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If you loved
Books like Exciting Times
A razor-sharp, deadpan dissection of modern love, class, and the transactional nature of human connection. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Exciting Times.
- emotionally guarded
- anxious
- cosmopolitan
- 01
Conversations With Friends
Sally Rooney
A sharp, hyper-observant dive into the messy, overlapping boundaries of friendship, lust, and intellectual posturing.
- 02
Normal People
Sally Rooney
An achingly intimate portrait of two people who cannot stay away from each other, yet constantly fail to speak their minds.
- 03
Girl, Woman, Other
Bernardine Evaristo
A vibrant, free-flowing chorus of voices that weaves a rich, interconnected tapestry of modern and historical identity.
- 04
Pond
Claire-Louise Bennett
A shimmering, eccentric deep-dive into the hyper-sensory solitude of a woman left alone with her own mind.
- 05
The Death of Vivek Oji
Akwaeke Emezi
A tender, devastating portrait of a fiercely beautiful spirit blooming in secret, framed by the profound grief of those left behind.
- 06
Open Water
Caleb Azumah Nelson
A hypnotic, second-person plunge into the tender, terrifying depths of falling in love while navigating a world that refuses to see your humanity.
- 07
Less
Andrew Sean Greer
A sparkling, globe-trotting comedy of errors about outrunning heartbreak and accidentally stumbling into grace.
- 08
Intimacies
Katie Kitamura
A taut, cerebral exploration of complicity and the unsettling weight of the words we speak for others.
- 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 Flatshare
Beth O'Leary
A tender, slow-burn exploration of how shared spaces and Post-it notes can build a foundation for profound emotional intimacy.
- 11
Exit West
Mohsin Hamid
A breathtaking, fable-like journey through magical doors that explores how love and humanity endure when the world fractures.
- 12
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.
