Readers are often chasing the high of finding a book they love. Nothing beats loving a book, and then finding similar ones that you equally enjoy. To make this easier, I have compiled a list of some similar books, so that if you read and enjoyed one of them, you can find some new ones to try and hopefully love. Some of these recommendations are similar in plot, while other duo’s are more similar in characters, setting or atmosphere.
If you like Misery by Stephen King, read The Crash by Freida McFadden
If you enjoyed Misery particularly for the plot, I’d recommend McFadden’s book. The writing styles and pacing of both authors are quite different, but the plots are similar. In both books, the main character has a car crash that leaves them stranded and wounded in a snowstorm. They are rescued and brought to shelter by someone who will care for them until they are healed enough to go home or continue their journey. And then both situations turn sinister the longer they stay put. The details differ per book, but the main plot is similar.
If you like A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, read Frank & Red by Matt Coyne
I have talked about both of these before in my Favourite Book of January post, and mentioned how they have some things in common. Backman writes about a lonely grumpy old man who warms up to the family that moves in next door, and Coyne writes about a lonely grumpy old man who warms up to the six year old boy and his mom who move in next door. While the premise of both novels is quite similar indeed, the execution and endings are different, which makes each book unique. Although the characters are one of a kind, I do believe Ove and Frank would get along. Both novels are heartwarming stories about human connections and the way of life, so if you like books like that, you will enjoy both of these.
If you like And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, read Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
Agatha Christie’s books have been used as inspiration for many different media, including And Then There were none. The story involves ten strangers who are invited to an island and then get killed one by one. Daisy Darker is about a family going to the home of their grandmother, getting cut off from the rest of the world by a storm, and then, you guessed it, getting killed one by one. A well-used formula for a thriller book, but one that always works at keeping readers’ attention and interest.
If you like Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, read With a Vengeance by Riley Sager
As I said, Agatha Christie’s work is a source of inspiration for many, and her arguably most famous novel has once again inspired another. In both of these books, a group of people find themselves on a train with a select group of people, when suddenly one of them is found dead. With no way out and a killer amongst them, will anyone reach their destination alive?
If you like Tangled the Disney Movie, read Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren
This one is quite obvious because Christina Lauren’s novel is based on the movie, but I find they did the adaptation to a modern context really well. They retain both the key elements of the story and the original essence of the characters while transporting the story to a modern context. Ren is Rapunzel brought to paper and I could not find a single element of the movie that does not make an appearance in the book, and I say that as a true fan of the Disney movie.
If you like Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë or Magnolia Parks by Jessica Hastings, readThe Favourites by Layne Fargo
If you have read Wuthering Heights and Magnolia Parks, you might be confused as to why I am recommending one book for the both of those. The Favourites is loosely based on Wuthering Heights in a modern day setting of competitive ice skating. If you like Wuthering Heights and also enjoy reading romantic fiction, I think you will enjoy the hints to Brontë’s classic, but Fargo didn’t write a novel set in 19th century Britain. The real inspiration is the passionate but toxic love between the two protagonists, which brings me to Magnolia Parks. Hastings’ series of the London socialites is filled with dramatic relationships, gossip and toxicity, which also features in Fargo’s novel about competition, drama and fire.
If you like Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, read Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
This comparison is more about the atmosphere and setting than about the actual plot. Both of these novels take place in 1970s America, and popular culture of that period is prevalent in both of them. It was the time of love, drugs, rock ’n roll and discovering a new sense of freedom. Daisy Jones & the Six is about the rise and fall of a music group and Mary Jane is about a young girl from a ‘proper’ family, who goes to work for another family to help out with their little girl during the summer. She then discovers there is more than the small world she grew up in and falls in love with the family and their way of life.
Toni's Book Corner 