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Quick answer: If you loved Normal People by Sally Rooney, try Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney, Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney, Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan, Writers and Lovers by Lily King, Intermezzo by Sally Rooney and Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson.
Normal People follows Connell and Marianne from their last years of school in a small Irish town through university in Dublin. Their on-again, off-again relationship is full of silences, misunderstandings and deep tenderness. Sally Rooney’s spare, honest writing made the book a global hit, and the TV series made its characters famous. The picks below share its quiet intensity, its focus on young adults finding themselves and its attention to class and communication. Most are literary fiction for adults, with some mature themes.
Table of Contents
Why Readers Love Normal People
Readers love Normal People because it feels uncomfortably true. Sally Rooney captures how people hide their feelings, how class changes a relationship and how the right word at the right time can change everything. There are no quotation marks, which makes the dialogue feel like thought, and the story moves in time jumps that show how Connell and Marianne grow. The book is also about power, kindness and what it means to be seen, which is why many readers reread it.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick below shares at least one thing readers loved about Normal People: its characters, its mood, its setting or the questions it raises. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious choices, and we noted the genre and who each book suits best in the table, so you can scan for the right fit before you read the blurbs.
We kept every description spoiler-free and flagged mature content where it matters, since some of these books are written for adults and others suit teens. If you’re not sure where to start, the tips near the end of this list match each pick to what you loved most. The FAQ at the bottom answers the questions readers ask most often.
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Genre | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conversations with Friends | Sally Rooney | Literary fiction | More Sally Rooney |
| Beautiful World, Where Are You | Sally Rooney | Literary fiction | Friends and love |
| Intermezzo | Sally Rooney | Literary fiction | Her newest |
| Exciting Times | Naoise Dolan | Literary fiction | Wry, modern relationships |
| Writers and Lovers | Lily King | Literary fiction | A creative young woman |
| Open Water | Caleb Azumah Nelson | Literary fiction | Tender, lyrical love |
| Convenience Store Woman | Sayaka Murata | Fiction | Quiet misfits |
| Fleishman Is in Trouble | Taffy Brodesser-Akner | Literary fiction | Modern relationships |
| Luster | Raven Leilani | Literary fiction | Messy, modern women |
| Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin | Short stories | Strange, intimate fiction |
| Brooklyn | Colm Tóibín | Historical fiction | Quiet emotional depth |
| The Undomestic Goddess | Sophie Kinsella | Romantic comedy | Lighter love stories |
| One Day | David Nicholls | Fiction | Two lives followed over years |
| Call Me by Your Name | André Aciman | Literary fiction | Intense first love |
| The Idiot | Elif Batuman | Literary fiction | Awkward, funny college life |
1. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
Frances, a young poet in Dublin, becomes entangled with an older married man while her friendship with her ex Bobbi shifts. It’s sharp and moving.
2. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
Two friends exchange emails about love, literature and the end of the world while their own relationships develop.
3. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Two brothers cope with their father’s death while navigating relationships. It’s Rooney’s most recent and most emotional book.
4. Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
An Irish woman teaching English in Hong Kong is drawn to both a banker and a lawyer. It’s witty and cool.
5. Writers and Lovers by Lily King
A grieving waitress working on her novel is torn between two men. It’s honest and hopeful.
6. Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Two young Black artists in London fall in love. It’s a gorgeous, poetic novel about love and fear.
7. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
A woman who has worked in a convenience store for eighteen years faces pressure to be normal. It’s short and surprising.
8. Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
A recently divorced man’s life falls apart, and the story shifts to his ex-wife’s view. It’s sharp and funny.
9. Luster by Raven Leilani
A young Black artist begins an affair with an older white man and becomes close to his wife. It’s biting and surprising.
10. Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin
Short stories that mix the everyday with the uncanny. It’s brief and haunting.
11. Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
A young Irish woman emigrates to 1950s Brooklyn and falls in love. It’s gentle and restrained.
12. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
A lawyer’s life falls apart and she becomes a housekeeper. It’s funny and warm.
13. One Day by David Nicholls
Emma and Dexter meet on graduation night and are followed on the same day each year. It’s funny and heartbreaking.
14. Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman
A summer romance in Italy between a teen and a grad student. It’s lush and sensual.
15. The Idiot by Elif Batuman
A Harvard student falls for a Hungarian math student. It’s dry, observant and funny.
How to Pick Your Next Read After Normal People
- Want more Rooney? Conversations with Friends and Intermezzo.
- Want a similar tone? Exciting Times and Writers and Lovers.
- Want something lyrical? Open Water and Call Me by Your Name.
- Want a love story over time? One Day.
- Want something short? Convenience Store Woman.
- Use the audiobook. The Normal People audiobook is a great way to settle into the style.
Why There Are No Quotation Marks
Sally Rooney leaves out quotation marks in her novels, which blurs the line between what characters say and what they think. Some readers find it takes a few pages to adjust, and then it feels natural. It’s a style that many contemporary authors now use. If you struggle with it, try the audiobook, where narration makes the difference clear, or choose a pick from the list that uses standard punctuation, like Writers and Lovers or Exciting Times.
Related: Normal People book club discussion questions and best literary fiction books for book clubs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What book is most like Normal People?
Conversations with Friends and Beautiful World, Where Are You are the closest matches.
Is Normal People explicit?
It has several sex scenes but they are written with emotional focus rather than explicit detail.
Why is Normal People so popular?
Its honest picture of young love and class, plus the TV adaptation, made it a modern classic.