Elizabeth Eulberg writes young adult romance, contemporary YA, middle grade mystery, middle grade horror-comedy, and friendship-centered fiction. She is best known for The Lonely Hearts Club, Prom and Prejudice, Better Off Friends, and the middle-grade mystery series The Great Shelby Holmes.

Her books are easy to sort once the age categories are separated. The YA romances and standalones can mostly be read in any order, but her named series should be read from book one.
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The best first Elizabeth Eulberg book for YA readers is The Lonely Hearts Club. The best first middle-grade book is The Great Shelby Holmes.
Reading Routes
Choose the route that matches the reader.
- For YA contemporary romance: begin with The Lonely Hearts Club, then continue to We Can Work It Out.
- For Jane Austen-inspired YA: read Prom and Prejudice.
- For friends-to-more romance: read Better Off Friends.
- For middle-grade mystery: read The Great Shelby Holmes series in order.
- For spooky younger middle grade: read Scared Silly in order.
- For Taylor Swift-inspired friendship and romance: begin with Love Stories in The Taylors Version series.
The Lonely Hearts Club Books in Order
This is Elizabeth Eulberg’s first major series. Read it in order because the sequel continues Penny Lane Bloom’s story after the first book.
- The Lonely Hearts Club (2010): Penny Lane Bloom swears off dating after heartbreak, then accidentally turns her personal no-boyfriend rule into a high-school movement about friendship, self-respect, and not losing yourself for romance.
- A Hard Day’s Night (2014): A short follow-up story that returns to Penny Lane’s world between the main novels and gives fans an extra look at the club’s friendships.
- Two of Us (2014): A short story set in the Lonely Hearts Club world, best read after the first novel because it assumes familiarity with the group and its dynamics.
- From Me to You (2014): A short bridge story that continues the post-book-one period and helps lead readers toward the full sequel.
- We Can Work It Out (2015): Penny Lane has to balance independence, friendship, and a boyfriend who may actually be worth the risk, making this the direct continuation of the first novel’s emotional question.
The Great Shelby Holmes Books in Order
This middle-grade mystery series reimagines Sherlock Holmes through Shelby Holmes, a brilliant young detective, and John Watson, her new neighbor and partner. Read the books in order because the friendship and case history build across the series.
- The Great Shelby Holmes (2016): Shelby Holmes and John Watson meet in Harlem and begin their detective partnership with a modern, kid-friendly twist on the Holmes-and-Watson setup.
- The Great Shelby Holmes Meets Her Match (2017): Shelby faces a rival clever enough to challenge her, testing both her detective skills and her ability to work with Watson.
- The Great Shelby Holmes and the Coldest Case (2018): Shelby and Watson go undercover in the world of figure skating, turning a cold case into one of their trickiest investigations.
- The Great Shelby Holmes and the Haunted Hound (2019): The duo investigates a spooky hound mystery, giving the series its most eerie case while keeping the logic-driven detective structure.
Scared Silly Books in Order
Scared Silly is a younger middle-grade horror-comedy series. Read it in order because the books share the same town, curse, and group of unlikely friends.
- Curses Are the Worst (2023): The series begins with a long-dormant witch’s curse and a group of kids who must figure out what is happening before their town gets stranger and scarier.
- Zombie Wedding Crashers (2023): The curse continues with zombie chaos around a wedding, raising the silliness and danger for the same group of friends.
- Vampires Ruin Everything (2024): The third book brings vampires into the curse-driven trouble, continuing the mix of spooky creatures, jokes, and teamwork.
The Taylors Version Books in Order
This YA series follows four girls named Taylor as they move through high school friendship, first love, heartbreak, and changing loyalties. It shares characters with Jen Calonita’s middle-grade sister novel The Taylors, but Elizabeth Eulberg’s books form the YA branch.
- Love Stories (2025): Teffy, Tay, Taylor, and TS enter high school, where crushes, soccer, older boys, changing friendships, and Taylor Swift-inspired emotional beats reshape their group.
- Cruel Summer (2026): The sequel continues the four Taylors’ friendship and romance arc, making it best read after Love Stories.
Elizabeth Eulberg Standalone YA Books in Order
These books do not need to be read as a single series. Publication order is useful for completists, but readers can choose by premise.
- Prom and Prejudice (2011): A modern Pride and Prejudice retelling set around a scholarship student, a wealthy school environment, and a prom-season version of Elizabeth and Darcy’s class conflict.
- Take a Bow (2012): A performing-arts-school story about ambition, friendship, fame, and the pressure of trying to stand out when everyone is chasing a dream.
- Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality (2013): A teen girl tired of being overlooked begins to question beauty-pageant culture, family expectations, and what it means to be noticed.
- Better Off Friends (2014): A friends-to-more YA romance about Macallan and Levi, whose close friendship keeps raising the question of whether they are better as friends or something else.
- Just Another Girl (2017): Two girls caught in jealousy, rivalry, and misunderstanding have to look past the version of each other they think they know.
- Past Perfect Life (2019): A teen discovers that her life and family history are not what she believed, turning a small-town coming-of-age story into one about identity, secrets, and belonging.
- Take a Chance on Me (2025): Evie’s heartbreak after a cheating scandal leads her into a new romantic and emotional reset, with music, travel, and second chances shaping the story.
Elizabeth Eulberg Standalone Middle Grade Book
- The Best Worst Summer (2021): Two girls in different summers are connected by a hidden box of secrets, creating a middle-grade story about friendship, family, memory, and a mystery across time.
Anthologies and Shared Collections
These are optional. Read them after the main books unless you are collecting every Elizabeth Eulberg story.
- Who Done It? (2013): A multi-author mystery anthology that includes an Elizabeth Eulberg contribution, best treated as a bonus piece rather than part of her main continuity.
- Serendipity: Ten Romantic Tropes, Transformed (2022): A multi-author YA romance anthology where Eulberg contributes to a collection built around familiar romance tropes with fresh twists.
- Generation Wonder: The New Age of Heroes (2022): A multi-author anthology about heroes and identity, useful for completists but separate from Eulberg’s series fiction.
Elizabeth Eulberg Books in Publication Order
This list is for readers who want the full catalogue path.
- The Lonely Hearts Club (2010): Penny Lane Bloom turns heartbreak into a friendship-first movement that challenges how girls define themselves around dating.
- Prom and Prejudice (2011): A YA Pride and Prejudice retelling that moves Austen’s class tension into a school-and-prom setting.
- Take a Bow (2012): Four performing-arts students face ambition, friendship, and the cost of chasing creative success.
- Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality (2013): A sharp YA contemporary about confidence, pageant culture, family pressure, and being seen as more than “the funny one.”
- Who Done It? (2013): A multi-author mystery anthology appearance that belongs with optional short fiction.
- Better Off Friends (2014): Macallan and Levi’s friendship becomes the center of a slow-burn question about whether love would ruin or complete what they already have.
- A Hard Day’s Night (2014): A Lonely Hearts Club short story that gives readers more time with Penny Lane’s circle.
- Two of Us (2014): A second Lonely Hearts Club short story, best placed after the first novel.
- From Me to You (2014): A third short story that helps bridge the gap before the sequel.
- We Can Work It Out (2015): Penny Lane tries to keep her independence while learning whether a healthy relationship can fit into the life she built.
- The Great Shelby Holmes (2016): Shelby Holmes and John Watson begin a middle-grade detective partnership in Harlem.
- Just Another Girl (2017): A rivalry story about jealousy, perception, and the hidden problems behind another person’s perfect-looking life.
- The Great Shelby Holmes Meets Her Match (2017): Shelby faces a rival mind that tests her confidence and her partnership with Watson.
- The Great Shelby Holmes and the Coldest Case (2018): Shelby and Watson investigate a figure-skating case with undercover stakes.
- Past Perfect Life (2019): A teen’s ordinary life is upended by a hidden truth about her past and family.
- The Great Shelby Holmes and the Haunted Hound (2019): Shelby and Watson tackle a spooky hound case with classic detective echoes.
- The Best Worst Summer (2021): A middle-grade standalone where two summers and two girls are linked by secrets from the past.
- Serendipity: Ten Romantic Tropes, Transformed (2022): A YA anthology appearance focused on reimagined romance tropes.
- Generation Wonder: The New Age of Heroes (2022): A superhero-themed anthology appearance separate from Eulberg’s main series.
- Curses Are the Worst (2023): The Scared Silly series begins with a witch’s curse and a group of kids pulled into spooky chaos.
- Zombie Wedding Crashers (2023): The Scared Silly curse continues with undead trouble at a wedding.
- Vampires Ruin Everything (2024): The third Scared Silly book adds vampires to the town’s ongoing curse problem.
- Take a Chance on Me (2025): A YA romance about heartbreak, public embarrassment, and the possibility of a new beginning.
- Love Stories (2025): The Taylors Version begins with four Taylor Swift-loving friends facing freshman-year crushes and shifting friendships.
- Cruel Summer (2026): The Taylors Version continues the four-girl friendship and romance arc.
Recommended Reading Order
This order is designed for readers who want the best progression, not just the strict publication list.
- The Lonely Hearts Club (2010): Start here because it introduces Eulberg’s core YA strengths: friendship, humor, romance, and teen self-definition.
- A Hard Day’s Night (2014): Read this after the first novel as a short return to the club.
- Two of Us (2014): Continue with another short piece from the same world.
- From Me to You (2014): Finish the short-story bridge before the sequel.
- We Can Work It Out (2015): Read next because it directly continues Penny Lane’s story.
- Prom and Prejudice (2011): Move here for Eulberg’s Austen-inspired YA romance and one of her easiest standalone reads.
- Better Off Friends (2014): Follow with her friends-to-more romance, which is one of the cleanest standalone entry points.
- Take a Bow (2012): Read here if you want ambition, performance, and ensemble friendship drama.
- Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality (2013): Continue with a confidence-and-family-pressure story.
- Just Another Girl (2017): Read after Revenge because both books examine perception, comparison, and the stories girls tell about one another.
- Past Perfect Life (2019): Place this later because it shifts into deeper identity and family-secret territory.
- Take a Chance on Me (2025): Read here for a newer YA romance with heartbreak and emotional recovery.
- The Great Shelby Holmes (2016): Begin the middle-grade mystery branch.
- The Great Shelby Holmes Meets Her Match (2017): Continue Shelby and Watson’s detective partnership.
- The Great Shelby Holmes and the Coldest Case (2018): Read third for the figure-skating case.
- The Great Shelby Holmes and the Haunted Hound (2019): Finish the Shelby Holmes sequence with the spookiest case.
- The Best Worst Summer (2021): Add this standalone middle-grade mystery after Shelby Holmes.
- Curses Are the Worst (2023): Start Scared Silly when you want younger middle-grade horror-comedy.
- Zombie Wedding Crashers (2023): Continue the Scared Silly curse storyline.
- Vampires Ruin Everything (2024): Finish the current Scared Silly sequence.
- Love Stories (2025): Begin The Taylors Version after the earlier YA romances.
- Cruel Summer (2026): Read after Love Stories because it is the sequel.
Chronological Order
A single chronological order is not useful for Elizabeth Eulberg’s full catalogue. Her YA standalones, middle-grade mysteries, and younger middle-grade horror-comedies belong to different worlds.
Use these rules instead:
- For The Lonely Hearts Club, read the first novel, then the three short stories, then We Can Work It Out.
- For The Great Shelby Holmes, read books one through four in publication order.
- For Scared Silly, read Curses Are the Worst, then Zombie Wedding Crashers, then Vampires Ruin Everything.
- For The Taylors Version, read Love Stories before Cruel Summer.
For standalones, choose by age range and premise.
Latest Elizabeth Eulberg Book
- The latest confirmed Elizabeth Eulberg book is Cruel Summer (2026), the second book in The Taylors Version series.
- The latest confirmed YA standalone before that is Take a Chance on Me (2025).
- The latest confirmed middle-grade series title is Vampires Ruin Everything (2024) in the Scared Silly series.
Do You Need to Read Elizabeth Eulberg’s Books in Order?
Only for the named series.
Read The Lonely Hearts Club, The Great Shelby Holmes, Scared Silly, and The Taylors Version in order. Those books have continuing characters or series development.
The standalone YA novels can be read in any order. Pick Prom and Prejudice for Austen retelling, Better Off Friends for friendship romance, Past Perfect Life for family secrets, or Take a Chance on Me for a newer romance.
Best Elizabeth Eulberg Book to Start With
- Start with The Lonely Hearts Club for YA romance and friendship.
- Start with Prom and Prejudice for a standalone Austen-inspired read.
- Start with Better Off Friends for a friends-to-lovers story.
- Start with The Great Shelby Holmes for middle-grade mystery.
- Start with Curses Are the Worst for younger middle-grade spooky comedy.
Start with Love Stories for The Taylors Version.
FAQ
What is Elizabeth Eulberg’s first book?
The Lonely Hearts Club is her first published novel.
Is The Lonely Hearts Club a series?
Yes. The main novels are The Lonely Hearts Club and We Can Work It Out, with three short stories between them.
How many Great Shelby Holmes books are there?
There are four Great Shelby Holmes books.
Is Prom and Prejudice connected to Pride and Prejudice?
Yes. It is a modern YA retelling inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Are Elizabeth Eulberg’s middle-grade books connected to her YA books?
No. The middle-grade books are separate from the YA romances and standalones.
What is Scared Silly?
Scared Silly is a younger middle-grade horror-comedy series about friends facing a curse and supernatural trouble.
What is Elizabeth Eulberg’s newest series?
Her newest confirmed series is The Taylors Version, beginning with Love Stories and continuing with Cruel Summer.
Conclusion
Elizabeth Eulberg’s books are easiest to read by age range and series. Begin with The Lonely Hearts Club for YA, The Great Shelby Holmes for middle-grade mystery, Curses Are the Worst for spooky younger readers, or Love Stories for The Taylors Version.
For the broadest introduction, read The Lonely Hearts Club, Prom and Prejudice, Better Off Friends, The Great Shelby Holmes, and then branch by age range or premise.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.

