The Pretty Little Liars series includes 18 books, which can be hard to navigate. So, what’s the best way to read them? Here are, in my opinion, the best and most effective reading orders.
Option 1: Release order
This is the most straightforward approach, where you read the books in the order they were published:
Pretty Little Liars
Flawless
Perfect
Unbelievable
Wicked
Killer
Heartless
Wanted
Twisted
Ruthless
Pretty Little Secrets
Stunning
Burned
Ali’s Pretty Little Lies
Crushed
Deadly
Toxic
Vicious'
Option 2: Semi-chronological order
The only difference between option 1 and 2 is the placement of Pretty Little Secrets. In this order, the book is placed between book 4, Unbelievable, and book 5, Wicked, because that’s when the book takes place. Even though the book was released later, reading it here is completely fine as there are no spoilers in the book. However, you’ll notice that Ali’s Pretty Little Lies is still placed between book 13 and 15. That’s because reading it first will spoil the entire series.
Pretty Little Liars
Flawless
Perfect
Unbelievable
Pretty Little Secrets
Wicked
Killer
Heartless
Wanted
Twisted
Ruthless
Stunning
Burned
Ali’s Pretty Little Lies
Crushed
Deadly
Toxic
Vicious
Option 3: Chronological order (second-time readers only!)
The third option is reading the books in chronological order, which means putting Ali’s Pretty Little Lies first and Pretty Little Secrets sixth. However, you should only ever read the books in this order if you’ve already read them previously, as reading Ali’s Pretty Little Lies first spoils the entire series. But if you have already read all of the books before, reading them this way can be very enjoyable.
Ali’s Pretty Little Lies
Pretty Little Liars
Flawless
Perfect
Unbelievable
Pretty Little Secrets
Wicked
Killer
Heartless
Wanted
Twisted
Ruthless
Stunning
Burned
Crushed
Deadly
Toxic
Vicious