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10 Books Similar To Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Looking for books like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman? If you liked Eleanor Oliphant then you’ll love these 10 heartwarming reads featuring quirky characters.

Eleanor Oliphant Cover in front of coastline - Books Like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

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 is Completely Fine 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 a copy now from:
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The Rosie Project is a book like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Project is my top suggestion for books similar to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

The book’s protagonist Don, a genetics professor, reminds me so much of Eleanor Oliphant. He has Asperger’s syndrome (unknown to him) and is rather 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 | Waterstones | Blackwells

The Little Paris Bookshop is a book like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

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 is Completely Fine 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 | Waterstones | Blackwells

Where'd You Go Bernadette is a book like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

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 Antarctica. 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 | Waterstones | Blackwells

A Man Called Ove Cover

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. 

READ MORE: A Man Called Ove Book Club Questions

Buy A Man Called Ove: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells

The Cactus by Sarah Haywood - a book similar to Eleanor Oliphant

The Cactus by Sarah Haywood

Susan is the kind of woman who leads a perfectly ordered life from her home to her career and even her relationship for convenience shall we say. She thinks that she is always right and looks down on most other people.

But then her mother dies. And she finds out she is pregnant. Quite quickly, her life is spiralling out of control.

Like Eleanor Oliphant, this is the story of a social misfit whose life takes suddenly takes a chaotic turn but it opens up the protagonist to experiences and feelings they have never experienced before.

As her pregnancy develops, she begins to think of herself in a different way, and even develops some feelings for Rob, her brother’s friend and the most unlikely of suitors for her. The Cactus is Susan’s lesson in letting go and letting things be.

Buy The Cactus: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells

The Lido Libby Page

The Lido by Libby Page

The Lido is about the unlikely cross-generational friendship between a young journalist and an elderly widow.

Kate, an anxiety-ridden twenty-six-year-old, works for a newspaper in Brixton covering the small, meaningless stories. That is until she is assigned to cover a story about the lido closing, which changes her lonely life forever.

Rosemary, an eighty-six-year-old widow, has been swimming at the Lido every day for decades. It’s where she met her husband and where she finds solace each and every day.

RELATED: 33 Best Modern Books of All Time

The lido is under threat from property developers but as Kate begins to dig into its history and gets to know Rosemary, the two develop a beautiful friendship and a strong desire to fight back against the lido’s destruction.

This is a book like A Man Called Ove too so if you liked the sound of that one, you’ll also like this.

Buy The Lido: Amazon | Blackwells | Waterstones

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper Cover

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 | Waterstones | Blackwells

Three Things About Elsie is a book like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

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 | Waterstones | Blackwells

House of Windows cover

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 | Blackwells

A Year of Marvellous Ways - 10 Heartwarming Books Like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

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 everyday 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. 

Sarah Winman is also the author of Tin Man, which is another excellent read.

Buy A Year of Marvellous Ways: Amazon | Waterstones | Blackwells

Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller Cover

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 | Waterstones | Blackwells

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? 

Pin for later! 

10 Books Like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

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Laura

Founder & Editor of What’s Hot?

Laura is an award-winning travel and book blogger based in the UK. She studied French literature at Oxford University and is now an IP lawyer at a top law firm in London. She was named UK Book Blogger of the Year in 2019 and loves to combine her passion for books and travel with literary travel.

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

Eleanor

Sunday 4th of June 2023

Is this Alicante? Where exactly? Thank you

Alicia

Friday 10th of December 2021

Thank you so much for writing this! Such a niche subject, but little blogs like this fill the little holes in our minds we didn't even know were there. I'm halfway through Eleanor Oliphant right now and am IN LOVE. I can picture the movie in my mind effortlessly and I haven't felt so connected to a character maybe ever. It's books like these that have helped me truly discover a love for reading for what feels like the first time in my life. So thank you for sharing!

Karen

Saturday 9th of October 2021

I would add “The Girl He Used to Know” by Tracey Garcia’s Graves.

Laura

Sunday 10th of October 2021

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll look that up :)

Marylou

Friday 7th of August 2020

I have read so many articles or reviews regarding the blogger lovers but this post is genuinely a nice article, keep it up.

Anne

Tuesday 2nd of October 2018

I'd definitely add The 'One Memory of Flora Banks' by Emily Barr and also her darker 'The Truth and Lies of Ella Black'.