books for YA dystopian lover trying to get back into reading

hey all! i know you probably see this type of post like every day so sorry in advance😭

i am the typical gen z reader who was obsessed with dystopian novels in middle/early high school but eventually fell out of the habit. i want to get back into reading but am overwhelmed by all the options.

some books that still stand out to me today are the maze runner and i am number 4 series. i really liked these books because they threw you into the action, had large well developed casts and had a larger mystery aspect. i loved watching the characters trying to figure out the secrets to the worlds around them. i still like these elements today.

however i think i have moved on past YA. i don’t want teen mcs anymore. i would prefer a mc maybe in their mid 20s but older is also ok. i also don’t want it to be too dark. not saying there can’t be dark moments or start off dark but i don’t want to read a book just about people suffering. i tried reading handmaid’s tail and thought it was just a bit too dark for me.

i also liked the writing style of maze runner and handmaid’s tail. i recently read the seven husbands of evenlyn hugo and while i didn’t hate it, the writing felt a bit too straight forward/bland.

also if possible i want to at least START with a standalone book rather than a series. i don’t think i can commit to a full series or super long book rn.

ok sorry my post is a bit long for ty in advance for any recs!!