For fans of YA whodunits, escape-room fiction, or reality-TV drama with genuine stakes, The Escape Game delivers strongly. Critics called it 'a thrilling whodunit' that 'moves at a page-turning pace,' concluding with the verdict 'exhilarating, nonstop fun,' while Karen M. McManus — herself a #1 New York Times bestselling YA thriller author — called it 'an absolute winner — sharp, suspenseful, and so much fun.' The one meaningful caveat flagged by Kirkus Reviews is that some side elements feel underdeveloped amid the novel's significant main-plot turmoil, so readers expecting equal weight across every narrative thread may notice the imbalance.

Best for ages 14 and up. The Escape Game is published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers with an explicit 14–18 age recommendation, reflecting both the complexity of its ensemble mystery structure and the murder-and-survival stakes at the heart of the plot. Younger readers may find the tonal weight of a lethal competition — with real on-page threat to teen characters — more intense than standard middle-grade fare.

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

by Marissa Meyer, Tamara Moss

$11.50 on Amazon Read our full review

At a glance

Pages416

First published2026

Settingreality TV escape-room competition show

AudienceYA (12-18)

About the Author

Marissa Meyer, Tamara Moss

1 book reviewed

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

Name: The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss
Author: Marissa Meyer, Tamara Moss

by Marissa Meyer, Tamara Moss

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

YA readers who enjoy whodunits with puzzle mechanics — particularly fans of escape rooms, reality TV drama, and multi-suspect mystery structures like Karen M. McManus's work — who want a high-concept thriller with a large, rotating cast and substantial page count.

Worth it if

The rotating multi-character format and dual-tension structure — macro-mystery whodunit layered over ticking-clock escape-room sequences — sound more like a feature than a friction to you.

Skip if

You prefer a tightly focused single-protagonist thriller, or expect every narrative thread to receive equal development — Kirkus flags some side elements as underdeveloped given the scale of the main plot's turmoil.

What readers & critics say

Kirkus Reviews awarded a starred review, calling it "a thrilling whodunit" that "moves at a page-turning pace" and delivering the verdict "exhilarating, nonstop fun," as reported on kirkusreviews.com. Reader reviewers at prettylittlememoirs.com, roomescapeartist.com, and thenerddaily.com echoed this enthusiasm, praising the authors' character differentiation, the authenticity of the escape-room puzzle design, and the fast-paced dual-mystery structure.

“Exhilarating, nonstop fun.”

— Kirkus Reviews

Sources: Kirkus Reviews, Pretty Little Memoirs, Room Escape Artist, The Nerd Daily

4.2from 449 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

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The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss is a YA murder mystery set aboard a lethal reality TV escape-room competition, where teen contestants must solve deadly puzzles while hunting the killer of Alicia Angelos before becoming the next victim. Critics called it "exhilarating, nonstop fun", praising the rotating multi-character narration, tightly balanced pacing between macro-mystery and micro-puzzle sequences, and the complementary strengths of its co-authors. The ideal reader is a fan of whodunits, escape-room fiction, or soapy reality-TV drama aged 14 and up — though readers who strongly prefer a single-protagonist focus may find the ensemble structure a mild friction point.

Is it worth reading?: For fans of YA whodunits, escape-room fiction, or reality-TV drama with genuine stakes, The Escape Game delivers strongly. Critics called it 'a thrilling whodunit' that 'moves at a page-turning pace,' concluding with the verdict 'exhilarating, nonstop fun,' while Karen M. McManus — herself a #1 New York Times bestselling YA thriller author — called it 'an absolute winner — sharp, suspenseful, and so much fun.' The one meaningful caveat flagged by Kirkus Reviews is that some side elements feel underdeveloped amid the novel's significant main-plot turmoil, so readers expecting equal weight across every narrative thread may notice the imbalance.
Similar books: Readers drawn to The Escape Game's blend of mystery, high-concept thriller mechanics, and YA ensemble drama will find strong company in the curated titles below. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart offers a similarly twisty, unreliable-narrator mystery with a tight ensemble and a devastating reveal. That's Not My Name by Megan Lally is a tense YA thriller built on identity and survival, appealing to the same readers who enjoy the deadly-stakes atmosphere of The Escape Game. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs shares the high-concept, puzzle-box structure and the sense that nothing is quite what it seems. One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus — whose author actually blurbed The Escape Game — is the most direct genre companion, a YA murder mystery set among a group of teens with competing secrets.
Who should read this?: The Escape Game is squarely aimed at teen readers aged 14 to 18 who enjoy whodunits, escape-room fiction, and soapy reality-TV drama — the publisher and critical coverage position it explicitly for that overlap. The multi-character narration and interpersonal drama among contestants will resonate particularly with readers who enjoy ensemble casts where every perspective adds a new layer of suspicion. Fans of Karen M. McManus and similar YA thriller authors are the most natural audience, as McManus herself endorsed the book as 'an absolute winner.'
What age is it for?: Best for ages 14 and up. The Escape Game is published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers with an explicit 14–18 age recommendation, reflecting both the complexity of its ensemble mystery structure and the murder-and-survival stakes at the heart of the plot. Younger readers may find the tonal weight of a lethal competition — with real on-page threat to teen characters — more intense than standard middle-grade fare.
Is this appropriate for teens?: The Escape Game is designed specifically for teen readers aged 14 to 18 and is published as a YA title by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers. The content centres on a murder mystery with deadly stakes — a killed contestant and a group of teens in genuine danger — which is well within the conventions of the YA thriller genre. No critical coverage flags explicit sexual content, graphic gore, or language concerns; the intensity is thriller-driven rather than content-driven.
Is this a good book club pick?: The Escape Game is a strong book club candidate, particularly for groups that enjoy active debate. The rotating multi-character narration means different readers may attach to different suspects and perspectives, generating natural disagreement about who to trust — and the whodunit structure gives the group a concrete puzzle to work through collectively before the reveal. Kirkus Reviews' note that some side elements feel underdeveloped could itself spark productive discussion about which narrative threads deserved more space.

Summarize this book

Is it worth reading?

Who should read this?

What age is it for?

Is this appropriate for teens?

Is this a good book club pick?

Summarize this book

The Escape Game is a YA mystery-thriller co-written by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss, published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on April 7, 2026. A reality TV escape-room show called The Escape Game has become a cultural phenomenon — but when contestant Alicia Angelos is murdered, the next cohort of teen contestants arrives unaware that the game has turned lethal. Narration rotates among the central cast, granting readers access to multiple suspects and perspectives as the players race to solve puzzles and unmask a killer before one of them becomes the next victim. Sabotage and betrayal among contestants are woven directly into the mystery mechanics, giving the interpersonal drama genuine stakes rather than treating it as background noise.

Follow up

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Is this a standalone novel?

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Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Ages 12–18

Reading level

Young adult

Browse all 12–18 books

Content to know about

murder of a teen character

mortal threat to teen contestants

betrayal and sabotage among peers

Best for: Ages 14+ — the murder-and-survival premise, ensemble complexity, and interpersonal betrayal dynamics suit readers in the mid-to-upper YA range.

Skip if you want a single-protagonist thriller with a tightly focused point of view rather than a rotating ensemble cast.

Editorial Review

The Escape Game is a YA murder mystery set aboard a reality TV escape-room competition, co-written by Marissa Meyer (New York Times bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles) and Tamara Moss (author of the Lintang series), published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on April 7, 2026. When a murder strikes the popular game show The Escape Game, a new cohort of teen contestants must solve deadly puzzles while racing to uncover who killed Alicia Angelos — before one of them becomes the next victim. Critics called it "exhilarating, nonstop fun," praising both its page-turning pace and its rotating cast narration, while blurb authors Karen M. McManus and Lish McBride highlighted its sharp suspense and intricate puzzle construction. The novel is a strong fit for readers aged 14 and up who enjoy whodunits, escape-room fiction, and soapy reality-TV drama laced with genuine stakes.

Read the Full Review

Books like The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

Curated picks for readers who enjoyed The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss, with our reasoning for each match.

If you liked The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

In our catalogue

We Were Liars

E. Lockhart

A closed-circle mystery where a tight group of teens hides a dark secret — same slow-burn suspense and shocking twist payoff as The Escape Game.

Readers searching for books like The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss will find We Were Liars hits many of the same nerves. Both books trap a small group of teens in an isolated, seemingly glamorous setting and slowly reveal that something has gone terribly wrong. E. Lockhart builds dread through unreliable narration and withheld information, so the reader — like the contestants on The Escape Game's deadly game show — pieces together the truth puzzle by puzzle. The emotional gut-punch of the finale is the kind of twist that makes you want to reread from page one. If you're the type of reader who enjoys YA mysteries where the social dynamics are just as dangerous as the plot itself, We Were Liars belongs at the top of your list.

In our catalogue

That's Not My Name

Megan Lally

A YA thriller built on fractured identity and relentless twists — shares The Escape Game's pulse-pounding pacing and the feeling that no one can be trusted.

If you're looking for what to read after The Escape Game, Megan Lally's That's Not My Name delivers the same wall-to-wall tension with an equally gripping mystery at its center. Two strangers wake up with no memory of how they got to a remote location, and the question of who they really are drives the plot forward with the same puzzle-solving urgency that defines The Escape Game's escape-room format. Both books are designed to keep you off-balance — every chapter reframes what you thought you knew. Lally's prose is lean and fast, making this a great pick for readers who want a YA thriller that never lets up. Fans of the reality-TV-meets-murder-mystery energy of The Escape Game will find this one equally hard to put down.

In our catalogue

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Ransom Riggs

Teens trapped in a sinister, elaborately constructed environment, peeling back layers of a deadly secret — same eerie, puzzle-box atmosphere as The Escape Game.

For readers who loved the sense that every clue in The Escape Game hides a deeper layer of danger, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children scratches a very similar itch. Ransom Riggs builds his story around a protagonist uncovering a hidden world full of rules he doesn't fully understand, where the wrong move can be fatal. Like The Escape Game, it works as both an adventure story and a mystery — you're always asking what this place really is and who can be trusted within it. The atmosphere is distinctly eerie where The Escape Game is more thriller-tense, which makes it a great companion read for fans who want to explore the same sense of isolated, high-stakes discovery in a slightly more fantastical register. A top pick for anyone Googling 'books like The Escape Game with a dark, mysterious setting.'