21 Books to Read if you Loved Twilight

If you went to high school anywhere between 2005 and 2015 chances are pretty high that you were obsessed with the Twilight books. Chances are pretty high that you were obsessed with Twilight even if you were not in high school during this time, these books were that compulsively readable! I was one of those teenagers that talked about how much the books annoyed me, and then still managed to attend every midnight release of the books AND movies, and was a die-hard Team Edward fan. It was, and is still, a complicated relationship that I share with these books.

The fact of the matter is…sometimes you just need to read a book about brooding teens with fated love stories and maybe a vampire or werewolf thrown into the mix for good measure. Due to all of our needs to read the above kinds of books, I have put together a list of recommendations to read after Twilight if you still have an itch for a Fantasy inspired love story.

“YA” Books similar to Twilight

Hush Hush

I am convinced that this is literally Twilight only with angels. There are so many comparisons to these two series and if you are thirsty for a fated love story between teenagers where one of the two is dangerous and a part of him wants to hurt the other…but he is still super in love with her. Then this is what you need to read. I don’t want to spoil anything but, there’s a biology scene and everything in this one! Twilight fans will love this book.

Obsidian

Continuing recommendations that are practically exactly like Twilight we have Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout. I still haven’t read her vampire series, From Blood and Ash, but I am guessing that one will have a lot of similarities to Twilight for fans looking for an adult read too. Obsidian is not about vampires, but instead aliens.

It is Twilight with aliens and a bully romance. The end. That pretty much wraps up the whole plot. It is super fast, and easy to read and has a new cover so it’s probably on the paperback new releases at your local Barnes and Noble at the moment.

Crave

This is another YA book featuring a girl that moves from a sunny place (California) to a now cold and dreary place (Alaska) and when she gets to her new school she falls in love with a vampire. It is incredibly cheesy and cliché but as long as you go into it knowing both of those things, and you are feeling nostalgic for Twilight, you will most likely enjoy this series.

Thorn Jack 

This is a Fairytale retelling of the story of Tam-Lin and although it isn’t the standard Vampire/werewolf YA that you would expect from a Twilight fan comparison it has a similar moody fantasy vibe. Plus the author is a friend of mine and she is the nicest person ever!

Shiver

Jacob fans…don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you! Shiver is for the fans who liked the werewolf storyline more than the vampire storyline. Grace has watched a wolf with yellow eyes in the forest for years and thinks of the wolf as hers…and then one day she meets a boy with those same yellow eyes. I bet you can guess who that boy is!

Fallen

I want to be honest with you and say this was not a favorite book of mine. I actually found it a bit boring BUT it does have heavy Twilight vibes and depending on how much you love the insta love, fated love, angsty teen tropes you might end up liking this book. It just wasn’t for me.

The Casquette Girls

Again, there are so many moody vibes in this one only we actually get Vampires! Plus, there’s witches, and a historical fiction theme, and a brooding male lead, and a bit of a love triangle, AND a fated love story. Pretty sure Twilight fans will approve.

Wicked

This is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet only with witches and warlocks, and there is SO much angst and brooding love. I think I might have actually read this BEFORE I read Twilight and this was the story that introduced me to the fated love trope. 

Evermore

The main character, Ever, has the ability to read peoples Auras and when she meets Damon (a very paranormal sounding name if there ever was one right Vampire Diary fans?) she is able to silence her mind. Damon of course is…immortal. This one was another book that I binged in high school to stem the need for more Twilight but all in all it was a bit boring. It could be that one can only read so many high school paranormal angsty novels before they begin to run into each other.

Beautiful Creatures

This one is more about witches than anything else but it still has that YA paranormal romance vibe that Twilight fans will devour. I personally really loved this series, but the reviews are definitely mixed on Goodreads.

Marked

I actually found the premise of this book really interesting in terms of Vampire lore. Zoey, the main character, is “marked” to become a vampire and goes to train at the House of Night. In four years, she will either transform into the Vampire or she will reject the change and die. Apart from this, the story is mostly Twilight though.

“Adult” Books similar to Twilight

ACOTAR

I know that there is some controversy as to whether this should be categorized as YA or Adult but this is personally where I feel the series should be placed. This is a loose retelling of both the story of Tam-lin and Beauty and the Beast. The fated fantasy love is definitely present in all its intense glory and it’s fast paced and entertaining for an overnight binge read. This story is here to tell us that the fae can be just as alluring as vampires.

(Side note: A Court of Frost and Starlight came out today and WE ALL NEED TO READ IT!!! It was my most Anticipated read for February 2021.)

Sookie Stackhouse Series

This was a huge guilty pleasure read for me during College and was my first step into books with sexy time. Or should I say leap? Although the story is about vampires and werewolves and fae and witches…which is similar to Twilight…it’s also about a lot of sexy times. If you continue to also watch the tv show, that is also basically about a lot of intense sexy times. JUST A WARNING! It is still an entertaining supernatural fantasy series that a lot of fans will love when they are ready to venture into sexy time reading though.

Wuthering Heights

I love Wuthering Heights. It is one of my all-time favorite books and I reread it almost every year. Similar to Twilight though…it is about a very toxic relationship. Both books are full of passion and intensity though, and Wuthering Heights is even mentioned in the Twilight books as one of Bella’s favorite books. If you are a fan of Twilight and are wanting to start reading classics, this might be a great book to start with.

Darkfever

After the death of her sister, MacKayla travels to Ireland to find out what happened to her. She also discovers that she can see into the Fae world and that the fae are hunting her because of her abilities. Really the only thing you need to know about this series is that Jericho Barron’s is in it, and he is yummy.

The Night Circus

The Night Circus revolves around a magical circus, and two magicians who have set their pupils up against each other in a grand contest. At the heart of the novel it is about love. The interesting thing is that it isn’t heavily centered on ROMANCE, just love, which I find really beautiful.

Dark Prince (A Carpathian novel) 

Raven is a telepath that hunts serial killers. She takes a vacation from work and meets Mikhail, Prince of the Carpathians. He is the leader of a nocturnal race…and he is looking for his life mate. Sexy, sexy sexy! 

The Heart of the Fae

Emma Hamm has such a juicy fantasy writing style and I always love what she writes! Seeing as this one is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, I thought this series was the one to recommend, but all of her books would be great for Twilight fans.

Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood)

This is a definite adult romance series and there are lots of steamy alpha vampire sexy times. If you are a fan of the dominating alpha male trope AND you love vampires…this will probably turn into a new favorite series for you.

A Discovery of Witches

This is the series that most people turn to for an adult alternative to Twilight, and for very good reason…it’s amazing. This series is full of fantasy, mystery and love and there is a historical fiction twist to it that makes it even better. I still need to dive into the tv show but I hear it stays very true to the books so I am excited to see it!

Beautiful Disaster

I am including this one on the list because of the “bad boy falls for the good girl” trope that is similar to Twilight. There is nothing paranormal or supernatural about it, but it still manages to have a Twilight vibe to it…similar to Fifty Shades of Grey. (A Twilight retelling.)