7 YA Thrillers With Strong Female Leads

I love a good young adult thriller with a strong female lead. There’s something fantastic about the immediacy of a YA novel married to the urgency of a thriller. With young adult novels, it’s not unusual to see characters navigating new experiences with an intensity of emotion that is unique to your teenage years; there are so many first, so many rites of passage mixed with the poignancy of coming of age. When you take those concepts and themes and marry them with the often life-or-death stakes of a thriller, you have a recipe for an impossible-to-put down page-turner with the emotional trappings of a young adult novel and there’s nothing quite like it. And when a female character is running the whole show? It’s a total auto-read for me.

I’m never surprised by the ingenuity and strength—which comes in many different forms—of young women, as it’s something I frequently showcase in my own work, but it can be an uphill battle for some people to recognize that it’s there, that it exists. Teen girls are often underestimated in life and fiction but the books I’m about to share with you make a good case for what a dangerous, short-sighted mistake that is to make. Not only will these books have you flipping pages long into the night, they’ll have you feeling all the feels while serving as sharp reminders of what teen girls are capable of  . . .

Tiffany D. Jackson, Monday’s Not Coming

When Monday Charles goes missing, the only person who seems to notice is Claudia, her best friend. This sets Claudia on a single-minded quest to find out what happened to Monday—and why no one seems to care that she’s not around anymore. Monday’s Not Coming, with its clever use of alternating timelines, is a compulsively readable and incisive exploration of privilege and trauma, carried by Claudia’s fearless and determined voice. You’ll want to follow her every step of the way to find out what exactly happened to her friend.

Stephanie Kuehn, Delicate Monsters

Stephanie Kuehn’s books are dark, twisted and unexpected, and Delicate Monsters is no exception to her brilliantly written repertoire. At the center of this novel is Sadie Su, a master manipulator who delights in causing other people pain. I love a female character who fearlessly confronts readers by unapologetically being themselves and Sadie does just that. Just try not getting swept up into world—you won’t be able to resist her.

Malinda Lo, A Line In The Dark 

What tangled webs we weave…Jess Wong is in (unrequited) love with her best friend, Angie Redmond, but when Angie meets Margot Adams things get a little complicated, to put it mildly. This is a keen exploration of obsession and friendship that expertly peels back the layers between the three girls and Jess’s narration is intense, raw and utterly compelling.

Lygia Day Peñaflor, All Of This Is True

Instead of one strong female character, how about three? Miri, Penny and Soleil strike a friendship with the YA author they idolize—but what seems like any reader’s dream come true quickly becomes a nightmare. Cleverly told in multi-media format, each girls’ inimitable and distinct perspectives—and what they reveal about themselves and each other over the course of the novel—makes this an addictive and suspenseful read.

Stephanie Perkins, There’s Someone Inside Your House

Makani Young is hoping she can outrun her dark past when she moves in with her grandmother in Nebraska, but what’s waiting for her there is the stuff of nightmares. One by one, the students at her local high school are being murdered by a sadistic killer—and pretty soon, he’s got Makani in his sights. Makani’s ingenuity, fierce protectiveness of her loved ones and sheer will to survive earns her place on this list.

Kara Thomas, The Cheerleaders

A devastating series of circumstances—a car accident, murder, suicide—leaves five cheerleaders dead, Monica Rayburn’s sister among them. The town of Sunnybrook is eager to put the tragedy behind them with the tidiest possible explanation, but five years later, Monica realizes not everything is as it seems. She begins an investigation into the past that will have dramatic consequences on her future. Monica is a flinty, uncompromising protagonist whose dogged quest for the truth is absolutely unforgettable.

Kaitlin Ward, Girl In A Bad Place

Mailee and Cara have a best friendship that’s withstood ups and downs and personal tragedy, but as the girls get older, a rift between them grows. When Cara finds herself in the embrace of the Haven—a commune led by a man named Firehorse—Mailee is more than a little concerned. Cara insists it’s a beautiful place, but when Mailee visits, she discovers some ugly secrets there. It’s all a bit . .  . cultish. Mailee’s clear-eyed view of the world and her stubborn refusal to give up on Cara are the kind of qualities I love in a character, and it’s the beating heart of this expertly paced page-turner.