When you finish a book you love, it's tempting to want to read a novel just like it next, or at least one that's very similar. That may be a book by the same author, or it might be about the same subject or in the same genre. How to find a similar book is not always easy.
In our ‘books like’ section, Five Books editors hunt for books that are like some of the most popular books available in English. They're very personal takes, because what you love in a book can vary greatly from person to person. Two people might consider War and Peace their favourite novel (say), but one love it for the war parts—and its analysis of what made Napoleon so successful in conquering Europe—while another reader might skip the battle scenes altogether and read only the peace bits. Still, these are our handpicked selections of books like Bad Blood, books like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and more.
Loved A Court of Thorns and Roses? We think you’ll like these books too
A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first instalment in Sarah J. Maas’ bestselling adult fantasy series, a worldwide phenomenon that has now sold more than 13 million copies. If you’ve been looking for more faerie romance and fantastical adventure like that of A Court of Thorns and Roses, here are five books we think you’ll love.
Loved The Secret History? We think you’ll like these books too
Donna Tartt’s modern classic The Secret History has captivated readers since it was first published 1992, and has recently seen popularity renewed among Gen Z readers on TikTok. If you loved this subversive literary whydunnit and want to read more books like it, here are five of our recommendations.
Loved Wolf Hall? We think you’ll like these books too
If you adored Hilary Mantel’s double-Booker-Prize-winning trilogy Wolf Hall, here are five more books like it: four works of historical fiction and one nonfiction title which we believe—for one reason or another—will go some way towards filling the Cromwell-shaped hole in your life.
Loved The Handmaid’s Tale? We think you’ll like these books too
Margaret Atwood’s landmark work of speculative fiction was first published in 1985—and returned to prominence after a hit television adaptation underlined its continued relevancy in Donald Trump’s America. Whether you are a faithful fan of many years, or a recent convert to Atwood’s work, you are probably looking for more books like The Handmaid’s Tale—and we can help.
Loved Normal People? We think you’ll like these books too
Sally Rooney’s second novel, Normal People, has been that rare beast: literary heavyweight and fixture on the bestseller lists, both. If you’ve read the book, watched the show, and still hunger for more, here are our suggestions for what to read after Normal People.
Loved Heartstopper? We think you’ll like these books too
Alice Oseman’s heartwarming YA webcomic has taken the world by storm. As fans watch the second season of the hit TV adaptation, we recommend five more books like Heartstopper, including a popular manga series, a graphic memoir of coming out, and age-appropriate LGBT romances set in high school
Loved Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us? We think you’ll like these books too
Colleen Hoover’s bestselling romance It Ends With Us has sold more than a million copies and left legions of fans desperate for more. If you have read It Ends With Us and its sequel It Starts With Us, and are looking for a new heart-shattering romance to get your teeth into, look no further: here are our five recommendations.
Loved Dune? We think you’ll like these books too
Frank Herbert’s science fiction epic Dune, first published in 1965, is finding a fresh audience thanks to a new, big-budget Oscar-winning film adaptation starring Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson. If you have recently read the book and find yourself now with a hitherto-unexplored hunger for space opera, here are five novels that we think you’ll like if you enjoyed Dune.
Loved Stranger Things? We think you’ll like these books too
The hit Netflix series Stranger Things is rich in period detail—though its appeal goes well beyond just a nostalgia trip. Here’s a reading list for Stranger Things fans while they await season five, with a focus on literary and graphic classics: what those of us who were playing Dungeons & Dragons in the 1980s were reading for inspiration at the time.