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  • Experts

Discover more books like the books you already love

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 Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us? We think you’ll like these books too

  • Read
    Wish You Were Here by Renee Carlino

    1

    Wish You Were Here
    by Renee Carlino

  • Read
    The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

    2

    The Hating Game
    by Sally Thorne

  • Read
    They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

    3

    They Both Die at the End
    by Adam Silvera

  • Read
    Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

    4

    Love and Other Words
    by Christina Lauren

  • Read
    Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

    5

    Ugly Love
    by Colleen Hoover

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 The Secret History? We think you’ll like these books too

  • Read
    The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

    1

    The Goldfinch
    by Donna Tartt

  • Read
    Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

    2

    Ninth House
    by Leigh Bardugo

  • Read
    The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis

    3

    The Rules of Attraction
    by Bret Easton Ellis

  • Read
    A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

    4

    A Little Life
    by Hanya Yanagihara

  • Read
    If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

    5

    If We Were Villains
    by M. L. Rio

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 The Thursday Murder Club? We think you’ll like these books too

  • Read
    The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

    1

    The Marlow Murder Club
    by Robert Thorogood

  • Read
    Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey

    2

    Brat Farrar
    by Josephine Tey

  • Read
    A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie

    3

    A Murder is Announced
    by Agatha Christie

  • Read
    The Quiche of Death by M C Beaton

    4

    The Quiche of Death
    by M C Beaton

  • Read
    Cast, in Order of Disappearance by Simon Brett

    5

    Cast, in Order of Disappearance
    by Simon Brett

Loved The Thursday Murder Club? We think you’ll like these books too

What books are like The Thursday Murder Club in offering light entertainment and making fun of the murder-mystery genre? Five Books editor Sophie Roell, an avid reader of murder mysteries, has some recommendations.

    Loved Where the Crawdads Sing? We think you’ll like these books too

  • Read
    The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne

    1

    The Marsh King's Daughter
    by Karen Dionne

  • Read
    Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

    2

    Educated: A Memoir
    by Tara Westover

  • Read
    The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

    3

    The Snow Child
    by Eowyn Ivey

  • Read
    The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

    4

    The Great Alone
    by Kristin Hannah

  • Read
    The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

    5

    The Vanishing Half
    by Brit Bennett

Loved Where the Crawdads Sing? We think you’ll like these books too

Delia Owens’ bestselling coming-of-age tale is a moving tale of survival, independence, and the power of human connection. The book will find a new audience this summer, when a big screen adaptation is scheduled for release, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones. But if you’ve read it already and just can’t wait for the movie, here are five books like Where the Crawdads Sing that we think you’ll love.

    Loved Harry Potter? We think you’ll like these books too

  • Read
    The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

    1

    The Lightning Thief
    by Rick Riordan

  • Read
    His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

    2

    His Dark Materials
    by Philip Pullman

  • Read
    Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

    3

    Akata Witch
    by Nnedi Okorafor

  • Read
    The Lost Twin (Scarlet and Ivy, Book 1) by Sophie Cleverly

    4

    The Lost Twin (Scarlet and Ivy, Book 1)
    by Sophie Cleverly

  • Read
    The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence

    5

    The Thieves of Ostia
    by Caroline Lawrence

Loved Harry Potter? We think you’ll like these books too

When you’re looking for books like Harry Potter, it’s worth trying to pin down exactly what aspects of the series it is you’re trying to relive. Here, Sophie Roell, Editor of Five Books, tries to break it down and offers some ideas of other books you might enjoy.

    Loved Wolf Hall? We think you’ll like these books too

  • Read
    The Fifth Queen: A Novel of the Court of Henry VIII by Ford Madox Ford

    1

    The Fifth Queen: A Novel of the Court of Henry VIII
    by Ford Madox Ford

  • Read
    Rizzio: A Novella by Denise Mina

    2

    Rizzio: A Novella
    by Denise Mina

  • Read
    Painter to the King by Amy Sackville

    3

    Painter to the King
    by Amy Sackville

  • Read
    Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar, translated by Grace Frick

    4

    Memoirs of Hadrian
    by Marguerite Yourcenar, translated by Grace Frick

  • Read
    Be Like the Fox: Machiavelli's Lifelong Quest for Freedom by Erica Benner

    5

    Be Like the Fox: Machiavelli's Lifelong Quest for Freedom
    by Erica Benner

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

  • Read
    The Children of Men by P D James

    1

    The Children of Men
    by P D James

  • Read
    The Power by Naomi Alderman

    2

    The Power
    by Naomi Alderman

  • Read
    The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

    3

    The Water Cure
    by Sophie Mackintosh

  • Read
    The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin

    4

    The Left Hand of Darkness
    by Ursula Le Guin

  • Read
    Women and Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard

    5

    Women and Power: A Manifesto
    by Mary Beard

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 Dune? We think you’ll like these books too

  • Read
    Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov

    1

    Foundation Trilogy
    by Isaac Asimov

  • Read
    The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin

    2

    The Left Hand of Darkness
    by Ursula Le Guin

  • Read
    Hyperion by Dan Simmons

    3

    Hyperion
    by Dan Simmons

  • Read
    The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

    4

    The Fifth Season
    by N.K. Jemisin

  • Read
    Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

    5

    Red Mars
    by Kim Stanley Robinson

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

  • Read
    Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

    1

    Something Wicked This Way Comes
    by Ray Bradbury

  • Read
    A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

    2

    A Wrinkle in Time
    by Madeleine L'Engle

  • Read
    The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft

    3

    The Call of Cthulhu
    by H. P. Lovecraft

  • Read
    X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont & John Byrne

    4

    X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga
    by Chris Claremont & John Byrne

  • Read
    Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

    5

    Ender’s Game
    by Orson Scott Card

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.

    Loved The Hunger Games? We think you’ll like these books too

  • Read
    Divergent by Veronica Roth

    1

    Divergent
    by Veronica Roth

  • Read
    Cinder by Marissa Meyer

    2

    Cinder
    by Marissa Meyer

  • Read
    The Maze Runner by James Dashner

    3

    The Maze Runner
    by James Dashner

  • Read
    Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

    4

    Shatter Me
    by Tahereh Mafi

  • Read
    Legend by Marie Lu

    5

    Legend
    by Marie Lu

Loved The Hunger Games? We think you’ll like these books too

Suzanne Collins’ trilogy for young adults was an instant hit, and has been adapted into a series of Hollywood movies starring Jennifer Lawrence as the reluctant heroine and huntress Katniss Everdeen. If you are looking to immerse yourself in another gripping dystopian world, look no further. Here are five more books like The Hunger Games.

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