Books like Today will be different

A hilarious and frantic sprint through a single day of derailed plans, buried secrets, and the messy reality of midlife reinvention. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Today will be different.

frenetic
warm
anxious
quirky

01
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
Maria Semple
A sharp, epistolary romp through the absurdities of elite parenting and the messy chaos of a stalled creative mind.
Shares:
- anxious
- quirky
- wry
- chaotic
02
The Nix
Nathan Hill
A sprawling, tragicomic odyssey through American history and modern anxiety, anchored by the aching mystery of a mother's abandonment.
Shares:
- wry
03
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Gail Honeyman
A prickly, deadpan exploration of profound loneliness that slowly thaws into a deeply moving story of unexpected friendship.
Shares:
- quirky
- wry
04
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
Karen Joy Fowler
A witty, conversational unraveling of a deeply unconventional childhood that leaves you questioning the boundaries of family and humanity.
Shares:
- wry
05
Three Wishes
Liane Moriarty
A sharp, affectionate plunge into the chaotic, intertwined lives of sisters navigating the messy transition into true adulthood.
Shares:
- warm
- wry
- chaotic
06
After I do
Taylor Jenkins Reid
An intimate, bittersweet exploration of what happens when the honeymoon phase ends and the real, messy work of loving someone begins.
Feels:
- intimate
- melancholic
- hopeful
07
The Rosie effect
Graeme Simsion
A hilarious and heartwarming comedy of errors about applying rigid logic to the beautifully unpredictable mess of impending parenthood.
Shares:
- anxious
- wry
- humorous
- chaotic
08
The husband's secret
Liane Moriarty
A tense exploration of what happens when the spotless facade of a perfect marriage is shattered by a devastating, hidden truth.
Shares:
- anxious
09
Dept of Speculation
Jenny Offill
A glittering, fragmented mosaic of a mind unraveling under the quiet pressures of marriage, motherhood, and thwarted ambition.
Shares:
- anxious
- wry
10
Anything is possible
Elizabeth Strout
A masterclass in empathy that quietly unravels the tangled, painful, and beautiful threads of small-town lives.
Feels:
- intimate
- reflective
- bittersweet
11
Happiness for beginners
Katherine Center
A funny, fresh-air-filled journey of healing, hiking, and unexpected romance.
Shares:
- wry
- humorous
- self-deprecating
12
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.
Shares:
- warm
- wry

Back to Today will be different