If you enjoy the young adult (YA) genre, chances are you’ve read The Selection by Kiera Cass and are looking for recommendations. Luckily, you are in the right place! Our list of books like The Selection are guaranteed page-turners. Plus, they all include a strong female lead, dangers untold, and, of course, love.
Here are the best 11 books like The Selection.
1. Red Queen
Red Queen takes place in the distant future where most of humanity was destroyed. A small group of survivors emerges with silver blood (Silvers) and superpowers. They eventually force people with red blood (Reds) into slavery.
The story follows Mare, a 17-year-old Red slave who discovers that she also has superpowers. To conceal the fact that Reds could possess powers, Mare pretends that she is a lost Silver princess. This means moving into the palace and never seeing her friends and family again.
Despite the dangerous situation, Mare manages to befriend her tutor, Julian, and Cal, who is heir to the throne. She also uses her position to filter information to The Scarlet Guard, a secret organization that plans to take down the Silver regime.
2. Matched
The Society controls every aspect of life, including marriage. Usually, this process is flawless – every 17-year-old receives a microchip that gives them information on their future partner.
When it’s Cassia’s turn, however, she matches with her best friend, Xander, but receives a microchip with information about a different boy named Ky. How will she decide which boy is her true love? If she falls in love with Ky, is she ready to leave all of her friends and family behind while she runs headlong into uncharted territory?
3. The Betrothed
If you’re looking for books like The Selection, perhaps you’ll enjoy the next series from author Kiera Cass.
The Betrothed follows the story of Lady Hollis Brite. The story begins just after Hollis had attracted the attention of King Jameson. At first, Hollis is excited by the king’s attention. As time goes on, however, she began to question whether or not she was ready to marry King Jameson and become queen. Then, Hollis meets Silas.
She is instantly comfortable with him and confides her worries over her romantic situation. After this conversation, she decides to accept her duty as queen for the benefit of the kingdom.
During a dinner to bring peace, Silas and Hollis realized that they are in love. However, Hollis tells him they can never be together.
Will Hollis stay with King Jameson and become queen or break off the engagement and follow her heart to Silas?
4. Girls of Paper and Fire
In the fantasy world of Ikhara, which is inspired by Malaysian culture, Lei is taken from her home to become a Paper Girl.
Every year there are eight Paper Girls that are chosen from all across the world to serve the King. It is both a great honor and a great burden to be chosen for this service.
Unswayed by all the lavishness and privileges associated with being a Paper Girl, Lei refuses to ignore the cruelty of the Demon King. She still believes that her life is worth more than just being a plaything for the King. She defies her fate and falls in love.
5. The Belles
Books like The Selection also include The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton. This novel tells the story of Camellia, a young girl with magical powers to make people beautiful. In the fantasy world of Orlèans, everyone is born with grey skin, red eyes, and crazy, unkempt hair. Everyone, that is, except for a group of girls called Belles.
They are born with the power to change everything about a person’s appearance, for a fee. When we meet Camellia, she loves being a Belle and would do anything to win the competition to become a Queen’s Belle.
After spending time in the palace, however, she realizes things are not as they seem. The true power of the Belles is stronger and more dangerous than she’d ever imagined.
6. Spin the Dawn
Spin the Dawn is a favorite and one of the top books like The Selection. It follows the story of Maia, a young girl who poses as a boy to enter a competition to become the tailor to the emperor. Throughout the competition, Maia faces great danger. If her secret is exposed, she will be killed.
For the final challenge of the competition, Maia must sew three wedding dresses for the emperor’s daughter. Desperate to win, she sets off on a journey to find the secrets of the sun, moon, and stars.
7. Divergent
Divergent tells the story of Beatrice (Tris), a young girl living in a dystopian version of Chicago. Her world has been neatly divided into five factions which every 16-year-old is sorted into.
In this society, teenagers choose which faction to devote the rest of their lives to based on their personality. When you meet Tris, she is torn between choosing the faction she was raised in so she can stay with her family or follow her true nature to a different faction and never see them again.
The initiation into her chosen faction is a grueling competition, one that transforms each initiate. Tris must quickly learn who her friends are and what role a budding romance will play in her new life
8. The Siren
When Kahlen was a teenager, the ship that she and her family were on was hit by a siren song, causing everyone to jump overboard to their deaths. Kahlen prayed for life and was answered by The Ocean.
If she agreed to live as a siren for 100 years and lure other unsuspecting humans to their deaths in return for her life and freedom, The Ocen would spare her.
80 years into her sentence, Kahlen meets a goofy college boy, Akinli, and her life is turned on end. Though they can’t speak to each other (a siren’s voice always lures humans to their death), they quickly fall in love.
Despite having the love of The Ocean and her sister sirens, all Kahlen has ever wanted is to be a bride. Will she take this chance on love knowing that it will likely cost her life?
9. Cinderella Is Dead
Set in Cinderella’s fairytale world 200 years after she met her prince, all teenage girls are forced to attend the Annual Ball so that men may choose them as their brides. If a girl doesn’t find a suitor at her first ball, she is never heard from again. This poses a huge dilemma for 16-year-old Sophia, who is in love with her best friend, Erin.
The thought of marrying a man, one whom she has never met, horrifies her. In a desperate attempt to stay single, Sophia runs from the ball and hides inside Cinderella’s mausoleum. While in hiding, Sophia meets the last known descendant of Cinderella and the girls vow to bring do the king and this antiquated tradition once and for all.
10. Delirium
Set in a dystopian United States where government officials have declared love a dangerous disease, 17-year-old Lena Haloway looks forward to her 18th birthday. In their society, every adult undergoes a procedure called the Cure which removes all feelings from their brains and allows them to live a safe predictable life.
When Lena meets a boy from the “Wilds” just ninety-five days from undergoing the procedure, everything changes. Will she cast aside everything she knows and falls in love?
11. Hunger Games
Centuries in the future lies the nation of Panem. At the heart is The Capitol that forces each twelve district to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a televised event where one boy and one girl from each district fights to the death.
When 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen’s younger sister is chosen from her district, Katniss steps forward to take her place. Survival comes easily to her and she immediately becomes a contender. Now she faces decisions that put her survival and her humanity at war with each other as she chooses between her life and love.
Conclusion
If you enjoy reading YA novels that are filled with love, drama, and danger, one of these books like The Selection is sure to be your next obsession. Every one of the titles in this list is an epic page-turner that will leave you begging for more.
Prices last updated on 2023-09-23
