If you don’t often find yourself reaching for literary fiction, give these a try!
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
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As a new release from Reid this year, this novel’s storytelling reaffirmed for me that she can do no wrong. The story follows Joan Goodwin, an astronaut at NASA’s space shuttle program in the 1980s, as she begins training in Houston alongside the other astronauts. We watch as Goodwin navigates the sexism and homophobia of the time as she develops feelings for a fellow astronaut in the program. Goodwin experiences family issues, fear of the unknown, and the struggle to accept her own identity.
This is a stunning novel about vulnerability, female empowerment, and breaking barriers. It takes a lot of me to reach for a literary fiction novel, but when it’s Taylor Jenkins Reid, I can’t help myself. And you will 100% need a box of tissues for the end.
- Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
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In my opinion, Emily Henry is THE romance author. But her novels are so much more than just romance; they often tackle themes of identity, friendship, and figuring out adulthood, and this novel is no different.
The 2025 release follows journalists Alice and Hayden as they compete for the opportunity to write the biography of former heiress Margaret Ives, whom no one has been able to reach in decades. As Alice fights for the opportunity to grow her career, she finds herself being drawn to Hayden for reasons she can’t quite understand, one of them being that she can’t shake the feeling that Margaret Ives isn’t telling them the whole truth.
This one stands out for its glitz, glamour, and tragedy, deeply reminiscent of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Per all of Henry’s novels, there’s captivating banter, engrossing character depth, and a raw portrait of the messiness of humanity.
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach
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(Content warning: this story mentions suicide)
This one has been circling on social media platforms for a while now, but I never had a strong urge to pick it up until a couple of months ago. Set in Rhode Island, this novel follows recent divorcee Phoebe, who books a night at a hotel to end her life. What she doesn’t expect is to be the only guest there that isn’t part of a wedding party taking place that weekend. When the bride discovers Phoebe’s plan, she selfishly fears it will ruin her wedding weekend and makes it her mission to stop Phoebe, leading to an unlikely friendship. Phoebe begins spending time with the wedding party and starts to reevaluate her own life, more specifically, why she wanted to end it.
The setting is lavish, the characters are flawed, the humor is dark, and somehow it all comes together perfectly. It’s East Coast summer in book form, but it’s also emotional, unexpected, and highly deserving of the attention it has received over the past year.
- Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering
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I’m sure most of you have heard of this title due to the wildly successful Hulu show adapted from the novel, but I would suggest giving the source material a read beforehand.
We follow Lucy, a freshman arriving at her California college, looking for a fresh start. This is until she meets Stephen, an older, complicated, and yet intriguing character, nonetheless. They begin a toxic, destructive love affair that lasts throughout college and after. As the reader, I both felt myself rooting for Lucy to escape her situation while also being deceived by Stephen’s charismatic behavior, just as Lucy is.
This book depicts the rawest picture of young adulthood I’ve ever read, including the mistakes, betrayals, heartbreaks, and life-altering decisions. I would recommend this book to just about anyone. But I would say it is an imperative read for any young adult woman experiencing the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
Happy Reading!
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