100 books like Love Sick

By Cory Martin,

Here are 100 books that Love Sick fans have personally recommended if you like Love Sick. Shepherd is a community of 10,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body

Rebecca Dimyan Author Of Chronic: A Memoir

From my list on chronic illness to laugh, cry, and everything in between.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a woman who suffers from chronic illness, I am interested in sharing my experience and learning about other women who also suffer and survive their chronic conditions. I have had endometriosis, a painful disease, since I was a teenager. I’ve always enjoyed stories about different kinds of chronic illnesses, and I appreciate the way pain and sickness can be translated into memorable books. 

Rebecca's book list on chronic illness to laugh, cry, and everything in between

Rebecca Dimyan Why did Rebecca love this book?

A “best of books about chronic illness list” would not be complete without Gay’s heartbreaking memoir.

The bestselling author delves into chronic overeating, PTSD from a trauma she suffered as a young girl, and a complicated relationship with her overweight body. This book is both devastating and devastatingly beautiful. She explores her history with food as a Haitian-American woman as well as society’s expectations of women and women’s bodies. Gay is a true warrior, and she writes her story with guts.

Trigger Warning: this book contains explicit depictions of sexual violence.

By Roxane Gay,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Hunger as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The New York Times Bestseller

National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist

Lambda Literary Award winner

From Roxane Gay, the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist, a memoir in weight about eating healthier, finding a tolerable form of exercise, and exploring what it means to learn, in the middle of your life, how to take care of yourself and how to feed your hunger.

New York Times bestselling author Roxane Gay has written with intimacy and sensitivity about food and bodies, using her own emotional and psychological struggles as a means of exploring our shared anxieties over pleasure, consumption,…


Book cover of Sick: A Memoir

Rebecca Dimyan Author Of Chronic: A Memoir

From my list on chronic illness to laugh, cry, and everything in between.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a woman who suffers from chronic illness, I am interested in sharing my experience and learning about other women who also suffer and survive their chronic conditions. I have had endometriosis, a painful disease, since I was a teenager. I’ve always enjoyed stories about different kinds of chronic illnesses, and I appreciate the way pain and sickness can be translated into memorable books. 

Rebecca's book list on chronic illness to laugh, cry, and everything in between

Rebecca Dimyan Why did Rebecca love this book?

Although I may be biased in recommending my former mentor’s book, this memoir about Khakpour’s experience with mysterious illnesses and addictions is a must read.

Written in sharp, often poetic prose, the author offers an intimate portrait of a chronically ill woman of color navigating the frustrating world of doctors, tests, theories, medications, and doubt. The reader is pulled into this dark, gritty story of benzodiazepine abuse, debilitating symptoms, economic hardship, and, ultimately, diagnosis.

I love every book ever written by Khakpour, however, Sick is my absolute favorite (so far!) Not only could I relate to her experience in many ways, I adore her willingness to share all the messy, difficult pieces of her life.

By Porochista Khakpour,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sick as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Best Book of the Year: Real Simple, Entropy, Mental Floss, Bitch Media, The Paris Reivew, and LitHub.

Time Magazine's Best Memoirs of 2018 • Boston Globe's 25 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2018  •  Buzzfeed's 33 Most Exciting New Books  • GQ Best Non Fiction Book of 2018  • Bustle’s 28 Most Anticipated Nonfiction Books of 2018 list  •  Nylon’s 50 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2018  • Electric Literature’s 46 Books to Read By Women of Color in 2018 

“Porochista Khakpour’s powerful memoir, Sick, reads like a mystery and a reckoning with a love…


Book cover of Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, and Other Essays from a Nervous System

Rebecca Dimyan Author Of Chronic: A Memoir

From my list on chronic illness to laugh, cry, and everything in between.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a woman who suffers from chronic illness, I am interested in sharing my experience and learning about other women who also suffer and survive their chronic conditions. I have had endometriosis, a painful disease, since I was a teenager. I’ve always enjoyed stories about different kinds of chronic illnesses, and I appreciate the way pain and sickness can be translated into memorable books. 

Rebecca's book list on chronic illness to laugh, cry, and everything in between

Rebecca Dimyan Why did Rebecca love this book?

Huber is an author and teacher whom I adore, and I am lucky enough to call friend and mentor, but her writing will make everyone fall in love with her.

Heartfelt, lyrical, brutally honest, and funny, this collection of essays will give you new insight into what it means to live in chronic pain. She writes in a way that makes illness and pain itself almost beautiful. If you want poetic writing, a compelling narrative, and an experimental approach to understanding the pain that is an inextricable part of life for some of us, this book is for you.

By Sonya Huber,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, and Other Essays from a Nervous System as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rate your pain on a scale of one to ten. What about on a scale of spicy to citrus? Is it more like a lava lamp or a mosaic? Pain, though a universal element of human experience, is dimly understood and sometimes barely managed. Pain Woman Takes Your Keys, and Other Essays from a Nervous System is a collection of literary and experimental essays about living with chronic pain. Sonya Huber moves away from a linear narrative to step through the doorway into pain itself, into that strange, unbounded reality. Although the essays are personal in nature, this collection is…


Book cover of The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness

Rebecca Dimyan Author Of Chronic: A Memoir

From my list on chronic illness to laugh, cry, and everything in between.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a woman who suffers from chronic illness, I am interested in sharing my experience and learning about other women who also suffer and survive their chronic conditions. I have had endometriosis, a painful disease, since I was a teenager. I’ve always enjoyed stories about different kinds of chronic illnesses, and I appreciate the way pain and sickness can be translated into memorable books. 

Rebecca's book list on chronic illness to laugh, cry, and everything in between

Rebecca Dimyan Why did Rebecca love this book?

O’Rourke blends personal anecdotes, meticulous research, and compelling conviction as she argues that how we treat chronic illness needs to change.

She unpacks the complex nature of autoimmune conditions offering the history of Western Medicine’s approach to illness and even shedding a light on why so many sick people are often left without definitive diagnoses or helpful treatment plans. This is a multi-dimensional portrait of autoimmune disease and chronic illness that I could not put down.

By Meghan O'Rourke,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Invisible Kingdom as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

FINALIST FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION

Named one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2022 by NPR, The New Yorker, Time, and Vogue

“Remarkable.” –Andrew Solomon, The New York Times Book Review

"At once a rigorous work of scholarship and a radical act of empathy.”—Esquire

"A ray of light into those isolated cocoons of darkness that, at one time or another, may afflict us all.” —The Wall Street Journal

"Essential."—The Boston Globe

A landmark exploration of one of the most consequential and mysterious issues of our time: the rise of chronic illness and…


Book cover of His Banana

M. Malone Author Of Beg Me (Mess with Me)

From my list on romantic comedies to make you LOL in public.

Why am I passionate about this?

Hi! I’m M. Malone, a NYT, USA Today Bestseller, and RITA award winner. My ultimate goal in life is to make readers laugh in the most inappropriate places possible. When I moved away from home after college, it was difficult to make friends in a brand new city. Romantic comedies provided the joy I needed to go out into the real world and thrive. Now I get to make up stories that make other people laugh and in some cases pee their pants just a little (hey, I’m not judging).

M.'s book list on romantic comedies to make you LOL in public

M. Malone Why did M. love this book?

If you’re looking twice at the title, I can assure you this story is just as bonkers as you might think. An undercover reporter gets a job at a big company and then falls for the billionaire target of her sting operation. After accidentally eating his banana in the company break room. Another billionaire romance but the side characters are so unique and quirky that it feels completely fresh and new. I’ll warn you now, this entire series is binge-worthy.  

By Penelope Bloom,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked His Banana as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

My new boss likes rules, but there's one nobody dares to break... No touching his banana. Seriously. The guy is like a potassium addict. Of course, I touched it. If you want to get technical, I actually put it in my mouth. I chewed it up, too... I even swallowed. I know. Bad, bad, girl. Then I saw him, and believe it or not, choking on a guy's banana does not make the best first impression. I should backtrack a little here. Before I ever touched a billionaire’s banana, I got my first real assignment as a business reporter. This…


Book cover of It Had to Be You

Carolyn Miller Author Of The Breakup Project

From my list on for romance-loving Christians.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a long-time lover of Christian romance, and now with over a dozen Christian historical romance books published, and a similar amount of Christian contemporary romances published or soon to be, I think I’m someone who has a true appreciation for romance that is soul-stirringly Christian, not just clean or sweet, but which contains truths that will inspire and encourage as well as entertain with swoon-worthy romance.

Carolyn's book list on for romance-loving Christians

Carolyn Miller Why did Carolyn love this book?

This is the second book in the Christiansen family series, but in my opinion, is one of the best. Why? It’s about a hockey player (hello!), and the over-committed sister of one of his teammates. This book explores things such as family obligations and unspoken expectations, discovering God’s purpose for your life, and learning to accept God’s grace. The use of Scripture is powerful and inspiring yet used so naturally that I’m sure readers will be encouraged as I was, and as for the romance – prepare for some swoon-worthy kisses!

By Susan May Warren,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked It Had to Be You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Eden Christiansen never imagined her role as her younger brother Owen’s cheerleader would keep her on the sidelines of her own life. Sure, it feels good to be needed, but looking after the reckless NHL rookie leaves little time for Eden to focus on her own career. She dreamed of making a name for herself as a reporter, but is stuck writing obits―and starting to fear she doesn’t have the chops to land a major story. If only someone would step up to mentor Owen . . . but she knows better than to expect help from team veteran and…


Book cover of The Killing Tide

Jaime Jo Wright Author Of The Souls of Lost Lake

From my list on to mix crime and romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

I adore suspense, mystery, and romance, but more so, I love books that inspire me and also aren’t necessarily easy to figure out. I’m a published and Christy award-winning author in this genre myself, but I have been reading this genre for over thirty-three years. I would definitely have to say my qualifications as a reader of suspense and mystery far outweigh those of an author. When I read suspense and romance, I look for two key elements: hard-to-figure out suspense and believable romance. I’m not out for bells and whistles as a reader, but instead look for well-crafted stories that are more like a puzzle that must be solved. 

Jaime's book list on to mix crime and romance

Jaime Jo Wright Why did Jaime love this book?

Dani Pettrey is the master of suspense and romance! So if you’re wanting a story that will thrill you in alllllll the feels, this is it! It’s the first of a trilogy and has characters you will fast be drawn to. She doesn’t hold back on the action or the suspense. Pettrey provides us with a story that is fast-paced and designed to be read with your eyes half-closed holding your breath for the next high-octane moment. And her heroes? Don’t get me started. (insert all the heart emojis here)

By Dani Pettrey,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Killing Tide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When one Coast Guard officer is found dead and another goes missing, Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Finn Walker faces his most dangerous crime yet. His only clues are what little evidence remains aboard the dead officer's boat, and the direction the clues point to will test Finn and the Guard to their limits.

When investigative reporter--and Finn's boss's sister--Gabby Rowley arrives, her unrelenting questions complicate an already volatile situation. Now that she's back, the tug on Finn's heart is strong, but with the risks she's taking for her next big story, he fears she might not live through…


Book cover of Kiss of Pride

Louise Murchie Author Of Dìonadair

From my list on spicy, Scottish romance, multi-partner suspense.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love second-chance romances and I am not in my twenties anymore; so I wrote what I wanted to read. Now, I've found other authors who write 35+, characters who have lived, been hurt, and moved on in life. I do read New Adult or younger than 35 characters and often, really smutty, erotic books as I need to get out of my head sometimes. I love Nora Roberts, Claudia Burgoa, Catharina Maura, Jolie Vines and I'll one-click quite a few indies.

Louise's book list on spicy, Scottish romance, multi-partner suspense

Louise Murchie Why did Louise love this book?

I love fantasy books; the escapism is unbelievable and I love the way Sandra can bring the smut, the love, Arch-angels, vikings, immortality, and Satan into a series. I could not order these quickly enough and it was because I can't hold more physical copies that I picked up Kindle Unlimited. And realised just how many brilliant Indie Authors there are and I was hooked.

By Sandra Hill,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kiss of Pride as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Her books are always fresh, romantic, inventive, and hilarious.”
—New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs

Trust the always original, wonderfully fun Sandra Hill to do the wildly unexpected!  With Kiss of Pride, the New York Times bestselling author—best known for her steamy and hilarious romance novels featuring lusty Viking heroes and heroines—turns the paranormal romance genre upside-down…with the first in a seductive new series that features Viking vampire angels! A refreshingly unique, utterly satisfying love story that puts the “super” in supernatural, Kiss of Pride tells the tantalizing tale of a lady reporter who falls under the sway of…


Book cover of How I Wonder What You Are

Barbara Elsborg Author Of Strangers

From my list on romance books to make you smile.

Why am I passionate about this?

I read lots of different genres, but my greatest passion in both writing and reading is romance. Though I am picky! I need humour in the stories. They don’t have to be funny on every page but I do like to smile occasionally when I’m reading. The ability to weave a plot, create interesting characters, and include humour is something I admire greatly. Even in the thrillers and suspense novels I read, it’s those touches of humour that bring the story to life for me. In the 50+ books I’ve written, none are without that spark of fun. Throw in a happy ever after – and you have a perfect romance, guaranteed to brighten the darkest of days. 

Barbara's book list on romance books to make you smile

Barbara Elsborg Why did Barbara love this book?

This book has great warmth and humour. The characters feel so real. It’s set in Yorkshire in the UK, which happens to be where I spent most of my life, so that made it extra enjoyable. I feel not enough people know about Jane Lovering and her books deserve more readers. This is not just another romance, but a romance with heart and depth. I defy anyone not to fall in love with Phinn.

By Jane Lovering,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How I Wonder What You Are as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Maybe he wasn't there because of the lights - maybe they were there because of him..." It's been over eighteen months since Molly Gilchrist has had a man (as her best friend, Caro, is so fond of reminding her), so when she as good as stumbles upon one, lying comatose, on the moors one bitterly cold morning, it seems like the Universe is having a laugh at her expense. But Phinn Baxter, (that's Doctor Phinneas Baxter) is no drunken layabout, as Molly is soon to discover; with a PhD in astrophysics and a tortured past that is a match for…


Book cover of Good in Bed

Sheri Langer Author Of Love-Lines

From my list on novels about romance, rejection, and betrayal that pair well with tubs of ice cream.

Why am I passionate about this?

My parents split up when I was six. I escaped from my sadness by reading stories about love and relationships and exploring how others went about the business of living and coping. I married young for security and to have a big family of my own. I succeeded. I have four amazing kids, but after years of wedded chaos, I too was divorced. As a single mom, I set out in search of my own identity and went back to novels to help me find myself. Though I’ve since been fortunate to find my happily ever after, I still enjoy characters that feel like friends who offer warmth, hope, and comfort. 

Sheri's book list on novels about romance, rejection, and betrayal that pair well with tubs of ice cream

Sheri Langer Why did Sheri love this book?

Since I was old enough to say “cake,” I’ve been plagued by weight issues. Enter Cannie Shapiro, the protagonist, a Jewish, overweight journalist with low self-esteem and daddy issues, who has been publicly humiliated by her ex.

Though more about coming into one’s own and learning self-love and acceptance than an actual romantic relationship, I had to include this book because the impetus for Cannie’s growth is ultimately the result of her ex’s betrayal.

Though Cannie cuts loose differently than I chose to when my first marriage ended, I could still understand her desire to go bold. At the center of heartache, there’s always a wish for the resolution that can only come from the strength we find within—the old live-and-learn theory at work. I was moved to tears when Cannie eventually emerges more comfortable in her skin and ready to be happy.

Flavor Pick: Butter Pecan

By Jennifer Weiner,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Good in Bed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner brings to life an irresistibly funny and relatable heroine in the novel The Boston Globe called “funny, fanciful, extremely poignant, and rich with insight.”

For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She’s even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.

But the day she opens…


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