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Quick answer: If you loved Celeste Ng, read Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere, then Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, then Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half and The Mothers, and Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge and Sally Rooney's Normal People. All are quiet novels about secrets and families.
Celeste Ng writes novels such as Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never Told You. These picks share her insight.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Fires Everywhere | Celeste Ng | Adult | readers who like community dramas |
| Big Little Lies | Liane Moriarty | Adult | readers who want drama |
| The Vanishing Half | Brit Bennett | Adult | readers who want a recent bestseller |
| Olive Kitteridge | Elizabeth Strout | Adult | readers who like small-town stories |
| Normal People | Sally Rooney | Adult | readers who like modern Irish fiction |
| Pachinko | Min Jin Lee | Adult | readers who like family sagas |
| Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi | Adult | readers who like linked stories |
| The Mothers | Brit Bennett | Adult | secrets in a community |
| Small Great Things | Jodi Picoult | Adult | readers who like race and justice |
| Still Alice | Lisa Genova | Adult | readers who like medical drama |
| The Push | Ashley Audrain | Adult | readers who want the closest match |
| The Last Mrs. Parrish | Liv Constantine | Adult | rich-people drama |
| Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens | Adult | readers who like nature and mystery |
| A Man Called Ove | Fredrik Backman | Adult | readers who like grumpy heroes |
| Ordinary People | Diana Evans | Adult | long relationships |
1. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Two families in Shaker Heights clash over adoption, art and class. Beautifully written and tense.
Best for: readers who like community dramas.
2. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Parents at a school in Australia have secrets that come out after a trivia night ends in death. Sharp, funny and dark.
Best for: readers who want drama.
3. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Twin sisters from a small Black town take different paths, one passing as white. Compelling and modern.
Best for: readers who want a recent bestseller.
4. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Linked stories about a retired schoolteacher in a Maine town. Won the Pulitzer Prize, and Olive is unforgettable.
Best for: readers who like small-town stories.
5. Normal People by Sally Rooney
Connell and Marianne's relationship from school into adulthood. Spare and intimate.
Best for: readers who like modern Irish fiction.
6. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Four generations of a Korean family in Japan across the 20th century. Epic and emotional.
Best for: readers who like family sagas.
7. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Two half-sisters in Ghana and their descendants across 300 years. Moving and inventive.
Best for: readers who like linked stories.
8. The Mothers by Brit Bennett
A teenage girl's secret shapes a community. Quiet and sharp.
Best for: secrets in a community.
9. Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
A Black nurse is accused of a baby's death in a case involving a white supremacist father. Timely and thoughtful.
Best for: readers who like race and justice.
10. Still Alice by Lisa Genova
A professor is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. Clear, moving and informative.
Best for: readers who like medical drama.
11. The Push by Ashley Audrain
Blythe fears that her daughter is not the child she expected, and no one believes her. A tense debut about motherhood and doubt.
Best for: readers who want the closest match.
12. The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
A woman schemes to take over another woman's perfect life. Glossy and devious.
Best for: rich-people drama.
13. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Kya, the Marsh Girl, is accused of murder in North Carolina. Atmospheric and popular.
Best for: readers who like nature and mystery.
14. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Ove, a grumpy widower, plans to end his life, but his new neighbors keep interrupting. Funny and tender.
Best for: readers who like grumpy heroes.
15. Ordinary People by Diana Evans
Two couples in London face the challenges of long relationships. Honest and tender.
Best for: long relationships.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Celeste Ng: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Celeste Ng. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For family secrets, read Big Little Lies. For race and identity, try The Vanishing Half. For quiet drama, pick Olive Kitteridge.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Celeste Ng?
An American novelist born in 1980.
What is her best-known book?
Little Fires Everywhere.
Is there a TV series?
Yes, a 2020 Hulu series.
Which book here is best for long relationships?
Try Ordinary People by Diana Evans, which suits readers looking for long relationships.
Which book here is best for readers who like grumpy heroes?
Try A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, which suits readers looking for readers who like grumpy heroes.
Which book here is best for readers who like nature and mystery?
Try Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, which suits readers looking for readers who like nature and mystery.
Which book here is best for rich-people drama?
Try The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine, which suits readers looking for rich-people drama.