Books to Read if You're Excited for the Oppenheimer Movie

If you’re looking forward to the pulse-pounding suspense and excitement of seeing Oppenheimer in theaters this summer the way we are, then this book list is for you! We’ve compiled the perfect sub-genres of Oppenheimer movie book recommendations no matter what aspect of the film you’re most looking forward to. Be it thrills, flames, science, or history, we’ve got you covered! Scroll down to find inspiration for your next read.

If you’re most looking forward to the suspense of Oppenheimer, read these YA thrillers.

Five Survive

By Holly Jackson

From the author of the multimillion-copy bestselling A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series comes a new blockbuster thriller about a road trip that turns deadly.

Eight hours. Six friends. Five survive.

One of Us Is Back

By Karen M. McManus

The global phenomenon returns with the third book in the One of Us Is Lying series, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen M. McManus. When someone from the Bayview Four’s past resurfaces, history begins to repeat itself—and the consequences are deadly.

The third time’s a charm.

This Rebel Heart

By Katherine Locke

A tumultuous tale of the student-led 1956 Hungarian revolution—and an all too timely look at the impact of Communism and the USSR in Eastern Europe—set in a fabulist, colorless post-WWII Budapest from Sydney Taylor Honor winner Katherine Locke.

Year on Fire

By Julie Buxbaum

New York Times bestselling author Julie Buxbaum explores the blinding power of lies, the tight grip of family secrets, and the magic of first love in this poignant novel about a trio of friends and the allure of romantic feelings that fractures their bond as they struggle to remain true to themselves while building back the grounding friendship on which they once relied.

Chaos Theory

By Nic Stone

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin delivers a gripping romance about two teens: a certified genius living with a diagnosed mental disorder and a politician’s son who is running from his own addiction and grief. Don’t miss this gut punch of a novel about mental health, loss, and discovering you are worthy of love.

Scars exist to remind us of what we’ve survived.

A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults)

By Hakeem Oluseyi, Joshua Horwitz

A NASA astrophysicist narrates his improbable journey from an impoverished childhood and an adolescence mired in drugs and crime to the nation’s top physics PhD program at Stanford in this inspiring coming-of-age memoir.

Spearhead (Adapted for Young Adults)

By Adam Makos

Adapted for young adults from the New York Times bestseller, a riveting and true WWII story of a young man–an American tank gunner–who meets his destiny in an iconic armor duel and forges an enduring bond with his enemy.

The Woman All Spies Fear

By Amy Butler Greenfield

An inspiring true story, perfect for fans of Hidden Figures, about an American woman who pioneered codebreaking in WWI and WWII but was only recently recognized for her extraordinary contributions.