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By Julia Bergen
If you’re looking for books that prove nothing is as it seems, and are already pretty sure everyone around you is a suspect, read on. Because these five books will have you convinced that you can’t trust anyone.
Even the friend that just texted you.
Even the crush who seems so innocent.
And ESPECIALLY not that one person. You know the one.
Prettyboy Must Die by Kimberly Reid
Everyone at Carlisle Academy thinks Peter Smith is just an above average teenager who happens to be good at running. Nope, he’s actually a CIA operative. And now the school is being deluged with arms dealers and stone cold killers looking for revenge. Obviously the story is told from the POV of Peter (real name Jake Marrow) but how confused must those other Carlisle students feel? At the same time, they probably did get a day off from school.
To Right the Wrongs by Sheryl Scarborough
What could go wrong at CSI summer camp? For Erin Blake, just because she made it out of her last murder investigation alive (See Sheryl Scarborough’s killer debut To Catch a Killer for deets), doesn’t mean she’ll make it through this summer, especially when she’s determined to prove her boyfriend’s father shouldn’t be in jail for murder. But what happens at CSI summer does not necessarily stay there (or keep you from getting murdered).
The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler
An oldie but a goodie. Before Daniel Handler was Lemony Snicket, he wrote this fantastic piece of unreliable narrator deliciousness that he claims was rejected thirty-seven times for being too dark . Flannery Culp (great name) tells the story of how she was accused of murder, and how it all started with her crush and her seven best friends. It’s the type of book that makes you question every narrator ever, up to and including the picture books you read as a child (what was Goodnight Moon hiding??)
You Don’t Know My Name by Kristen Orlando
When your parents are spies training you in the family business, trusting anyone is pretty much off the table. Everything from her name to her extracurricular activities are one big lie for Reagan, because anyone could be an operative trying to kill her family. If you’ve forgotten about stranger danger, prepare for a refresher course because this book will have you side-eying everyone who looks at you funny.
Vicarious by Paula Stokes 
Winter Kim performs death-defying stunts so that other people can experience recordings of her neural experiences using a device her roommate/sister’s ex-boyfriend developed (her living situation is complicated). Until she sees a recording of her sister’s murder that couldn’t possibly be true. As she investigates, more pieces of the puzzle don’t line up, and she’s forced to question everything she thinks is real.
Like Never and Always by Ann Aguirre
Oh, did you think we were being honest about how many books are on this list? Think again, if there’s anyone you can’t trust, it’s definitely The Internet.
Thought maybe you could at least trust your best friend? Like Never and Always begs to differ. Liv wakes up from a car accident in her best friend’s body, and discovers that basically everything she knew about her bestie was a lie.
You can buy right now by clicking here.
Did you believe that? Keep up, this book doesn’t go on sale until July. But you can preorder it. Or can you? (Psst, you can).
So in conclusion, people you can’t trust include: that cute boy on the track team, narrators, anyone you meet at a CSI summer camp, strangers (and their dangers), yourself, your best friend, YA listicles, literally anyone.
