Books Like The House in the Cerulean Sea

Why Each Pick

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

The Antichrist is a child in both books. In Cerulean Sea, six-year-old Lucy is more mischievous than evil; in Good Omens, an angel and a demon who have grown fond of Earth try to stop the Apocalypse after the Antichrist is misplaced at birth. It shares the same affectionate humor and an odd-couple friendship at its heart, but it is British satire with a bigger, more chaotic cast.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Another rule-following man whose orderly, lonely life is upended by people who won't leave him alone. Like Linus, Ove is changed by a noisy family next door and by learning to let others in. There is no magic, and the humor is drier. Content note: Ove's grief includes thoughts of suicide, which the book handles with tenderness and dark humor.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

For readers who loved Klune's belief that people are kinder than they look. A failed bank robber takes a group of strangers hostage at an apartment viewing, and the comedy turns into a story about compassion. Fredrik Backman, who wrote A Man Called Ove, shares Klune's warmth, but this is a twisty ensemble comedy without magic. Content note: it touches on suicide.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Like Linus, Eleanor lives by strict routines that keep her safely alone, until kindness from a coworker breaks through. Her story of learning to connect is often funny, and it is also about healing from a painful childhood that comes out gradually. There is no magic, and it is heavier than Cerulean Sea, touching on abuse and depression. The romance is minimal.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Found family, retirement-village style. Four friends in their seventies meet each week to solve cold cases, and a real murder gives them something to do. Joyce's diary entries supply much of the gentle, funny voice. It shares Cerulean Sea's warmth, wit and love for characters other books overlook, but it is a cozy British mystery rather than a fantasy, and it opens a series.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

For readers who loved the slow-burn romance between Linus and Arthur. The son of the US president and a British prince are forced into a fake friendship that turns into real love. It is funny and full of heart, with a queer romance at its center, but it is a political rom-com set in the real world, with explicit sex scenes that Cerulean Sea does not have.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

A man who lives by rules and schedules meets someone who fits none of them. Genetics professor Don Tillman designs a questionnaire to find a wife, then helps Rosie, who fails every question, search for her biological father. Like Linus, Don is changed by people outside his comfort zone. It is a contemporary rom-com with no magic, told in Don's literal, funny voice, at 295 pages.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

For readers who want the magic to stay. A mysterious circus that opens only at night is the setting for a contest between two young magicians who fall in love. It has the same sense of wonder and a gentle love story, but it is moodier and more atmospheric than funny, and the plot unfolds slowly across many characters and timelines. It is 387 pages.