|

12 books to read next if you love Taylor Jenkins Reid

I only share books I know and love. If you buy through my links, I may earn a commission (learn more).

Still life details in home interior of living room. Open book with glasses, cup coffee and bouquet white pink peonies flowers. Read and rest. Cozy home

If you love unputdownable novels about self-discovery, complex family dynamics, and fame – with plots that often span decades and are clouded in mystery – it’s hard to beat Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing.

What’s more, if you spend any time in the bookish corners of social media and the internet, her books are mentioned everywhere.

From Daisy Jones & The Six, the bestselling story of a fictional band loosely based on Fleetwood Mac, to the story of a tennis superstar back on the court to defend her record (Carrie Soto is Back), Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books are loved by millions of readers.

But what if you’ve exhausted all her books? Here are some of the best books by authors similar to Taylor Jenkins Reid if you want more of the same gripping writing.

The best books to read if you love Taylor Jenkins Reid

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

Read Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? for… glamorous historical fiction described by Taylor Jenkins Reid as “an intoxicating debut”.

If any book has Evelyn Hugo vibes, it’s Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? This stunning debut by Crystal Smith Paul is brimming with glamour, mystery, and the allure of showbiz.

When Kitty Karr Tate, an icon of the silver screen, passes away and leaves her multimillion-dollar estate to the St. John sisters, three young, wealthy Black women, it prompts questions. Lots of questions.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev Dawnie Walton

Read The Final Revival of Opal & Nev for… a fantastic spoken history of a fictional band and the perfect book to read after Daisy Jones & The Six.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev tells the electric (and fictional) story of the meteoric rise of an iconic interracial rock duo in the 1970s, their explosive breakup, and the dark secrets that emerge when they attempt to reunite for one last tour decades later.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue for… a big book that spans centuries, in which a young woman makes a pact with the devil to live forever. However, she is also cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

If you want to read more books like TJR’s, one good starting point is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s favourite books.

Taylor Jenkins Reid shared on Goodreads about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: “Come for the beautiful world-building, stay for the assertion that certain geniuses of past centuries made their own deals with the devil.”

After nearly three hundred years of travelling across continents and invisibly shaping history and art, Addie meets a young man in a cozy bookshop who actually remembers her name.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Read Big Little Lies for… a gripping novel about a privileged community and the secrets that lurk beneath the surface. The book is just as good as the star-studded TV adaptation.

Over on Reddit, one reader shared in a thread about the best books to read if you love Taylor Jenkins Reid: “Go read ALL of Liane Moriarty! Start with the older stuff first. I’m praying you haven’t read any of her stuff yet!”

Like TJR, Liane Moriaty’s books are perfect for the screen – and that couldn’t be more true than with Big Little Lies. I watched the popular HBO adaptation of Big Little Lies before the book and found both to be fantastic.

The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller

Song of Achilles cover

Read The Song of Achilles for… an utterly captivating retelling of the legend of Achilles from the bestselling author of Circe.

I often talk about how much I love Circe, but The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is another spellbinding book.

This thrilling retelling of the legend of Achilles is a beautiful and heartbreaking tale of gods, kings, love, and the desire for immortal fame. Over on Goodreads, Taylor Jenkins Reid gave it 5 stars.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Read Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow for… one of the most memorable and gripping books I’ve read in a long time.

Taylor Jenkins Reid often takes a theme and runs with it – including tennis, music, and surfing – which is something Gabrielle Zevin does spectacularly with video games in Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.

This fiction bestseller is the story of two nerdy kids who meet in a hospital, bond over video games, and years later start their own game company. This brings them money and fame, but also tragedy.

Many readers have enjoyed Tomorrow x3 as much as I did – it was named Goodreads Fiction Book of the Year 2022. For more like this, here are 10 books to read next if you loved Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.

Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams

Read Her Last Flight for… a beautifully written novel that blends historical fiction and romance into the story of a lost pilot and a wartime photographer in 1947.

With echoes of Amelia Earheart and Maggie Shipstead’s gorgeous novel Great Circle (which is another great recommendation for fans of TJR), Her Last Flight is a wonderful story of strong women and the golden era of aviation.

As Taylor Jenkins Reid shared in her review on Goodreads, “Beatriz Williams delivers time and time again.”

Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie

Read Songs in Ursa Minor for… the lore and adrenaline of the early 70s music scene in a book that’s perfect to read next if you loved Daisy Jones & The Six.

Okay, just one more book with Daisy Jones vibes. With flowing hair, bare feet, and gorgeous folk music, Jane and Jesse are music’s most irresistible duo. But neither are without secrets and shadows from the past.

This wonderfully immersive book asks the question that so many female artists face: what are we willing to sacrifice for our dreams?

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Read Transcendent Kingdom for… a magnificent story of science, purpose, and a Ghanaian family in Alabama, described by The Washington Post as “a book of blazing brilliance”.

Following the success of Yaa Gyasi’s bestselling novel Homegoing, this follow-up is a wholly different but similarly raw, beautiful, and deeply layered novel.

Determined to discover the science behind the suffering she sees around her, Gifty is a sixth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

But most of all, she’s driven by the loss of her brother – something that also leaves her yearning for her childhood faith, even as she grapples with the church in which she was raised.

Beyond That, The Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

Read Beyond That, The Sea for… a captivating love story that tells the story of two families living through World War II on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

When London seeks cover from the skies in 1940, eleven-year-old Bea’s working-class parents make the impossible choice to send her to America.

As countries clash, Bea adjusts to the affluent lifestyle of the Gregory family that feels miles away from her life back home. When she’s called back to England, Bea is desperate not to leave this life of new friends and summers on the coast in Maine.

As she navigates between the two worlds that pull at her heart, this absorbing novel tells a stunning story of heartache, belonging, and forgiveness.

These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean

Read These Tangled Vines for… a sun-kissed story of love, inheritance, and an American mother and daughter who, years apart, find themselves at the same winery in Tuscany.

If you want a book like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in which the past is shrowded in mystery, read These Tangled Vines next.

Towards the start of the book, Fiona travels to Italy after being named in her biological father’s will, a man she didn’t know anything about until now. Although the uncovered secrets might bring her enormous riches, they might also unravel everything.

Amidst the lush vineyards and rolling hills of Italy, romance author Julianne MacLean weaves a tale of love, loss, and the power of family ties.

The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman

Read The Codebreaker’s Secret for… a dazzling historical fiction novel set in Hawaii and packed with love and intrigue, about a brilliant female codebreaker in WWII.

Set between 1943 and 1965 in Hawaii, The Codebreaker’s Secret is the story of Isabel Cooper and her codebreaker colleagues in Pearl Harbor.

But it’s also about a mystery that unravels decades later… one that only a codebreaker can crack. This is the perfect historical fiction book to escape into this summer on the beach.


0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments