I have been reading A LOT of romance books lately. I want to branch out and get out of my comfort zone … and that includes mysteries and thrillers. To be honest, I don’t know if I’ll read a lot of these books, but I’m going to try to read through this list (and any other books that may come up). I included books from 2017 to 2022 on here, but I understand there are a few more books releasing later in the fall, but I didn’t include them. (Maybe I’ll do another round-up lol.)

Anyway, this list is mainly for the readers who exclusively read romance. Enjoy (and don’t get too scared)!

2017:

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

This psychological thriller that is beloved on #bookstagram has been on my TBR for months and I am eager to get to it this fall. From the cover alone, this looks like a summer thriller read, so maybe I’ll get to it in August or September.

Final Girls by Riley Sager

Riley Sager is an author of thriller books that has definitely caught my eye. (A few of his books are on this list.) Like The Last Mrs. Parrish, this sounds like a summer thriller — six friends went on vacation and one made it out alive. Honestly, this sounds like that sorority movie with Rumer Willis in I Know What You Did Last Summer. Am I excited to read this? Not really, but that’s the point of this post — to get me out of my comfort zone.

2018:

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks

I’ve read that this sounds like Gone Girl and I’m excited about that. The book description literally reads, “assume nothing,” which makes me want to take back that first sentence. Honestly, I want to read this immediately.

The Seven 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Think the movie Happy Death Day but like … a book. Stuart Turton explores a race against time to find the killer. This book gives off supernatural vibes in addition to a mystery/thriller, and I feel like this could be a great October read.

The Other Woman by Sandie Jones

This a Reese’s Book Club pick; I’ve liked her picks before (Jasmine Guillory is one example). This sounds like The Monster In-Law with Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda (a film I must watch) but like … a thriller. Emily adores Adam, but Adam has another woman in his life who he shares a deep bond with: his mother. His mother does not want Emily in Adam’s life. I trust Reese’s book club picks; I think this could be a good thriller for September.

Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson

This one contains a famous private school. This already has got me hooked. The story follows Stevie Bell, a first year at Ellingham Academy, an academy that has a dark history behind the founder, Albert Ellingham. Ellingham’s wife and daughter were kidnapped shortly after the school opening and the only clue was the pseudonym “Truly, Devious.” Stevie sets out to solve this case. This book sounds like Pretty Little Liars. Truly excited to pick this book up!

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

I am truly trying to get through Riley Sager’s books. This book is about a summer camp as well, like Final Girls. (Is this a trend with his books?) Four girls in a camp cabin play Two Truths and a Lie, but the games ended when all the girls except one, Emma, sneak out into the darkness. Fifteen years later, Emma is a rising star in the New York art scene, turning her past into paintings. She is offered a painting instructor position at the old camp, where she is forced to revisit her past. This book is already intriguing enough so I’m looking forward to picking this one up.

The Seasonaires by Janna King

This book sounds like a summer thriller, but once again, I think I could read this in September. Set on Nantucket, it features Mia, Presley, Weston, Jade, J.P., and Grant who are working as seasonaires for the clothing brand Lyndon Wyld. Lyndon Wyld, the chic business owner, rules their daily life by curating their every move. When corporate greed, professional rivalries and personal conflicts are mixed with sex, drugs, and the naivete of youth, the results are explosive as a murder sullies their catalog-perfect lives. Sounds intriguing, right?

2019:

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

I’ve seen this book all over #bookstagram and even #booktok, and I’m excited to add this to my thriller TBR. This is a high school murder mystery and then time jump to five years later where the main character, now a senior in high school, revisits the case as her final project. I’m excited to add this to my thriller TBR as well, and hopefully, the next two books in the series.

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson (Truly Devious #2)

This is book 2 in the Truly, Devious series so I won’t write too much about it, but hopefully, if I like the first book, then I will pick this one up. The book returns to Stevie, who is still on the Truly Devious case.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

This is a thriller/murder mystery “that exposes horrific secrets hiding behind the limelight and embraces the power of a young woman’s voice.” R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, fulfilling Enchanted’s dream of being a famous singer. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields?

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

The story follows Imogen and Julie, two friends who are spending a summer together on Martha’s Vineyard. They share everything, including secrets they’d never reveal to another soul. But fast forward and Imogen now lives at the Playa Grande Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. But Imogen is Jule. And she’s on the run from something. Or someone. Who is the real Imogen? I’m EXCITED to add this feminist thriller to my TBR.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

I’m excited to add this thriller that everyone seems to be talking about. Jules Larson is a new apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan’s most high-profile and mysterious buildings. (Sounds a lot like Only Murders In The Building!) She’s heartbroken and broke, so she’s ready to start anew with this job. As she gets to know the residents and staff, she meets and starts hanging out with another apartment sitter, Ingrid, who reminds her of her sister she lost eight years ago. But there’s more to what The Bartholomew looks on the outside … and Jules digs deeper into its sorbid past and its secrets.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

This sounds like a pandemic (epidemic, as stated in the description). A disease spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. A detective in New York City is closing in on the truth — and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery and the tools for fighting back. This sounds like a great science fiction/thriller to read for the fall.

2020:

One Of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus

I read One Of Us Is Next a couple of years ago, and it was good! It probably was one of the better YA thrillers, so that’s why I’m excited to pick up its sequel. The story follows a new mystery at Bayview High from its first book and gossip apps still dominate the high school. It follows three different POVs: Phoebe, Maeve (the little sister of Bronwyn from the first book), and Knox. This is probably the top of my thriller TBR and I’m excited to pick this up for the fall.

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

This book jumps between 1982 and 2017, between Viv Delaney (in 1982) and Carly Kirk (in 2017). Viv takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York, but she realizes that something at the motel isn’t right. Carly, in 2017, has never been able to let go of the story of her aunt Viv, who mysteriously disappeared from the Sun Down before she was born. She decides to visit, and quickly realizes that nothing has changed since 1982. … such a thrilling description that almost makes me want to go out today to buy it.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

I just read this book this summer, and it was good! I gave it a 3/5 just because it wasn’t much of a thriller that I thought it would be, but it still kept me on the edge of my seat. (I finished it in three days!) The story follows a wedding party and each member is a suspect to a murder. The story is told in flashbacks to hours earlier. The suspects include the bride, the plus one, the best man, the wedding planner, the bridesmaid. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine

I’m probably going to read this after I finish The Last Mrs. Parrish. This is also a Reese’s Book Club pick, and I trust her picks. 30-something Piper Reynard opens a rehab and wellness space in the seaside paradise of Westport, Connecticut, where she meets a new resident of the rehab center, Leo Drakos, a handsome, married, and successful lawyer who checks in for depression. his wife, Joanna, waits patiently for her husband, Leo, to re-emerge from the severe depression. Piper meets Leo, and the ring on his finger doesn’t stop her. When Leo returns to his family, Joanna is shocked to find Piper, this New Age-y newcomer on his arm and ready to leave Joanna. Joanna is determined to unearth secrets from Piper’s past, and when she does, she’s dismissed for paranoia. Can she find the proof she needs in time to save them? This sounds like a wealthy neighborhood Connecticut thriller and I’m excited to pick this up after The Last Mrs. Parrish.

Follow Me by Kathleen Barber

This sounds like a twisty influencer/social media thriller. “Everyone wants new followers …. until they follow you home.” CHILLS. Audrey Miller has a job at the Smithsonian but also hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers. While living in D.C., she is busy working at her new job, interacting with her followers, and staving off a creepy upstairs neighbor. But her recent move has brought her closer to her stalker, a guy who has followed her since her first WordPress blog to her most recent Instagram story. He grows closer to “making Audrey his and his alone.” This sounds like a chilling social media story that will probably make me rethink social media for a while.

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

I just thrifted this book because it’s a thriller that has been on my TBR for a couple of years. This is advertised as a Rear Window meets Get Out. It’s set in a Brooklyn neighborhood that undergoes gentrification. It follows Sydney Green, a Brooklyn native, who sees her neighborhood changing every time she blinks. She meets Theo, a new arrival on the block, and they deep dive into history but it quickly dives into paranoia and fear. The push to “revitalize” the community may be more deadly than advertised. I’ll probably read this very soon.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Another Riley Sager book — that isn’t set in a summer camp! The story follows Maggie as an adult, who inherits Baneberry Hall, a manor in which her family fled when she was young. Her father recounts it to be “House of Horrors.” Maggie never believed in that stuff, so when she decides to fix it up to sell it, she starts to experience strange occurrences right from her father’s book. That, and she doesn’t get a pleasant welcome from the town’s locals in which the house is located, who aren’t happy with the book making their town infamous.

2021:

Verity by Colleen Hoover

I don’t think this book needs any explanation. If you want to read more about it, click on the book title right above. I’m trying to make my way through Colleen Hoover’s books. I’ve only read two (It Ends With Us and Reminders of Him) and they were both good, so I’m anticipating this one to be good; I’ve put off reading Verity because I’ve heard it’s very thrilling. Maybe I’ll save this for October.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Another thriller that features a gated community of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and housewives. Jane, a dogwalker who just moved to Birmingham, Alabama, has just started this new job. She meets Eddie Rochester, a widower, and a mysterious resident of Thornfield Estates. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend. Jane sees Eddie as an opportunity. But as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane can’t help but feel haunted by Bea. I see this as a twisted love story more than a thriller, but I’m excited to add this to my TBR … I’ll probably read this in September.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

I’ve seen this all over #bookstagram and tbh, I’m hesitant to read this? It’s a follow-up to The Silent Patient, and I probably won’t read that. This book follows members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens, but specifically it follows a group therapist, Mariana Andros, who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of her niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge. This story is based on the rites of Persephone, the maiden that was queen of the underworld. This is a psychological suspense weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession that I’m now kind of interested in. Perhaps an October read.

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

Whoa, another Riley Sager book? This book is set in the 90s and college student Charlie Jordan hitches a ride with a man who might be a serial killer. They both need to share the long drive home to Ohio, and the longer the drive goes, Charlie realizes that she may be in the same car as the Campus Killer — that took her best friend just months prior. This book is probably going to be a must-read.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

I’ve also seen this all over #bookstagram and I think the sequel is a new release. Finley Donovan is a single mom of two and struggling novelist. She's struggling to write her book, her ex-husband let the nanny go, and she is raising her kids by herself. She is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet. This sounds intriguing enough!

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

This was also a Reese’s Book Club pick. Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Now Hannah Hall, the wife, must figure out who her husband actually was, all the while dealing with US marshal and federal agents. Oh, and protect her fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, Bailey.

2022:

The Counselors by Jessica Goodman

This 2022 release is much anticipated by #bookstagram and very beloved already. Once again, it’s set in a summer camp. It follows three best friends at one elite summer camp, and the dark secrets that lead to a body in the lake. I’m hooked.

This Is My America by Kim Johnson

In her debut novel, Kim Johnson explores the racist injustices in the American justice system. Seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking an organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. But then, the police arrive and Tracy’s older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a thug on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Tracy investigates what really happened.

The Summer We Forgot by Caroline George

Darby and Morgan haven’t spoken for two years, and their friend group has splintered. But when the body of their former science teacher is found in the marsh where they attended camp that summer, they realize they have more questions than answers … and even fewer memories. This is a young adult suspense with romance that I’m excited to pick up!

Can’t Look Away by Carola Lovering

A book about young love and second chances. I think fans of Funny You Should Ask would like this one. It features 23-year-old Molly Diamond as a barista, dreaming of becoming a writer. She locks eyes with the lead singer at a concert, Jake Danner, and can’t look away. They fall in love quickly, and he writes a hit song about her that puts his band on the map. A decade later, Molly lives in Connecticut and no longer writing, with her husband Hunter and daughter. She’s lonely, and feeling out of place. When Sabrina, a newcomer in town, meets Molly, Molly belives she found a friend — but Sabrina has ulterior motives that Molly slowly realizes on her own. When Jake’s hit song is on the radio, Molly is forced to confront her past and ask the questions: what happens when life turns out nothing like we thought it would? And do we ever truly get over our first love?

The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

I get the feeling that this is part Agatha Christie, part Veronica Mars … which intrigues me enough. This young adult thriller focuses on the mystery surrounding who killed Brooke Donovan.

Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier

A destitute woman deceives her way into the guesthouse of a Hollywood Hills mansion and inadvertently becomes a target in the twisted game of the wealthy family upstairs in the next intoxicating novel from Eliza Jane Brazier.

The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager

Another Riley Sager book! This one released in 2022 and it truly sounds interesting. Casey is a recently widowed actress who just moved to her family’s lake house in Vermont. She passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, her neighbors, a glamorous couple living in the house across the lake. Katherine and Casey become friends after Casey saves Katherine from drowning one day. But the longer Casey watches Tom and Katherine from across the lake, the more clear it becomes that Tom and Katherine’s marriage isn’t as perfect. Katherine vanishes, and Casey suspects Tom. I’m excited to pick this one up.