9 books with plot twists so wild they will blow your goddamn mind.

There's nothing more satisfying than racing to the end of a book and discovering a twist so unexpected, it makes you gasp out loud. 

These are the kind of books you immediately want to recommend to your friends so they can experience the twisty goodness for themselves. 

Here are nine books with plot twists so wild they will blow your goddamn mind: 

The House in The Pines by Ana Reyes 

Image: Dutton 

In the summer between high school and college, Maya’s best friend died. She’s convinced her ex-boyfriend had something to do with it, but here’s the thing - Maya can’t remember much from that summer. 

Seven years later, when another young girl dies in the company of her ex-boyfriend, Maya travels back to her hometown to prove the deaths are linked. Guided by her own scattered memories, and the unfinished book her father wrote before he died, Maya tries to piece together the truth about her friend’s death and what it has to do with a mysterious cabin in the woods. 

The House in The Pines is an atmospheric, gothic thriller with an original plot full of twists. 

The Push by Ashley Audrain

Image: Pamela Dorman Books 

We Need to Talk About Kevin meets Sharp Objects in The Push. 

Blythe Connor is determined to be the warm, loving mother she never had. But when Blythe's daughter Violet arrives, she struggles to bond with her. And when Violet grows up and begins to interact with other kids, she begins to wonder whether there's something seriously wrong with her. 

The Push will haunt you in the best possible way. 

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Image: Dutton Books 

Twenty five years ago, Maggie Holt and her parents moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They lasted three weeks in the house, before fleeing in the dead of night. 

Maggie’s father wrote a book about their experience called House of Horrors and she has lived in its shadow ever since. 

When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale.

She’s not worried about the stories from her father’s book because ghosts aren’t real. Or are they? 

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Image: Gallery/Scout Press

Ruth Ware has been described as the ‘modern day Agatha Christie’ and In a Dark, Dark Wood is by far her most unputdownable book. 

Leonora hasn’t seen her best friend Clare for 10 years. Not since she fled their highschool with no explanation. 

When an invitation arrives for Clare’s bachelorette weekend in a secluded cabin in the woods, Leonora reluctantly agrees to go along. 

By the end of the weekend, long held secrets will come to surface and someone will be running for their life. 

The Wife and the Widow by Christian White

Image: Minotaur Books

Kate, a widow, is just learning about her dead husband’s secret life. And Abby’s life is turned upside down when she is forced to confront the evidence of her husband’s guilt. 

Set on an isolated island, in the dead of winter, the wife and the widow must come together to discover the truth about the men they love. 

The Wife and the Widow is an atmospheric thriller with a twist that will genuinely make you gasp out loud. 

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

Image: Flatiron Books

A few days before Christmas, Nathan is called to the border where his property meets his family’s vast cattle station. 

His brother, Cameron, has been found dead at the ‘stockman’s grave’, a marker so old no one can remember who was buried there. Over the next few days, Nathan is brought back into family fold, as he tries to find out what caused his brother to seemingly abandon his vehicle and walk out into the unrelenting Queensland summer heat to his death. 

While facing his own past demons, Nathan discovers that the people closest to him are hiding the darkest secrets. 

The Lost Man is a slow build with the most satisfying final twist. 

Magpie by Elizabeth Day

Image: Simon & Schuster

When Marissa meets Jake, she instantly knows he is the one. They quickly move in together and soon they are expecting their first baby. 

But not everything is quite what it seems with Marissa and her ‘fairytale ending’. 

Magpie is a fast-paced psychological thriller with a brilliant mid-book twist that will make you wonder how you didn’t see it coming. 

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

Image: HarperCollins UK

A group of friends travel to a remote estate in the Scottish Highlands for New Year’s Eve. 

They arrive on December 30, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world. Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.

Cut off from the authorities, the group must discover who amongst them has a motive for murder before the bodies start stacking up. 

The Hunting Party is a page-turning who-dunnit in which everyone is hiding a secret. 

The Girl Before by JP Delaney

Image: Ballantine Books

When Jane stumbles upon One Folgate Street, she thinks she’s found the rental opportunity of a lifetime. There’s a catch though - the property is owned by an enigmatic architect who insists she abide by a long list of ‘house rules’. 

After Jane moves in, she discovers the last tenant, a woman named Emma, died at the property in mysterious circumstances. 

Will Jane’s experience be the same as the girl before her? Or will she be able to find out the truth before it’s too late? 

Keryn Donnelly is a freelance pop culture writer. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok. 

Feature Image: Publisher