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Quick answer: If you loved Sweetbitter, read David Chang's Eat a Peach, then Patti Smith's Just Kids, then Sally Rooney's Normal People and Conversations with Friends, and Elif Batuman's The Idiot and Naoise Dolan's Exciting Times. All are gritty restaurant and coming-of-age stories.
Stephanie Danler's Sweetbitter (2016) follows a young woman who joins a New York restaurant. These picks share its appetite and heat.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eat a Peach | David Chang | Adult | chef memoirs |
| Just Kids | Patti Smith | Adult | art and friendship |
| Normal People | Sally Rooney | Adult | readers who like modern Irish fiction |
| Conversations with Friends | Sally Rooney | Adult | messy affairs |
| The Idiot | Elif Batuman | Adult | campus novels |
| Exciting Times | Naoise Dolan | Adult | dry-humor readers |
| Heartburn | Nora Ephron | Adult | readers who want a wry take on betrayal |
| Everything I Know About Love | Dolly Alderton | Adult | funny and honest |
| Good Material | Dolly Alderton | Adult | breakup comedy |
| My Life in France | Julia Child | Adult | food memoir |
| A Thousand Days in Venice | Marlena de Blasi | Adult | love in Venice |
| Hunger | Roxane Gay | Adult | readers who want a direct memoir |
| Queenie | Candice Carty-Williams | Adult | readers who like modern London stories |
| Fleishman Is in Trouble | Taffy Brodesser-Akner | Adult | midlife satire |
| The Girls | Emma Cline | Adult | readers who like coming-of-age darkness |
1. Eat a Peach by David Chang
The chef behind Momofuku describes his rise and his struggles with depression. Frank and funny.
Best for: chef memoirs.
2. Just Kids by Patti Smith
Patti Smith writes about her friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe. Lyrical and moving.
Best for: art and friendship.
3. 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.
4. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
Frances, a college student, begins an affair with an older married man. Sharp, cool and observant.
Best for: messy affairs.
5. The Idiot by Elif Batuman
A Turkish American student navigates her first year at Harvard. Funny, awkward and brilliant.
Best for: campus novels.
6. Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
An Irish teacher in Hong Kong is torn between two people. Dry, witty and observant.
Best for: dry-humor readers.
7. Heartburn by Nora Ephron
A thinly veiled novel about the end of Ephron's marriage. Funny, sharp and quick.
Best for: readers who want a wry take on betrayal.
8. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
Alderton writes about friendship, love and growing up. Funny and tender.
Best for: funny and honest.
9. Good Material by Dolly Alderton
A comedian is dumped and tries to figure out why. Told from a male viewpoint, it is sharp, sad and very funny.
Best for: breakup comedy.
10. My Life in France by Julia Child
Julia Child recalls discovering French cooking. Warm and enthusiastic.
Best for: food memoir.
11. A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi
An American woman moves to Venice to marry a man she barely knows. Romantic and food-filled.
Best for: love in Venice.
12. Hunger by Roxane Gay
Gay writes about her body, trauma and the world's judgment of her size. Honest and painful.
Best for: readers who want a direct memoir.
13. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Queenie, a Jamaican British woman in London, struggles after a breakup. Funny, honest and raw.
Best for: readers who like modern London stories.
14. Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
A man's divorce is told partly through the eyes of a friend. Sharp on modern marriage and ambition.
Best for: midlife satire.
15. The Girls by Emma Cline
Evie, a lonely teen in 1969 California, is drawn to a cult-like group of girls. Atmospheric and unsettling.
Best for: readers who like coming-of-age darkness.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Sweetbitter: 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 Sweetbitter. 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 food memoir, read Eat a Peach. For New York, try Just Kids. For young adulthood, pick Normal People.
Related: Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Sweetbitter?
Stephanie Danler, in 2016.
Is there a TV series?
Yes, a Starz series.
Is it about food?
Yes, wine and restaurants.
Which book here is best for readers who like coming-of-age darkness?
Try The Girls by Emma Cline, which suits readers looking for readers who like coming-of-age darkness.
Which book here is best for midlife satire?
Try Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, which suits readers looking for midlife satire.
Which book here is best for readers who like modern London stories?
Try Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, which suits readers looking for readers who like modern London stories.
Which book here is best for readers who want a direct memoir?
Try Hunger by Roxane Gay, which suits readers looking for readers who want a direct memoir.
Which book here is best for love in Venice?
Try A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi, which suits readers looking for love in Venice.
Which book here is best for food memoir?
Try My Life in France by Julia Child, which suits readers looking for food memoir.