7 Books that every good millennial has read

Raven Leilani’s Luster is the raw, unflinching novel that every millennial needs to devour. The story follows Edie, a struggling artist adrift in a dead-end job and stuck in a series of unconventional relationships, who finds her life taking a bizarre turn when she moves in with her older, married lover, his wife, and their adopted Black daughter. Leilani’s debut bravely confronts themes of race, desire, and aspiration with devastating wit. It’s an uncomfortable yet vital read that perfectly captures the chaos and quest for belonging in one’s twenties. 

Following four college friends, A Little Life centres on Jude, a brilliant but deeply traumatised lawyer, whose past casts a long shadow.  Its raw exploration of trauma, resilience, and friendship's limits has resonated profoundly, sparking widespread discussion and a passionate following. This emotionally devastating yet ultimately beautiful book has become a rite of passage for millennial readers . . . so have you read it yet?

Sally Rooney's Normal People became an instant, inescapable sensation for millennials. This intimate novel charts the complex, on-again-off-again relationship between Marianne and Connell from their Irish hometown to Trinity College. Rooney perfectly captures the awkwardness of class divides, miscommunication, and first love in the digital age. Its raw honesty and relatable characters resonated deeply across a generation, cementing its place as a must-read for anyone navigating modern intimacy.

Michelle Zauner had already amassed a large following as the frontwoman of indie-pop band Japanese Breakfast, but her raw, luminous memoir, Crying in H Mart, earned her a spot in the hearts of millennial readers. After losing her mother to cancer, Zauner turns to food, memory, and music to navigate her sorrow and rediscover her Korean roots. With vivid detail and emotional clarity, Crying in H Mart has become an essential millennial read, especially for those exploring what it means to belong.

Short, sharp, and chilling. This novella dives into the psyche of a social media content moderator, revealing the psychological toll of having to visit the internet’s darkest corners. Hanna Bervoets offers a haunting critique of digital culture, ethics, and the erosion of empathy. It's a timely, unsettling read that unpacks the unseen human cost behind our curated online feeds, perfect for millennials grappling with the platforms they helped build and populate.

Everything I Know About Love is the wildly funny and painfully honest memoir that unflinchingly recounts the bad dates, squalid flat-shares, career anxieties, and heartbreaks that make up your twenties. But beyond all that, this book is a celebration of the unbreakable power of female friendships. Written by Dolly Alderton, a millennial herself, its raw, relatable insights into self-discovery and the messy realities of early adulthood struck a profound chord with a generation figuring out life's big questions in a rapidly changing world.

Long before we lived through our own global shutdown, Station Eleven offered a haunting glimpse into a post-pandemic world – and somehow made it beautiful. Emily St. John Mandel’s quiet, genre-defying novel captured the imagination of millennial readers, who found comfort in its elegiac tone, its reverence for art, and its reminder that survival alone is not enough. A story of collapse that’s ultimately about connection.