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If you loved
Books like City of Girls: A Novel
A glittering, unapologetic romp through 1940s New York theater that celebrates female desire and the freedom of shedding shame. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with City of Girls: A Novel.
- nostalgic
- sparkling
- theatrical
- vibrant
- bittersweet
- 01
Rules of Civility
Amor Towles
A sparkling, martini-dry plunge into 1930s Manhattan society, where ambition and chance collide in a haze of jazz and cigarette smoke.
- 02
Manhattan Beach
Jennifer Egan
A salty, shadowy plunge into a wartime Brooklyn teeming with mobsters, deep-sea divers, and dangerous family secrets.
- 03
The signature of all things
Elizabeth Gilbert
A lush, globe-trotting exploration of botany, desire, and the relentless human thirst to understand the universe.
- 04
The Immortalists
Chloe Benjamin
A sweeping, bittersweet family saga that asks whether knowing the date of your death frees you to live or dooms you to fear.
- 05
The female persuasion
Meg Wolitzer
A thoughtful, character-driven exploration of ambition, mentorship, and the paths we choose when our inner world suddenly lights up.
- 06
The cost of living
Deborah Levy
A vibrant, urgent reflection on dismantling the social hierarchies that diminish women, in pursuit of a life lived with meaning, pleasure, and ultimate freedom.
- 07
The Crimson Petal and the White
Michel Faber
A sprawling, sensory plunge into the mud and perfume of Victorian London, guided by a narrator who refuses to let you look away.
- 08
Love invents us
Amy Bloom
A tender, bittersweet exploration of a lonely teenager trying on different versions of love to find her way home.
- 09
All adults here
Emma Straub
A warm, wry exploration of the messy reality that no one ever really figures out how to be a grown-up.
- 10
The Buccaneers
Edith Wharton
An elegant, witty, and lushly romantic exploration of spirited young women clashing with rigid social traditions in pursuit of true love.
- 11
Peony in Love
Lisa See
A lush, haunting exploration of lovesickness and the afterlife, where passion defies the boundaries of mortality.
- 12
Tell me lies
Carola Lovering
A thrilling, dual-perspective dive into the intoxicating and destructive gravity of the one person you can not let go of.
