10 books to read if you like Rebecca on Netflix
10 books to read if you loved Netflix’s Rebecca
Netflix’s adaptation of Rebecca, starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, and Kristen Scott Thomas, hit Netflix on Wednesday, Oct. 21. It’s creepy and haunting and probably left you a little scared to walk around in the dark.
But what do you do after you finish the movie? Sure, you can rewatch it, but what about a good, creepy book?
Luckily, there are also plenty of books that are perfect for anyone who liked the Netflix movie. Let’s discuss!
1. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
If you like Rebecca on Netflix, you need to immediately read Mexican Gothic. It has all the gothic vibes you could ever want and will scare the absolute crap out of you. While NoemÍ doesn’t go to the mansion because she married a dude, she does go to one to help her cousin who recently married an Englishman.
It’s clear from the start that something is up with this house and when you figure out what it is, you will lose your mind in shock. It’s so good and scary and needs to be your next read. It’s also a gothic story that doesn’t take place in England/isn’t so British-centric.
2. I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick
I Killed Zoe Spanos is a modern young adult retelling of Rebecca so it’s perfect if you love the movie. Anna shows up in a small village in the Hamptons to be a nanny for the summer, but what was supposed to be a new start, ends up being something she could never imagine.
Zoe Spanos, a local girl, went missing and it just so happens that Anna looks just like her (what??). As Anna finds out more and more about Zoe, she realizes that her and Zoe might be more connected than just their looks. Anna might be her murderer! But not everything is as it seems! Read this!
3. Mrs. de Winter by Susan Hill
If you love Rebecca, you need to check out the sequel to it by Susan Hill. It starts ten years after the end of Rebecca and the second Mrs. de Winter and her husband seem to be happy. They have put the events of the past behind them.
The ghost of the first Mrs de Winter’s ghost seems to be gone for good. That might be true (or is it?!), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t others who are after the couple. There are more ghosts out there than just the former Mrs. de Winter.
4. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
Ready for more scary, possibly murderous, women by the author of Rebecca? My Cousin Rachel needs to be your next read. Philip loves the world him and his cousin Ambrose have made at their home. But when Ambrose goes away, dies, and Philip has to meet Ambrose’s new widow, he is more than a little suspicious of her. Did she kill Ambrose? Based on the letters he has from his cousin, that may be the case.
But when Philip meets the widow, Rachel, he finds himself drawn to her in a way he can’t explain. I can hear the eerie music just thinking about it.
5. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is about a young woman that takes a job as a governess to two children. But when she gets there, the children don’t speak and the estate they live on is creepy AF. Disturbing kids and a haunted mansion in one book!
The young woman must deal with phantoms, ghosts, and demons as she tries to figure out what is going on in this estate and what it has to do with the children. If you love the creepy, ghost vibes of Rebecca, this is definitely a book you want to try next.
6. The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell
The Silent Companions is very much like Rebecca, but with one distinct difference: the husband is dead. Elsie goes to her late husband’s country estate to see out her pregnancy in peace, but what she finds is far from peaceful. The house is crumbling and everyone is against her. All she has for companionship is her husband’s cousin and he’s not exactly fun to be around.
But that’s not even half the problems Elsie must deal with. There is also a locked door in the house and behind the door is a wooden figure that looks a little too much like Elsie. Creepy, right? It doesn’t help that the servants are scared of the figure. Elsie thinks they are being overly cautious until she notices the figure moving. Don’t read this one at night.
7. The Binding by Bridget Collins
The Binding by Bridget Collins came out in 2019 and is one of probably ten books that made me ugly cry on the couch at two in the morning. While it’s not too much like Rebecca, it does have a frightening reveal that will have you wondering whether books were ever a good idea in the first place.
Books are used to erase memories people rather not have swimming inside their head and while that might seem like a good idea, it’s anything but. It’s used like a weapon and Emmett and Lucian find that out in the worst way possible.
Their relationship will tear your heart apart but also put it back together. Bring tissues when you read this one. And give it a couple of chapters to get going. You won’t know right off the bat what’s happening, but once it’s revealed, it’s worth the slow start.
There is a mention of rape in the book. It’s not graphic but take precautions if you need to.
8. Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver
Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver will have you terrified with each new page. It follows the story of Maud and Edmund Stearn. Maud is the daughter of Edmund, an angry tyrant who picks on everyone in his family, but especially Maud. Trying to figure out some way to cope, Maud sneaks into her father’s study and finds his diary.
It turns out not everything is as it seems with Edmund. During a walk, Edmund spots a painting (a doom). It depicts hell in a way that terrifies Edmund. After he leaves it in the marsh, he thinks that’s the end of it, but it keeps returning to his mind. The smell of the marshy area where he found it seeps into the house and at night, he hears scratching sounds.
This is another one you might want to read with all the lights on.
9. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
If you’re going to watch a movie based on a book, you have to eventually read the book, right? Rebecca is one of Daphne du Maurier’s most famous books and tells the story of a young woman who, after living as an orphan and a maid, marries rich. How lucky can she get? Unfortunately, that luck doesn’t last long.
The newlywed couple returns to the husband’s (Maxim de Winter) estate and that’s when things start going wrong. The new Mrs. de Winter is not the first to hold that title. Her husband was married once before and that woman is haunting the house, placing doubts inside her head, and trying to destroy the new marriage.
10. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
It doesn’t get more “gothic vibes” than Jane Eyre. The story of the orphaned girl who ends up in love with her employer only to find out (ON HER WEDDING DAY) that he already has a wife and she’s in the attic. If you thought Mr. Rochester was on par with Mr. Darcy, think again.
Besides being gothic, Jane Eyre and Rebecca have the vengeful wife trope in common but in Jane Eyre, she’s no ghost. She’s very real and tries to burn down the house at least twice.
Jane Eyre is also a tad bit more romantic than Rebecca. Mr. Rochester pulls out all the stops for Jane. He just….doesn’t mention the wife in the attic.
If you like Rebecca, Jane Eyre is definitely another classic you may want to check out.
What other books remind you of Rebecca? Let us know in the comments below!