'The snippet of dialogue'.

I've seen this strategy used in several different books, but the one that comes most easily to mind is The Shadow Demons Saga by Sarra Cannon. This chapter naming style is used consistently throughout almost every chapter in the series, which is probably why it stuck with me.

The first ten books in The Shadow Demons Saga.

The first ten books in The Shadow Demons Saga.

How the author uses this strategy: Each chapter title is a short phrase (around five or six words on average) that will come up through dialogue in the chapter. It hints at the main conflict that will come up in the chapter, but doesn't give details. The dialogue snippets are often vague and hint more at moods and feelings than at plot events.

Why it works for this series: The Shadow Demons Saga is a dialogue-heavy series. A lot of the conflict is interpersonal and comes through in conversation between characters, so it makes sense to pull lines of dialogue to serve as chapter titles. The series is also told in a conversational, first-person POV, so this strategy works even when chapter titles have words like "you" or "I," which might seem out of place if the book was in third person.

An example: The first chapter in Beautiful Demons, which is the first book in the series, is called "This Is Your Last Chance." In the chapter, the main character, Harper, is heading for her sixth foster home in a year. She learns from her case worker that if she doesn't make it work at this foster home, she will have to go to juvenile detention. The title comes up in dialogue when Harper's case worker explains the ultimatum. From the moment we read the chapter title, we know something dire or high-stakes is going to be revealed in the first chapter, and the chapter delivers.

Other examples:

"Do Not Touch My Things"

"Guys Like Drake Only Date Cheerleaders"

"Maybe He Wasn't A Demons Fan"

"You'll Need to Come With Us"