The most recommended books about gangs

Who picked these books? Meet our 63 experts.

63 authors created a book list connected to gangs, and here are their favorite gang books.
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Book cover of Six of Crows

Holly Huntress Author Of Forbidden Waves

From my list on fantasy with multiple POV's for the storytelling.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been writing formally since I started my first book in high school. Even then, I was writing with dual POVs. Having multiple perspectives throughout my stories has been essential to all my books. I believe it adds so much more than a single POV can, and I love the process of it. You must decide what each of the charactersā€™ motivations, and defining characteristics are and relate them back to the story. My most recent novel, below, has four POVs, each of which is as important as the others.

Holly's book list on fantasy with multiple POV's for the storytelling

Holly Huntress Why did Holly love this book?

This book will always stick with me because of the amazing thought put behind one of the main characterā€™s plotting. Kaz easily has one of the best minds in any book Iā€™ve ever read. Along with Kaz, though, there are multiple other POVs which are equally as important to the story.

It had more POVs than any book I had read previously, but the way Bardugo wrote them had me wanting more of them all and unable to pick a favorite. Each character has a unique voice and story that perfectly complements the overarching plot.

Even when I wasnā€™t sure how something would fit into the main thread of the story, it wove back in at the right moment and made perfect sense.

By Leigh Bardugo,

Why should I read it?

20 authors picked Six of Crows as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

*See the Grishaverse come to life on screen with Shadow and Bone, now a Netflix original series.*

Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2017, this fantasy epic from the No. 1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of the Grisha trilogy is gripping, sweeping and memorable - perfect for fans of George R. R. Martin, Laini Taylor and Kristin Cashore.

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams - but he can't pull it off alone.

A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walkā€¦


Book cover of These Violent Delights

Lyssa Mia Smith Author Of Revelle

From my list on young adult fantasy with high-stakes romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

Long before I was an author of romantic fantasies, I was an avid reader of all things romance. Genre romance. Fantasy Romance. Romantic Fantasy. Romantic suspense. An adventure where the characters smile at each other for a heartbeat longer than usual. Give me even a hint of attraction between two characters, and Iā€™m hooked. Give me life-or-death stakes and a first kiss that takes hundreds of pages, and Iā€™m addicted. As a psychologist, helping young adults sort through real-life romance dilemmas is one of my favorite parts of the job. Now that I get to write these stories, Iā€™ve made it my mission to devour all the best high-stakes YA romances I can findā€”or write.

Lyssa's book list on young adult fantasy with high-stakes romance

Lyssa Mia Smith Why did Lyssa love this book?

This is one of the most unique Romeo & Juliet retellings Iā€™ve ever read. Set in 1920s Shanghai, the heir and heiress of two rival criminal families were childhood friends, once, before they realized the otherā€™s identity. Now they despise each otherā€”and several times, try to kill each otherā€”while also trying very hard to ignore their growing attraction. Spanning two books and with a found family that tugs at all your heartstrings, the daggers are as shiny as the diamonds in this glittering, high-stakes tale. 

By Chloe Gong,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked These Violent Delights as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A deliciously dark twist on Romeo and Juliet' Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and Fire

In glittering Shanghai, a monster awakens . . .

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city in chaos.

Juliette Cai is the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang - a network of criminals far above the law.

Roma Montagov is the prodigal son of her greatest rivals, the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. He is also Juliette'sā€¦


Book cover of Perfect Chemistry

Mindy Hardwick Author Of Weaving Magic

From my list on YA romance bad boys.

Why am I passionate about this?

Bad boys in young adult romance have always been one of my favorite tropes to read. For seven years, I facilitated a poetry workshop with teens in a juvenile detention center and got to hear their storiesā€”the heartbreak, the challenges, and the triumphs under all that bad boy faƧade. My memoir, Kids in Orange: Voices from Juvenile Detention, is about the workshops and helped me understand both myself as a writer and the ā€œbad boysā€ who wrote poetry each week. There are a lot of complexities to bad boy characters and the most satisfying stories are the ones where the bad boys redeem themselves and find love. 

Mindy's book list on YA romance bad boys

Mindy Hardwick Why did Mindy love this book?

Perfect Chemistry is one of the books I read as a model for writing the character relationship between my young adult novel characters, Shantel and Christopher. Alex is the perfectly crafted bad boy character who falls in love with Brittany and in the process is changed with how he sees his life. 

By Simone Elkeles,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Perfect Chemistry as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

From the New York Times bestselling author Simone Elkeles comes an epic love story like no other . . . First in the gripping PERFECT CHEMISTRY series, this is the next addictive read for fans of Anna Todd's AFTER series, and Caroline Kepnes's YOU.

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created 'perfect' life is about to unravel before her eyes. Forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, Brittany finds herself having to protect everything she'sā€¦


Book cover of The Edge of Midnight

Sylvia Hubbard Author Of Wicked Chances

From my list on books that weave romance around suspense.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I was a tween, Iā€™ve been fascinated by romance. That happily ever after has always taken my breath away. Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, suspense and mystery have always surrounded my life, and intertwining these two elements in my own stories was a norm, but reading them was required and loved. Iā€™m a part of several groups that focus on these genres and I share my readings with them along with my own group on Facebook. I know you will enjoy reading these books as much as I have.

Sylvia's book list on books that weave romance around suspense

Sylvia Hubbard Why did Sylvia love this book?

Iā€™m always down for Ms Bev, and jumping into this story ready to be swept up, I definitely got caught up with every word. This book was filled with sensuality and suspense throughout each chapter. I will admit I read this book twice.

Beverly Jenkins is usually a a historical romance writer, but her switch up in a contemporary sub-genre proved what a powerful writer she is in any genre.

By Beverly Jenkins,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Edge of Midnight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Blackboard bestselling author Beverly Jenkins launches her first contemporary romantic suspense with this exciting sizzler. Sparks fly when Mykal Chandler, the head of a covert government agency, fights to protect the woman he has fallen in love with.

Sarita Grayson is desperate. Thatā€™s the only explanation for her late night rendezvous with a bag of stolen diamonds. But then a handsome stranger stands between her and a clean getaway. In the struggle for freedom, she accidentally shoots him.

Mykal Chandler, head of a covert government agency NIA, canā€™t believe heā€™s been shot. Heā€™s shocked, heā€™s furious, but heā€™s also attractedā€¦