Looking for more books like The God of the Woods? We’ve got you covered. The book featured a dual mystery, atmospheric setting, mental health struggles, and messed-up family, gender and socio-economic dynamics. We may not be able to find readalikes that fit ALL of that brief, but we do have a list of five books for you, each touching on some of the elements covered in The God of the Woods.
If you’ve read The God of the Woods for book club, be sure to use our discussion guide to help get the conversation going.
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5 Books for Fans of The God of the Woods
A Secret History, Donna Tartt
If what you loved about The God of the Woods was the remote and atmospheric setting, rich people behaving badly, and a potential murder mystery, then look no further than Donna Tartt’s A Secret History. This novel (which has a bit of a cult following!) is the story of a group of students at a isolated and preppy New England college, who, in between their Classics courses, may or may not have accidentally committed a murder. Like The God of the Woods, this novel explores how secrets can linger beneath a seemingly idyllic surface.
If you’ve already read and loved this book, we’ve also got a list of more books like The Secret History.
The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah
Many readers of The God of the Woods enjoy its setting in nature, and see the woods themselves as another character in the story. If this resonates with you, then check out The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. This novel centers around a teenage girl whose family moves to Alaska for a fresh start after the Vietnam War. But they find themselves revising old problems and encountering new challenges, including an unforgiving environment. The Alaskan Frontier is both beautiful and dangerous, and it serves as the perfect backdrop for this coming of age novel.
Read this one for book club and use our Great Alone discussion guide.
Black Cake, Charmaine Wilkerson
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson will appeal to readers looking for another multi-generation family drama told across present and past perspectives. When siblings Benny and Byron’s mother passes, she leaves them a voice recording that slowly reveals the family’s history – and secrets – so many secrets. With themes of cultural identity, complex family dynamics, and the power of resilience, Black Cake offers book clubs plenty to chew on. And we have a discussion guide to help you with that.
All the Colors of the Dark, Chris Whitaker
This book also features a missing child, which begins in the same time period as The God of the Woods, but moves forward in time, rather than backward.
Patch, is a local boy who performs an astonishing act of bravery by saving a wealthy family’s daughter from an abduction. His actions set off a chain of events that intertwines his fate with that of the abducted girl, and Patch’s friend Saint. The book is very atmospheric, twisty and heavily character-driven.
Read it for book club and use our All the Colors of the Dark book club guide.
Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid
This is a good pic if you’re looking for more messed up family dynamics and rich people behaving badly…but maybe with a somewhat less dark tone.
The book follows the Riva siblings over the course of 24 hours, as they prepare to attend their famous sister Nina’s house party. These flawed characters come to the party packing a combustible brew of secrets, toxic relationships, betrayals and emotional family dysfunction.
By the end of the party, it all spills over and the house party (literally) ends up in flames.
Read it for your book club and use our Malibu Rising discussion guide.
Related Readalike Lists
- Books like All the Colors of the Dark, featuring a mystery, kids in peril, and cold cases.
- Books like The Secret History, featuring murder, mystery and a whole lot of lying.
- Books like The Silent Patient, featuring twisty plots, dark secrets and obsessions.
