🔍 Books Like One of Us Is Lying : Addictive YA Thrillers Full of Secrets and Twists

One of Us Is Lying had you hooked from page one, you’re not alone. Karen M. McManus’ best­selling nov­el launched a wave of inter­est in YA thrillers that blend mys­tery, teen dra­ma, and the high-stakes world of high school secrets.

Described as The Break­fast Club meets Pret­ty Lit­tle Liars, this fast-paced who­dunit begins with five stu­dents walk­ing into deten­tion — but only four come out alive. As each stu­dent becomes a sus­pect, secrets unrav­el, alliances shift, and noth­ing is what it seems.

So what should you read next?

Here are the top books like One of Us Is Lying — filled with mur­der, lies, and lay­ered char­ac­ters try­ing to sur­vive in a world where the truth can be dead­ly.

📖 1. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

For fans of: True crime, clever hero­ines, and shock­ing twists

What it’s about:
High school senior Pip starts inves­ti­gat­ing a mur­der that hap­pened five years ago in her town — a case every­one believes is closed. But as she digs deep­er, she dis­cov­ers new evi­dence and puts her­self in dan­ger.

Why you should read it:
Pip is smart, per­sis­tent, and refresh­ing­ly ana­lyt­i­cal. Like One of Us Is Lying, this sto­ry bal­ances sus­pense with strong char­ac­ter devel­op­ment and teen real­ism. Plus, it’s part of a tril­o­gy — so the thrill does­n’t end with one book.

📖 2. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

For fans of: Emo­tion­al depth, spec­u­la­tive mys­tery, and twist end­ings

What it’s about:
In a near-future world where peo­ple get a 24-hour notice before their death, two strangers meet on their “End Day” and form a deep con­nec­tion. While it’s not a mur­der mys­tery, it keeps read­ers ques­tion­ing fate and truth.

Why you should read it:
Though more spec­u­la­tive than One of Us Is Lying, this nov­el deliv­ers emo­tion­al inten­si­ty, unex­pect­ed twists, and a strong sense of urgency. It also explores what peo­ple do when time is run­ning out.

📖 3. The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

For fans of: Dark secrets, small-town mys­tery, and lay­ered female char­ac­ters

What it’s about:
Five cheer­lead­ers from the same school died under mys­te­ri­ous cir­cum­stances. Years lat­er, Monica’s dis­cov­ery of a phone and notes leads her to believe those deaths weren’t acci­dents or sui­cides — and she won’t stop until she knows the truth.

Why you should read it:
Kara Thomas mas­ter­ful­ly weaves sus­pense and psy­cho­log­i­cal depth. Like McManus, she builds ten­sion around unre­li­able nar­ra­tives and hid­den motives.

📖 4. One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus

For fans of: Con­tin­u­a­tions, char­ac­ter cameos, and more secrets

What it’s about:
This sequel to One of Us Is Lying returns to Bayview High with a new cast and a dead­ly truth-or-dare game that push­es stu­dents to the brink.

Why you should read it:
If you loved the orig­i­nal, One of Us Is Next deliv­ers more twists, a fresh set of stu­dents, and ties to the orig­i­nal mys­tery. McManus keeps her sig­na­ture ten­sion high.

📖 5. Sadie by Courtney Summers

For fans of: Grit­ty nar­ra­tives, pod­cast-style sto­ry­telling, and revenge plots

What it’s about:
Sadie’s sis­ter is mur­dered, and the police don’t seem to care. So Sadie dis­ap­pears, hunt­ing the man she believes is respon­si­ble. The sto­ry alter­nates between her jour­ney and a pod­cast try­ing to uncov­er what hap­pened to her.

Why you should read it:
This emo­tion­al­ly raw thriller blends a com­pelling plot with a unique for­mat. It’s intense, mov­ing, and will haunt you long after you fin­ish it.

📖 6. People Like Us by Dana Mele

For fans of: Elite prep schools, girl cliques, and dark secrets

What it’s about:
After a girl is found dead at an elite board­ing school, Kay, a pop­u­lar soc­cer star, receives a cryp­tic mes­sage tying her to the mur­der. As she uncov­ers oth­ers’ secrets, she risks expos­ing her own.

Why you should read it:
Think Gos­sip Girl meets Pret­ty Lit­tle Liars with a mur­der twist. This book is per­fect for read­ers who love dark acad­e­mia and scan­dal beneath the sur­face.

📖 7. This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston

For fans of: Legal thrillers, small-town mys­ter­ies, and unre­li­able nar­ra­tors

What it’s about:
Five boys go hunt­ing. Only four come back. One is dead — and no one is talk­ing. A teen intern at the dis­trict attorney’s office becomes obsessed with solv­ing the case.

Why you should read it:
It’s a clev­er­ly struc­tured sto­ry where each char­ac­ter hides some­thing. If you loved the “every­one has a secret” angle in One of Us Is Lying, this book will keep you guess­ing.

🎯 Why These Books Are Perfect for Fans of One of Us Is Lying

All these titles share a few key traits that fans love:

• ⏳ High-stakes ten­sion from page one
• 🔍 Teenagers hid­ing secrets — some­times dead­ly ones
• 🧠 Smart pro­tag­o­nists piec­ing togeth­er the mys­tery
• 💬 Themes of iden­ti­ty, truth, friend­ship, and betray­al

Whether you’re into tech-age thrillers, grit­ty psy­cho­log­i­cal dra­ma, or small-town secrets, these books offer the same com­pul­sive read­abil­i­ty and twisty sto­ry­telling that made One of Us Is Lying a hit.

✅ Final Thoughts

One of Us Is Lying proved that YA thrillers can be both page-turn­ers and char­ac­ter-dri­ven. The books list­ed above con­tin­ue that trend — giv­ing you the same excite­ment, sus­pense, and emo­tion­al punch.

So if you’re ready to uncov­er more secrets, solve more puz­zles, and explore the dark side of high school — add these titles to your TBR list now.