When we were growing up in a small ~undisclosed~ town in New England, we both loved reading books that offered a sense of escapism and a peek into what our lives could look like when we grew up, ideally living it up in New York City. Fast forward ten-ish years, and here we are, living in the Big Apple! This is our frequently updated master list of great goods set in New York City, perfect for those of us who just can’t get enough or people considering a move to NYC.
1. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
A’s review:
I read this book in one sitting! This book follows Dannie Kohan, a type-A workaholic living what seems like the dream life in New York City. One morning, she wakes up exactly five years in the future and spends an hour living a different life, in an unfamiliar apartment with a man who is not her fiancé. That sounds a little gimmicky, but I promise it is anything but. I really enjoyed this book; it’s really well-written, relatable to anyone who lives in New York City, and has a really poignant ending. I cried when I finished it! It also has a lot of fun New York City references to neighborhoods, restaurants, and shopping spots.
2. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
E’s review:
I had never heard of this book, but it came recommended by a Bumble match. Never spoke to the guy again, but I loved this book! It’s set in New York at the turn of the 20th century. At its heart, this book is a story about the immigrant experience (in particular Yiddish and Middle Eastern immigrants). The book follows the main characters Chava—a golem made from clay by a Yiddish alchemist—and Ahmad—a jinni who becomes trapped in human form after being released from his lamp—as they leave their homelands and end up in New York City. From the tenements of the Lower East Side to the townhouses of the Upper East Side, The Golem and the Jinni taught me a lot about a period of New York’s history I wasn’t too familiar with before. This is a beautiful book about love, friendship, perseverance, and mythology.
3. Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering
A + E’s review
This book is SO GOOD. We both loved this book! While not all of this book takes place in NYC, it’s very relatable to being a young graduate living in the city. Lucy meets Stephen at a small liberal arts school in California. He’s manipulative, addicting, and charming, and they just can’t break it off. The book follows them from school in California to post-grad living in New York City. This is the perfect beach read while also being thought provoking. Everyone knows a Stephen, and this book will resonate with any female twenty-something. This was author Carola Lovering’s first book, and she’s got another book, Too Good to Be True, coming out in March!
4. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
A’s review
Trigger Warning: emotional abuse, pedophilia, self harm, rape and suicide.
This book is one of the most emotionally gut wrenching books I have ever read. This is probably one of my favorite books, but it is an emotional rollercoaster. A Little Life follows four friends from college through their lives in New York City, Malcolm, Jude, Willem, and JB. It’s an 800 page epic, and I really recommend taking your time reading this. This book was immensely popular a few years ago, but it’s always worth a read and a book that I will come back to again and again.
5. The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee
E’s review
This is a fun YA trilogy set in a futuristic Manhattan that has transformed into a single thousand floor tower. As you go up the tower, the people get wealthier and wealthier, and at top are Avery and her family. Avery is a designer baby whose parents own the penthouse of the tower (meaning she is the richest person there). The book opens with a death, and is told through various perspectives leading up to the murder. You still have all the New York landmarks you know and love (like Central Park), but it’s a unique twist on the setting. These books have a very modern gossip girl vibe with a hint of a mystery. As a side note, I’m so impressed by Katharine McGee who wrote this series while getting an MBA at Stanford—talk about multitalented.
6. Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
A + E’s review
One of our favorite pastimes in New York City is going out to new restaurants, and we actually both used to work as waitresses in high school, so we both love this book. Sweetbitter is about a twenty-two year old, Tess, who leaves her life in Ohio behind and moves to New York City. She gets a job at a prestigious restaurant, and falls into the wild world of NYC’s restaurant scene, drinking and partying all night. A read this during her first year in New York, and really related to Tess. The restaurant is actually based on Danny Meyer’s Union Square Cafe, which we’ve actually been too and can vouch for is DELICIOUS. There is actually a tv show based on Sweetbitter as well, which is on both our lists!
7. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
A’s review
Set in 1940s New York City, City of Girls follows nineteen year old Vivian Morris’ move to New York City after getting kicked out of Vassar. She moves in with her aunt, who owns a struggling theater. After a scandal, Vivian retreats from the world of theater and sets her own path. I liked this book; I love a period drama, particularly one set in New York City, and enjoyed that the story follows Vivian’s full and complex life charting her own path. The author, Liz Gilbert, is best known for Eat, Pray, Love, which is a fun twist!
8. An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard
E’s review
This is a fun, fast read that I picked up off a staff picks table at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA. I was dreaming of moving to New York and devoured this urban fantasy set in the city. The book imagines magic underwriting almost everything about New York, and a secret community of witches living among all the normal people without anyone realizing. There is a dark battle about to happen for the future of the city. This is just a well-written, entertaining book with a magical twist on traditional New York.
9. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
A’s review
I read this in a book club—one of my friend’s mom said this was one of her favorites. Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, this book is made up of several narrators all living in New York City. The whole book is centered around the day Philippe Petit’s 1974 tightrope walk between the Twin Towers and how this date impacted all of the characters in the book. I loved this book— it’s beautifully written and offers a portrait of different sides of New York City.
10. Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering
A’s review
While I don’t think this lived up to the VERY high bar set by Tell Me Lies, I still really enjoyed it. I found it difficult to relate to the main character, but the twists and turns in this book are pretty wild, and there is nothing better than a thriller set in the affluent world of rich twenty-somethings in New York City.
10. Lore by Alexandra Bracken
E’s review
A perfect weekend read, Lore reimagines Greek mythology so that every seven years, the Gods become mortal again and are can be killed by humans who can then inherit their power. This event can take place anywhere in the world, but this is instance is set completely in New York City, from Central Park to Chinatown to the Upper West Side.
11. The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
E’s review
A lot of people have compare this to Daisy Jones & The Six because it’s about a band in the seventies and written in an oral history format, but instead of California, it’s set in New York! I loved Daisy Jones & The Six, but this is a much more substantial read. Dawnie Walton goes deep into racism and sexist in the music industry, both in the 70s and in modern day.
12. American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
E’s review
I love spy books, so American Spy has been on my radar for a while. The book starts Marie killing an unknown man who breaks into her home in suburban Connecticut. The book is then written in the form of a letter to her two young sons as she discusses her time as a spy and how she met their father. This books is actually set around the world, from Connecticut to Martinique to Burkina Faso, but it is routed in Marie’s identity as a New Yorker and her experience as a young Black, female federal agent in the 70s.
13. Luster by Raven Leilani
E + A’s review
The writing was funny, sharp, moving and relatable to any 20-something trying to make it in a low-paying first job in New York City. Luster explores unconventional relationship and power balances that deal with gender, age, and race in a thought-provoking way. The excellent writing makes it worth reading, and was one of those books that pushed us a little out of our typical comfort zone.
14. Anna K by Jenny Lee
E’s review
I must admit I’ve never read Anna Karenina, but I really enjoyed this fun YA retelling of the classic. Set amid the uber-wealthy worlds of New York and Greenwich, CT, Anna K follows the titular heroine as her perfect life is upended by the arrival of Alexia “Count” Wronsky. Good for fans of The Thousandth Floor or Gossip Girl.
15. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
E’s review
A didn’t love this one, but I love V.E. Schwab and this book had a lot of my favorite components: beautifully written, morally gray characters, and a thought-provoking concept, and set all around the world, but mostly in New York! Addie LaRue makes a deal with the devil that allows her to escape her tiny French town where she is being forced into marriage. However, as part of the bargain, no one who meets here can remember her for more than one day, and she can never speak her name allowed. This is epic tale spanning centuries and continents, but ultimately will just make you want to be young forever in NYC.
16. The Boys Club by Erica Katz
E’s review
The Boys’ Club is written under a pen name by a real corporate lawyer in New York. If you loved Suits or reading about high-powered people working 100 hour weeks and doing a lot of drugs, this is the book for you! I was tired just thinking about that lifestyle, but it’s interesting (and mildly horrifying) to get a peak at the high pressure lifestyle of BigLaw.
17. You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria
E’s review
This is a steamy romance about two telenovela actors looking for their big break. The success of their show hinges on their chemistry, but both have a lot of things holding them back. The show is set in New York and features heavily features the main character’s family who live in the Bronx. This is a breezy romance, perfect if you love telenovelas or fluffy romances!
17. The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
E’s review
This one begins with two seniors at Columbia University watching the September 11th terrorist attacks from their campus on the Upper West Side. The book then follows their post-grad lives and relationship as they navigate New York in a post-September 11th world.
18. Red at the Bone by Jaqueline Woodson
A’s review
Set in Brooklyn, this story follows three generations through the emotions of changing neighborhoods, family dynamics, relationships, and ambition. This book is beautifully written. It is also deceptively short, and reading it on a Kindle, I felt like I’d been cheated when it ended so quickly. I wasn’t familiar with the author, but was excited to see she has so many other titles. This was one of my favorite reads of 2020!
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