10 Books You Should Read If You Can't Get Enough Of HBO's "Euphoria"
If you're anything like me, you can't get enough of HBO's Euphoria. Instead of spending your time rewatching the show and reading fan theories on Twitter, here are some books with similar vibes, characters, or storylines.
1.The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe by Hannah Moskowitz
What it's about: The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe is a new adult lesbian contemporary following Andie, a 19-year-old girl who has been in love with her best friend, the titular Ivy, for as long as she can remember. Andie believes that Ivy doesn't return her feelings because she is afraid of commitment, never bringing home the same girl twice and happy to be desired by every girl in town. This illusion is completely shattered when Ivy brings home Dot, who quickly becomes a fixture in their lives, and who Ivy is definitely beginning to fall for. Ivy and Dot's developing relationship shatters everything Andie though she knew about Ivy, and about herself. Is something wrong with her? Why would Ivy choose Dot over Andie? Hannah Moskowitz has written a beautiful and messy story about friendship, jealousy, and finding the right person in all the ways you'd never expected.
How it compares: Like Euphoria, this has sapphic best friend pining as well as a teen culture full of normalized overuse of drugs and alcohol (which comes to a head, albeit in a different way than Rue's drug use does). It also features a character with bipolar disorder, and is sex and sex work positive, with the main character's parents owning a strip club. This character-driven novel will appeal to anyone who loves Euphoria and its characters for the messes that they are.
Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
2.You'd Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow
What it's about: For all of Emory's life, she's been told who she is — from people in town who know her as the rich girl, from the great-great-granddaughter of the town mill's founder, and from the people at school, who only know her as "hot Maddie Ward's younger sister." Even at home, she can't escape other people's perceptions of her, with her parents always thinking she's the good one in comparison to her older brother, Joey, who is an addict. Emmy spends a great deal of time covering for Joey and his drug abuse, but no one knows just how bad his problem is until the two get into a car accident together, resulting in the death of a child and revealing the magnitude of Joey's drug problem, ultimately causing their parents to send him to rehab. Four months later, Joey is home from rehab, but rehab may not have fixed everything. With Joey falling back into old habits, Emmy does, too, continuing to cover up for him and put all her time and energy into his recovery, so much so that she worries she may lose herself along the way.
How it compares: In Euphoria, we see the difficult and heartbreaking relationship between Rue and her little sister, Gia, with whom her relationship is strained due to her drug use. Like Gia, in this book, Emmy is the younger sibling, caring for her addict older brother, Joey. She is there for many traumatic moments brought on by his drug use, and we watch as a younger sibling gets lost in the pain of an older sibling's addiction. This book gives us a little insight into what Gia might be feeling as the loving sibling of a troubled addict, particularly one that has already gone through a stint in rehab. Euphoria fans will appreciate this book for the intense sibling relationships, chaotic family dynamics, and explorations of non-linear sobriety.
Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
3.Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
What it's about: Eighteen-year-old Zach is an alcoholic doing a stint in rehab with no memory of what led to being there, and he's not sure he even wants to remember. As the story progresses, we learn more of Zach's family life, his father's alcoholism, his mother's depression, and his older brother's abuse. Throughout the course of the novel and Zach's treatment, we watch him go from a young man who refuses to confront his own feelings and definitely won't speak them aloud, to someone who learns to trust others and accept love from them. This is a book that is tough to describe without giving too much away, but, like anything written by Sáenz, it is well worth the read.
How it compares: Zach, like Rue, is a teenage addict with extensive trauma and depressive tendencies who seems to be using to numb emotional pain, with no intent to stop because his severe depression has tricked him into believing life isn't worth living. Like Rue, Zach struggles to get to a point where he wants to get better. Fans looking for more diverse stories that are compassionate toward teens with addiction are bound to appreciate this one.
Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
4.Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez
What it's about: The first part of this book takes place in 1950s Britain, where Jamaican ex-boxer Norman Alonso has immigrated with his wife and children in hopes of a brighter future for all of them. Unfortunately, things for Norman and his family haven't gone as planned. His marriage is suffering and since moving to Britain, his family has dealt with unexpected illness and racism. Where is the bright future Norman envisioned for his family?
The second part of the novel takes place 50 years later, at the turn of the millennium, when 19-year-old Jesse McCarthy, a queer Black boy who was raised Jehovah's Witness, has chosen to leave his home and repressive religious community to find a fresh start in London. When he arrives in London, Jesse turns to sex work to make a living and finds himself through sexuality, music, and art. Rainbow Milk is a beautiful and at once painful and insightful look into sexuality, race, and religion in modern Britain.
How it compares: Main character Jesse leaves home and finds himself through exploring his sexuality and experimenting with drugs, eventually leaving himself to feel like he is only of value to white men as a sex object, making him feel like he has to be desirable to be worth anything. To me, this mirrors Jules' experience as a trans woman — she feels like she's had to perform femininity to affirm her identity to herself. While Jules isn't Black and doesn't share that intersectionality with Jesse, the two remain on their own complicated journeys toward being comfortable with their queer identity, particularly when separated from other people's perceptions of it. This will appeal to anyone who watches Euphoria for the gays (which, let's face it, is like 90% of us).
Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
5.She's Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard
What it's about: This sapphic young adult thriller inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray takes place in the sweltering heat of end-of-summer San Diego. Told in the alternating points of view of main characters and love interests — budding photographer Veronica and shy, introverted high school swimmer Mick — it is a wild ride of beautiful imagery and art installations turned murderous, grounded in a chaotic love story between the main characters. The relationship between Mick and Veronica is quickly complicated when a candid photo Veronica takes of Mick blows up on Instagram, becoming the subject of multiple journalists and giving Veronica a huge career opportunity, all while making this a triggering experience for Mick. This, along with the dangerous and criminal art installs the two find themselves wrapped up in with Veronica's friend Nico, complicates both girl's lives. Only one thing is for sure: Neither one of them is ready for what they may be required to sacrifice for Veronica's art.
How it compares: The thing that most compares to Euphoria to She's Too Pretty to Burn, besides the obvious sapphic romance, is the absolutely beautiful imagery being the backdrop to so much tragedy. This book is so beautifully written, and all of the art installations are written so well — the reader can easily imagine themselves there. Euphoria is known for its beautiful cinematography, makeup, directing, and dramatic acting, all of which come together to create a very specific (and desirable) aesthetic. Anyone who appreciates a good, well-written book full of messy, imperfect teens will tear through this one.
Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
6.Life of the Party by Christine Anderson
What it's about: Seventeen-year-old MacKenzie is a rebellious party girl and a senior in high school who can't wait to graduate and be free from her disapproving parents and her annoyingly perfect older sister. MacKenzie's best friend Riley has always been her partner in crime, the two of them loving to get drunk and high together. This comes to an abrupt end when something bad happens and Riley decides to get sober, leaving MacKenzie feeling alone, abandoned, and falling for an older man, Grey Lewis, a good musician with an even better drug supply. Despite Riley warning MacKenzie to stay away from Grey, she is too concerned with where her next hit is coming from to care what Riley thinks. When MacKenzie and Riley officially go their separate ways, she falls deeper and deeper into a life of drugs and partying and forgets all about everything else, including Riley. But has Riley forgotten about her?
How it compares: MacKenzie's codependency (particularly with Grey) reminds me of what Rue and Elliot were in the beginning, minus the romance. Two people brought together by drugs, and the ability to use with someone else, each enabling the other and neither good for the other. Another similarity is MacKenzie's intense emotional reaction to the perceived abandonment she experiences when Riley decides to get sober, much like Rue's reaction to Jules' departure at the end of the first season. Both characters turn to drugs (and in Rue's case, relapse) in an attempt to avoid dealing with intense emotions and the grief of losing a friend. This book, much like Rue's arc in Season 2, shows the darker side of drugs. It will appeal to Euphoria fans who are in it for the raw emotion, brutal honesty, and the occasional cry sesh.
Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
7.Girl on the Line by Faith Gardner
What it's about: After attempting suicide, Journey must figure out how to move forward with a life she had no intentions of living. Along with figuring out a future she didn't expect to have, Journey also must navigate a new Bipolar II diagnosis that comes along with meds that she is incredibly resistant to taking. Navigating the ups and downs of a lifelong mental illness won't be easy, but Journey may just learn to care for herself, ask for help, and find the bright spots along the way.
How it compares: Journey and Rue are both queer teens with bipolar disorder just trying to get through high school. Journey, unlike Rue, does not have addiction issues and is averse to even taking her bipolar medication, but the ups and downs she experiences due to her illness are guaranteed to remind readers of Rue's own ups and downs.
Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
8.Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin
What it's about: Trouble Girls is a queer contemporary YA thriller following best friends Trixie and Lux, who plan a weekend getaway together. At the beginning of their trip, they stop at a college bar, where one of them is assaulted, leading to an act of violence that causes them to go on the run. As wanted fugitives and the complicated new faces of the #MeToo movement, the girls must keep a low profile — but money and supplies are quickly dwindling. The recent trauma brings up a lot for both girls, and they must figure out how to move forward while outrunning the law and trying to cope with all these emotions they have, both the anger they feel toward their abusers, and the maybe-more-than-platonic love they have for each other.
How it compares: Although more direct in its approach to dealing with the topic, Trouble Girls, like Euphoria, follows teen girls and the complicated reactions brought on by trauma in the aftermath of sexual assault. Also similar to the show, the heart of it is two female best friends falling in love with everything crumbling around them, which is at times how it feels to watch the also dysfunctional Rue and Jules navigate their friendship turned love story. Euphoria fans will love this for its strong yet imperfect female characters and messy drama grounded in real-world problems.
Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
9.Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
What it's about: It's August 1983 in Malibu and the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party, and everyone who's anyone wants to be there. The four Riva siblings are famous. Nina is a talented surfer and supermodel. The twins, Jay and Hud, are each famous in their own right — Jay is a famous surfer, and Hud is a photographer. Not to be left out is their adored youngest sister, Kit. The four are the children of famous singer Mick Riva, and all of Malibu is obsessed with them and ready to be wowed by the party, but no one, especially the Riva siblings, is ready for what the night will reveal.
How it compares: So much of the drama on Euphoria goes down at the parties, and this entire novel is a dramatic party full of elites. Secrets are revealed, fights are to be had, and plenty of alcohol is involved. This book will appeal to the Euphoria fans who are in it for the beautiful people who continuously get themselves in terrible situations.
Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
10.Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
What it's about: Gabi, A Girl in Pieces is a coming-of-age story told in diary entries written by Gabi Hernandez, a 17-year-old Mexican American girl who is a senior in high school and has a lot on her plate. Her best friend is pregnant, her friend Sebastian just came out and got kicked out of his home, her father struggles with meth addiction, and everyone always sees her as the "fat girl." As Gabi writes throughout her last year of high school, she learns to explore poetry and writing as an outlet for trauma, allowing her to show up for herself in the way she always has for everyone else.
How it compares: Main character and narrator Gabi, like every character in Euphoria, is dealing with a lot of drama. With a pregnant best friend, a newly out and rejected male friend, body issues and a drug addicted father, it would be pretty easy to place her at Euphoria High. Euphoria fans who find themselves empathizing with a seemingly universal (if dramatized) version of what it is to be a teen in America today will be drawn toward this one.
Get it from Bookshop or your local bookstore via Indiebound here.
