Wicked Darlings

By: Jordyn Taylor

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Elena Rey

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of The Revenge Game comes a twisty YA thriller about the underbelly of Manhattan's high society, where nothing is off-limits—not even murder.

Aspiring journalist Noa has a secret she's been keeping. Ever since her sister's tragic death, she's felt almost...relieved. Noa and Leah had been locked in competition with one another since childhood, and things came to a head when her sister scored a glitzy internship at a New York society newspaper. Noa can't help but revel in her new found autonomy.

But when she gets a lead about the sketchy circumstances surrounding her sister’s untimely death, she knows she needs to investigate−she owes it to Leah.

Noa sets out to infiltrate the seedy underbelly of Manhattan high society to investigate her sister’s final days. Along the way she finds herself entangled with the glamorous Avalons and their close-knit circle of friends and frienemies. But will Noa be able to resist the allure of the Avalons' world and uncover a shocking scandal. Or will she find herself in over her head...like Leah?

Critic reviews

A USA Today bestseller!
A Forbes Top 40 YA Book of 2025
An ALA Rainbow Book Project selection!

“A high stakes high society thriller that will have you tearing through pages to reach an utterly satisfying grand finale. A must-read.”—Jessica Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of They Wish They Were Us

“Fans of Gossip Girl rejoice: Jordyn Taylor just wrote your new favorite thriller!”—Liz Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of THE AGATHAS series

“Equal parts gripping, honest, and filled with wit.”—Hannah V. Sawyerr, author of All the Fighting Parts

“Twisty, thrilling, and absolutely addictive.”—People

"Jordyn Taylor has range y'all and she proved it once again with Wicked Darlings."—Cosmopolitan

"The satisfying story deftly blends unexpected plots twists with a complex exploration of grief."—Paste

"For fans of high-society satires."—Forbes

"A twisting thriller that tackles grief head-on."—Kirkus

"Satisfying...Great for fans of E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars."—SLJ

"A compelling read."—Booklist

Good story although juvenile

Didn’t care for the reader. Didn’t need the lesbian influence- now because I listened all my suggestions from Audible are about lesbians and gay men…🙄

So many plot holes

The parents rang so false i couldn’t buy into the book. Too pulpy for me.

Enjoyable

Aspiring journalist Noa has complicated feelings about her older sister’s presumed suicide. She sets out to investigate what actually happened, thrusting her into the world of the uber wealthy, so wealthy they can buy their way out of trouble.

I like Jordyn Taylor’s word building and storytelling. WICKED DARLINGS is a propulsive mystery that I enjoyed from start to finish. I’m not going to list what prevented me from giving a full five stars as I’m a lot older than teenagers to whom the book is geared and what bothered me probably wouldn’t bother them.