Author: Serena Li

If you’re searching for the best fiction books to read in your 20s, you’ve come to the right place. This stage of life can feel messy, exciting, confusing, and hopeful all at once. The right book can be more than entertainment – it can be a reminder that you’re not alone in figuring out love, identity, and purpose.

These carefully chosen novels offer wisdom, comfort, and inspiration. From modern coming-of-age stories to timeless classics, they capture the joys and struggles of becoming an adult in a way that feels both relatable and unforgettable.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein – a must-read novel for your 20s

This is the kind of novel that feels glamorous on the surface, a whirlwind marriage, New York nights, an age-gap romance,  but underneath it’s about the consequences of rushing into adulthood. In your 20s, everything can feel urgent: love, work, identity. Coco Mellors captures that urgency and shows how thrilling and devastating it can be. Modern reads like Cleopatra and Frankenstein belong on any list of the best romance novels, because they capture both the thrill and the heartbreak of figuring out love in real time.

Find Cleopatra and Frankenstein here →

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – a powerful story of identity and memory

Ocean Vuong’s book is written as a letter from a son to his illiterate mother. It’s about migration, memory, queerness, and love, but above all it’s about the difficulty of trying to put yourself into words when the people closest to you might never fully understand. In your 20s, you often carry the weight of family expectations while trying to invent your own self. This novel doesn’t give easy answers, but it makes you feel less alone in the struggle.

Find On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous here →

The Picture of Dorian Gray – timeless fiction with a warning for young adulthood

At first glance, Wilde’s only novel feels far from modern life. But read it in your 20s and you’ll recognize how tempting it is to chase surface beauty, social approval, or the illusion of perfection. Dorian trades his soul for eternal youth, and the story reminds us that denying who we really are always comes at a cost. No doubt as one of the best fiction books, it’s a cautionary tale, but also one that makes you ask yourself: what am I willing to sacrifice for the life I think I want?

Find The Picture of Dorian Gray here →

Open Water – a love story that mirrors 20s vulnerability

This book feels like a poem stretched into a love story. Two young Black artists fall for each other in London, but their connection is constantly tested by fear, vulnerability, and the weight of the world’s gaze. In your 20s, falling in love can feel like stepping into open water – thrilling, but also terrifying. Nelson writes that feeling so beautifully, you’ll probably reread whole passages just to let them sink in.

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Writers & Lovers – fiction for dreamers in their 20s

There’s something painfully familiar in this novel: a young woman wants to be a writer but is drowning in debt, grief, and self-doubt. She dates the wrong people, struggles to pay rent, and keeps chasing a dream even when it feels impossible. If you’ve ever felt like you’re behind everyone else, or like your 20s aren’t “shiny” enough, this book will comfort you. It says: you’re not a failure just because life doesn’t look the way you imagined.

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Norwegian Wood – a classic novel on loss and intimacy

This novel is melancholic, almost heavy at times, but that’s exactly why it resonates. It’s about loss, intimacy, and the quiet ways we carry our past. In your 20s, grief and depression can sneak into your life just as easily as love and joy. Murakami doesn’t sugarcoat it. Instead, he writes with a simplicity that makes the pain feel bearable, like someone sitting quietly beside you in silence.

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Beautiful World, Where Are You – modern fiction on friendship and purpose

Rooney has a way of writing about friendships and relationships that feels uncomfortably real. Here, four young people are tangled in love, friendship, politics, and questions of purpose. In your 20s, you’re often torn between wanting to change the world and just wanting to pay rent on time. This novel shows that tension and reassures you that confusion is part of the process.

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The Bell Jar – fiction rooted in identity and mental health struggles

Some books hit harder because they’re drawn directly from life. Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel about Esther Greenwood speaks to anyone who has struggled with identity, mental health, or the suffocating expectations placed on young women. Being on many lists of best fiction books, it’s not always easy to read, but it’s important – and in your 20s, it share lessons usually found in personal growth books, reminds you that even when you feel isolated, your experience is shared.

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Exciting Times – a witty book about uncertainty in your 20s

This novel is witty, ironic, and at times painfully awkward. It follows a young Irish woman navigating relationships, teaching, and expat life. What makes it perfect for your 20s is how honestly it deals with feeling unsure, both about love and about who you want to be. It’s sharp and funny, like the friend who teases you while telling you the truth you need to hear.

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Luster – fiction that embraces chaos and resilience

Edie, the protagonist, is messy, broke, and full of contradictions – in other words, deeply human. She stumbles through relationships, art, and work in New York City, making mistakes that feel both shocking and familiar. Reading Luster in your 20s is a bit like looking into a distorted mirror: it shows you the chaos, but also the resilience, of being young and searching for meaning.

Find Luster here →

Being in your 20s is never simple – it’s a time of choices, doubts, and new beginnings. That’s why the best fiction books to read in your 20s are the ones that make you feel seen. A classic like The Bell Jar may remind you that struggles with identity and mental health are shared, while Cleopatra and Frankenstein reveals the messy beauty of love and mistakes.

Whether you turn to personal growth books, modern romance novels, or timeless fiction, reading in your 20s isn’t just about passing time – it’s about finding yourself in someone else’s story. And maybe that’s the greatest gift these novels offer: the reminder that you’re not alone, even when life feels uncertain.

If you enjoy my reviews, explore more on my blog for book recommendations, creative journaling, and mindful reading ideas to deepen your everyday practice.