Recommendations for books with school settings!

I absolutely love books with a school setting – boarding school and college especially! I thought September/back to school season was the perfect time to recommend some of my all-time favorites! (with non-problematic AF authors)

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1. Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a YA mystery that takes place at a prestigious and elite boarding school on the side of mountain on the east coast. The main character goes there investigate the unsolved murders from the year the school opened.

2. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

This mystery/thriller is told in dual timelines, is full of spooky paranormal elements, and has one of the creepiest boarding schools ever.

3. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro ⭐⭐⭐.5

A YA, gender swapped, Sherlock Holmes retelling. This first book takes place at a boarding school on the east coast.

4. Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins ⭐⭐⭐.5

This adorable, sapphic YA contemporary follows a teenage girl who moves to Scotland for school and ends up rooming with a princess.

5. Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a gritty AF YA retelling of Macbeth that follows a group of girls who seek revenge on the school golden boys.

6. Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout ⭐⭐⭐.5

A YA fantasy that follows a teen who fled from her school years ago with her mother. Now she’s back and training to be Sentinel with a man she can’t stop thinking about but 100% off limits.

7. A Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My favorite YA mystery! This follows a girl who is trying to solver her town’s infamous cold case for her senior project.

8. Bunny by Mona Awad ⭐⭐⭐

Hands down the weirdest book I’ve ever read!! This follows a group of collegiate writers who enter into some dark, creepy activities involving bunnies.

9. Wilder Girls by Rory Power ⭐⭐⭐

This is a YA horror novel that takes place at an abandoned island boarding school for girls. The girls and the island around them are mutating – but can they last long enough for help to arrive?

10. Inspection by Josh Malerman ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This adult horror novel follows a group of boys who attend a prestigious and isolate boarding school. But life at their school is all they know and one of the boys starts to wonder what more is out there.

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