Inarguably, the queen of lit fic right now is Irish author Sally Rooney. She became an instant hit with her debut Conversations with Friends, and somehow grew her fame to dizzying heights with her sophomore book Normal People. Both were subsequently turned into TV shows (one of which introduced the world to the inimitable duo that is Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones), and the rest, well, is histroy.

But if you're already powering your way through Rooney's back-catalogue – you've already gotten your hands on a copy of her Beautiful World Where Are You? and are powering through her most recent release Intermezzo, then you might be looking for a few more books to add to your stack. Ones that give you the same complicated relationship dynamics, progressive politics and whip-smart dialogue as hers do.

Well, below we've got you covered with the books like Sally Rooney's we think you should add to your reading list.

1. Good Material by Dolly Alderton

A bittersweet ride through the messy, chaotic heartbreak of modern love — where witty banter masks deeper wounds and nostalgia becomes the main character. It’s a raw, deeply relatable look at the vulnerability of starting over, told with Alderton’s signature blend of sharp humour and tender insight.

2. Writers and Lovers by Lily King

An intimate, beautifully wrought portrait of a woman at the crossroads of creative ambition and emotional turmoil, where heartbreak and artistic struggle converge. It’s a captivating story of perseverance, proving that sometimes it’s the messiest chapters that lead us to ourselves.

3. Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

Mellors’ book is a raw, dazzling exploration of sisterhood and the search for identity, set against a backdrop of glittering coasts and emotional depths. It’s a heartfelt story about the bonds that can break us apart and the love that keeps pulling us back together.

4. The Work by Bri Lee

Lee's debut novel is an unflinching deep dive into the pressures of productivity and the relentless pursuit of success in a burnout culture. It's a bold, thought-provoking exploration of self-worth and ambition, challenging us to rethink what it truly means to be 'doing the work'.

5. The Idiot by Elif Batuman

Sharp and wry, this coming-of-age tale that captures the absurdity and wonder of first love and the disorienting search for identity. It’s a clever, introspective journey through the awkwardness of young adulthood, told with Batuman’s trademark wit and deadpan humour.

6. My First Book by Honor Levy

Released in September, this is a daring, cerebral debut from internet personality and writer Honor Levy that crackles with the disenchanted angst and offbeat humour of Gen Z malaise. It’s a surreal, sharp-witted exploration of youth and internet-era nihilism, laced with Levy’s singular voice and unapologetic honesty.

7. Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

A razor-sharp dissection of millennial love, power dynamics, and the hollow allure of self-sabotage. Wry, incisive, and unapologetically sardonic, it’s a modern-day anti-romance that skewers the complexities of intimacy with biting humour and cool detachment.

8. Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

Delivering a whip-smart, slow-burn romance that peels back the layers of fame and fantasy, Sussman's novel has all the Sally Rooney-esque dialogue with the allure of a Hollywood love story. It’s a fresh, introspective take on desire, exploring the blurry lines between fiction and real-life connection with a wry, emotionally charged touch.

9. Severance by Ling Ma

Ling Ma’s Severance is a darkly satirical take on modern alienation, blending pandemic apocalypse with biting critiques of corporate monotony. It’s a razor-sharp exploration of survival and routine, channeling Sally Rooney’s introspective realism through the lens of an eerie, dystopian world.

10. Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler

Oyler's cynical dive into the fractured, performative world of social media and self-deception is written with a voice as acerbic and incisive as Rooney's. She dissects the unsettling gap between our online personas and inner lives in a novel that’s equal parts biting critique and existential exploration.

11. Love & Virtue by Diana Reid

Reid's gripping exploration of desire, power, and the blurry lines of consent, set against the backdrop of university life. It’s a compelling, thought-provoking debut that grapples with the messy complexities of modern relationships and the tangled threads of morality.

12. All The Lovers In The Night by Mieko Kawakami

A luminous, haunting meditation on loneliness and self-discovery, set in the quiet streets of Tokyo. With Kawakami’s poetic, introspective prose, it’s a poignant exploration of longing and the fragile search for connection in a world of emotional distance.

13. How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti

One of Rooney's own favourites is Sheila Heti's How Should a Person Be?, which she told The Cut in 2019 "made me want to write" due to its gratifying portrayal of female friendship and ability to prose-like sentence construction that "stripped away everything boring about a novel and just lets in the stuff that was actually good."