From healing from your first heartbreak, plotting world domination with your besties, or just trying to survive AP exams, girlhood in high school is quite the experience.
Whether you want to cry, scream, fall in love, or finally understand yourself, this list is a must for all young women:
1. “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson
For her senior capstone project, Pip investigates the five-year-old murder of a local girl that was allegedly solved, except she doesn’t believe the story adds up. As she digs deeper, she uncovers dangerous secrets no one wants revealed.
Pip is smart, persistent, and not afraid to challenge the status quo. You’ll root for her the whole way through.
2. “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt
At an elite New England college, a tight-knit group of classics students, led by a charismatic professor, becomes entangled in murder. The novel unspools like a Greek tragedy in reverse, asking not what happened, but why.
3. “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong
Written as a letter from a Vietnamese-American son to his illiterate mother, this novel explores intergenerational trauma, queerness, identity, and the immigrant experience.
The language is breathtaking. This is poetry disguised as a novel. Every sentence is a quote.
4. “Normal People” by Sally Rooney
Marianne and Connell’s relationship will frustrate you, break you, and then break you again. They’re deeply connected but constantly miscommunicate from high school into university in Ireland.
Rooney captures the heartbreak of growing up and not always growing together.
5. “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig
Between life and death, Nora Seed discovers a magical library filled with books representing the lives she could’ve lived. With each one, she explores regrets, choices, and what makes a life worth living.
6. “They Both Die at the End” by Adam Silvera
In a world where you get a call telling you it's your last day alive, two strangers — Mateo and Rufus — meet through an app for one final adventure.
This book will emotionally destroy you in the best way. It’s about living fully even when time is running out. Bring tissues.
7. “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart
That twist. THAT TWIST.
Cadence Sinclair Eastman returns to her family’s private island one summer, piecing together what happened during the mysterious accident she can’t remember.
Read it in one sitting and then sit in silence.
8. “You’ve Reached Sam” by Dustin Thao
After her boyfriend Sam dies suddenly, Julie dials his number just to hear his voicemail, but he picks up. Caught between moving on and holding on, she navigates love and loss through magical realism.
9. “One of Us Is Lying” by Karen M. McManus
Five students walk into detention. Only four walk out alive. When the police rule it a homicide, everyone’s a suspect, and everyone has secrets.
You’ll devour it in one weekend and immediately want the sequel.
Also… Check out our interview with the author here!
10. “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han
Every summer, Belly returns to the same beach house — and the same two brothers. This year, everything changes. It’s messy, warm, and nostalgic in the best way.
It’s the ultimate beach read. And yes, the TV show makes it even better.
11. “Turtles All the Way Down” by John Green
Aza Holmes deals with spiraling thoughts while reluctantly joining her best friend in a hunt for a missing billionaire.
This isn’t your typical romance. It’s raw, quiet, and honest about anxiety.
12. “Legend” by Marie Lu
In a divided future America, June is a military prodigy and Day is a wanted criminal. When their paths collide, everything unravels — including what they thought they knew about their country.
