Authors Like Ally Condie (33 Book Recommendations)

Ally Condie is a multiple-time New York Times bestselling and international best-selling author. She published her first novel in 2006 titled Yearbook. This was the first book in Condie’s first trilogy book series, a trend that has continued throughout her career.

Authors Like Ally Condie (33 Book Recommendations)

Ally Condie’s books have been included in multiple top ten lists for young adult books. 

Her most well-known book Matched was chosen for the YALSA teen’s top ten list in 2011 and it was named as one of the best children’s books in 2010 by Publishers Weekly.  

Condie has released many novels and trilogies since 2006. Her most recent book is The Torchbearers (2020), the final installment of The Darkdeep trilogy.

Condie has also published the highly acclaimed, standalone novel Summerlost, a middle grade novel inspired by Condie’s hometown.

The most successful novels by Condie belong to the Matched trilogy. The first book Matched was published in 2010, and the last, titled Reached was published in 2012.

If you loved any of the trilogies or standalone novels from Ally Condie, you’ll also love the work of Lauren Oliver, and Shannon Hale. Check out this list of Authors like Ally Condie for more gripping YA novels.

Books By Ally Condie

Books By Ally Condie

Ally Condie has been a stalwart of the young adult fiction genre since the beginning of her writing career. 

In more recent years, her work has been able to be narrowed down to the subgenre of dystopian young adult fiction (If you like this, check out Books Like Neal Shusterman’s “Scythe”).  

Condie has become one of the best-selling authors in the young adult fiction genre, thanks in large part to her Matched trilogy of novels. 

Yearbook

She managed to spend over a year on the New York Times bestseller list with a single book, the first in the Matched trilogy. 

It is this book and the rest of the trilogy that really made a name for Condie in the young adult publishing world.  

However, this popularity would not have been possible without her first successful trilogy, the Yearbook trilogy.

It was this collection of novels that helped to set Condie up for the massive international success that she has had with subsequent books. 

As an author, Ally Condie is far from a one-trick pony. While trilogies might be her preferred method of storytelling, she is also partial to writing an incredible standalone novel. 

The most popular example of this is her New York Times bestseller Summerlost. It was this novel that also helped Condie transition into the world of middle grade writing.

Prior to the success of Summerlost, Condie also wrote Atlantia, another New York Times bestselling standalone novel, set in the underwater world of Atlantia.  

Still writing and publishing on a regular basis, Condie has multiple books scheduled for release in 2023. The Only Girl In Town is set to be a breathless and biting contemporary young adult novel.

Condie is also branching out into new areas of writing with her second 2023 release Here: I Can Be Mindful, a children’s book written with Jamie Kim.

Themes Present In Ally Condie’s Books

There are many different themes that are present within Ally Condie’s books. 

Below are some of the most common themes throughout Condie’s published novels. 

Social Control & Free Will

The Matched trilogy by Condie is a dystopian young adult novel series that features strong themes of social control and the concept of free will.

In the story, the characters have significant life choices made for them by society.

The series questions the reach of free will, an intriguing topic for her young audience.

Resistance

Resistance is another theme that is common in Condie’s work.

Her focus on dystopian settings and stories allows her characters to resist against the status quo and fight for a better future.

This theme is particularly prevalent in the Matched trilogy. 

Death

Another common theme throughout Condie’s books is death. This is a particularly central theme in the standalone novel Summerlost. 

Authors Like Ally Condie

There are many authors that produce novels similar to Ally Condie. Below are a few authors that you can check out if you like Condie’s work.

Lauren Oliver

Delirium Series The Complete 4 Books Collection Box Set by Lauren Oliver (Delirium, Pandemonium, Requiem & Delirium Stories)

Lauren Oliver is another young adult fiction author who has delved into the world of middle grade novels too.

Oliver has been writing since a young age, originally starting as a means to continue her love of reading.

She would write sequels to her favorite books, inadvertently writing fan fiction before there was a word for it.  

Oliver has since graduated from writing fan fiction to writing stories of her own which have garnered her international acclaim and seen her appear on the New York Times bestsellers list multiple times.

The Delirium collection of young adult novels, Vanishing Girls, Panic, and Replica have all earned a place on that coveted list.

Lauren Oliver is an author that enjoys keeping the reader guessing until the end of the novel.

Each story is filled with twists and unanswered questions throughout, all of which are tied up at the end of the novel or the series.  

Pros Of Lauren Oliver

  • Dystopian settings featuring strong, resilient characters
  • Themes of gentle, platonic love and affection
  • Twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end

Cons Of Lauren Oliver

  • Safe writing that sticks to common dystopian young adult tropes and themes

Themes: dystopia, love, friendship, rebellion, growth, social freedom, relationships.

Shannon Hale

The Goose Girl (Books of Bayern)

Shannon Hale is a young adult fantasy fiction author from Salt Lake City, Utah. She began her writing career straight out of college where she began writing the first novel in her first series.

Her first novel, The Goose Girl was published in 2003. This was Hale’s first novel in her The Books Of Bayern series.

This debut novel was a retelling of a Grimm’s fairy tale.  The series went on to include original fairy tales penned by Hale herself. 

Hale’s second novel series, called the Princess Academy series, features one of her most successful novels. Princess Academy, the first and title novel in the series was published in 2005.

This novel was featured on the New York Times bestseller list; it also received a Newbery Honor. Princess Academy was also adapted into a stage musical in 2016, produced by Kensington Theatre.  

Other series written by Hale include Austenland, Rapunzel’s Revenge, Ever After High, and Princess In Black.

The Austenland series was such a success for Hale that it was made into a motion picture in 2013. One of Hale’s series which showcases her talent as a writer for multiple audiences is the two-part series Rapunzel’s Revenge.

The books in this series have been popular with both young adult audiences and adult audiences, successfully spanning two genres of writing

Pros Of Shannon Hale

  • Fun, dark fairytale style of presenting stories
  • Wide range of themes explored throughout novels and series
  • Stories are filled with dark themes, danger, and excitement

Cons Of Shannon Hale

  • Almost all Hale novels are written in a fairytale style which can become repetitive for long time readers of her work. 

Themes: resistance, rebellion, relationships, friendship, mystery, danger, risk, growth, love.

Final Thoughts

There are many different authors out there who are similar to Ally Condie. However, if you want novels that follow similar themes but tell stories in different ways, then Shannon Hale and Lauren Oliver are great choices.

Each of these authors writes in the young adult fiction genre and many of their books and series cross over into the dystopian young adult subgenre (see also “Authors Like Stephanie Perkins“).  

If you are looking to branch out from Ally Condie’s writing to others in the same sphere of storytelling, these are the authors that you cannot go wrong with.

The stories are similar enough to fit current interests but different enough to expand your reading horizons significantly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Genre Are Ally Condie’s Books?

Ally Condie is a young adult fiction and middle grade fiction author, her books often fall into the subgenre of dystopian fiction. 

Condie has also produced works that fit into the genre of children’s literature. 

What Awards Has Ally Condie Won?

Condie has not won any awards for her writing, however, her books have made it onto coveted lists such as the New York Times Bestseller list, the YALSA’s teens’ top ten list, and Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Books list.

Condie’s standalone novel Summerlost was shortlisted for the Edgar award for best juvenile mystery novel.

What Authors Are Similar To Ally Condie?

Both Shannon Hale and Lauren Oliver are incredibly similar authors to Ally Condie. These authors all write in the young adult, fantasy, and dystopian genres that are increasingly popular with your young adult audience.

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Anna Davis