Looking for books like Where the Crawdads Sing? We’re here to help!
If you’re a reader of any kind (whether an obsessive book lover like me or just a casual reader), you’re sure to have heard of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. This book has been dominating book clubs, the New York Times Bestseller list, and the literary community since its release in 2018.
We’ve got a healthy mix of mystery, historical fiction, and impactful tales on our list of books like Where the Crawdads Sing. If you’re on the hunt for a similar read, or are interested in adding a few more books to your To Be Read pile, this list is for you.
What is Where the Crawdads Sing about?
Where the Crawdads Sing is a Historical Fiction novel published in August 2018. It is Delia Owens’s debut novel and has an average rating of 4.46 stars by over 1.5 million Goodreads users.
It has spent over 150 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers list, topping it for 32 non-consecutive weeks in 2019 and 2020.
Where the Crawdads Sing follows Kya, who is known as a wild and strange girl amongst the people in her village. Kya is a naturalist, learning from nature and living off the land. When a popular boy is found dead, the people automatically suspect her.
While Kya enjoys the life she leads, she begins to feel lonely and longs for love. As a connection grows between Kya and two handsome men in her village, she begins to find all she’s missed by leading a life of isolation.
But nature holds many secrets and harbors many mysteries, and when the unthinkable happens, it challenges everything Kya believes.
Books like Where the Crawdads Sing
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance is the first book on our list of books like Where the Crawdads Sing. This book is unique because it isn’t just about our main protagonist but also the story of all those he touches.
Weylyn Grey is an orphan raised by wolves with strange talents and beliefs. A strange power begins to brew in Weylyn after he single-handedly stops a tornado.
But this power manifests at the worst times, causing freak storms and the uncontrollable growth of nature. He knows that his power is a gift but is still dangerous for those around him, especially Mary.
After he saved her from a wolf when they were children, Mary has been unable to leave Weylyn’s side. Despite knowing the risks, she knows that life wouldn’t be the same without him.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah writes many books like Where the Crawdads Sing, but The Nightingale is the favourite amongst her readers. Grab some tissues because you’re going to need them.
This novel takes place in France 1939. Viviane doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade, but her worst imaginings come true as her husband leaves for the Front, and she must bid him farewell.
When a German captain claims her home as a base, Viviane and her daughter must live in their house with the enemy. She must continue to make sacrifices and impossible decisions to keep her family alive.
Meanwhile, Viviane’s sister Isabelle is looking for her purpose. When she meets Gaëtan, a boy who believes that France can defeat the Nazis and save their country, she falls madly in love.
But after his betrayal, Isabelle is still determined to pursue this belief. She joins the Resistance, risking her life to save as many people as possible.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Next on our list of books like Where the Crawdads Sing is a mystery thriller. If you’ve got a hankering for mystery and a twist you won’t see coming, this book is for you.
Alicia Berenson is a famous painter, married to a famous photographer. She lives in a big, beautiful house and has a disposable income. Everything seems perfect until she fatally shoots her husband five times and refuses to ever speak again.
Her refusal to speak turns this murder into a mystery that catches the publics’ attention. Interest surrounding the now silent Alicia Berenson has given her fame, and to avoid the spotlight, she is tucked away in a secure forensic unit called the Grove.
Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, is eager to work with Alicia. He is determined to get her to speak, unravel the mystery of that night, and find the answers everyone eagerly awaits.
But this mystery causes Theo to look inward at his own motivations. The truth is never easy to hear, but the answers he so desperately seeks have the power to swallow him whole.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
While marketed as a romance, this book is so much more. It Ends With Us is a beautiful story about resilience and breaking vicious cycles.
Lily has never had it easy, but upon graduating college, she moves from her small town to Boston, where she starts her own business. Upon meeting a neurosurgeon named Ryle, Lily feels an instant connection.
Despite Ryle’s aversion to relationships, Lily can’t help but begin to fall. Ryle is stubborn but kind, often arrogant but intelligent, and as Lily becomes his exception, she begins to realize what caused him to create his “no dating” rule in the first place.
As Lily struggles to navigate her new relationship, the past comes back to haunt her in the form of her first love. Atlas Corrigan plagues Lily’s thoughts, and when he reenters her life, everything she’s built with Ryle begins to crumble.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
All the Light We Cannot See is a novel I relentlessly recommend. It’s a book like Where the Crawdads Sing, filled with beautiful prose and an incredible story of survival.
Marie-Laure, a blind French girl, is twelve when the Nazis occupy Paris. Her father, who works at the Museum of Natural History, flees with his daughter to the small, walled city of Saint-Malo.
They search for safety with Marie-Laure’s reclusive uncle, carrying with them a precious and dangerous jewel stolen from the museum.
Werner is an orphan from a small mining town in Germany. With a passion for building and fixing radios, he is enlisted to help locate the resistance.
Werner and Marie-Laure cross paths as war rages, both desperate to survive until the fighting ceases.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
If you’re looking for a book like Where the Crawdads Sing that you won’t be able to put down, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is the perfect read for you. There isn’t an emotion you won’t experience as you race through these pages and marvel at the spectacular yet tragic life of Evelyn Hugo.
Monique is a struggling, unknown writer. Her husband has left her, her career is failing, and everything feels like it’s falling apart.
But when Hollywood movie star Evelyn Hugo decides to open up about her mysterious life, she chooses Monique for the job. Not interested in looking a gift horse in the mouth, Monique decides to use this opportunity to establish her career.
Evelyn discusses everything from making her way in Hollywood to her seven husbands and her great forbidden love. But as Evelyn unravels the wonder and tragedy of her life, Monique realizes that their lives are linked in an immovable way.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Next on our list of books like Where the Crawdads Sing is The Midnight Library. This book is enchanting yet philosophical and contains a fantastical and beautiful story.
In a library, between life and death, there is row after row of books containing the opportunity to live a different version of your life. If you had the opportunity to choose differently, alter a course, or absolve a regret, would you?
Nora stands before the rows of books, faced with the possibility of altering any and everything she could imagine: a career change, a different degree, avoiding a break-up. The choices are limitless, but Nora must decide what truly makes a life worth living.
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Another book like Where the Crawdads Sing is Daisy Jones & the Six. This book covers the sex, drugs, and rock and roll of the 1970s, with a beautiful and heartbreaking plot that makes it impossible to put down.
Daisy is a young girl trying to make her way in L.A. Her passion is rock and roll, and when she turns twenty, her voice and beauty start turning heads.
The Six is a band on the rise, and fans are obsessed with their lead singer Billy Dunne. But when his girlfriend finds out she’s pregnant, the pressure of becoming a father causes Billy to go off the rails right before their first tour.
When Billy and Daisy cross paths, a producer realizes that success lies with the two of them joining forces. But as fame presses down on them both, a legend is made from their breakup.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
If you enjoyed the mystery of Where the Crawdads Sing, then The Girl on the Train is for you. This book is best described as creepy, with untrustworthy characters and a mystery that unfolds at a steady pace.
Rachel catches the same train each morning. She knows its stops and paths like the back of her hand. She’s familiar with the landscape and even feels like she knows the people in one of the houses along the way.
She calls them Jess and Jason and imagines that their life is perfect. Rachel wishes her life was as perfect as theirs until she glimpses something she shouldn’t have.
Now Rachel has a reason to know them, a way to fold herself into their lives. She’ll make sure they see her as someone more than just the girl on the train.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Water for Elephants is a historical novel that Gruen wrote during National Novel Writing Month. It features star-crossed lovers set in the circus world of 1932.
Jacob Jankowski is reeling after the death of his parents. Newly orphaned and desperate, he jumps onto a moving train and enters the world of the circus.
With his near veterinary degree, Jacob is tasked to care for the animals. This is where he meets Marlena, an equestrian rider married to a twisted circus trainer.
His new job also leads him to Rosie, a beautiful elephant deemed untrainable until Jacob finds a way.
Educated by Tara Westover
The next book on our list of books like Where the Crawdads Sing is Educated. This memoir is a rollercoaster of tragedy, manipulation, and how one can free themselves through education.
Tara grew up assuming that the world could end at any given time. Her family stockpiled food, a grab-and-go back was always ready, and hospitals were forbidden.
Her family was entirely isolated, and no one was around to make sure the kids were getting an education. No one was there to show them the world outside their home or intervene when Tara’s brothers got violent.
She was seventeen the first time she set foot inside a school. After teaching herself mathematics and grammar, she was admitted to Brigham Young University and studied history.
With a thirst for knowledge, Tara travelled the world and found herself learning at Cambridge and Harvard. As her knowledge began to grow, she wondered if she’d ever find her way home again.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
The final book on this list of books like Where the Crawdads Sing is an historical fiction novel. Before We Were Yours is based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals, in which Georgia Tan kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families across Memphis.
In Memphis 1939, Rill and her four younger siblings live on a shanty boat. One night, when her father must rush her mother to the hospital, strangers arrive and tear them from all that’s familiar.
They are placed in a children’s home with the promise that they will see their family again. But as the director’s cruelty grows, Rill soon realizes the dark truth and does what she can to protect her siblings.
In South Carolina, present day, Avery has it all. A loving fiancé, a magical wedding on the horizon, and a successful career as a federal prosecutor.
But when Avery returns home to care for her ailing father, a chance encounter causes her to dive into a family history full of secrets and lies.
Final Thoughts of Books Like Where the Crawdads Sing
And there you have it: our list of books like Where the Crawdads Sing. Are there books on this list you’re adding to your TBR? Any books we missed?
Every book on this list has a compelling story just as wonderful as Where the Crawdads Sing. We hope you found an amazing book to read from this list!
Looking for more book lists?
Check out this list of the best books like It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover.
One thought on “12 Books Like Where the Crawdads Sing That You Must Read Right Now”
Add the book, A Thousand Splendid Suns.