May 2026
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    Looking for recommendations for fiction books set in NYC

    I mostly like contemporary romance or thriller but am somewhat open to a little outside my usual genres. I strongly prefer f/f or m/m if romance. Please only suggest a straight book if it’s a serious 5/5 lol. Any level of spicy is okay, as well as any dark/taboo themes. It can be light or serious.

    Ideally 200-400 pages and not within a series but not overly picky on that! 🙂

    by whatevernameforme

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    11 Comments

    1. FrankieHotpants on

      I absolutely adored Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. The protagonist is queer, the story is lovely, and most of it takes place in NYC.  It’s my only 5- star rating so far this year. It’s not a thriller but there is a bit of a mystery. 

    2. * _Motherless Brooklyn_ by Jonathan Lethem (more noir)
      * Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy (detective lit fic)
      * _Bright Lights, Big City_ by Jay McInerney (more cocaine)

    3. The Measure by Nikki Erlick is set in NYC. Quite a fascinating premise, where every adult on earth is given a box with a string that indicates the length of their life. “The measure of your life lies within”. Lots of great themes to explore and a good sense of place and setting as well. There are a number of relationships, m-f, f-f, friends etc that are core to the story, but no romance/smut.

    4. SummerDecent2824 on

      Cat Sebastian has a few great m/m romances set in 1960s NYC where the city feels like another character. The latest is After Hours at Dooryard Books

    5. cribbagepilled on

      The City We Became by NK Jemisin! Contemporary weird fiction set in NYC where the city itself is actually ensouled…amazing stuff imo

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