1. "Final Girls" by Riley Sager

The novel centers around Quincy Carpenter, who ten years earlier was the only survivor of a brutal massacre on a college trip. She unwittingly joins a "club" known as the Final Girls, a group of four women who all survived similar circumstances. When another Final Girl is found dead, Quincy begins her journey to try to remember what really happened all those years ago, aside from all the lies of the press and her clouded memories.

I bought this book at the airport on my way to spring break and had already finished it by the second day of my trip. The story, as well as the way the story is told, is so intensely compelling that your eyes race along the page, hurrying towards the next. It includes an insider perspective of what it is like to be in this unfortunate category and to have your pain exploited for money or ratings, as well as how the brain can suppress information to cope with trauma and how difficult and painful it can be to get it back. The humor, the mystery, and the ability of the book to make the entire world around you disappear make it seriously deserving of a read.

2. "Luckiest Girl Alive" by Jessica Knoll

Told alternating through the past and present, the story follows Ani Fanelli as she prepares for her marriage to her fiance, and recalls the traumatic experiences of her time in high school. One particular event, not revealed until the very end, has pushed her into the public eye, where she finally has a chance to tell the full story. The violence of her past haunts her still, but is she ready to share it with everyone?

This book was remarkably unique, both in the internal narrative and thoughts of Ani and in the layers of tragedies she endures. I guarantee, at one point or another while reading this book, you will relate to Ani, or to something she says, in the most sincere form possible, so much so that it might scare you. The humor of the novel is dark and sardonic, but not in any kind of unhopeful way. In the way that she has been through bad things but knows that doesn't define her. Her experience as a new-money girl at an old-money school can be understood by anyone who has ever felt just slightly out of place or wrong. The inherent competition between girls, both in high school and in the workplace, is highlighted and broken down in an almost anthropological lens, underscoring how silly it is to push each other down in a way that isn't preachy. Really, honestly, an amazing read.

TW: This book contains sexual assault, victim-blaming, and graphic violence. Read at your own discretion.

3. "Sharp Objects" by Gillian Flynn

I just had to put another Gillian Flynn novel on this list because that woman is a genius.

Camille Preaker, a reporter in Chicago fresh out of the psychiatric hospital, is assigned to go an investigate the story of two teenage girls killed in a gruesome way. To add insult to injury, the murders take place in Camille's hometown and she has to move back in with her socialite mother and gorgeous younger step-sister. The relationship between the three women is caustic, all about who can hurt who the most. Camille has to use all her skills to find this killer, before she or her sister become the next target.

Flynn, a masterful writer capable of all levels of horror, struck it out of the park with this book. She depicts the complex social hierarchies of wealthy southern towns, and the roles of mothers and daughters. The mother acts as a traditional caretaker, needing someone to fawn over and dress up like a doll to feel like a good mom. While Camille resents this, her younger sister bathes in it, doing everything to be a perfect daughter for her mother. The differing daughters contrast how relationships change as you get older, and the lifestyle of the younger sister captures just how much it takes to maintain that image of perfection. This story is one of those once-in-a-lifetime books that shakes you to your core, reminds you why you used to love reading so much as a kid. It captures you, holds you down, entrenches you. I rarely read anything like I read this book for the first time. While the whole book is pretty morbid, there is a lot of hope and promise woven into these pages when you know where to look.

TW: This book contains graphic self-harm, discussion of suicide, sexual assault, and drug/alcohol abuse. Read at your own discretion.

4. "The Hunting Party" by Lucy Foley

When a group of college friends reunite for New Year's Eve in an extremely secluded Scottish resort, contrasting personalities and changes in the group dynamic quickly create tension between the friends. The story is told through flashbacks, technically, but is anchored in the future where a worker of the resort has found a body. The reader doesn't find out who died, or who killed them, until the last second. Each character has motive, each character has opportunity. The drama of each of the characters, both past and current, contributes to the dizzying array of possibilities, making this a Christie-level murder mystery to give you chills.

This book is one of those books that makes you consciously aware as you're reading how well written it is. This book consumed me at the same rate I consumed it, and I was left thinking about it for several days after. Among all the heavy-hitters on this list, this book is my favorite, mostly because I can't think of any other book that made me feel like this one. The complexity of the relationships, the contrast between who they've been and who they are, the old habits dying hard, all made this a singular, unique experience of equal parts wonder and horror. Each character could have feasibly done it, so you can't easily predict the ending basically until you've read it. In most cases, I'm able to have some idea of where a book is headed, but this one stumped me. Heavy symbolism and nuanced language will lead you one way and then another, until you finally are able to gather it all together.

5. "In a Dark, Dark Wood" by Ruth Ware

When Leonora, a writer in London, randomly receives an email inviting her to the bachelorette party of her highschool best friend, she initially wants to decline but extenuating circumstances and the loneliness of solitary living push her to accept, if only for old time's sake. Over the next two days, old problems and unanswered questions push one member of the group to murder. Who did it? The police certainly have their suspicions, but the truth shall out.

Personally, this book wasn't my favorite on the list, but it has expertly-unraveled mysteries scattered around every corner all leading to a neat, gratifying ending. Leonora, the main character, is not the typical protagonist, and as such, this is not the typical story. Each character's relationship to drugs, to themselves, and to each other is painstakingly revealed in the little glass house in the woods. My only complaint about this story, one that I can't say for any other on this list, was the predictable ending. I believe that random plot twists are lazy and underdeveloped writing tricks, but making the ending overtly obvious isn't great either. Other than that, a solid murder-mystery with some seriously wicked one-liners.

6. "The Cheerleaders" by Kara Thomas

Over the course of just over a week, five exuberant cheerleaders die. The first two were in a horrific car accident, the second two randomly murdered one night by a neighbor. The next day, the last of them kills herself. Five years later, the last victim's sister Monica is prompted by new clues to start re-investigating the death of these five girls; who did it, and why them? Monica doggedly seeks out justice, barelling toward a plot-twist ending that will knock the wind out of you.

This book was written so compellingly that it feels as if you are investigating the deaths yourself. You feel the outrage, the hole torn out by the loss of such promising young lives, and you feel indebted to find the truth. There is a lot going on in the story, but never in a way that makes it confusing or overwhelming, in the way that you understand the interconnected pieces coming together long before you get to the show-stopping conclusion. Although the story centers on a highschool teenager, she has the empathy and maturity that can be understood by people of any age. Her pain and her struggle are felt potently in her journey towards justice for her sister, endearing her to the reader and making her a particularly relatable character as well as an unexpected protagonist. As you read, you compile the facts, hungrily flipping the pages to discover more. Once you realize what it has all led up to, every mismatched piece falls perfectly into place, so you question why you didn't see it before. A truly one-of-a-kind story with amazing character development and skillful writing.

7. "Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty

Although this book was turned into an award-winning TV show on HBO, I still think that the book is worth the read as well considering how different the film adaptation was from the book. While I love the show, they pretty much only took the names and major plot points, even changing the location from Australia to the coast of California. Reading the book is basically like reading a whole new story.

The story centers around three mothers in entirely different situations; Madelline, a passionate, loyal force to be reckoned with; Celeste, a stunning beauty paired with a terrible beast; and Jane, a young single mother running away from her past. Each mother has to protect her child from scandal, from violence; each mother has to navigate the complexity of marriages and re-marriages. These three women's lives tragically intersect the night of a school fundraiser, and one of the parents ends up dead. To see the darkness beneath all the gilded light of a seemingly perfect life, one simply has to read it.

I thought one of the biggest and most important themes of the book was its commentary on the darkness beneath the shiny exterior of suburban life. Each character worries about the implications of their actions, about the impact of their actions of their children, about how to be liked and supported. Celeste, described as stunningly beautiful with a husband to match, has to cover up her toxic and abusive homelife for the wellbeing of her children and her reputation. Her handling of the abuse she faces echoes that of many abuse survivors, at one point directly remarking "My life isn't as bad as that woman's. I don't need help". Her feeling of guilt and weakness for seeking help was one of the most realistic depictions of the effects of abuse on your way of thinking I've ever seen, and I have to give Nicole Kidman props for her portrayal on screen. One of the beauties of the story, and why they were able to so completely change the location, is its universality, the common ugliness hidden behind the gated entries and manicured lawns of all suburban neighborhoods.

TW: This book contains domestic violence, sexual assault, and eating disorders. Read at your own discretion.