5 Best Books Like Uglies Every YA Dystopian Fan Must Read

Have you ever finished a book and thought, “I need something similar to this right now”? That’s exactly how I feel after reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, one of the most iconic YA dystopian novels ever written.

The whole idea of a world where you are forced to get surgery just to be considered “normal” hit pretty hard, y’know, and it made me think about how much of our lives are shaped by rules we never question.

The futuristic cosmetic surgeries, the obsession with appearances, and the rebellion against enforced agreement all feel both thrilling and disturbingly relevant today.

By the time I finished, I didn’t want to leave that world behind, so I went searching for other books that carried the same energy, the same vibe.

As a reader, that’s one of the best parts: finding stories that echo the same themes but still surprise you. Books like Uglies usually have that mix of rebellion, strange societies, and characters who are caught between following the system or breaking away.

They’re the kind of reads that pull you in and keep you thinking long after you close the book.

If you’re like me and you’re craving more after Uglies, or you loved following Tally’s journey, here are some titles worth picking up.

In this guide, I’ve handpicked 10 must-read books like Uglies and grouped them thematically, so you can pick based on what you loved most about Scott Westerfeld’s world.

Why These Books Are Like Uglies

Most “books like Uglies” lists just throw together popular YA dystopian novels. But let’s take it a step deeper. What makes Uglies unique are three core themes:

1. Beauty and Conformity—The idea that beauty is manufactured, enforced, and used as a weapon of control.
2. Rebellion Against Control—Teens questioning authority, dismantling oppressive systems, and searching for truth.
3. Coming-of-Age in Dystopia—Struggling with identity, love, and choice while trapped in a broken world.

The books below mirror these themes in different ways; some focus more on beauty, some on rebellion, and others on survival.

How I Selected These Books

5 Must-Read Dystopian Books Similar to Uglies

This post will be for specific readers who read Uglies and want a similar kind of vibe. This post will be short, with only 5-7 books to cover, so let’s start.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Genre: YA Dystopian
Publication Date: September 14, 2008
Pages: 374
Goodreads Rating: 4.35/5 (over 9,659,179 ratings)

If you don’t know about this book, I tell you this is one of the most popular books across the world, and it is none other than The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

This is a book that stays in your mind after you close it. The story takes place in a future world where the government controls people through fear and survival.

Each year, young people are chosen to fight in a brutal competition where only one can survive. If you don’t want to start reading immediately, you can also watch the movie, which is not deep; it’s like it only scratches the surface.

What makes this book powerful is not just the action but how it shows courage, family, and choice. Collins writes in a way that keeps you turning the pages, and the tension never lets up.

If you are searching for books like Uglies, The Hunger Games is a natural and perfect pick. I’ll write another post for The Hunger Games fans seeking similar stories.

Both stories look at control, society, and what it means to push back against unfair systems. Readers who enjoy questioning the cost of freedom and survival will find this book rewarding.

Compared to Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games is harsher in tone. Still, both explore strength, rebellion, and finding identity in a divided world.

Why it’s unique: A gripping dystopian tale of survival, rebellion, and resilience that redefined YA literature.

Favorite line from the book- “May the odds be ever in your favor.” – Suzanne Collins.

Here’s the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins in order:

1. The Hunger Games (2008)
2. Catching Fire (2009)
3. Mockingjay (2010)

Prequel: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020)

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Genre: YA Dystopian, Sci-Fi
Publication Date: April 24, 2011
Pages: 501
Goodreads Rating: 4.13/5 (over 4,306,217 ratings)

This book will throw you straight into a society where everything is divided neatly into factions, each one built on a core value: honesty, selflessness, bravery, knowledge, or peace.

On the surface, this book looks orderly, almost utopian, but the author wastes no time showing us how fragile and suffocating such order can be.

At the core of the story is Tris, a girl who doesn’t slot cleanly into any of these categories, and that makes her both dangerous and fascinating.

What really works about Divergent isn’t just the fast-paced action (though there’s plenty of that). It’s the way Roth digs into what it means to belong or not belong in a world that insists on labeling you.

The book shows the real fear of making a choice that defines your future, which is sometimes hard to do, only to wonder if you chose wrong and then what will happen.

If you enjoyed books like Uglies, this is worth picking up if you ask me. Like Uglies, it shows a world built on strict rules, where one person begins to see the cracks in the system.

Compared to Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, Divergent also blends personal choice with power struggles, though each takes a unique approach to control and rebellion.

Why it’s unique: A thrilling exploration of identity, courage, and choice in a fractured society.

Favorite line from the book- “Becoming fearless isn’t the point. That’s impossible. It’s learning how to control your fear, and how to be free.” – Veronica Roth.

Here’s the Divergent series by Veronica Roth in order:

1. Divergent (2011)
2. Insurgent (2012)
3. Allegiant (2013)

Companion/novel Four: A Divergent Collection (2014)

3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA Sci-Fi Fantasy, Romance
Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Pages: 390
Goodreads Rating: 4.13/5 (over 997,091 ratings for the series)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer is the first book in the Lunar Chronicles series. I just finished Cinder by Marissa Meyer, and I want to tell you about it in a relaxed way—no heavy language, just me chatting about a book I liked.

It’s a sci-fi twist on Cinderella, set in a future Beijing. Cinder is a cyborg mechanic who keeps her identity low-key.

You know that this book reminds me of Alita: Battle Angel, but when Prince Kai shows up with a broken android, things shift fast.

A plague hits, her stepsister gets sick, and suddenly, Cinder is at the heart of political drama—though I won’t spoil the big reveals.

The world feels vivid and a bit like the Blade Runner movie crossed with Enchanted dark tech with fairy-tale charm. The story moves well, and Cinder feels real and capable.

If you’re looking for books like Uglies with tech, strong girls, and questions about who we become, I’d point you here. It’s a strong start to a fun series.

Why it’s unique: A futuristic, sci-fi retelling of Cinderella with cyborgs, lunar politics, and a heroine who rewrites destiny.

Favorite line from the book- “Even in the future, the story begins with once upon a time.” – Marissa Meyer

Here’s the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer in order:

1. Cinder (2012)
2. Scarlet (2013)
3. Cress (2014)
4. Winter (2015)

Companion/novellas:

• Fairest (2015)
• Stars Above (2016)

Read Also- 10 Urban Fantasy Books You Can’t Miss This Year

4. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Genre: YA Fantasy, Dystopian
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Pages: 383
Goodreads Rating: 3.98/5 (over 1,141,140 ratings)

Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen is one of those YA fantasies that hooks you right away with its mix of danger, politics, and power struggles.

The premise feels simple at first: society is divided by blood, with the elite literally born stronger, but the author layers it with sharp tension and moral grayness.

What makes the book stand out is how personal the story feels: Mare isn’t just navigating court conspiracy and rebellion, she’s trying to figure out who she is when the world keeps telling her she doesn’t belong.

That balance between big-picture stakes and intimate choices is what makes the book so compelling.

If you loved Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, this is a natural next read. Both series take a hard look at rigid systems designed to control people, and both center on a single character forced to question—and ultimately challenge—that system.

Red Queen delivers that same vibe and sense of a fragile world hiding behind power and appearances, where one decision can change everything.

Why it’s unique: A fierce clash of power, blood, and betrayal in a world divided by the color in your veins.

Favorite line from the book-“Anyone can betray anyone.” – Victoria Aveyard

Here’s the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard in order:

1. Red Queen (2015)
2. Glass Sword (2016)
3. King’s Cage (2017)
4. War Storm (2018)

Companion/novella collection:

• Cruel Crown (2016)
• Broken Throne (2019)

5. Matched by Ally Condie

Genre: YA Dystopian, Romance
Publication Date: November 30, 2010
Pages: 366
Goodreads Rating: 3.62/5 (over 810,720 ratings)

Matched, a book by Ally Condie, is one of those books that sneaks up on you, not with action-packed twists, but with the slow unraveling of what it means to actually live.

Cassia’s world is so tightly managed, with every meal, every job, and every relationship mapped out for her, that at first it feels almost comforting, like maybe this is the way to keep people safe and happy.

That part reminded me of The Giver and also of The Matrix, where life looks perfect on the outside but has cracks once you look closer. But when a tiny glitch in the system shows her something different, that’s when things start to shift.

What I loved most wasn’t just the love triangle or the rebellion brewing underneath the surface, but how the book makes you sit with those bigger questions: is safety worth giving up choice? What do we lose when life is too perfectly planned?

The pacing is slower than some other dystopias, but that’s part of its strength—it gives you space to feel Cassia’s confusion and awakening instead of rushing through it.

If you like books like Uglies, you’ll recognize the same sense of peeling back layers of a “perfect” society and realizing how fragile it really is.

And like Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Matched ties the personal to the political; one girl’s choices ripple outward into a much larger system.

It’s the kind of book that lingers with you, not because of shocking plot twists, but because it makes you reflect on your own life: how many of your choices are really yours, and how much of your “freedom” is just the illusion of choice?

Why it’s unique: A lyrical dystopian romance where love, choice, and individuality collide against a society that dictates everything.

Favorite line from the book-“You cannot change your journey if you are unwilling to move at all.” – Ally Condie

Here’s the Matched series by Ally Condie in order:

1. Matched (2010)
2. Crossed (2011)
3. Reached (2012)

Also Read- 18 Best Reverse Harem Books to Read – Sweet to Dark Picks!

Bonus Point- Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Genre: YA Dystopian, Science Fiction, Romance
Publication Date: February 3, 2011
Pages: 480 (hardcover first edition)
Goodreads Rating: 3.95/5 (based on over 477,269 ratings)

When I was ready to share my list, I realized I couldn’t leave out Delirium by Lauren Oliver, so I added it as a bonus pick for you guys. The book takes place in a world where love is seen as a disease, and people are expected to be “cured” to stay safe.

Right away, that idea made me think about movies like The Giver or even Equilibrium, where society tries to control emotions for the sake of order.

Oliver’s writing makes you feel the weight of that choice—losing love to gain safety—and it’s the kind of setup that keeps you reading late into the night.

If you like books similar to Uglies, of course, you like that; that’s why you are reading this post. Delirium fits right in for its quality and popularity.

It has that same mix of strict rules, characters who question everything like a curious guy, and a world that feels both strange and uncomfortably familiar. It’s less about action and more about the cost of freedom, which makes it stand out in the genre.

Why it’s unique: A haunting dystopian romance where love itself is outlawed, exploring freedom, rebellion, and the cost of feeling.

Favorite line from the book-“Love: it will kill you and save you, both.” – Lauren Oliver

Here’s the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver in order:

1. Delirium (2011)
2. Pandemonium (2012)
3. Requiem (2013)

Novellas (optional reads, but part of the series):

• Hana (2011)
• Annabel (2012)
• Raven (2013)

Which Book Is Better for You?

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Perfect if you want a fast-paced survival story with high stakes and a heroine who challenges the system head-on.
• Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – Best if you enjoy royalty, power struggles, and a world divided by class and ability. It’s a mix of politics, secrets, and rebellion.
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer – A great choice if you like futuristic twists on fairy tales. This one blends sci-fi with a fresh take on the Cinderella story.
• Divergent by Veronica Roth – Read this if you want a faction-based society and a main character learning to break free from labels. Action-driven and identity-focused.
• Matched by Ally Condie – Ideal if you prefer a slower, thoughtful story centered on love, choice, and questioning a perfectly controlled world.

Conclusion

Sometimes, without action, books give us lots of knowledge. What if? Types of questions. Books like Uglies, mostly based on young adult dystopian science fiction, ask bigger questions while still giving us a gripping story.

They remind us why we read in the first place—not just for the action, but for the chance to imagine how different the world could be.

If Uglies made you pause and think, these other books will do the same in their own ways. Each one offers a fresh take on identity, control, and choice, but with its own voice and world to get lost in, like some books actually taken on long rides.

That’s the joy of finding the next read: it’s familiar enough to feel right, yet new enough to keep you turning pages at night.

Your Turn– Which book would you pick after Uglies? Drop your favorite in the comments—I’d love to hear your recs!

FAQs About Books Like Uglies