YOUNG ADULT BOOKWORMS ツ discussion

Hi all! So I've been in a fantasy YA phase. Even though im a woman in my late 20s, i feel like YA is a genre with characters that almost everyone can relate to. Its also a time in our lives where we faced the most in terms of hardships and happiness. The most happening time, as it were.
So ive been looking for books with a certain theme and I'm hoping the brilliant minds in this group can help. I like books where the male protagonist plays a sort of cat and mouse game. Bring to mind The Forbidden games by L. J. Smith, Caraval by Stephanie Garber, Once upon a broken heart by Stephanie Garber, Labyrinth. Basically i like books with carnivals (creepy ones) and the male protagonist playing games with the female protagonist but in the end you find out that there is more underneath that exterior.
The reason why I'm specifying YA is because i don't like NA or adult content. I don't like explicit scenes. And usually books with this theme are adult (wintersong comes to mind). I do plan on reading Night Circus since ive heard it's something right up my alley so something other than that. I absolutely love books with an element of horror and a touch of romance. I'd like to add that the caraval series has the plot i like but I wasn't a huge fan of the romantic arc and the female characters. So i don't mind if the book does not have a lot of romance, subtle romance is fine by me. I just want something with a theme similar to the books ive mentioned but without the smut.
Thanks in advance!

Hi! Thank you for the recommendation, but this isn’t exactly what I’m looking for
I’m looking for more of a carnival/circus/amusement park setting, a mysterious stranger who makes the female protagonist take part in a game of some sort and even though we initially think that this mysterious stranger is the villain of the story, he’s really not. Like Morpheus from the splintered series (his character was what I liked the most in the book, the rest was meh) or jacks from caraval/ once upon a broken heart. The forbidden games series by L. j Smith is another example minus the ending

Invisible in a bright light by Sally Gardner might be a book you would like? It has the cat and mouse game element to it and I found it a rewarding read when it all comes together at the end.