If you loved The Selection as much as I did, you’re probably looking for more books like The Selection series by Kiera Cass.
Be it the romance, the competitions, or the dystopian world, this list has it all.
We’ll breakdown the similarities for you by type, so you know exactly what type of book you’re getting.
Some of these are pretty close to The Selection, while others only have similar themes.
I’ll do my best to tell you how each of these is worthy to be on a list of books like The Selection.
Competition Books like The Selection
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Number of Books: 4
Most people are aware of the Hunger Games, but that doesn’t mean that everyone has read it.
In fact, if you’ve only watched the movies you are really missing out. They always say the books are better than the movies, and that is especially true here.
With the release of A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, you know have even more books to read in this amazing series.
2. The Princess Trials by Cordelia Castel
Number of Books: 3
The Princess Trials is a little known series that you’ll likely have never heard of. It’s touted as The Selection meets The Hunger Games, and I’m happy to say it delivers.
Be aware that the first two chapters are rather cheesy, and almost feel like a direct rip off of The Selection. But as you get further in the story, you realize it is its own story.
Fans of The Selection will absolutely love this.
You can read my review of The Princess Trials for more info.
3. Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
Number of Books: 2
Spin the Dawn is a duology featuring a seamstress that enters a competition to become the emperor’s new master tailor.
Except only a man can hold this position, and Maia’s brother (who was invited) is not able to participate. Maia secretly takes his place and risks being found out at every turn.
Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
You can read my Spin the Dawn review for more info.
4. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Number of Books: 5 out of 7
Red Rising is a sci-fi dystopian saga broken into two series. I’ve only read the first three books. The series is pretty amazing.
The only book that has competition overtones is the first book. It gave me major Hunger Games vibes, and is pretty awesome.
That being said, the romance is minimal, and you lose all connections to The Selection after Book 1. But that doesn’t mean you should pass it up. You won’t regret reading this series.
You can read my Red Rising review for more info.
5. Panic by Lauren Oliver
Number of Books: 1
I’d never heard of this book until I was researching for this article. Upon discovering it, I immediately bought it. It arrives in a few days.
For now, the best I can say is that it has a competition in it. It seems sort of Hunger Gamesish. I’m not sure if death is part of the stakes or not, but it sounds interesting.
Oh, and it looks like there’s a romance, so that’s always a plus. This is a stand-alone book, so if you’re not in the mood for a series, maybe this one is for you?
6. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Number of Books: 2
Another dystopian future set to movie. This one was pretty great. Now, I’ve never read the book, but I adore the movie.
If you haven’t experienced either, you’re missing out.
The whole premise is that a genius game designer created a competition where the prize was sole ownership of his mega-million dollar company following his death.
The whole thing is a frenzied race with some love along the way.
7. Warcross by Marie Lu
Number of Books: 2
Another book I haven’t read. Sorry about that. But I’ve had this one on my shelf since publication day. I also have the second book. So I really need to get to reading this.
Warcross is another video game competition book, much like Ready Player One.
I don’t know much else about it, but I was intrigued enough to buy Book 2 having not read the first book. That or I have complete faith in Marie Lu to write an amazing story. She is pretty awesome.
8. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Number of Books: 3
Okay, so there’s more than a few of these books I haven’t read.
Caraval gets hyped in the YA Fantasy Addicts Facebook group all the time, and I just broke down and bought myself the first book.
Truthfully, I can’t wait to read it. It’s got a circus theme, which is why I haven’t read it up until now. I’m not huge on circuses. But there is a competition, and I adore competitions, so I’m game.
I don’t know how well it fits on a list of Books like The Selection, but I’ve got a pretty good feeling you’ll like it.
Dystopian Books like The Selection
The rest of these Books like The Selection don’t have the competition angle. Calling these books dystopian isn’t saying that the books in the previous section aren’t dystopian as a good chunk of them were.
I’m just meaning that they don’t fit the competition model, but still mostly take place in an alternate future America.
9. The Giver by Lois Lowry
Number of Books: 4
The Giver is a book I read in High School and it’s a got special place in my heart even to this day.
It’s the first dystopian book I’d ever read, and I’ve gone back and read it a few times since. I don’t reread books very often, so that’s saying something.
The Giver features a coming of age selection process that singles out our main character for something extraordinary.
10. Divergent by Veronica Roth
Number of Books: 3
Divergent is another well-known dystopian series thanks for the films, but the movies did so poorly they never made the final one.
The books are fantastic, though, and I strongly recommend them.
Divergent also holds on to that coming of age selection model where teens are sorted into various lifestyles that they must uphold for the rest of their lives.
It’s an odd twist, but an interesting take on what makes a perfect society.
11. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Number of Books: 5
With Maze Runner, there’s no competition and there’s no selection process. But there is a bit of a game in trying to escape the maze. Of course, that angle only works on the first book and the rest is about averting disaster from a virus.
Once again we deal with an alternate future America where things are drastically different than they are today.
With romance being more of an after thought, it’s debatable on whether this belongs on a list of Books like The Selection, but I think it deserves to be here.
12. Matched by Ally Condie
Number of Books: 3
The Matched series is a great set of books that I read a few years back. I never hear anyone talk about these books and felt like it could use a bit of love.
It’s more in line with The Giver than it is with The Selection per se, but since The Giver is similar, so is this.
The Society chooses who you’re to marry through a process called The Matching. Except that for a brief second, Cassia sees a second a second person and now she’s faced with an impossible choice.
13. Legend by Marie Lu
Number of Books: 3
Marie Lu writes a lot of books like The Selection. And I don’t have any problem with that.
Legend tells the story of a boy and girl on opposite sides of the conflict. It’s a Romeo and Juliet story if you will, but set in a dystopian future America.
June thinks that Day killed her brother, and she’ll stop at nothing to catch him and bring him to justice. Only, they both discover that their government has been keeping secrets and they uncover the lengths it’ll go to keep them hidden.
Looking for more books lists?
Check out these 13 books like Scythe by Neil Shusterman.
While a lot of the same books are on that list, it also contains a few more. And of course, if you haven’t read Scythe that’s a great one and a most amazing series.