With the highly anticipated Amazon Prime adaptation premiering this June, there’s never been a better time to dive into books that capture the same psychological complexity as E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars. If you were captivated by the unreliable narrator, family secrets, and shocking plot twist in this bestseller, you’ll love these psychological thrillers and contemporary novels that feature similar elements of mystery, deception, and emotional complexity.
The Sacred Lies Of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes
Seventeen-year-old Minnow survived the Kevinian cult, but at a devastating cost. Her hands were severed as punishment for defiance, and now she sits in juvenile detention, refusing to speak about the night their compound burned and their Prophet died. Years of indoctrination have left her struggling to distinguish truth from lies, reality from manipulation. When an FBI agent offers her a deal—freedom in exchange for testimony—Minnow faces an impossible choice. Breaking her silence means confronting the horrific memories she’s buried deep. This gripping psychological thriller explores how survivors rebuild their identity after escaping extremist control, finding strength in personal truth over imposed beliefs.
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I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe
Charlotte Simmons arrives at prestigious Dupont University expecting academic excellence and intellectual discourse. Instead, she discovers a world where social status matters more than scholarship, where wealthy students prioritize parties over principles. The sheltered freshman from North Carolina must navigate this alien landscape of privilege, encountering her Brahmin roommate Beverly, star athlete Jojo Johanssen, entitled fraternity member Hoyt Thorpe, and idealistic journalist Adam Geller. Each represents a different facet of campus culture that challenges everything Charlotte believed about higher education. Tom Wolfe’s biting social satire exposes the reality behind elite university life, following one girl’s journey from wide-eyed innocence to hard-won wisdom about power, belonging, and self-discovery.
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The Female Of The Species by Mindy McGinnis
Violence comes naturally to Alex Craft—perhaps too naturally. Since her sister Anna’s killer escaped justice three years ago, Alex has embraced her capacity for brutality, becoming someone she knows others should fear. Senior year brings complicated relationships that test her self-imposed isolation: Jack, the guilt-ridden athlete drawn to her mysterious nature, and Peekay, the rebellious preacher’s daughter who sees past Alex’s walls during their animal shelter work. But Alex’s predatory instincts refuse to stay buried, threatening everyone around her. Mindy McGinnis crafts a dark psychological exploration of trauma, revenge, and the thin line between justice and savagery, questioning whether some people are born monsters or made into them.
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Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Three mothers navigate the treacherous social landscape of an affluent seaside town, each harboring secrets that could destroy their carefully constructed lives. Sharp-tongued Madeline never backs down from a fight and holds grudges like precious treasures. Stunning Celeste appears to have everything but pays a terrible hidden cost for her picture-perfect existence. Young Jane arrives as an outsider, mistaken for hired help, carrying emotional baggage that threatens to overwhelm her. Their children attend the same school, their paths inevitably intersect, and their individual dramas spiral toward a shocking climax that will shatter the community’s facade of suburban tranquility.
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All The Things We Never Said by Yasmin Rahman
Three teenagers find each other through the darkest possible circumstances—a suicide pact website called MementoMori. Mehreen battles overwhelming anxiety she calls “Chaos”, while Cara and Olivia struggle with their own devastating personal crises. What begins as a shared plan to end their pain transforms into an unexpected lifeline when genuine friendship blooms between them. Their newfound connection reveals that life might be worth fighting for after all. However, escaping their deadly agreement proves impossible when the sinister website refuses to release them from their commitment. The girls face escalating psychological manipulation as MementoMori turns them against each other, proving that some promises extract a price beyond imagination.
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Confessions by Kanae Minato, Stephen Snyder (Translator)
Middle school teacher Yuko Moriguchi stands before her class one final time, ready to resign after losing everything that mattered to her. Her four-year-old daughter Manami is dead, and two students in this very room are responsible. What follows isn’t a typical farewell speech but a calculated revelation that destroys her students’ sense of safety forever. Through multiple perspectives, the truth slowly emerges about a tragedy that began as thoughtless cruelty and escalated into something far more sinister. Yuko’s methodical pursuit of justice—or is it revenge?—spirals beyond anyone’s control, threatening to consume the entire school in its devastating wake.
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Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
Working as a supermarket cashier, Julie Chan watches her estranged twin sister Chloe live the influencer dream from afar—until Chloe turns up dead under suspicious circumstances. Seizing an unprecedented opportunity, Julie assumes her sister’s identity, stepping into a world of luxury brands, beauty routines, and millions of devoted fans. The deception proves surprisingly simple at first, but Chloe’s pristine online persona masked dangerous secrets. During an exclusive island getaway with Chloe’s inner circle, Julie realizes her sister’s death wasn’t accidental. Now trapped among people who might be killers, Julie must maintain her charade while uncovering the truth—before she becomes the next victim.
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The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed
Atlanta matchmaker Nura Khan has built an empire on creating perfect unions, but her own love life remains a carefully guarded secret. Her childhood friend Azar poses as her fiancé at client events, unaware that Nura’s romantic feelings are entirely real. When a high-profile wedding she arranged ends in disaster, Nura becomes the target of escalating threats that go far beyond typical client complaints. Someone wants to destroy not just her reputation but her life itself. As the attacks intensify, Nura and Azar must uncover who’s behind the vendetta before the stalker’s obsession turns deadly, threatening everything Nura has sacrificed to achieve.
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Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey
Office life gets complicated when Dolores dela Cruz becomes convinced her charming new temp coworker is a murderer. Jake Ripper’s smooth demeanor and suspicious accessories scream “serial killer” to her trained eye, making him the perfect subject for her morbid fascination. Meanwhile, Jake finds himself genuinely intrigued by Dolores’s sharp wit and mysterious nature—qualities rare enough to capture his dangerous attention. Their workplace banter evolves into something darker and more intimate as both recognize a kindred spirit. But when Dolores approaches Jake about eliminating a corpse problem, their twisted courtship takes a turn that will test whether two potential killers can trust each other.
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Death At The White Hart by Chris Chibnall
Detective Nicola Bridge thought returning to her quaint hometown of Fleetcombe would mean peaceful seaside policing. Then pub owner Jim Tiernan turns up dead in the village center, grotesquely displayed with stag antlers crowning his head. The shocking murder shatters Fleetcombe’s postcard-perfect image and thrusts Nicola into the case she’s been craving since leaving city detective work. Partnering with younger colleague DC Harry Ward, she discovers that Tiernan’s position as the village’s social hub made him privy to everyone’s darkest secrets. As their investigation deepens, Nicola realizes that the charming community she grew up in harbors truths far more disturbing than she ever imagined.
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