The Pretty Little Liars books in order follow Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna as someone named A threatens to expose the secrets they thought disappeared with Alison. The main series contains sixteen numbered novels, along with two full-length companion novels that fit around the central story.
First-time readers should use publication order. Chronological order begins with a prequel that reveals major answers from the early books, so I only recommend that version for a reread.
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- Pretty Little Liars Books in Publication Order
- Pretty Little Liars Books in Chronological Order
- Pretty Little Liars Companion Books
- Pretty Little Liars Spin-Offs in Order
- Pretty Little Liars Book-to-Screen Adaptations
- About Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars Books in Publication Order
Publication order preserves the mystery surrounding Alison and lets each reveal land where Sara Shepard intended. The numbered series is divided into four story arcs, with each arc covering four main novels.
The two companion novels are folded into the sequence where they were published. That gives the list eighteen reading positions even though the main series itself contains sixteen numbered books.
- Pretty Little Liars (2006)
- Flawless (2007)
- Perfect (2007)
- Unbelievable (2008)
- Wicked (2008)
- Killer (2009)
- Heartless (2010)
- Wanted (2010)
- Twisted (2011)
- Ruthless (2011)
- Pretty Little Secrets (2012) (Companion novel)
- Stunning (2012)
- Burned (2012)
- Ali’s Pretty Little Lies (2013) (Prequel companion novel)
- Crushed (2013)
- Deadly (2013)
- Toxic (2014)
- Vicious (2014)
Pretty Little Secrets takes place during the winter break after Unbelievable. You can move it to that spot during a first read without spoiling the larger mystery. I would leave Ali’s Pretty Little Lies in its publication position because the prequel reveals information the early novels deliberately hide.
Pretty Little Liars Books in Chronological Order
Chronological order starts with Alison’s prequel and then places Pretty Little Secrets where it occurs in the timeline. This works well for a reread, but it is not spoiler-safe for someone discovering Rosewood for the first time.
- Ali’s Pretty Little Lies (Prequel companion novel)
- Pretty Little Liars
- Flawless
- Perfect
- Unbelievable
- Pretty Little Secrets (Companion novel)
- Wicked
- Killer
- Heartless
- Wanted
- Twisted
- Ruthless
- Stunning
- Burned
- Crushed
- Deadly
- Toxic
- Vicious
For a spoiler-safe integrated order, begin with the first four numbered novels, read Pretty Little Secrets, and then continue with Wicked. Save Ali’s Pretty Little Lies for its publication position after Burned.
Pretty Little Liars Companion Books
Pretty Little Secrets and Ali’s Pretty Little Lies are the two full-length companion novels, and both are included in the reading orders above. Shepard also wrote several shorter extras and an audio sequel.
- Pretty Little Love: The Entire Journey (2020)
- “It’s Not Easy Being ‘A’” in the The Amateurs paperback (2017)
- Alison’s Pretty Little Diary (2010)
- The Liars (2022) (Audible Original)
Pretty Little Love: The Entire Journey collects the three-part Emison story about Alison and Emily. It explores an alternate version of their relationship and is best saved until after the main series.
“It’s Not Easy Being ‘A’” is a Mona story included in the paperback edition of The Amateurs. Alison’s Pretty Little Diary is a brief promotional extra that overlaps heavily with the opening of Killer and does not have a standard standalone retail edition.
The Liars returns to Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily years after the numbered series. It was released as an Audible Original rather than a print or Kindle novel.
Pretty Little Liars Spin-Offs in Order
Searches for Pretty Little Liars spin-off books usually point to Sara Shepard’s Perfectionists duology. The books are not set in Rosewood and do not share characters or continuity with Pretty Little Liars, but they became closely associated with the franchise when Freeform adapted them as a Pretty Little Liars television spin-off.
The series follows five Beacon Heights students who jokingly plan the murder of a boy they all hate. When he dies exactly as they imagined, they become suspects and have to uncover who carried out the crime.
- The Perfectionists (2014)
- The Good Girls (2015)
Read the two books in order. The Good Girls continues the same murder mystery and resolves the duology’s central questions. You do not need to read either book as part of the Pretty Little Liars reading order.
Pretty Little Liars Book-to-Screen Adaptations
The Original Pretty Little Liars TV Series
The original Pretty Little Liars television series aired from 2010 through 2017. Lucy Hale played Aria, Ashley Benson played Hanna, Shay Mitchell played Emily, and Troian Bellisario played Spencer.
The show begins with the same four Liars, Alison’s disappearance, and threatening messages from A, but it soon becomes its own version of the story. Character relationships, deaths, villain identities, and the long-term mystery differ substantially from the books.
Pretty Little Liars TV Spin-Offs in Order
The Pretty Little Liars television franchise has three spin-offs. You do not need them to understand the original show, but this is the release order if you want to watch the full screen universe.
- Ravenswood (2013 to 2014)
- Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists (2019)
- Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (2022 to 2024)
Ravenswood is the first spin-off and follows Caleb Rivers into a supernatural mystery in the neighboring town. It branches from the original show during season four, after the Halloween episode “Grave New World.” The series ran for one season and is not based on a Sara Shepard book.
Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists takes place after the original series and brings Alison and Mona to Beacon Heights. It loosely adapts Shepard’s separate Perfectionists books while placing the story inside the Pretty Little Liars television continuity.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin introduces a new group of Liars in Millwood and leans further into horror. Its second season was titled Pretty Little Liars: Summer School. The series ended after two seasons.
About Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars is a young adult mystery series by Sara Shepard set in the fictional town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania. The story follows Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields, and Hanna Marin after the disappearance of their former friend Alison DiLaurentis.
When the girls begin receiving threatening messages from someone calling themselves A, the secrets they have kept from one another become dangerous. Each book adds new suspects, lies, and betrayals while pushing the larger mystery forward.
The books mix high school drama with blackmail, murder, and psychological suspense. Shepard also wrote companion stories that explore Alison, Mona, and the Liars beyond the numbered novels, while the television adaptations follow their own continuity and make major changes to the original mystery.
Looking for more books in order?
If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.