10 Pulse-Pounding Young Adult Thriller Novels

Action-packed and full of suspense, thrillers are gripping reads that appeal to fans of all ages. While the genre is most often enjoyed by adults, there are plenty of wonderful choices out there for younger readers. If you're a teenager or a fan of YA fiction, the books listed here are sure to pull you into the action and keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.

YA Thrillers: Our 10 Picks

Title Author
1. Pretty Girl J.C. Burke
2. Nearly Gone Elle Cosimano
3. Better Left Buried Emma Haughton
4. Such a Good Girl Amanda K. Morgan
5. Shackled Tom Leveen
6. What Lies Within James Morris
7. Echoes Alice Reeds
8. The Town Built on Sorrow David Oppegaard
9. Three Truths and a Lie Brent Hartinger
10. Trust Me, I'm Lying Mary Elizabeth Summer

The History of the Thriller

Some of the world's oldest known stories used the same elements that make modern thrillers so enticing. Homer's famous epic poem The Odyssey is something of a prototype of the genre. The hero's life is in constant danger as he uses his cunning to overcome his enemies. But the genre isn't exclusive to Western culture. One of the stories in One Thousand and One Nights (commonly known as Arabian Nights) is considered to be the oldest known murder mystery. This tale, The Three Apples, is full of plot twists and revolves around a mysterious death. Centuries later, the 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo popularized the action thriller with it's swashbuckling revenge plot. Eventually, of course, the genre made its way from the pages of books to the big screen. Some of the most famous of these movies were directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who worked on several classics throughout his career, including Psycho, Vertigo, and Rear Window.

8 Great Thriller Films

  1. Another Me (2013)
  2. The Roommate (2011)
  3. House at the End of the Street (2012)
  4. Gone (2012)
  5. I Still See You (2018)
  6. Ouija (2014)
  7. The Visit (2015)
  8. Happy Death Day (2017)

The Difference Between Mystery and Suspense

In Depth

Thrillers are full of twists and turns that leave readers on the edge of their seats, anxious to see how it will all play out in the end. If you're looking for gripping stories where protagonists put their lives at risk to unravel deadly secrets, then here, in no particular order, are ten Y.A. thrillers that will leave your heart pounding.

First up, at #1, we have "Pretty Girl" by J.C. Burke. High school friends Sarah, Paige, Tallulah, and Jess all study at Galston College. When Paige ends up in a psychiatric ward after an accident that she can't remember and Jess suddenly turns up dead under mysterious circumstances, the friends are shaken. And as Sarah falls in love with a boy she recently met, they suspect that she may be the next victim. Will the girls ever figure out what's really going on, or will they all end up in serious trouble?

Next, at #2, is "Nearly Gone" by Elle Cosimano. Nearly Boswell lives in a trailer park with her mother, and she regularly checks the local paper for any news about her missing father. When she starts noticing cryptic messages in the newspaper, she realizes that a serial killer is targeting people close to her, and only she can decipher the clues that he leaves behind. Now, she rushes to uncover the murderer's identity before more innocents die.

Now, she rushes to uncover the murderer's identity before more innocents die.

At #3 is Emma Haughton's "Better Left Buried." When Sarah's brother dies, a strange man named Jack starts following her around, and her best friend Lizzie suddenly refuses to talk to her, warning her to stay away from her stalker. She soon learns that prior to his death, her brother was hiding a dark secret that now endangers the lives of his loved ones. With the help of Jack, who she's reluctant to trust, Sarah must uncover this well-kept secret before it ruins her life forever.

Next, at #4, is "Such a Good Girl" by Amanda K. Morgan. Riley Stone is an overachieving high school student who, despite her seemingly perfect demeanor, has very dark desires. She has a crush on her French teacher, Alex Belrose, and is willing to go to extreme lengths to get what she wants. As the story progresses, Riley's true colors begin to shine, and through the constant twists and turns, readers get to see how she slowly evolves into a dangerous and manipulative character.

At #5 is "Shackled" by Tom Leveen. While playing hide-and-seek in a mall, Pelly is left emotionally scarred when her best friend Tara suddenly disappears without a trace. After years of therapy and medication, she starts working at a coffee shop, still learning how to cope with her constant panic attacks. One day, at work, she sees an old man accompanied by an unkempt girl, who Pelly believes is her missing friend. This encounter triggers her anxiety, leading her to investigate further in an attempt to uncover the truth behind Tara's disappearance.

While playing hide-and-seek in a mall, Pelly is left emotionally scarred when her best friend Tara suddenly disappears without a trace.

Next up, at #6, we have "What Lies Within" by James Morris. Shelley Marano is just an ordinary high school student trying to finish her senior year. Her life is turned upside-down when she receives a cryptic text message warning her of imminent danger, causing her to question her identity and figure out why anyone would want to harm her. Caught in a conspiracy involving her family, she must figure out who she really is before her enemies find and kill her.

Next, at #7, is "Echoes" by Alice Reeds. Fiona and Miles are two high school students chosen for an internship in Berlin. On the way to Germany, their plane crashes on a deserted island, leaving the pair as the only survivors. As they struggle to survive and find a way back home, they realize that there's something on the island that will do everything in its power to prevent their escape.

At #8 is David Oppegaard's "The Town Built on Sorrow." Harper Spurling, who lives in Hawthorn, is obsessed with the diary of a girl from the 1860s, which documents the town's origin. When the diary abruptly ends with the author's disappearance, Harper's curiosity leads her to delve deep into the town's history to figure out why the girl suddenly went missing. Her investigation inadvertently brings her closer to a serial killer who's terrorizing Hawthorn, and the key to stopping him lies in the answers she seeks.

Harper Spurling, who lives in Hawthorn, is obsessed with the diary of a girl from the 1860s, which documents the town's origin.

Next, at #9, is "Three Truths and a Lie" by Brent Hartinger. Rob and his boyfriend Liam are spending the weekend at an old, secluded cabin with their friends Mia and Galen. When they play a game of three truths and a lie, horrifying secrets are revealed, and they suddenly find themselves trapped in the remote cabin with a cold-blooded killer. Unable to trust each other, the group must find a way out before they all end up dead.

Finally, at #10, we have "Trust Me, I'm Lying" by Mary Elizabeth Summer. Julep Dupree is a young con artist who's studying at Chicago's St. Agatha High, where she can involve herself in the affairs of the elite. One day, she comes home to find that her apartment has been broken into, and her grifter father is nowhere to be found. To find her dad, Julep, with the help of her friends, must decipher the cryptic clues he left behind, using her grifting skills to keep her life from falling apart along the way.