Most Likely to Murder by McBride, Lish

Yearbook superlatives turn deadly in this darkly funny young adult thriller.

The rumor mill has never been kind to Meadowvale High seniors and best friends Rick and Martina, labeling them outcasts (sure), stoners (no comment), and pranksters (okay, this one's fair). But for the most part, they have successfully flown under the radar.

That is, until they're targeted in a prank that replaces yearbook superlatives with grisly forecasts of student and faculty deaths. Sure, Rick and Martina were never going to be voted Most Likely to Succeed . . . but Homecoming's Cutest Corpses? Thanks for the cute, no thanks on the corpse.

At first, the senior class is annoyed by the prank. But when the body of Mr. Stephens, Most Likely to Sleep with the Fishes, is dredged from the bottom of a lake, suspicions arise that something truly sinister is going on. And as more people turn up dead in the exact ways the yearbook promised, it becomes clear someone's killing off the student body one page at a time.

Now Rick and Martina must find the yearbook killer before their vicious superlative comes true. So much for surviving high school without drawing attention. Now Rick and Martina just want to survive.

For fans of Holly Jackson, Karen M. McManus, and Danielle Valentine!

Author: Lish McBride
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Published: 03/24/2026
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.44w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780593860403
Age Range: 12-UP

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 01/01/2026
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2026
School Library Journal 02/13/2026 pg. 1

About the Author
Lish McBride is the author of funny and creepy young adult books such as Hold Me Closer, Necromancer; Necromancing the Stone; Firebug; Pyromantic; Curses; and Red in Tooth and Claw. She has published short stories on Tor.com, and in the anthologies Cornered, What to Read in the Rain, and Kisses & Curses. Her first book, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults title, a Morris Award finalist, and the winner of the Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award. Lish is a former indie bookseller, has a MFA from the University of New Orleans, and prefers pie to cake. While she has no long-term goals for world domination, she would like her own castle.