If you’re like us, you’re always looking for book recommendations! We created a list of recommendations based on some popular YA books. Let us know if you’ve read any of these and if you have some recommendations for us!
1. If you liked The Hunger Games, read The Testing
The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau is an underrated YA series, and is basically a more intellectual version of The Hunger Games. Cia and three other students in her region get chosen to compete for spots at University. In this dystopian future United States, a massive world war left most of the world in shambles. Only the brightest can help bring back the country.
Cia believes that if she doesn’t pass her tests, then she’ll go back to her normal life. However, once students start disappearing, she realizes the price for failure is a lot higher than she ever imagined.
2. If you liked The Selection, read American Royals
If you’re in dire need of a book about the royals, look no further. The Selection has become one of the most popular series in YA (we mean the original trilogy). American Royals asks what the country look like today if the United States had been a monarchy since George Washington took the throne? In fact, we’re currently read Majesty, book 2 in the American Royals series by Katharine McGee.
3. If you liked Anna and The French Kiss, read Paris, Modigliani and Me
Anna and The French Kiss is one of the most read YA romances. Plus, it’s set in Paris. There is no better location to fall in love! Paris, Modigliani and Me has the same kind of charm. We also love that it’s set during the summer in between high school and college. . Julie moves to Paris for the summer to be an au pair for her mother’s best friend’s daughter Genevieve. Genevieve, a fashionable and spunky 10 year old, helps Julie move forward and discovery the beauty of a new city. Plus, she gets to experience the world famous art scene.
4. If you liked One of Us is Lying, read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Karen McManus became a household name after one novel. She took the murder mystery world by storm when she wrote about five students entering detention, but only four making it out alive. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder has a similar vibe. It’s addicting from the very beginning as Pippa tries to solve a case that happened five years ago. But, some people don’t want Pippa to know the truth and will do anything to keep their secrets hidden forever. Holly Jackson’s first YA is perfect for mystery fans.
5. If you liked The Secret Circle, read Serpent and Dove
The Secret Circle focuses on a group of witches learning about their power in New Salem, MA. Except, practicing magic may not be safe. Serpent and Dove is about witches and those who hunt them. Except, a witch and witch hunter are forced to get married. What could possibly go wrong? Shelby Mahurin’s 2019 novel became our favorite of the year. The sequel, Blood and Honey, releases this September!
6. If you liked the Gallagher Girls series, read the Raven Files series
The Gallagher Girls books were the OG YA spy novels! We loved following Cammie and her friends on their missions. Thank you Ally Carter for creating badass female characters! The Raven Files series is an elevated (read: slightly more mature) spy series. Both have swoon worthy romances and will keep you on your toes from start to finish! If you’re looking for your next spy read, this book is definitely for you.
7. If you liked Alex, Approximately, read The Unexpected Everything
Searching for something to read this summer? Did Porter and Bailey inspire your own summer romance? Then you’ll have to meet Andie, the daughter of a politician who takes a summer job dog walking after a prestigious internship falls through. Little does she know that her unexpected summer will turn out to be perfect…and full of romance! This light-hearted summer YA is perfect to read outside in the sunshine.
8. If you liked the Vampire Academy series, read the Half-Blood series
The Vampire Academy series is about a group of teenage vampires and their protectors living at a boarding school. Naturally, murder and mayhem ensues. The Half-Blood series has a similar vibe in that it’s also set at a boarding school. Instead of dealing with vampires, though, live vicariously through Alex and her friends, descendants of Greek gods and goddesses.
9. If you liked the Truly, Devious series, read the Trouble Is a Friend of Mine series
The Truly, Devious series is one of our all-time fave mystery series. It’s got romance, suspense, and a killer (pun intended) murder plot. Trouble is a Friend of Mine has equally quirky protagonists, and is kind of like Sherlock Holmes. It’s hard to explain, but trust us when we say you should read the series!
10. If you liked Tell Me Three Things, read First & Then
Tell Me Three Things is one of those YA contemporaries that has the perfect blend of romance and heart. It’s a great coming of age story! First & Then is loosely based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and tackles similar familial themes. Not to mention that it has an adorable romance! If you’re in the mood for a fluffy contemporary, definitely check it out.
I'm All Booked Up - a young adult book blog 
Great post! 😊
It reminded me that I never actually finished the testing series. I read the first two in translation but then never got the third. When I get back to Belgium I should pick the books up and look for the third! 😅
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Thank you! The last book, Graduation Day, is so good and has a lot of surprises! We hope you like it!
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Thank you!
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Oh my gosh I loved this!! Thank you so much for the recommendations! I haven’t even read most of the if you’ve read suggestions but still loving the sound of the ones you’ve recommended. My list just exploded again. Great post!
Lindsey | https://aramblingreviewer.wordpress.com
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Thank you! We hope you enjoy all of our recommendations!
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This blog post is awesome! I must say that leading off with the Testing series as a comp to the Hunger Games is awesome. I greatly enjoyed the Testing, and I would read it again!
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Glad you enjoyed the Testing. It’s such a great and underrated YA dystopian series.
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Great stuff! Lots of potential reads for my daughter and I like the sound of The Testing for me as well!
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The Testing is great! We hope your daughter enjoys some of these!
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My daughter loves and is reading the last Vampire Acadamy book right now. I will have to get her the Half-Blood series. I’m sure she would love it! Thank you!
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It’s great that she’s reading Vampire Academy! We hope she enjoys Half-Blood.
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I really enjoy lists like these. They help me discover new books that I might have otherwise missed. To be honest, I haven’t read most of the books listed here, other than The Hunger Games, but I will be making sure to check some of these out. Always on the lookout for new books to read.
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Thank you! We love recommending YA books, especially those we consider underrated. Let us know if you end up reading some of these.
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The Testing is on my TBR and I’m hoping to get to it soon. Great post!
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Thank you! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the series!
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I have always loved seeing this tag on booktube, glad it made onto the blogs as well 😀
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Thank you!
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Ooh thank you for the recs! These all look so good, especially the Half Blood series! 😍
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Thank you! We hope you give the series a try!
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Great recommendations! I haven’t read most of these books but they sound really good 🙂
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Thank you! Let us know if you read any of them!
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I read the first 2 books in THE TESTING series, but didn’t feel particularly motivated to read the third. A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER though, is pretty high on my TBR. I’ve been hearing so much about it so I really want to read it.
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It’s too bad that you weren’t interested in reading Graduation Day. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is the best mystery we’ve read in 2020. We can’t wait to read book 2.
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Thanks for sharing! I have read some of these, but will check out the others!
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Happy reading!
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ooh, i’ve heard of very few of these books. i’ll defintiely have to keep some of them in mind 😀
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Let us know if you read any 🙂
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Oooh American Royals sounds like a pretty cool read. All of these YA picks have some pretty cool backstory. Thanks for sharing!
Nancy ✨ exquisitely.me
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Thank you! We just finished Majesty, book 2 in the American Royals series.
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This is a great post with very good recommendations!
But what exactly means ”YA series”?
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YA means Young Adult. While the exact definition is debated, we consider it a book with a protagonist between the ages of 14 and 22. It can overlap with MG on the younger side and NA on the older side. However, the writing style makes the difference. MG is usually middle school and lower. NA is typically erotica.
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Thank you for the answer 🙂
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I loved One of us is lying … so thank you for pointing me to A good girls guide to murder. Definitely picking this up next as thrillers are my fav genre.
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