Below is the complete list of Sara Shepard books in publication order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Agatha Harkness Books in Order
- Fall of the Coven (2026)
Heiresses Books in Order
- The Heiresses (2014)
Penny Draws Books in Order
- Penny Draws a Best Friend (2023)
- Penny Draws a School Play (2023)
Pretty Little Liars Books in Order
- Pretty Little Liars (2006)
- Flawless (2007)
- Perfect (2007)
- Unbelievable (2008)
- Wicked (2008)
- Killer (2009)
- Wanted (2010)
- Heartless (2010)
- Twisted (2011)
- Ruthless (2011)
- Pretty Little Secrets (2012)
- Stunning (2012)
- Burned (2012)
- Ali’s Pretty Little Lies (2013)
- Crushed (2013)
- Deadly (2013)
- Toxic (2014)
- Vicious (2014)
- The Liars (2022)
The Amateurs Books in Order
- The Amateurs (2016)
- Follow Me (2017)
- Last Seen (2018)
The Lying Game Books in Order
- The Lying Game (2010)
- Never Have I Ever (2011)
- Two Truths and a Lie (2012)
- Hide and Seek (2012)
- The First Lie (2012)
- Cross My Heart, Hope to Die (2013)
- True Lies (2013)
- Seven Minutes in Heaven (2013)
The Perfectionists Books in Order
- The Perfectionists (2014)
- The Good Girls (2015)
Standalone Novels Books in Order
- The Visibles / All The Things We Didn’t Say (2009)
- Everything We Ever Wanted (2010)
- The Elizas (2018)
- Reputation (2019)
- Influence (2020)
- Safe In My Arms (2021)
- Memory Lane (2021)
- Wait for Me (2022)
- Nowhere Like Home (2024)
- Gaslight (2024)
(With Miles Joris-Peyrafitte)
Graphic Novels Books in Order
- Birds of Prey: The Origins (2026)
About Sara Shepard
Sara Shepard is an American author best known for writing fast-paced young adult novels built around secrets, friendship, and psychological suspense. Her books frequently explore the complicated social worlds of teenagers and young adults, often set against seemingly perfect suburban environments where hidden rivalries and long-buried truths gradually come to light. Shepard gained international recognition through her Pretty Little Liars series, which became a major publishing success and later inspired a long-running television adaptation.
Shepard was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the suburbs of the city—an environment that would later influence the settings and social dynamics of many of her novels. She attended New York University, where she studied writing and developed an interest in storytelling that blended personal drama with mystery. Before becoming a full-time author, Shepard worked in publishing and writing-related fields, experiences that helped shape her understanding of the literary industry.
Her breakthrough came in 2006 with the release of the first Pretty Little Liars novel. The story begins with four teenage girls—Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily—whose lives are turned upside down after the mysterious disappearance of their friend Alison DiLaurentis. Years later, the girls begin receiving threatening messages from someone calling themselves “A,” who appears to know every secret they have ever tried to hide. The series combined mystery with high school drama and quickly developed a dedicated readership.
The popularity of Pretty Little Liars led to a long-running series that eventually grew to more than a dozen books. The novels mix shifting alliances, hidden identities, and intricate twists, creating a story that unfolds across multiple installments. Readers often encounter the series through publication order because the plot builds from book to book, gradually revealing new layers of deception behind the central mystery.
In 2010, the success of the novels led to the television adaptation Pretty Little Liars, which aired for seven seasons and brought Shepard’s characters to a much wider audience. Although the show eventually developed its own storyline separate from the books, the core concept—teenagers struggling to uncover the truth behind a web of secrets—remained at the heart of both versions.
Following the success of Pretty Little Liars, Shepard continued writing in the young adult mystery and thriller space. Her Lying Game series, launched in 2010, tells the story of identical twins Emma and Sutton, whose lives intersect when Sutton is found dead and Emma is forced to take her sister’s place while secretly investigating the murder. Like Pretty Little Liars, the series blends teen drama with a central mystery that gradually unfolds across multiple books.
Shepard has also written several other series and standalone novels, including The Perfectionists, which follows a group of ambitious students whose desire to be perfect leads to dangerous consequences. That series was later adapted into the television series Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, expanding the fictional world she originally created.
Across her work, Shepard often focuses on themes of identity, reputation, and the pressures of social expectation. Many of her stories take place in affluent suburban communities where appearances are carefully maintained, yet beneath the surface lie complicated relationships and personal secrets. This contrast between outward perfection and hidden turmoil has become one of the defining features of her writing style.
Her books frequently alternate between multiple points of view, allowing readers to see the same mystery from different perspectives. This structure helps maintain suspense while gradually revealing pieces of the larger puzzle. It also makes her stories particularly well suited to series formats, where character relationships and long-term plot threads develop over many installments.
Sara Shepard’s novels continue to attract readers who enjoy suspenseful stories centered on friendship, betrayal, and the consequences of secrets. Her ability to combine relatable characters with tightly constructed mysteries has helped her maintain a strong presence in the young adult thriller genre for nearly two decades.