The best books with bell bottoms and big hair: novels featuring the 70s and 80s

This wonderful YA set in the seventies is part Booksmart with a bit of Judy Blume sprinkled in. I love humor in books and at times, this one will have you snorting your latte through your nose. The story follows Susan, an aspiring soccer player who just happens to have the hots for the foxy coach. What follows is a book that shines a light on a teenage girl owning her sexuality, building lasting friendships, and discovering what she really wants. I loved this book and though I read it a while ago, it has stuck with me in such a good way.

I had the wonderful opportunity to read this YA novel as an ARC. It debuts on November 1st 2022, so put your patient pants on for this one. 

It’s 1979, and Jasmine Zumideh, an Iranian American music-journalist-in-the-making, embellishes on her application to NYU. When her coveted acceptance letter arrives, she must win her school’s election for Class President to turn her lie into the truth. 

What I loved about this debut was although it tackled the complications of embracing one’s identity and culture, and how confusing and messy this can be, it was also a fun romp down the halls of the decade without feeling forced or dated. Life-altering events of the time were woven in seamlessly—The Iran Hostage Crisis, making for a heartfelt story about the hidden strength and perseverance of a teenage girl navigating discrimination, family expectations, friendships and a new love. Put this one on your pre-order list!

This book swept me back to the eighties and those Hell-days of riding the school bus and yeah, maybe carrying a tray of mystery meat through a packed lunchroom. However, where this story really shines is the budding romance between the two main characters. Just try and leave them behind after finishing the last word. Believe me, their journey will linger. 

Painful silence between Eleanor and Park blossoms into an unbreakable bond as we follow the pair over the course of one school year. They come to each other from very different places, but by the end, you’ll want these two to carve their names in a tree and be together forever. 

Like all perfect love stories, this one does not come without tragic circumstances and lots of tears. For readers like me, who long for love on the page, this one will not disappoint. 

Though this book was a recent read for me, it’s been out there for a while. I’m surprised I missed it until now, which makes it all the sweeter. 

I love unexpected finds like The Music Shop. And just like the book, we follow Frank, the owner of a vinyl record shop in 1988 London, where customers roam the jam-packed rows in search of a gem among endless stacks of music. 

Frank has an ear for matching the perfect record to every person who walks through his door. Then he meets Ilse, who challenges him in a way that rocks his world. 

The soundtrack for this book is an awesome companion, something I always look for in a book. Check out Spotify for a listen while you follow Frank and Isle’s wonderfully complicated and yet deeply beautiful relationship. 

Though you couldn’t pay me one million dollars to wear giant shoulder pads again, I’m taking you there with this one because it’s all about eighties fashion with The Carrie Dairies. And who can resist, because those high-waisted acid-wash jeans seem to have come back full circle to haunt us.  

This book was a bit removed from my usual picks, but I couldn’t resist with all the hype about The Carrie Diaries TV show. It’s a Sex and the City flashback to Carrie Bradshaw’s 1980’s senior year. And like the wildly popular, decade-defining television show, this book series has everything for your guilty pleasures. Really, it’s a super-fun easy read and serves to answer those nagging questions we all had about Carrie’s past when SATC was at its height. But proceed with caution. You may find yourself slapping on some blue eyeliner and iridescent lip stick.