9 Books to Read if You Live in New York City (Or Wish You Did)

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Ah, New York City… Doesn’t everyone have that dream of sitting on a bench in Central Park, the leaves falling, and you’re clutching a hot chocolate while making your way through a giant novel? We can’t buy you a ticket, but we can give you an insider’s view of The Big Apple with these books set in NYC!

I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman

After three teens serendipitously collide (quite literally) in Central Park, the three strangers take on New York City together. From Soho streets, to uptown diners, to West Village baseball diamonds, the trio makes their way through the city, all while learning more about each other and even themselves.

The Careful Undressing of Love by Corey Ann Haydu

The girls of Devonairre Street have always been told they’re cursed. New York City is reimagined in this haunting story about the wonders of youth and the mysteries of love.

The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen by Katherine Howe

Tag along with NYU-student Wes as he films a seance in the East Village and then proceeds to run into the strange, beautiful girl he met there…and perhaps unearth her dark secret.

Into the Dangerous World by Julie Chibbaro

After Ror’s father torches the commune her family lives on, they end up in a Manhattan homeless residence where she falls in with a graffiti crew which forces her to wonder…what kind of artist does she want to be?

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Get swept away in the cross-continenta love story of Isla and Josh in the glittering streets of Manhattan and the moonlit rooftops of Paris.

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega

Ok we’ll be real with you, you might NOT want to visit NYC after you devour this book: it’s about a girl who goes to an all-night, underground rave at which bodies start showing up in the subway…

Like No Other by Una LaMarche

Cross the East River into Brooklyn with the love story of two neighbors who’ve never crossed paths, until one day – they do. But the forbidden nature of their relationship forces them to consider how far they can go…and how much they’re willing to give up.

Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen

A heart-wrenching novel in verse about Mira, whose world splinters when she discovers her father with his male lover, and she has to make sense of the fractures in her family’s fabric.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

The emotional follow-up to If I Stay continues the story of Adam and Mia, whose paths collide in New York City several years after Mia’s decision to stay…but not with him.