If all the mystery, teen angst, beautiful redheads and milkshakes make Riverdale your number one destination every week, these YA novels will help you fill the void between weekly installments. Whether you're invested in the love triangle or just in it for the perfectly plucked eyebrows, there's something here for every Archie aficionado.
If you're a fan of Jughead's outsider narration on Riverdale, you'll enjoy protagonist Charlie's smart and introspective musings in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Plus, similar to R'dale, there's plenty of pop culture references weaved into Perks as Charlie attempts to navigate between the worlds of adolescence and adulthood.
For those of you wrapped up in Jason Blossom's murder and the general whodunnit plot line of Riverdale, the intrigue of The Secret History will have you flipping through the pages at pace — though there's more more drinking and pill-popping than hanging out at Pop Tate's Chock'lit Shoppe sipping milkshakes. Donna Tartt’s novel tells of a closely knit group of six classics students at a small college while the narrator reflects on a murder within the group. Unlike The CW show, there's no hanging around to figure out who the killer is, it's revealed right at the outset.
There’s really no place like high school for secrets, tragedy, and danger. In Lindsey Lee Johnson’s The Most Dangerous Place on Earth, a new teacher is drawn in to the hidden lives of her privileged students. Unbeknownst to her, the teenagers are all bound by a middle school tragedy. The fast pace of this compelling tale is guaranteed to keep your attention rapt for the days between Riverdale episodes. This one’s for the Grundy/Archie shippers out there.
Give me a "D" give me an "E" give me an "A" "T' "H." Yes, that's right, death is at the heart of this cheerleader-centered novel. Dare Me explores themes of obsession, power, and jealousy via the friendship between Addy and Beth, with Beth often manipulating her supposed best gal pal. It’s pretty much Betty and Veronica, but instead of vying for Archie’s affection, the girls are after their cheer coach’s approval.
In Erin Saldin's The Girls of No Return, young teenage females are sent to The Alice Marshall School to get away from their troubled pasts. When Lida Wallace meets a group of glamorous girls at the camp she is part terrified and part delighted at the thought of getting close to them. Then the knives come out. And you thought Riverdale was dark.