Is your streaming queue empty? Are you waiting impatiently for the new season of your favorite show? Do you need a great book to read? We’re here to help! Find a show you loved on the list below and check out our recommendation of a great new YA book that has a similar vibe. If you have other suggestions of book and show pairings, leave them in the comment section below—we’d love to hear bout them!
If you were captivated by The Queen’s Gambit, you should read Blood Heir and Red Tigress by Amélie Wen Zhao.
In The Queen’s Gambit, Beth Harmon learned chess in an orphanage, eventually becoming a world-class player. As a young woman in a male-dominated sport, Beth often felt like an outsider. If you loved the show, we recommend Red Tigress by Amélie Wen Zhao. Like Beth, Ana must decide who she can trust as she seeks to regain her power and save her kingdom. Ana meets her match in notorious crime lord Ramsom Quicktongue. The way these two try to outmaneuver one another reminds us of Beth staring down her challengers across a chess board.
If you thought Bridgerton was brilliant, you should read A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood.
Bridgerton follows six siblings as they seek (or avoid) love in Regency London under the watchful eye of an anonymous gossip columnist. If you adore Bridgerton’s flirty, tea-sipping atmosphere, we recommend you try A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood. This charming, swoon-worthy YA historical romance is about a small-town girl who meets a charismatic pair of siblings and is swept into their glamorous world in 1920s Cornwall.
If you loved Never Have I Ever, you should read Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo.
We loved watching high school student Devi Vishwakumar grapple with grief, drama, and identity issues in Never Have I Ever. If you were a fan of the show, we have two recommendations for you: Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo is a moving novel-in-verse that also speaks to the immigrant coming-of-age experience in America. If you loved the realistic portrayal of teen relationships in Never Have I Ever, you should try Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne, a YA novelin-verse that focuses on Black female friendship.
If you swooned over Emily in Paris, you should read Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau.
Emily in Paris follows an American marketing expert as she moves to Paris and navigates love, career struggles, and the search for the perfect pain au chocolat. If the show had you dreaming of a trip to France, you’ve definitely got to read Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau. In this adorable YA romance, Mia, an American high school student and aspiring ballerina, heads to France to attend a prestigious summer dance program. Louis, the son of the very strict program director, proves to be an attractive distraction as he offers to show her around on his Vespa.
If you got chills watching The Haunting of Hill House, you should read Don’t Tell a Soul by Kirsten Miller.
We got serious chills watching the Crain siblings revisit a childhood spent in Hill House, a creepy haunted mansion. If you loved the spooky paranormal vibe of the show, we recommend Don’t Tell a Soul by Kiersten Miller.This paranormal YA also features a house with a terrifying history: a mansion on the Hudson River that stole the souls of a group of girls.
If you were addicted to Outer Banks, you should read Breathless by Jennifer Niven.
Outer Banks was pure summer fun. In the show, a group of teenage friends in a small coastal town search for a treasure that went missing after a famous nineteenth-century shipwreck. If you loved the show’s beachy vibe and emphasis on friendship and young love, we think you should read Breathless by Jennifer Niven. This YA romance takes place on a remote Georgia island and also offers up a swoony teen romance and a sun-kissed setting.
If you couldn’t stop watching You, you should read Monsters Among Us by Monica Rodden.
You, a series about an obsessive New York City bookstore manager with violent tendencies, had us peeking through our fingers at the screen. If you loved You’s dark tone and literary vibe, try Monsters Among Us by Monica Rodden. This creepy YA thriller is loosely inspired by Wuthering Heights. Catherine, a college student home from winter break, is trying to forget the night she was assaulted. She’s horrified when a local girl she used to babysit is murdered and decides to team up with an old friend and a mysterious new one to try to catch a killer.
If you adored To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, you should read 11 Paper Hearts by Kelsey Hartwell.
If you loved To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, you should also read the much-beloved YA trilogy (written by author Jenny Han) that inspired the show. But maybe you’re looking for something new? In that case, we think you should try 11 Paper Hearts by Kelsey Hartwell. Like To All the Boys, this YA rom-com has a sweet, romantic vibe and a letter-writing element. A year after the car accident that stole her memory, Ella starts receiving mysterious heart-shaped notes from a secret admirer. Will following the notes remind her how to follow her heart?
If you were outraged watching Just Mercy or The Innocence Files, try This Is My America by Kim Johnson.
The Innocence Files and Just Mercy cast a critical eye at the inequities within the American criminal justice system. This Is My America by Kim Johnson is a fictionalized look at the same topic, focusing on the efforts of teenager Tracy Beaumont to free her wrongfully incarcerated father and defend her brother against murder charges. You can also check out Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice by Bryan Stevenson, a YA adaptation of social justice activist Bryan Stevenson’s acclaimed memoir.
If you were charmed by Virgin River, try Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock.
Virgin River seems picture-perfect, with friendly residents who love to gather at a riverside bar and grill. But the town is also filled with secrets, heartbreak, and drama. If you love the show’s large cast of characters and friendly small-town feel, we recommend Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock. This heartfelt collection of stories features teens in small towns across the American West and Alaska.
