We were Liars by E. Lockhart is one of those YA novels that stays with you. It’s haunting and hypnotic. I walked away from it and wondered, what did I just read? I immediately though I needed to read it again because I missed some stuff. Those pages turned so fast. I was so drawn into the family drama and the mystery of what happened.

You too?

Find your next great read for National Reading Month by exploring my reviews of these YA books you’ll enjoy if you liked We Were Liars as much as I did.

The Delinquent Hero by Khristina Chess

“Is it possible that instead of finding her, he’s the person who hurt her?” ― Khristina Chess, quote from The Delinquent Hero

Wow! The Delinquent Hero grabbed me from the first page and never stopped!

Everyone is saying Kat fell and hit her head, causing a catastrophic brain bleed. She’s severely malnourished and on life support, and in a few days, the doctors will remove the ventilator.

But when 18-year-old Molly visits her sister’s rental house, it looks more like a crime scene that someone cleaned up. Stories about what happened are inconsistent.

Later at the hospital, when Molly whispers into her sister’s ear about the odd things she discovered, alarms start wailing on Kat’s cardiac monitor. It’s like, even though she’s supposedly brain dead, some part of Kat still hears her. Like maybe something evil happened in that house.

Like maybe someone tried to murder her.

What I love most about The Delinquent Hero is the puzzle that Molly is trying to solve—not just about the how this terrible thing happened, but also about her sister herself. It’s a great novel that shows the way eating disorders can impact the people who love them the most. There is so much pain in trying to answer why?

If you liked We Were Liars, with its back-and-forth storyline and mystery plot, you won’t want to miss this raw and unforgettable story of a complicated sisterhood, eating disorders, and loss.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

“The last laugh, the last cup of coffee, the last sunset, the last time you jump through a sprinkler, or eat an ice-cream cone, or stick your tongue out to catch a snowflake. You just don’t know.” ― Lauren Oliver, quote from Before I Fall

Samantha Kingston is dead.

In this YA-version of Groundhog Day, a “mean girl” gets a chance to relive her last day and the party she attended with her friends before the fatal car crash. She has an opportunity to make the same choices over and over, until she makes different ones.

This beautiful novel is an atypical mystery about redemption as the reader follows Samantha’s journey to figure out how she died. Her character arc really blew me away, and although I disliked her in the beginning, I was cheering for her by the end, and I love the way Lauren Oliver wrote the ending.

If you liked We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, check out this disorienting, confusing, and ultimately beautiful story that explores themes of secrets in an interesting way.

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.” ― Kelly 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.

Be sure to add Missing to your must-read list of YA books you’ll enjoy if you liked We Were Liars.

Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall 

“I know Becca didn’t run away. That leaves one possibility and one impossibility, and I long for the impossible. Because if she isn’t dead, if she’s only been taken, she can be brought back.” ― Kate Alice Marshall, quote from Rules for Vanishing

Sara’s adopted sister Becca vanished a year ago.

Although everyone has given up the search, Sara is determined to find her because she believes Becca has gone into the woods and is lost on The Road. Sara convinces (tricks) a group of her friends to join her on this terrifying journey.

Not everyone comes home. Because at some point they break the rules:

Don’t leave the road.

Don’t let go.

Don’t follow other roads.

Rules for Vanishing is dark, mysterious, creepy, and full of scary and supernatural stuff. I loved it and devoured it in a few days. The ending was an unexpected twist, especially because of the connection to Kate Alice Marshall’s other novel, Our Last Echoes, which I’d read first. In fact, Kate Alice Marshall is also on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited. All of her books are awesome.

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

“You get away with a lot, even after you're caught.” ― Courtney Summers, quote from Cracked Up to Be

Parker Fadley has a secret.

She used to be the captain of the cheerleading team, top student, queen B, perfect at everything, but something happened. Something she never told.

By the time we meet Parker, we’re in the middle of her “after,” when she’s busy wrecking her perfect life and torturing herself, so it takes a while to understand how deep this secret really goes.

It’s not what you think.

It’s worse.

If you’re looking for an irresistible YA mystery and a protagonist who is mean, unsympathetic, and yet strangely someone you want to hug, this is the book for you. You won’t be able to stop until the final page. Fans of We Were Liars will enjoy this one.

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 is another irresistible YA mystery book by Courtney Summers that’s so thrilling you won’t be able to put it down. I felt instantly drawn into her story and liked the format of alternating podcast interviews and young Sadie’s viewpoint as she sought 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 compelling YA book about teen runaways that will stay with you long after the last page.

If you liked We Were Liars, you’ll love Sadie as well.

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

"They're doing just as I asked them to. As we Sinclairs always do. Pretending. Lying. Trying to have a good time.” ― E. Lockhart, quote from Family of Liars

Lockhart's prequel to We Were Liars does not disappoint! The narrator, Carrie, tells the story of the summer of the boys' visit to the island, but long before those events, there are ominous hints of what is to come. In her early teen years, for example, Carrie's father insists on a surgery to break her jaw, and an infection sets in.

But Carrie bends to his will. She is a "credit to the family."

This novel has some brilliant symbolism, a few great twists, some predictable story-lines, and other unexpected turns. I finished in 4 days because the pages turned fast and furious. I had to know the secrets these liars were keeping.

The pages are full of great details about summertime on the island. The lemon hunt was very vivid, as well as the details about clothing, food, and the picnic table. Lockhart painted a vivid sense of place, siblings, and privilege.

If you enjoyed We Were Liars, you will also love Family of Liars. I recommend reading both of them! Be sure to read We Were Liars first.

Other YA Books You’ll Enjoy If You Liked We Were Liars

If you are looking other YA books you’ll enjoy if you liked We Were Liars, check out the Books Similar to We Were Liars lists on Goodreads. You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of reviews of other YA books reviews.

What about you? Do you have any recommendations to add to my list? If you enjoyed We Were Liars, 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.