Road trip thriller
- Friends trapped by a killer
- Someone is hiding something big
Red Kenny is on a road trip for spring break with five friends: Her best friend – the older brother – his perfect girlfriend – a secret crush – a classmate – and a killer.
When their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, they soon realize this is no accident. They have been trapped by someone out there in the dark, someone who clearly wants one of them dead.
That Weekend by Kara Thomas (2021)
- Amnesia story
- Toxic love triangle
- Big twist
It was supposed to be the perfect prom weekend getaway. But it’s clear something terrible happened when Claire wakes up alone and bloodied on a hiking trail with no memory of the past forty-eight hours.
Now everyone wants answers – most of all, Claire. She remembers Friday night, but after that… nothing. And now Kat and Jesse – her best friends – are missing.
That weekend changes everything.
Liar’s Beach by Katie Contugo (2023)
- Rich friend, poor friend
- Secrets and lies
- Amateur detective
- Agatha Christie Retelling
Michael Linden—or just Linden to his preppy boarding school pals—doesn’t belong in wealthy, storied Martha’s Vineyard. But when his roommate Jasper invites him to spend the end of summer at his massive beachfront home, August House, Linden tries his best to fit in. Linden wouldn’t call it lying, exactly. Though it turns out August House is full of liars.
Then someone is found unconscious in Jasper’s pool, and everyone has something to hide—Jasper, his beautiful sister Eliza, their older brother Wells, and their friends. The accident is written off as just that—an accident—but Linden begins to wonder…
Holiday Proctor. Linden’s childhood friend, and the one person on the island who knows the truth about Linden. There’s nothing Holiday loves more than a good old-fashioned mystery and she’s convinced there’s a potential killer on the Vineyard. The only question is…who?
Other Friend Group Thrillers I Want to Try
- The Counselors by Jessica Goodman
- Tell Me What Really Happened
- Someone is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong
- The Last One to Fall
- Girls from Hush Cabin
Give me your recommendations in comments!
