Books like 'Pretend She's Here'
Readers who enjoyed Pretend She's Here by Luanne Rice also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary mystery horror realistic suspense family friendship high-school crime grief
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The Plea by Steve Cavanagh
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhen David Child, a major client of a corrupt New York law firm, is arrested for murder, the FBI ask con-artist-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn to secure Child as his client and force him to testify against the firm.Eddie's not a man to be coerced into representing a guilty client, but the FBI have incriminating files on Eddie's wife, and if Eddie won't play ball, she'll pay the price... -
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The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 29 ratings2017 Tayshas List Selection * YALSA Top 10 Best YA Fiction of 2017 * School Libray Journal Best of 2016 * Junior Library Guild Selection * The Globe and Mail Best Books of 2016 * Bustle's Best Young Adult Books of 2016 * Mashable's 8 Best YA Books of 2016 * Seventeen's 10 Best YA Books of 2016 * CCBC Choices 2017Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a relentless and riveting... -
Angelica And Francesca by Kenneth Jarrett Singleton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAngelica and Francesca are the identical twin daughters of Pellrue, Duke of Doretay. Doretay is a state within a kingdom called Vidien, which Angelica's and Francesca's great uncle, King Oscar, rules. Pellrue attempts to keep control of his wicked, evil daughters as they keep entering his city and raising havoc by torturing and murdering the common citizens within... -
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When by Victoria Laurie, Whitney Dykhouse
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsPretty Little Liars meets Medium in this fast-paced thriller and fantastic YA debut from a New York Times bestselling author.Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters... -
Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWe don’t pick and choose what to be afraid of. Our fears pick us.Tash Carmody has been traumatised since childhood, when she witnessed her gruesome imaginary friend Sparrow lure young Mallory Fisher away from a carnival. At the time nobody believed Tash, and she has since come to accept that Sparrow wasn’t real. Now fifteen and mute, Mallory’s never spoken about the week she went missing... -
Stolen Children by Peg Kehret
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsAmy learned a lot in her babysitting course, but not what to do if two thugs show up, intent on kidnapping. Armed with misinformation and a weapon, the men take Amy and little Kendra to a remote cabin in the woods. There they make videos of the girls and mail them to Kendra’s wealthy parents in an effort to get ransom money... -
Abduction! by Peg Kehret
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMatt is missing. Bonnie's brother left his classroom to use thebathroom —and disappeared. A police dog traces his scent to the curb, where he apparently got into a vehicle. But why would Matt go anywhere with a stranger? Overwhelmed with fear, Bonnie discovers that her dog is gone, too. Was Pookie used as a lure for Matt? Bonnie makes one big mistake in her attempt to find her brother... -
Seven Minutes in Heaven by Sara Shepard
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsMY SISTER WANTS THE TRUTH.BUT SOMETIMES THE TRUTH HURTS.For months, my long-lost twin, Emma, has been living my life and trying to solve my murder. She's unearthed dark secrets about my friends, my family, and my tangled past. But when it comes to finding my killer, she keeps running into dead ends.Until my body shows up in Sabino Canyon... -
Blood of My Blood by Barry Lyga
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsJazz Dent has never been closer to catching his father.Jazz has been shot and left to die in New York. His girlfriend, Connie, is in the clutches of Jazz's monstrous father, Billy--the world's most notorious serial killer. And his best friend, Howie, is bleeding to death on the floor of Jazz's new home... -
Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAn explosive, edge-of-your-seat read about three friends, one murder, and a whole world of secrets... Angela was one of the most popular girls in her high school before she disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever knew what became of her―not Georgina, her best friend, nor Kaiser, who was close with both girls... -
Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsSamantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all - popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of... -
You're Family Now by Jack Stainton
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratings⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ EPIC!! EPIC!! EPIC!! This book had EVERYTHING I love in a book!! ' Goodreads ReviewerHe only had to do one thing. Love her family…Matt Walker was a chancer; he’d spent his entire profession chasing the next job. His personal life took on a similar mantra; a succession of one-night stands and brief relationships. Life was slowly drifting him by... -
You Let Me In by Lucy Clarke
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsSpine-tingling, chilling, and utterly compulsive, YOU LET ME IN is the stunning new novel from Richard & Judy Book Club author, Lucy Clarke Nothing has felt right since Elle rented out her house . . . I’M IN YOUR HOUSE There’s a new coldness. A shift in the atmosphere. The prickling feeling that someone is watching her every move from the shadows... -
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The Good Girls by Sara Shepard
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsMackenzie, Ava, Caitlin, Julie, and Parker have done some not-so-perfect things. But even though they all talked about killing rich bully Nolan Hotchkiss, they didn’t actually go through with it. It’s just a coincidence that Nolan died in exactly the way they planned . . . right? Except Nolan wasn’t the only one they fantasized about killing... -
Sleeping with the Enemy by Nancy Price
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsShe is a stranger in a small town. She changed her name. Her looks. Her life. All to escape the most dangerous man she ever met: her husband... -
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen he was nine, Kip set another child on fire. Now, after years in a juvenile ward, he is ready for a fresh start. But the ghosts of his past soon demand justice, and he must reveal his painful secret... -
Violent Ends by Beth Revis, Blythe Woolston
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn a one-of-a-kind collaboration, seventeen of the most recognizable YA writers—including Shaun David Hutchinson, Neal and Brendan Shusterman, and Beth Revis—come together to share the viewpoints of a group of students affected by a school shooting... -
I'm a Therapist, and My Patient is a Vegan Terrorist: 6 Deadly Social Media Influencers by Dr. Harper
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Explosive Conclusion to the Dr. Harper Therapy seriesI'm a therapist, and I've worked with the wildest internet celebrities… A vigilante who treated humans as factory farm animals. A germaphobe who warned of the next major plague. My own best friend. A rapist who got cancelled online — and in real life. A psychic medium with a disturbing prediction... -
Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán, Sophie Hughes
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!From a global star and International Booker Prize finalist, a razor-sharp, unforgettable novel about a maid who’s seen too much and a family at a breaking pointA young girl has died and the family’s maid is being interrogated. She must tell the whole story before arriving at the girl’s death... -
Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICKIn her powerful debut novel, Looking for Smoke, author K. A. Cobell (Blackfeet) weaves loss, betrayal, and complex characters into a thriller that will illuminate, surprise, and engage readers until the final word... -
The Silence of Six by E.C. Myers
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“What is the silence of six, and what are you going to do about it?”These are the last words uttered by 17-year-old Max Stein’s best friend, Evan: Just moments after hacking into the live-streaming Presidential debate at their high school, he kills himself... -
Get Dirty by Gretchen McNeil
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe members of Don’t Get Mad aren’t just mad anymore . . . they’re afraid. And with Margot in a coma and Bree stuck in juvie, it’s up to Olivia and Kitty to try to catch their deadly tormentor. But just as the girls are about to go on the offensive, Ed the Head reveals a shocking secret that turns all their theories upside down... -
The Black Queen by Jumata Emill
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNova Albright was going to be the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High--but now she's dead. Murdered on coronation night. Fans of One of Us Is Lying and The Other Black Girl will love this unputdownable thriller.Nova Albright, the first Black homecoming queen at Lovett High, is dead... -
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The Deviants by C.J. Skuse
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen you set out for revenge, dig two gravesGrowing up in the sleepy English seaside town of Brynston, the fearless five – Ella, Max, Corey, Fallon and Zane – were always inseparable. Living up to their nickname, they were the adventurous, rowdy kids who lived for ghost stories and exploring the nearby islands off the coast... -
The Night Visitor by Dianne Emley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn bestselling author Dianne Emley’s chilling new paranormal thriller, a beautiful woman’s romantic past comes back to haunt her in the form of an otherworldly visitor seeking justice. Gorgeous and successful, Rory Langtry seemed to have it all. Daughter of a movie star and sister of a supermodel, Rory was engaged to sexy artist, Junior Lara... -
Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Tilia Klebenov Jacobs
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Tsara Adelman leaves her husband and two young children for a weekend to visit her estranged uncle, she little dreams he is holding several local children captive on his lavish estate. Mike Westbrook, father of one of the boys, kidnaps her to trade her life for the children's... -
Never Have I Ever by Sara Shepard
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsMy perfect life was a lie.Now I'd do anything to uncover the truth.Not long ago, I had everything a girl could wish for: amazing friends, an adorable boyfriend, a loving family. But none of them know that I'm gone--that I'm dead. To solve my murder, my long-lost twin sister, Emma, has taken my place. She sleeps in my room, wears my clothes, and calls my parents Mom and Dad... -
Between by Jessica Warman
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsElizabeth Valchar-pretty, popular, and perfect-wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday party on her family's yacht, where she'd been celebrating with her six closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, what she finds will change everything she thought she knew about her life, her friends, and everything in between... -
Dead Girls Don't Lie by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsRachel died at two a.m . . . Three hours after Skyler kissed me for the first time. Forty-five minutes after she sent me her last text. Jaycee and Rachel were best friends. But that was before. . .before that terrible night at the old house. Before Rachel shut Jaycee out. Before Jaycee chose Skyler over Rachel. Then Rachel is found dead... -
How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsA meth dealer. A prostitute. A serial killer.Anywhere else, they’d be vermin. At the Mandel Academy, they’re called prodigies. The most exclusive school in New York City has been training young criminals for over a century. Only the most ruthless students are allowed to graduate. The rest disappear.Flick, a teenage pickpocket, has risen to the top of his class... -
Just Like the Other Girls by Claire Douglas
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAn electrifying tale of psychological suspense in which an unsuspecting young woman finds herself trapped in an increasingly sinister web of mystery and lies.CARER/COMPANION WANTED FOR ELDERLY LADYYOUNG FEMALE PREFERRED COMPETITIVE SALARYROOM AND BOARD INCLUDEDShe thought she was safe. So did the others . . -
Submerged by Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom the international bestselling author that brought you CHILDREN OF THE FOG comes a terrifying new thriller that will leave you breathless…Two strangers submerged in guilt, brought together by fate…After a tragic car accident claims the lives of his wife, Jane, and son, Ryan, Marcus Taylor is immersed in grief. But his family isn't the only thing he has lost... -
Escape from Eden by Elisa Nader
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSince the age of ten, Mia has lived under the iron fist of the fundamentalist preacher who lured her mother away to join his fanatical family of followers. In Edenton, a supposed “Garden of Eden” deep in the South American jungle, everyone follows the Reverend’s strict but arbitrary rules—even the mandate of whom they can marry... -
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Silent Victim by Caroline Mitchell
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsEmma’s darkest secrets are buried in the past. But the truth can’t stay hidden for long.Emma is a loving wife, a devoted mother…and an involuntary killer. For years she’s been hiding the dead body of the teacher who seduced her as a teen.It’s a secret that might have stayed buried if only her life had been less perfect... -
NIGHT STALKER by Carol Davis Luce
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“Night Stalker – a dandy read – tense, original…Add Carol Davis Luce to your list of writers not to be overlooked.” – Tony Hillerman author of Talking GodThings were looking up for Alexandra Carlson. She had finally gotten her life back together again... -
Hear the Wolves by Victoria Scott
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSloan is a hunter.So she shouldn’t be afraid of anything. But ever since her mom left the family and she lost hearing in one ear in a blizzard, it’s been hard to talk to people, and near-impossible to go anywhere or do anything without her dad or big sister within eyesight — it makes her too scared to be on her own... -
Keep This to Yourself by Tom Ryan
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsIt's been a year since the Catalog Killer terrorized the sleepy seaside town of Camera Cove, killing four people before disappearing without a trace. Like everyone else in town, eighteen-year-old Mac Bell is trying to put that horrible summer behind him—easier said than done since Mac's best friend Connor was the murderer's final victim... -
The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA dream girls trip to a luxurious French chateau devolves into a deadly nightmare of secrets and murder in this stylish, twisty thriller for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, and Lisa Jewell.Welcome to picturesque Provence, where the Lady of the Chateau, Séraphine Demargelasse, has opened its elegant doors to her granddaughter Darcy and three friends... -
Vantage Point by Sara Sligar
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSuccession meets Megan Abbott in this seductive Gothic suspense novel about the dramatic downfall of one of America’s most affluent families.The old-money Wieland family has it all—wealth, status, power. They’re also famously cursed. Clara and her brother Teddy grew up on a small island in Maine in the shadow of their parents’ tragic deaths, haunted by rumors and paparazzi... -
You're Next by Gregg Hurwitz, Scott Brick
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsMike Wingate, abandoned by his father at four and raised in foster care, is finally living the life he always dreamed of — he’s happily married with a precocious 8-year-old daughter, and his construction company is about to finish a “green” housing development that will secure a solid future for them all... -
The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader... -
Missing by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEveryone knows they left. No one knows they're...m i s s i n gReeve's End is the kind of town every kid can't wait to escape. Each summer, a dozen kids leave, and at least a quarter never come back. I don't blame them - I'll do the same in another year. We thought it was just something that happened in town like ours.We were wrong... -
Baby dear by Linda Huber
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCaro and Jeff Horne seem to have it all until they learn that Jeff is infertile. Caro married Jeff because her biggest wish was to be a mother, and he had the means to give their children a better life than she’d had. Jeff, who is besotted with Caro, is terrified he will lose her now they can’t have a baby.Across town, Sharon is eight months pregnant and unsure if she really wants to be a mother... -
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Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTrapped in a mansion with a murderer and a family of liars - how would you survive?A mind-blowing thriller from the author of THIS BOOK KILLS, perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus.When three girls are stranded at the grand Bramble Estate in the middle of a snowstorm, they stumble into a murder plot... -
Shelter by Harlan Coben
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsMickey Bolitar's year can't get much worse. After witnessing his father's death and sending his mom to rehab, he's forced to live with his estranged uncle Myron and switch high schools.A new school comes with new friends and new enemies, and lucky for Mickey, it also comes with a great new girlfriend, Ashley... -
Penpal by Dathan Auerbach
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsPenpal began as a series of short and interconnected stories posted on an online horror forum... -
Her Last Breath by Hilary Davidson
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of One Small Sacrifice comes a suspenseful thriller about a dead woman who predicted her own murder—and the sister who won’t let the truth be buried.When her beloved sister Caroline dies suddenly, Deirdre is heartbroken... -
How I Lost You by Jenny Blackhurst
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 24 ratings“An addictive read; a strong recommendation for those who like suspense tinged with a little romance.”—Booklist A woman without a memory struggles to discover the truth about her past and her identity in this cerebral and dark thriller reminiscent of works by bestselling authors S.J. Watson and Ruth Ware.I have no memory of what happened but I was told I killed my son... -
Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee by Mary G. Thompson
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA bittersweet homecoming holds dark secrets in this heart-wrenching story of loss, love, and survival for readers of Room. When sixteen-year-old Amy returns home, she can’t tell her family what’s happened to her. She can’t tell them where she’s been since she and her best friend, her cousin Dee, were kidnapped six years ago—who stole them from their families or what’s become of Dee...
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