Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you loved The Selection, try The Elite, The Princess Diaries, Red Queen, Cinder, Matched and Shatter Me. Each one combines royal romance, competition and a heroine who refuses to play by the rules.
Kiera Cass's novel follows America Singer, who is chosen to compete with thirty-four other girls for the heart of Prince Maxon, though she is in love with someone else back home. It is a mix of palace intrigue, dystopian politics and light romance. These books share the same royal settings and swoony love stories.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Elite | Kiera Cass | 12+ | readers who want more America and Maxon |
| The Princess Diaries | Meg Cabot | 12+ | readers who like royal humor |
| Red Queen | Victoria Aveyard | 13+ | readers who like royal intrigue |
| Cinder | Marissa Meyer | 12+ | readers who like retellings |
| Matched | Ally Condie | 12+ | readers who like dystopian romance |
| Shatter Me | Tahereh Mafi | 14+ | readers who like intense romance |
| The Hunger Games | Suzanne Collins | 12+ | readers who like televised competitions |
| The Wrath and the Dawn | Renée Ahdieh | 14+ | readers who like royal romance |
| Royals | Rachel Hawkins | 13+ | readers who like rom-coms |
| The Heir | Kiera Cass | 12+ | readers who want the next generation |
| Ella Enchanted | Gail Carson Levine | 10+ | younger readers |
| The Crown | Kiera Cass | 12+ | readers finishing the series |
| Uglies | Scott Westerfeld | 12+ | readers who like dystopia |
| The Cruel Prince | Holly Black | 14+ | readers who want darker royal politics |
| Red, White & Royal Blue | Casey McQuiston | 16+ | older readers |
1. The Elite by Kiera Cass
The competition narrows to six girls, and America must decide what she wants.
Best for: readers who want more America and Maxon.
2. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
A teen discovers she is the heir to a small European throne.
Best for: readers who like royal humor.
3. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
A girl is brought to the palace and engaged to a prince.
Best for: readers who like royal intrigue.
4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
A cyborg Cinderella in a futuristic Beijing.
Best for: readers who like retellings.
5. Matched by Ally Condie
A girl's assigned match is not the boy she loves.
Best for: readers who like dystopian romance.
6. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
A girl with a lethal touch is used as a weapon.
Best for: readers who like intense romance.
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Katniss competes in a deadly televised event.
Best for: readers who like televised competitions.
8. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
A girl marries a murderous king to uncover his secrets.
Best for: readers who like royal romance.
9. Royals by Rachel Hawkins
A Florida girl's sister gets engaged to a Scottish prince.
Best for: readers who like rom-coms.
10. The Heir by Kiera Cass
America and Maxon's daughter hosts her own Selection.
Best for: readers who want the next generation.
11. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
A girl cursed with obedience sets out to break it.
Best for: younger readers.
12. The Crown by Kiera Cass
Princess Eadlyn must choose her partner and rule.
Best for: readers finishing the series.
13. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
A girl waits for the surgery that will make her pretty.
Best for: readers who like dystopia.
14. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
A mortal girl schemes in a faerie court.
Best for: readers who want darker royal politics.
15. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
A U.S. president's son falls for a British prince.
Best for: older readers.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with The Selection: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
Continue with The Elite and The One, then the two spin-offs The Heir and The Crown. For royal romance, try The Princess Diaries or Royals. If you want more intrigue, choose Red Queen or The Cruel Prince. Younger readers can start with Ella Enchanted. If America's spirited voice was your favorite part, The Princess Diaries and Royals offer the same humor, while Cinder and Matched lean more into the dystopian side. For a competition with much higher stakes, The Hunger Games is the obvious next read, and for older teens, Red, White & Royal Blue brings royal romance into the present day. All of these are easy to binge in a weekend.
Related: What Age Is The Selection Appropriate For? A Parent’s Guide · 12 Dystopian Books Like the Hunger Games | Best Books to Read Like Hunger Games
Frequently Asked Questions
What age is The Selection for?
It is usually recommended for ages 12 and up.
How many Selection books are there?
There are five novels plus novellas.
Is The Selection like The Hunger Games?
It has a televised competition, but it focuses on romance instead of violence.
Is The Selection clean?
Yes. It has kissing and no explicit content.
Do I need to read the novellas?
No. They add other characters' points of view, but the five novels tell the full story.
Is The Selection good for younger teens?
Yes. Its gentle romance and light violence make it a popular choice for readers around 12 and up.
Will there be a Selection movie?
A film adaptation has been announced several times, but check the latest news before you plan around it.