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Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman was one of the most anticipated releases of 2018. And you know what? I did my best to avoid it for as long as possible. It couldn’t possibly live up to the hype, could it?

Fast forward to the present and I’ve just finished this wonderful book and can’t get it out of my head. The story follows the titular Eleanor Oliphant through her perfectly scheduled existence. Nobody’s ever told her that life could be anything more than just “fine” and she’s not aware that she’s missing out on anything.

Then, Raymond, the IT guy, enters her life and things change forever. They save an elderly man, Sammy, from a fall and jointly help him on his road to recovery.

Eleanor Oliphant has a traumatic past but with the help of Raymond’s big heart, she is able to face some of her demons. Raymond, Eleanor and Sam each have a role to place in saving the others from isolation.

So if you liked Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (and if you didn’t, who are you?), check out these ten books just like it.

These books like Eleanor Oliphant are character-driven, often featuring those who are outsiders, and all will fill your heart with warmth.

If you haven’t yet got your hands on a copy of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine then what are you waiting for? Grab yours now from:

Amazon | Book Depository | Waterstones

This post contains affiliate links. This means I will earn a tiny amount of commission if you purchase via one of my links, at no extra cost to you! All opinions, as always, are my own.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Project‘s protagonist Don, a genetics professor, reminds me so much of Eleanor Oliphant. He has Asperger’s syndrome (unknown to him) and is incredibly socially awkward.

As a result, he has next to no friends. He then creates a questionnaire to help him find the perfect wife, but a woman has to score 100% for Don to even consider taking her on a date. With such high expectations, The Wife Project is doomed to fail.

Then there’s Rosie, a fiery barmaid who is on a quest to find her biological father, which brings her into Don’s orbit. She’s everything that Don detests and yet somehow he’s drawn to her.

The Rosie Project is a very funny book with a main character you grow to love. If you liked Eleanor Oliphant then you’ll also love Don. He’s the male Eleanor Oliphant!

Check out my book review of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.

Buy The Rosie Project: Amazon | The Book Depository | Waterstones

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

The Little Paris Bookshop is one of my all-time favourite reads. Jean Perdu is a bookseller on a floating barge in Paris (how romantic!) and he has an incredible talent for finding customers the exact book they need to “cure” them. If only such a man existed in real life!

However, his life is pretty monotonous and has lost all colour. Then he finds a long-lost letter from a former lover and decides to finally confront the demons from his past. He unmoors his barge and sets off down towards the south of France hoping to find the end of the story.

This is a book like Eleanor Oliphant because it’s about healing old wounds and moving forward. It’s a journey of self-discovery, friendship and learning to love again. The plot is not as predictable as it may at first seem however so be prepared for some twists and turns.

Check out my book review of The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

Buy The Little Paris Bookshop: Amazon | The Book Depository | Waterstones

Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

Where’d You Go Bernadette centres around a famous architect, Bernadette Fox. She is a wife and mother and this little family lives in Seattle. At the beginning, her daughter, Bee, cashes in on a promise her parents made to take her to Antartica. But the idea of being stuck on a boat is Bernadette’s idea of hell.

Then she goes missing.

This book deals with hard-hitting topics such as family and mental health but somehow manages to make you chuckle most of the way through. It’s the kind of story that will make you laugh out loud, in public.

Semple’s commentary on society reminds me of the blunt way in which Eleanor Oliphant describes things just the way they are. The author pokes fun at private school parents, life in the US and also life more generally.

Bernadette is an outsider in her world, just like Eleanor, and this book proves that those with mental health problems are just as deserving of love as everyone else.

Check out my book review of Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple.

Buy Where’d You Go, Bernadette: Amazon | The Book Depository | Waterstones

A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman

You may begin A Man Called Ove by thinking “what a grumpy old git!”, and to be honest, that’s exactly how I felt about Eleanor Oliphant too.

Fast forward three hundred pages though and you’ll be just as in love with Ove as you were with Eleanor. Dealing with love, loss and second chances, this is a heartwarming and uplifting novel that is also very, very funny.

Buy A Man Called Ove: Amazon | The Book Depository | Waterstones

House of Windows by Alexia Casale

I don’t know anyone else who’s read House of Windows by Alexia Casale but it’s a story that’s stuck with me through the years.

The protagonist, Nick, is only 15 when he is admitted to the prestigious Cambridge University (the other place). He’s academically smart but socially awkward and obviously, it’s very difficult to make friends during freshers when you’re only 15. He starts to cox for his college rowing team and al hell breaks loose for him…

Like many other characters on this list, he annoys you at first but then you grow to love him. This is an atypical coming of age drama that is sort of like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine for teenagers.

House of Windows is the story of an oddity who manages to find friends and acceptance, just like Eleanor Oliphant.

Check out my book review of House of Windows by Alexia Casale.

Buy House of Windows: Amazon | Waterstones

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Little Fires Everywhere explores the nature of family, particularly that of motherhood. We follow two families and their children, each of whom has a very different, often strained, relationship with their mother.

Eleanor Oliphant has a particularly difficult relationship with her mother, which is explored throughout the novel, and finally dealt with at the end of the novel.

Little Fires Everywhere also deals with the mark that motherhood leaves. In Eleanor Oliphant’s case, this is very much physical, but in Celeste Ng’s book, it is entirely internal. Both cause long-lasting damage, shaping the lives of their children forever.

Buy Little Fires Everywhere: Amazon | The Book Depository | Waterstones

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper has much in common with The Little Paris Bookshop. Arthur is alone, mourning the loss of his wife after 40 years of marriage.

Then one day, he finds a charm bracelet. It takes him on a journey from London to Paris and India where he rediscovers himself and starts to heal. This is the reawakening of someone who’s stuck in a routine, much like Eleanor Oliphant.

Buy the Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper: Amazon | The Book Depository | Waterstones

Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon

Although Florence is more than fifty years older than Eleanor Oliphant, they’ve both hidden terrible truths from the past from themselves.

And Florence is afraid hers are about to come to light as she lies flat on her back in a care home, waiting to be rescued.

This story is charming, poignant and funny, just like Eleanor Oliphant. Its lasting message is: even the smallest life can leave the loudest echo.

Buy Three Things About Elsie: Amazon | The Book Depository | Waterstones

A Year of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman

Marvellous Ways (yes that really is her name!) has lived alone for almost all 89 years of her life. Then one day, a WWII soldier washes up in front of her.

He’s trying to make good on his promise to fulfil a dying man’s last wish. This story demonstrates the power of every day actions and the healing that people can bring each other when they are lonely and lost.

It’s also about recovering from grief, something Eleanor Oliphant knew a little something about.

Buy A Year of Marvellous Ways: Amazon | The Book Depository | Waterstones

Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller

Peggy Hillcoat is 8 years old when her father takes her away. She lives a lonely life; her father has told her that the rest of the world has disappeared.

This story reminds me of Eleanor Oliphant’s because it explores the damage that parents can inflict on their children. Peggy is very wise in some ways, and yet completely infantile in others, which also reminded me of Eleanor.

Check out my book review of Claire Fuller’s second book: Swimming Lessons.

Buy Our Endless Numbered Days: Amazon | The Book Depository | Waterstones

There are my 10 recommended books similar to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.

And if you haven’t read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine yet… what are you waiting for?

Buy Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine:

Amazon | The Book Depository | Waterstones

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This article was first published in 2018 and updated in 2020.