Book Recs: Recommendations for fans of the CW’s Nancy Drew

Hello friends, happy June! June marks the beginning of summer camp for me, so it’ll be a busy month, but on the upside, season four of The CW’s Nancy Drew premiered last night, therefore I have something to look forward to every Wednesday night! Speaking of the premiere, my Dewds, how’re we feeling? I’m dead. I can’t get over the Nace scenes, I will be thinking about this for at least 15 business years. I fear I won’t be surviving this season. Now, back to the post…

We all know how much I love the Nancy Drew books, and I don’t think it comes as a shock that I love the show as much as I do. I love the inspiration that they took from the book series —- the easter eggs are so well done — and I love the ways that they’ve made the story and characters more modern. It hooked me right from the start, and my love for it continues to grow. I truly can’t remember the last show that I loved this much — we’re talking, thinking about it constantly, theorizing, counting down the days until the next episode, etc. The show was one of the only really positive things in my life during a very difficult 2021, and for that, I will always be grateful. 

I’ve also met some of the most amazing people through the fandom and the relationships that we’ve built because of this show are just so wonderful. Because the show is finally back (we’re not gonna talk about how it’s the last season), I thought it would be fun to share some book recs that I think fans of the CW’s Nancy Drew will enjoy!

I struggled a bit with how to sort these recs — did I want to sort them as books to read based on your favorite character? Books that I think these characters would read? Ultimately, I decided to go with books that give me the same vibe that either the show as a whole, or specific characters give me, and then once I decided that, it was pretty easy to come up with some recommendations!

I love the town of Horseshoe Bay — I think that it’s so atmospheric. Something I always love in books and shows is when the town itself is a character in the story, and I think that the show creators did a great job of making Horseshoe Bay a character. I love the small town vibe, the traditions, the mysteries and secrets, the lore. It’s just wonderfully done, so here are some books that give me a similar feeling.

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Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

Spells for Forgetting takes place in Saoirse Island, and it gives me BIG Horseshoe Bay vibes! Similarly to Horseshoe Bay, Saoirse Island is filled with secrets and magic. The magical realism reminds me a lot of the magic throughout Nancy Drew, though there are more supernatural elements in Nancy Drew than there is in Spells for Forgetting, but I do think that the vibes are very similar! There is also a murder mystery in this book, which will definitely appeal to Nancy Drew fans!

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These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall

If you’re looking for the same supernatural/light horror vibes that season 1 has, then you want to read These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall. This is a very gothic and spooky read that reminds me a lot of the first season, and gives some Women in White vibes! If you love the locations like the Gohorm Woods, Icarus Hall, Fernwood Orphanage, and the Stratemeyer Woods, then I think you’ll love the atmosphere of this book. 

I would also recommend Kate Alice Marshall’s What Lies in the Wood — it’s dark and atmospheric, and it involves solving a cold case.

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The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

I definitely think that The Broken Girls by Simone St. James will appeal to fans of Nancy Drew — both fans of the book series and the tv show! The Broken Girls is definitely a heavier book than the original Nancy Drew series and the show, but I think the strong female characters and friendships will appeal to fans of Nancy Drew. Some aspects of the book (mostly locations) also gave me some similar vibes to the Nancy Drew computer games. Actually, one of the reasons why I picked up The Broken Girls was because a YouTuber I watch had said it reminded her of the video games. In general, I think Nancy Drew fans will enjoy this book.

Not gonna lie, it was much easier for me to find stories that had characters or ships that remind me of characters in Nancy Drew than it was to find ones that give me general show vibes. So, let’s talk about the books that have some character and ship vibes.

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A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson

This series basically has Nancy Drew written all over it. I’ve said this many many times, but the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series is hands down my favorite YA mystery series, and probably one of the best murder mystery series I’ve ever read. 

Similarly to how Nancy is trying to solve the murder of Lucy Sable throughout season 1, in the first book of the series, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Pip is trying to solve the murder of Andie Bell. Pip does remind me a lot of Nancy — if I remember correctly, there are actually a few Nancy Drew references throughout the series, though that is pretty common with any series that has a female teenage sleuth. Similarly to the death of Lucy Sable being the Horseshoe Bay ghost story, the disappearance and murder of Andie Bell has become folklore in Little Kilton, Buckinghamshire (Fairview, Connecticut in the US version). Pip and Ravi are also totally adorable, and the more I think about it do kind of give Nace (Nancy x Ace) vibes.

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The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe

I think that if you love the show’s characterization of George, then you must read The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe. I love this book, you can read my full review of it here, and when I started thinking about this blog post, my brain immediately linked this book to George.

Though George and Nora have not had the same experiences, both of them were forced to grow up too quickly, and dealt with difficult family situations. Both mask a lot of their pain, trauma, and insecurities through sarcasm and a tough exterior, and I think that as their stories progress they both go through some really great character growth.

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People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

If you know, you know, but if you don’t Poppy and Alex just give off Nace vibes! I mean, this is my literal Goodreads review:

The whole best friends who are actually in love with each other, with lots of underlying sexual tension although they’re with other partners, thing is just absolutely Nace. This is a book that I could see Bess and Nancy reading. In fact, this drawing by Mel (a queen among us, we are unworthy) has definitely given me the headcanon that Bess read the book first, gave it to Nancy and the whole time Nancy was sitting there saying, “How do Alex and Poppy not see that they’re perfect for each other?” with Bess staring into the camera like she’s on The Office. It just makes sense, and once you read People We Meet on Vacation, you’ll get it!

Additionally, Emily Henry’s latest novel Happy Place could basically be a Nancy Drew AU (one of the many many talented fanfic writers should get on that…) and it takes place (mostly) in Maine, so what more could Nancy Drew fans want?

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Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson

The Truly Devious series is definitely a series for fans of Nancy Drew! The atmosphere and location (especially the first three books as they’re all set at Ellingham Academy) definitely give me vibes of some of the Nancy Drew computer games — most specifically it reminds me of Message in a Haunted Mansion, if my childhood memory is correct. I think that these books are a really good blend of the book series and the tv series. This series is a little darker and edgier than the original books, but not as much so as the tv series. Stevie is very similar to the characterization of Nancy in the show, and if you love the complexities of Nancy’s characterization in the show, then I think you’ll really like Stevie.

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Ghosted by Amanda Quain

I don’t know if Amanda Quain is a fan of the Nancy Drew tv series, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she was as our main character Hattie is 100% Nancy coded and Hattie and Kit are totally reminiscent of Nace. Just like the first season of Nancy Drew, Ghosted is an exploration of grief. After losing her father to cancer, Hattie really doesn’t know how to go on and she feels like a shell of who she once was. Maybe it’s because I already had this feeling going into it, but as I read I couldn’t help but compare Hattie and Nancy. I really do think that their characterization is very similar. Because of this, I found it so easy to root for Hattie, and I loved seeing her open up to Kit and really start to live her life again.

Although it doesn’t go into it in great detail like the show does, there is a supernatural element to the book, and similarly to Nace at the start of season one, we have Hattie who is firm in not believing in ghosts or the supernatural, and Kit who definitely believes. I loved the dynamic between the two of them and how easy it was for them to open up to one another. I think that Nancy Drew and Nace fans especially will really enjoy this, so be sure to check it out when it’s released in July!

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The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin 

If you’re looking for an atmospheric read with witches, then you definitely need to read The Nature of Witches, and if you love Bess Marvin in the tv series, then this is the book for you! 

The Nature of Witches follows Clara, an Everwitch whose magic is connected to all four seasons. I love the idea of witches whose magic is connected to the seasons and how their magic varies based on the season it’s connected to. This is definitely a book that I could see Bess reading, especially as she continues to discover the folklore of The Women in White and as she continues to hone her magical powers. 

And there you have it! I’m probably missing a lot of books that could go on this list — in fact, I’m sure I’m missing some, but these books are definitely the ones that first came to mind when this post started circulating in my brain. 

Have you read any of the books on this list? What books would you add? Until next time!