Books Like Normal People
Based on Normal People by Sally Rooney
Contemporary literary fiction about complex relationships, intimacy, and modern life.
If you loved Normal People, try these:
Beautiful World, Where Are You
Sally Rooney
Why it's similar: Rooney's third novel about two friends navigating love, ambition, and late-twenties uncertainty.
352 pages
Conversations with Friends
Sally Rooney
Why it's similar: Rooney's debut — two college students become entangled with a married couple in Dublin.
321 pages
Exciting Times
Naoise Dolan
Why it's similar: An Irish woman in Hong Kong navigates a love triangle and her own emotional avoidance.
Open Water
Caleb Azumah Nelson
Why it's similar: Two young Black artists in London fall in love while navigating race, identity, and vulnerability.
149 pages
A Little Life
Hanya Yanagihara
Why it's similar: Four college friends in New York forge deep bonds while one carries devastating trauma.
760 pages
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Ocean Vuong
Why it's similar: A letter from a son to his mother exploring identity, violence, and tenderness in America.
258 pages
The Idiot
Elif Batuman
Why it's similar: A wry, observant freshman falls for a mysterious math student through email exchanges.
432 pages
Queenie
Candice Carty-Williams
Why it's similar: A Jamaican-British woman in London spirals after a breakup in this warm, honest portrait.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin
Why it's similar: Two friends build a video game empire while navigating love, creativity, and loss over decades.
417 pages
Track Your Reading
Found your next book? Use ReadShelf to track your reading progress and discover more recommendations.
Download Free App