School is back! Whether you’re headed back to the classroom this year, or you’re continuing with virtual studies, these books are here to keep you company every step of the way. So, as you’re gathering your back-to-school supplies, make sure to add a few of these books to your list. Check out our official back to school reading list!
Back to School Reading List: Romance
The Borrow a Boyfriend Club
A feel-good, coming-of-age rom-com from debut author Page Powars that follows a trans teen who joins a boyfriend borrowing service masquerading as an Italian Club to prove that he’s one of the guys, especially to its frustratingly handsome leader.
The Homecoming War
When plunging enrollment forces two rival high schools to merge, two class presidents must work together to make the schools unite. But when a mutual crush emerges, they’ll both have to figure out what they want and where their loyalties lie before they become the most hated people at school.
Didn't See That Coming
A hilariously fresh and romantic send-up to You’ve Got Mail about a gamer girl with a secret identity and the online bestie she’s never met IRL until she unwittingly transfers to his school, from the bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties, The Obsession, and Well, That Was Unexpected.
The Rules of Us
Come out. Break up. Stay friends? In this heartwarming queer love story about love of all kinds, exes navigate new crushes, new feelings, and a newly uncertain future after unexpectedly coming out to each other on prom night turns their lives—and their friendship—upside down. Can they figure out how to move on without losing each other?
You Bet Your Heart
A riveting, swoon-worthy teen romance centered on two high achievers fighting for the title of high school valedictorian and falling in love along the way, from debut author Danielle Parker.
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute
From the bestselling author of the Brown Sisters trilogy, comes a laugh-out-loud story about a quirky content creator and a clean-cut athlete testing their abilities to survive the great outdoors—and each other.
10 Things I Hate About Prom
There are more than 10 things to hate about prom, but the worst thing is when your lovable best friend wants to go with someone else. Don’t miss this sweet, charming rom-com from the author of Caught in a Bad Fauxmance!
Love Requires Chocolate
A new romance series that’s Emily In Paris meets A Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants! In this first book, budding theatre nerd Whitney Curry studies abroad in Paris, France, where she meets her match in a cute, aloof footballer.
Back to School Reading List: Thrillers
The Society for Soulless Girls
A sapphic enemies-to-lovers retelling of Jekyll & Hyde, this dark academia thriller follows two roommates who must solve an infamous cold case of serial murders on their campus after an arcane ritual gone wrong prompts another death.
Win Lose Kill Die
A high-school slasher with a lethal twist, perfect for fans of Holly Jackson! The students at Morton Academy are high-achievers, selected based on academic excellence. So when a series of murders target the school’s best and brightest, the pressure is on.
Failure is fatal…
One of Us Is Back
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.
The Cheerleaders
From the author of The Darkest Corners and Little Monsters comes an all-new edge-of-your-seat thriller set in upstate New York about an eerie sequence of seemingly unrelated events that leaves five cheerleaders dead.
The Champions
From the author of The Cheerleaders comes another dark YA thriller set in the same town of Sunnybrook. When a mysterious accident befalls a member of the all-star high school football team, the town’s deadly history stands to repeat itself—and the price of discovering the truth is higher than anyone could imagine.
Hemlock House
Last summer there was a murder on Martha’s Vineyard. Now a killer’s on campus in Cambridge.
The follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Liar’s Beach.
Back to School Reading List: Fantasy
Blood at the Root
A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical. Enroll in this fresh fantasy debut unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Wednesday: A Novelization of Season One
Return to the hallowed halls of Nevermore Academy with Wednesday Addams in this delightfully dark novelization of season one of the hit show, Wednesday!
Zodiac Rising
Magic meets dark academia at a New York boarding school that’s hidden from mortal eyes. When a student is killed over priceless treasure, the Descendants of the Zodiac assemble a crew to avenge their classmate’s murder and heist back what’s rightfully theirs. Perfect for fans of A Deadly Education and Legendborn.
More Back to School Stories
Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
A striking debut novel about racism on elite college campuses. Fans of Dear White People will embrace this activist-centered contemporary novel about a college freshman grappling with the challenges of attending an elite university with a disturbing racist history, which may not be as distant as it seems.
The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge
A queer coming-of-age about three teenage boys in small town Alabama who set out to get revenge on their ex-boyfriends and end up starting a student rebellion. Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Jason June!
Love Is in the Hair
A feminist coming-of-age comedy that follows the endless humiliations, unrequited obsessions, and all-consuming friendships of fifteen-year-old Evia Birtwhistle as she leads a body hair positive revolution at her school.