Young adult fiction favourites

From page-turning fantasy to emotionally evocative stories, this collection of young adult books offers something for every reader. Whether you’re discovering the genre for the first time or returning to it, explore more in our selection of best young adult fiction books or browse our full range of top books to find your next read.

5 of the best young adult fiction books to add to your TBR

Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet

When Beth March is found dead after a New Year's Eve party, the question isn't just who killed her, but whether her sisters ever truly knew her at all. As Meg, Jo and Amy's secrets slowly surface, the March family's carefully maintained image of sweetness begins to crack in the most compelling ways. A clever, twisty reimagining that turns everything you thought you knew about Little Women on its head.

Reimagined classic • Murder mystery • Sisterhood • Plot twists

This Stays Between Us by Margot McGovern

Four girls. One abandoned town. One terrible idea involving a seance. When Shelley, Mack, Priya and Raffi settle into their isolated cabin, the legend of Smiling Jack feels like little more than a campfire story. Then the darkness they invited in starts answering back. Margot McGovern’s feminist homage to the classic slasher is atmospheric and unsettling, building tension from the very first page.

Horror • Slasher • Australian author

Eleanor Jones is Not a Murderer by Amy Doak

Eleanor Jones has spent years perfecting the art of going unnoticed. Nine schools in five years will teach you that. But on her very first day at Cooinda Secondary College, the one person she speaks to ends up stabbed, and her number is the last one on his phone. Reluctantly pulled into the investigation, Eleanor finds herself with something she never planned for: friends, a mystery worth solving and a town hiding something far more dangerous than it first appears.

Young adult • Murder mystery • Friendship • Australian author

Cruel is the Light by Sophie Clark

A century of war between demons and humanity has produced two of its elite soldiers: Selene, a Vatican-trained exorcist of formidable power, and Jules, a foot soldier without equal on the battlefield. When their paths collide, the distrust is immediate and the attraction difficult to ignore. But the secret buried at the heart of the Vatican is more dangerous than either of them anticipated, and the choice between love and duty has never felt more impossible.

Romantasy • Forbidden love • Action • Australian author

Shadow Reaper by Lynette Noni

Viridia Solace has spent years hunting the reapers who murdered her parents. When the Reaper Priest's most dangerous lieutenant is captured and offers her a chance at revenge, she knows better than to accept. She takes it anyway, and what follows is a fast-moving journey through the deadly blackmist forest with a silver-tongued criminal she cannot trust, a secret that threatens to unravel everything and feelings she did not expect.

Romantasy • Enemies-to-lovers • Found family • Action • Australian author

Looking for more to read?

Top young adult fiction continues to resonate for its emotional honesty, imaginative scope and ability to capture moments of change with clarity and depth. If you’re looking for a particular genre, uncover richly imagined worlds in fantasy books, dive into gripping plots with crime and thriller books or immerse yourself in the heartfelt connections found in contemporary romance books.