If Yellowjackets has you captivated with its mix of survival, suspense, and dark psychological twists, these book recommendations are just what you need. From isolated settings to complex, flawed characters, these reads echo the show’s intense atmosphere and gripping drama. Whether you’re drawn to tales of survival, tangled relationships, or eerie psychological thrillers, these books will keep you on the edge of your seat, just like the show.

FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven

If you love the dark survival drama aspect of Yellowjackets, you’ll definitely enjoy FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven. Stranded theme park employees, mostly teenagers, descend into brutal chaos after a hurricane, forming warring tribes in a fight for survival. Told through chilling interviews, it delivers the same eerie, psychological intensity.

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Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky

When a group of influencers is stranded at a remote festival with a murder suspect in their midst, things quickly spiral out of control. Rafi Francisco, determined to expose a pop star’s dark secrets on her true-crime podcast, finds herself trapped in a nightmare as rivalries and hidden agendas surface. As tensions rise, Rafi must navigate a dangerous web of lies, survival instincts, and unexpected alliances in a fight for her life.

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Small Game by Blair Braverman

In Small Game, a survival reality show goes terribly wrong, leaving four strangers stranded in the wild with nothing but their wits. Mara, a seasoned survival instructor, thought the hardest part would be enduring six weeks with her eccentric teammates, but things take a dark turn when something goes horribly wrong. As fear sets in, Mara must confront not just the wilderness, but the dangerous truths hidden within the group as the game of survival becomes all too real.

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Savages by Shirley Conran

From the author of Lace comes a gripping survival tale set on the South Pacific island of Paui. When a military coup leaves their husbands dead, five women escape into the jungle, forced to learn survival skills and confront their own dark instincts. As they battle natural threats and inner turmoil, their transformation into fierce, untamed survivors creates a tense and captivating adventure.

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Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Wilder Girls is a feminist twist on Lord of the Flies, set at an island boarding school under quarantine. As a mysterious illness called the Tox warps the bodies of teachers, then students, isolating them from the world, Hetty, Reese, and Byatt must fight for survival. When one of them disappears, Hetty’s search beyond the school’s fence reveals dark secrets that upend everything she thought she knew.

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The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

Kim Liggett’s The Grace Year is a chilling speculative YA thriller, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and The Power. In Garner County, sixteen-year-old girls are exiled for a year to rid themselves of dangerous magic—but not all return alive. As Tierney James faces her own grace year, she discovers the greatest threat may not be the harsh wilderness or lurking poachers, but the other girls themselves.

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The Troop by Nick Cutter

In The Troop, a scout troop’s camping trip turns into a fight for survival when they encounter a deadly, bioengineered intruder. The stranger–thin, pale, and starving–brings with him a horrifying contagion that spreads quickly. As the boys and their scoutmaster fight to survive, the wilderness becomes a brutal battleground against both the infected and each other.

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Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens is a hilarious and biting twist on the classic desert island survival tale. When a plane carrying fifty Miss Teen Dream contestants crashes on a remote island, the beauty queens must choose between perfecting their pageant skills or battling snakes and surviving pirate encounters. With sharp satire and unforgettable moments, this witty novel redefines what it means to be fierce.

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The Missing by Kiersten Modglin

If you’re hooked on survival stories filled with tension and psychological twists, this gripping thriller is a must-read. Five strangers are stranded on a remote island with no clue where they are or who to trust. As secrets unravel and alliances crumble, they must battle both the island’s dangers and each other in a chaotic fight for survival.

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What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

A dark and thrilling novel that explores the dangerous consequences of buried secrets and the lies that protect them—much like the mysteries unraveled in Yellowjackets. Naomi and her two childhood friends convinced the world they were heroes after surviving a brutal attack, but their shared secret threatens to unravel everything. With echoes of betrayal, friendship, and a twisted past, this novel weaves a psychological intensity that will keep you hooked until the very end.

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