26 Books like The Queen's Gambit

The Book Club for Troublesome Women

by Marie Bostwick

In 1962, four suburban women read The Feminine Mystique and find the courage to want more.

4.07

141k+

🏘️ Suburban Discontent 📚 Book Club Fiction 👭 Female Friendship 🏠 Found Family ✊ 1960s Feminism

The Book Club for Troublesome Women Summary

The Book Club for Troublesome Women 87%

In 1962, four suburban women read The Feminine Mystique and find the courage to want more.

by Marie Bostwick 2025

4.07

141k+ ratings

🏘️ Suburban Discontent 📚 Book Club Fiction 👭 Female Friendship 🏠 Found Family ✊ 1960s Feminism

Check & Mate

by Ali Hazelwood • 2023

A former chess prodigy beats the world champion, then joins his club out of family necessity.

3.94

371k+

🖤 Rivals To Lovers ♟️ Competitive Chess 💬 Witty Banter 🏆 Women In Sports 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

Check & Mate 90%

A former chess prodigy beats the world champion, then joins his club out of family necessity.

by Ali Hazelwood 2023

3.94

371k+ ratings

🖤 Rivals To Lovers ♟️ Competitive Chess 💬 Witty Banter 🏆 Women In Sports 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

Chess Story

by Stefan Zweig • 1942

A Nazi survivor challenges the world chess champion, risking the madness the game once caused.

4.26

179k+

🎭 Psychological Novella ♟️ Chess As Obsession 🔒 Solitary Confinement 👥 Internal Duality 🫢 Claustrophobic

Chess Story 89%

A Nazi survivor challenges the world chess champion, risking the madness the game once caused.

by Stefan Zweig 1942

4.26

179k+ ratings

🎭 Psychological Novella ♟️ Chess As Obsession 🔒 Solitary Confinement 👥 Internal Duality 🫢 Claustrophobic

The One Man

by Andrew Gross • 2016

A Polish refugee must infiltrate Auschwitz to extract a physicist whose knowledge could win the war.

4.33

18k+

🔍 WWII Espionage 💔 Survivor's Guilt ♟️ Chess Prodigy ⚛️ Atomic Race 🇵🇱 1940s Poland

The One Man 88%

A Polish refugee must infiltrate Auschwitz to extract a physicist whose knowledge could win the war.

by Andrew Gross 2016

4.33

18k+ ratings

🔍 WWII Espionage 💔 Survivor's Guilt ♟️ Chess Prodigy ⚛️ Atomic Race 🇵🇱 1940s Poland

Lessons in Chemistry

by Bonnie Garmus • 2022

She wanted a lab. They gave her a kitchen. So she taught a nation of housewives chemistry.

4.28

1.8M+

👩‍🔬 Women In Stem ✊ Feminist Historical Fiction 🏠 Found Family 🇺🇸 1960s America 👩‍👧 Single Mother

Lessons in Chemistry 87%

She wanted a lab. They gave her a kitchen. So she taught a nation of housewives chemistry.

by Bonnie Garmus 2022

4.28

1.8M+ ratings

👩‍🔬 Women In Stem ✊ Feminist Historical Fiction 🏠 Found Family 🇺🇸 1960s America 👩‍👧 Single Mother

Gabriel's Moon

by William Boyd • 2024

A Lumumba interview turns a travel writer into an MI6 courier. His handler becomes his obsession.

4.01

16k+

🕵️ Cold War Espionage 🎭 Reluctant Spy 💔 Childhood Trauma 🛋️ Psychoanalysis 📖 Literary Thriller

Gabriel's Moon 87%

A Lumumba interview turns a travel writer into an MI6 courier. His handler becomes his obsession.

by William Boyd 2024

4.01

16k+ ratings

🕵️ Cold War Espionage 🎭 Reluctant Spy 💔 Childhood Trauma 🛋️ Psychoanalysis 📖 Literary Thriller

The Passenger

by Cormac McCarthy • 2022

Grieving his genius sister, a salvage diver finds a vanished passenger and his own life erased.

3.57

39k+

🥀 Southern Gothic 🔍 Existential Mystery 💔 Forbidden Love 🧠 Genius And Madness 👥 Sibling Bond

The Passenger 87%

Grieving his genius sister, a salvage diver finds a vanished passenger and his own life erased.

by Cormac McCarthy 2022

3.57

39k+ ratings

🥀 Southern Gothic 🔍 Existential Mystery 💔 Forbidden Love 🧠 Genius And Madness 👥 Sibling Bond

Intermezzo

by Sally Rooney • 2024

Two grieving brothers in Ireland fall into consuming age-gap affairs while their own bond fractures.

3.79

386k+

🇮🇪 Contemporary Ireland 🧩 Age Gap Romance 💔 Love Triangle ♟️ Chess Prodigy 👥 Sibling Tension

Intermezzo 87%

Two grieving brothers in Ireland fall into consuming age-gap affairs while their own bond fractures.

by Sally Rooney 2024

3.79

386k+ ratings

🇮🇪 Contemporary Ireland 🧩 Age Gap Romance 💔 Love Triangle ♟️ Chess Prodigy 👥 Sibling Tension

The Book of Goose

by Yiyun Li • 2022

Two girls wrote a book. One became a prodigy. Only the other knew the truth.

3.68

22k+

🖤 Intense Female Friendship 🖋️ Fake Authorship 📖 Storytelling As Control 🇫🇷 Postwar France 🌧️ Melancholy Literary

The Book of Goose 87%

Two girls wrote a book. One became a prodigy. Only the other knew the truth.

by Yiyun Li 2022

3.68

22k+ ratings

🖤 Intense Female Friendship 🖋️ Fake Authorship 📖 Storytelling As Control 🇫🇷 Postwar France 🌧️ Melancholy Literary

Running

by Jean Echenoz • 2009

A Czech runner's brutal, self-made training made him an Olympic legend and a secret police target.

3.81

3k+

📖 Biographical Fiction 🏃 Reluctant Athlete 💪 Unorthodox Training 📢 State Propaganda ⚖️ Political Persecution

Running 87%

A Czech runner's brutal, self-made training made him an Olympic legend and a secret police target.

by Jean Echenoz 2009

3.81

3k+ ratings

📖 Biographical Fiction 🏃 Reluctant Athlete 💪 Unorthodox Training 📢 State Propaganda ⚖️ Political Persecution

The Island Club

by Nicola Harrison • 2026

Three women's secrets, scandals, and a shot at redemption collide at a 1950s island tennis club.

3.67

6k+

🕰️ 1950s America 🌴 California Beach Town 🎾 Women's Tennis 🎭 Hidden Identity 💔 Strained Marriages

The Island Club 87%

Three women's secrets, scandals, and a shot at redemption collide at a 1950s island tennis club.

by Nicola Harrison 2026

3.67

6k+ ratings

🕰️ 1950s America 🌴 California Beach Town 🎾 Women's Tennis 🎭 Hidden Identity 💔 Strained Marriages

The Diamond Eye

by Kate Quinn • 2022

A legendary Soviet sniper lands in Washington on a goodwill tour, unaware an old enemy waits.

4.29

212k+

👩‍✈️ Women At War 🎓 Unlikely Soldier 🤝 Unexpected Bond 🥺 Lonely Hero 💔 Emotional Depth

The Diamond Eye 87%

A legendary Soviet sniper lands in Washington on a goodwill tour, unaware an old enemy waits.

by Kate Quinn 2022

4.29

212k+ ratings

👩‍✈️ Women At War 🎓 Unlikely Soldier 🤝 Unexpected Bond 🥺 Lonely Hero 💔 Emotional Depth

The Last Assignment

by Erika Robuck • 2025

Rejected at home, a woman war correspondent finds family among soldiers on the front lines

4.03

1k+

💪 Woman In A Man's World 🫂 Found Family 📖 Based On A True Story 💔 Toxic Marriage 🌱 Trauma Recovery

The Last Assignment 87%

Rejected at home, a woman war correspondent finds family among soldiers on the front lines

by Erika Robuck 2025

4.03

1k+ ratings

💪 Woman In A Man's World 🫂 Found Family 📖 Based On A True Story 💔 Toxic Marriage 🌱 Trauma Recovery

The Secrets We Kept

by Lara Prescott • 2019

A banned novel links a Moscow muse facing the Gulag to the CIA typists smuggling it home.

3.65

79k+

🕵️ Cold War Espionage 📚 Books About Books 🕶️ Secret Female Spies 💔 Forbidden Queer Romance 🎨 Muse And Artist

The Secrets We Kept 88%

A banned novel links a Moscow muse facing the Gulag to the CIA typists smuggling it home.

by Lara Prescott 2019

3.65

79k+ ratings

🕵️ Cold War Espionage 📚 Books About Books 🕶️ Secret Female Spies 💔 Forbidden Queer Romance 🎨 Muse And Artist

Carrie Soto Is Back

by Taylor Jenkins Reid • 2022

Her Grand Slam record under threat, a retired tennis legend returns to the court at thirty-seven.

4.20

735k+

🎾 Tennis Fiction 🏆 Women's Sports 🔄 Comeback Story 💪 Difficult Women ⏳ Aging Athlete

Carrie Soto Is Back 88%

Her Grand Slam record under threat, a retired tennis legend returns to the court at thirty-seven.

by Taylor Jenkins Reid 2022

4.20

735k+ ratings

🎾 Tennis Fiction 🏆 Women's Sports 🔄 Comeback Story 💪 Difficult Women ⏳ Aging Athlete

The Instrumentalist

by Harriet Constable

A foundling violinist in Venice plays like fire. Her teacher, Vivaldi, takes every piece she writes.

4.10

12k+

🎻 Classical Music History 🎨 Music As Color 🖋️ Hidden Authorship 🐍 Toxic Mentorship 🔥 Fierce Ambition

The Instrumentalist 87%

A foundling violinist in Venice plays like fire. Her teacher, Vivaldi, takes every piece she writes.

by Harriet Constable 2024

4.10

12k+ ratings

🎻 Classical Music History 🎨 Music As Color 🖋️ Hidden Authorship 🐍 Toxic Mentorship 🔥 Fierce Ambition

Mary Jane

by Jessica Anya Blau • 2021

A sheltered Baltimore teen spends one summer nannying for a family hiding a famous rock star.

4.12

115k+

📅 1970s Coming Of Age 🏠 Bohemian Household 🩷 Found Family 👶 Nanny Protagonist 🔒 Sheltered Protagonist

Mary Jane 87%

A sheltered Baltimore teen spends one summer nannying for a family hiding a famous rock star.

by Jessica Anya Blau 2021

4.12

115k+ ratings

📅 1970s Coming Of Age 🏠 Bohemian Household 🩷 Found Family 👶 Nanny Protagonist 🔒 Sheltered Protagonist

The Happiest Girl in the World

by Alena Dillon • 2021

A gymnast's Olympic dream demands silence about her best friend's abuse and her own breaking body.

3.69

2k+

🏅 Elite Gymnastics ⚠️ Institutional Abuse 👩‍👧 Mother Daughter Tension 💔 Best Friends To Rivals 🗣️ Survivor Speaks Out

The Happiest Girl in the World 87%

A gymnast's Olympic dream demands silence about her best friend's abuse and her own breaking body.

by Alena Dillon 2021

3.69

2k+ ratings

🏅 Elite Gymnastics ⚠️ Institutional Abuse 👩‍👧 Mother Daughter Tension 💔 Best Friends To Rivals 🗣️ Survivor Speaks Out

Mrs. Everything

by Jennifer Weiner • 2019

Two sisters. One loves women in secret. One buries her past. A lifetime of becoming themselves.

3.85

95k+

🏡 Family Saga 👭 Sisterhood 🏳️‍🌈 Repressed Sexuality 🩹 Trauma And Healing 🇺🇸 Midcentury America

Mrs. Everything 87%

Two sisters. One loves women in secret. One buries her past. A lifetime of becoming themselves.

by Jennifer Weiner 2019

3.85

95k+ ratings

🏡 Family Saga 👭 Sisterhood 🏳️‍🌈 Repressed Sexuality 🩹 Trauma And Healing 🇺🇸 Midcentury America

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

by Milan Kundera • 1984

A Czech surgeon's womanizing and his wife's jealousy meet the 1968 Soviet invasion.

4.10

552k+

🧠 Existential Novel 👁️ Jealousy And Obsession 🔺 Literary Love Triangle 🐶 Canine Companion 🥀 Wistful Romance

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Summary

The Unbearable Lightness of Being 87%

A Czech surgeon's womanizing and his wife's jealousy meet the 1968 Soviet invasion.

by Milan Kundera 1984

4.10

552k+ ratings

🧠 Existential Novel 👁️ Jealousy And Obsession 🔺 Literary Love Triangle 🐶 Canine Companion 🥀 Wistful Romance

Great Circle

by Maggie Shipstead • 2021

A biplane over Montana: an orphan girl decides nothing will keep her from the sky.

4.09

84k+

🛩️ Female Aviator 📖 Epic Life Saga 👯 Twin Connection 🥃 Prohibition-Era 🔄 Self-Reinvention

Great Circle 87%

A biplane over Montana: an orphan girl decides nothing will keep her from the sky.

by Maggie Shipstead 2021

4.09

84k+ ratings

🛩️ Female Aviator 📖 Epic Life Saga 👯 Twin Connection 🥃 Prohibition-Era 🔄 Self-Reinvention

Meet the Newmans

by Jennifer Niven • 2026

America's favorite TV wife is unraveling off camera. Her husband's accident forces the reckoning.

3.65

17k+

🎬 1960s Hollywood ✊ Feminist Awakening 🎭 Show Business Family 🏳️‍🌈 Closeted In Hollywood 💔 Marriage In Crisis

Meet the Newmans 87%

America's favorite TV wife is unraveling off camera. Her husband's accident forces the reckoning.

by Jennifer Niven 2026

3.65

17k+ ratings

🎬 1960s Hollywood ✊ Feminist Awakening 🎭 Show Business Family 🏳️‍🌈 Closeted In Hollywood 💔 Marriage In Crisis

The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives

by Elizabeth Arnott • 2026

Once married to murderers, three women in 1960s California pursue a new killer the police dismiss.

3.54

18k+

🖤 Feminist Crime Fiction 👯 Female Friendship 🫂 Found Family 🔍 Criminal Profiling 🧠 Psychological Suspense

The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives Summary

The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives 87%

Once married to murderers, three women in 1960s California pursue a new killer the police dismiss.

by Elizabeth Arnott 2026

3.54

18k+ ratings

🖤 Feminist Crime Fiction 👯 Female Friendship 🫂 Found Family 🔍 Criminal Profiling 🧠 Psychological Suspense

Cat’s Eye

by Margaret Atwood • 1988

A painter's Toronto return forces a reckoning with the girlhood friend who nearly destroyed her.

3.95

73k+

🎨 Artist Protagonist 👧 Girlhood Cruelty 🖼️ Art As Survival 🕰️ Memory And Trauma 🤔 Psychological Realism

Cat’s Eye 87%

A painter's Toronto return forces a reckoning with the girlhood friend who nearly destroyed her.

by Margaret Atwood 1988

3.95

73k+ ratings

🎨 Artist Protagonist 👧 Girlhood Cruelty 🖼️ Art As Survival 🕰️ Memory And Trauma 🤔 Psychological Realism

Girl Through Glass

by Sari Wilson • 2016

A dance professor's past as a child ballerina groomed by a collector returns with a letter.

3.38

3k+

🩰 Ballet Fiction 🕷️ Predatory Mentor 🎭 Artistic Obsession 🌫️ Haunting Atmosphere 🗽 1970s New York

Girl Through Glass 87%

A dance professor's past as a child ballerina groomed by a collector returns with a letter.

by Sari Wilson 2016

3.38

3k+ ratings

🩰 Ballet Fiction 🕷️ Predatory Mentor 🎭 Artistic Obsession 🌫️ Haunting Atmosphere 🗽 1970s New York

Sweet Tooth

by Ian McEwan • 2012

In 1970s London, an MI5 recruit falls for the writer she was sent to secretly fund.

3.44

53k+

🕵️ Literary Espionage 📖 Metafiction 💔 Spy Falls In Love 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 📝 Novel Within A Novel

Sweet Tooth 87%

In 1970s London, an MI5 recruit falls for the writer she was sent to secretly fund.

by Ian McEwan 2012

3.44

53k+ ratings

🕵️ Literary Espionage 📖 Metafiction 💔 Spy Falls In Love 🎭 Unreliable Narrator 📝 Novel Within A Novel

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