Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall is not a typical YA novel about teen runaways. It is dark, mysterious, creepy, and full of scary and supernatural stuff. I loved it and devoured it in a few days. In fact, I felt that way about all Kate Alice Marshall’s books, so if you enjoyed Rules for Vanishing, be sure to read her other work too. I’ve listed her in  my Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited Post.

But if you’re looking for another mystery about missing teens, here are a few of my favorites.

Junior Missing by Khristina Chess

“When we went out together in public, I always imagined people were watching us. Did they notice something was a little odd? Did they disapprove of a twenty-two-year-old guy dating a sixteen-year-old girl? Or maybe they recognized me. My picture had been plastered all over TV. Two months ago, I vanished from my home. I was missing.”― Khristina Chess, quote from Junior Missing

Love isn’t supposed to take prisoners.

Sixteen-year-old Grace Keegan, darling of the child pageant world, is missing. Police initially believe she ran away—until they locate her abandoned cell phone along the highway. No one knows she met someone online, someone older, a musician named Quentin Brock who has a cool band named Acid Mozart. He seems to be romantic, cute, and funny. He seems to be the perfect guy.

By the time he reveals his true colors, Grace is trapped in another state with no way out.

She doesn’t even have shoes.

Wow! Junior Missing hooked me from the first page and never let me go!

What makes Junior Missing so special is the gripping, slow-boil depiction of how Grace falls into the trap of an abusive relationship with an older man who takes her in—and won’t let her go. I worried about her. I loved seeing her journey and choices as she befriends the neighbor girl. This is the kind of thrilling, authentic novel that really shows how someone can so easily be manipulated and hurt in this kind of situation.

If you enjoyed Kate Alice Marshall’s Rules for Vanishing and you’re looking for a steamy thriller that you won’t be able to put down, this one is definitely a page-turner! In fact, Khristina Chess is on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because she has so many suspenseful novels.

Missing by Kelly Armstrong

“Reeve’s End is the kind of town every kid can’t wait to escape. Each summer, a dozen kids leave and at least a quarter never come back. I don’t blame them—I’ll do the same in another year. We thought it was just something that happened in towns like ours. We were wrong.”― Kelley Armstrong, quote from Missing

Winter Crane’s sister is missing.

In missing-person cases, police only have so much time to find victims before their chance of returning home safe diminishes, and in this instance, the timeline for how long Winter’s sister has been missing happened to her—and other missing kids—is tied to an invisible clock like a heartbeat. It creates suspense is already unclear. As the mystery quickly unfolds, the urgency to find out what might have and raises the stakes. The tension increases with each turn of the page because we believe the situation is life-or-death. The hero spends a lot of time literally running from one place to another, trying to beat the clock.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plucky heroine and her determination to get to the bottom of the mystery of the missing teens, even at increasingly dangerous personal cost to herself. The West Virginia setting seemed vibrant and real without being cliched or overdone. The killer was gruesome, creepy, and sinister.

If you liked Rules for Vanishing, you won’t want to miss this thrilling story about missing teens and the search for what has happened to them.

Sadie by Courtney Summers 

“How do you forgive the people who are supposed to protect you? Sometimes, I don't know what I miss more; everything I've lost or everything I never had.” ― Courtney Summers, quote from Sadie

Sadie knows who killed her younger sister.

She leaves home and goes on a journey to seek justice against her sister’s killer. She has plenty of personal reasons to hate him, and he deserves to die for his crimes.

This novel alternates between young Sadie, who is a missing teen, and a podcast show, where details of her disappearance are told through a series of interviews. I think I would have loved this book even more in audio format than paperback

Still, Sadie is a great read. The pacing increases as the story unfolds and Sadie gets closer and closer to her target. The conclusion to her quest for justice is a surprise. This YA book about teen runaways that will stay with you long after the last page.

If you liked Rules for Vanishing and are looking for something similar, add this one to your TBR pile.

This Is Not a Love Letter by Kim Purcell

Chris is missing.

While he’s gone, his girlfriend Jessie decides to write letters to him, so the entire book is a series of scenes narrated to Chris. The mystery of his disappearance deepens as more of the bullying that Chris had endured unfolds.

Heartbreaking, beautiful, and powerful, Jessie’s letters are her way of coming to terms with the fact that the boy she loved went running one night but never came home again.

Check out this hard-hitting YA book about depression and racism. It’s a great third-person look at the impact of depression on those who love the person and feel helpless to ease their suffering. Fans of Rules for Vanishing will also enjoy this one.

Other YA Books Similar to Rules for Vanishing

If you are looking other books similar to Rules for Vanishing, check out the Books Similar to Rules for Vanishing, Runaway Books, and Runaways in YA and Middle Grade Fiction lists on Goodreads. You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of reviews of YA books by type of tough topic.

What about you? Do you have any recommendations to add to my list? If you enjoyed Rules for Vanishing, are there other similar books you loved?

Khristina Chess is the award-winning author of several YA novels about troubled teens turning corners. You can find her on Amazon, Goodreads, and Twitter as an active daily contributor in the #5amwritersclub.