7 YA Thrillers To Give You The Chills

Mysteries to keep you guessing till the very end.

YA thrillers

Looking for a chilling thriller with a hint of suspense, spooky tales, or twists and turns? These mysteries and thrillers are sure to keep you reading well into the night. Whether you’re looking for boarding school mysteries, ghostly forest paths, or missing person cases, all of these have mysteries that will keep you guessing to the end. No easy outs or early spoilers here, just books that will stretch your mind as you try to solve the clues before the final page.

 

1. The Cheerleaders – Kara Thomas

the cheerleaders

A sharp and scary story of a town where all of the cheerleaders are dead. What drove them to their deaths? And is it coming back? Monica’s sister was the last to die, by suicide, after car crashes and murders took out the other four members of her cheer team. Now it’s five years later and Monica is finding secrets everywhere: in her stepdad’s closet, in the mysterious cell phone she’s unearthed, and in the whispers around town. As Monica sorts through who knows something they aren’t telling, she’ll question everything she knows about what happened to the cheerleaders.

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2. The Naturals – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

the naturals

When seventeen-year-old Cassie’s talent for reading people is noticed by the FBI, she’s drawn into a web of cold cases that will end up bringing her closer to a very much still active serial killer. Locked in a house with other teens of similar abilities, Cassie is finally feeling like she fits in for the first time in her life. However, the cases she is put on prove to be a little hotter than anticipated when she starts sensing she’s being stalked by a killer who’s out there and anything but gone for good.

 

3. People Like Us – Dana Mele

people like us

A girl’s body showing up in a lake really disrupts things for popular girl Kay and her private school friends. But things are about to get even more scary when secrets from Kay’s past start to surface, as well. Left behind in the dead girl’s wake is a computer coded scavenger hunt that Kay will have to solve in order to track the murder without ending up on the suspects list herself. Set against the posh backdrop of her insular school, Kay will have to seek to prove her innocence in this psychological thriller that shows the truth is what you make of it.

 

4. Rules for Vanishing – Kate Alice Marshall

rules for vanishing

The ghost of Lucy Gallows beckons down a spooky road that leads into a forest. Sara knows that its down this road that her sister Becca has disappeared, but no one in the town, who all think Lucy is only a legend, believes her. Using a Blair Witch-style of documentary reporting, the book tells the story of Sara and her friends venturing along the Gallows path where more horrors than just Lucy wait. As they confront revenge driven spirits and make their way into the woods, they find the price Lucy will demand to bring Becca back.

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5. Sadie – Courtney Summers

sadie

Combining the true crime and podcast trends, Sadie follows dual narratives: Sadie, a missing girl who believes she is hunting her sister’s killer, and West McCray, a podcast host fascinated with her story. As McCray and his listeners attempt to track Sadie’s trail, she finds herself stumbling through deserted towns and eerie fields in an attempt to hunt the killer before he turns around for her. Winding Sadie and West’s stories together in a harrowing conclusion, this book will wake you up to the power of storytelling.

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6. A Study in Charlotte – Brittany Cavallaro

a study in charlotte

When Jamie Watson and Charlotte Holmes, descendants of the original Watson and
Holmes, end up at the same Connecticut boarding school, it’s only a matter of time before a dead body shows up too. Charlotte has developed a reputation for being volatile and friendless and frankly, Jamie wants nothing to do with her. But, as danger begins to engulf their surroundings, the two descendants of the great crime solvers will have to band together before they become the next targets.

 

7. Two Can Keep a Secret – Karen M. McManus

two can keep a secret

Ellery and her brother return to the childhood home of her mom, and the site of their
aunt’s disappearance,only to find someone in town still has murderous plans. First, there’s the death at the local amusement park, then the science teacher whose body they find in the middle of the road. With an obsession for true crime that drives her to seek the truth, Ellery navigates the strained relationships between her mother, her grandmother, and herself to begin finding out what’s happened to her aunt, and whether it could happen again. A compelling thriller, fans should also check out McManus’ other work, One of Us is Lying.

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