Something like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, where the story is mostly about a young woman overcoming these feelings and learning to live a happier life. I'd prefer literary fiction over genre fiction, but romance is fine too as long as it's not too trashy or wish-fullfilment-y.
Ive read Where The Crawdads Sing and Circe too, for what it's worth. I don't think either fully fits the vibe I'm looking for, especially Crawdads.
Thanks in advance!
by ScrumptiousDingo
9 Comments
Convenience Store Woman
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
How I Live Now
A Tale For The Time Being
We Have Always Lived In The Castle
(I mean, happier is relative.)
okay, so i haven’t read this book but it’s been in my tbr!
this book fits your request, and it looks great <3
**welcome to the hyunam-dong bookshop** by hwang bo-reum & shanna tan
synopsis:
Yeongju is burned out. With her high-flying career, demanding marriage, and bustling life in Seoul, she knows she *should* feel successful—but all she feels is drained. Haunted by an abandoned dream, she takes a leap of faith and leaves her old life behind. Quitting her job and divorcing her husband, Yeongju moves to a quiet residential neighborhood outside the city and opens the Hyunam-dong Bookshop.
The transition isn’t easy. For months, all Yeongju can do is cry. But as the long hours in the shop stretch on, she begins to reflect on what makes a good bookseller and a meaningful store. She throws herself into reading voraciously, hosting author events, and crafting her own philosophy on bookselling. Gradually, Yeongju finds her footing in her new surroundings.
Surrounded by friends, writers, and the books that bind them, Yeongju begins to write a new chapter in her life. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop evolves into a warm, welcoming haven for lost souls—a place to rest, heal, and remember that it’s never too late to scrap the plot and start over.
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Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily R Austin — Literary fiction. About a 20-something woman with crippling anxiety.
The Story Teller- Jodi Picoult
Meredith Alone is very good. I preferred it to Elinor as I felt it was more realistic/less melodrama.
The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garcia Graves.
This one gives similar vibes to Eleanor Oliphant but without the trauma. FMC is a very social awkward and naive woman and it it’s a now and then book about college and young adulthood. It definitely has some romance in it but it’s not a typical romance and not at all trashy. I loved history.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Otessa Moshfegh
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (VERY literary)