Reading is so hot. Don’t Believe me? “It Girls” all over the internet have been starting book clubs, from Kaia Gerber to Willow Shields to Reese Witherspoon. These female icons have grown their fan base through their love of reading, and this trend has no plans to stop. Being a well-read woman is timeless; Audrey Hepburn said, “For my whole life, my favorite activity was reading.” So in the age of social media, likes, and trends I believe the easiest way to become “That Girl” is to read. So here are my 5 “It Girl” book suggestions for 2024.
- The Magnolia Park Series by Jessa Hastings.
Set in London’s Socialite scene, the Magnolia Park series follows two heiresses navigating their messy love lives, London’s crazed media, and their complicated families. Heartbreakingly raw, this series teaches about forgiveness, loyalty, and healing. It’s as if the Gossip Girl series met the Crown in the most addictive way possible. I rated the series a 4/5 stars and am impatiently waiting for the next two installments.Â
- Everything I know about Love by Dolly Alderton.
Being in your 20s is like being in the trenches; no one captures that more captivatingly than in Alderton’s memoir. This book walks you through the struggles of dating men and finding your purpose in your twenties, but it also brings a new light to girlhood and friendships. Alderton puts into perspective the most important lessons for young girls in this brave new world of the 21st century. I highly recommend reading this with your girlfriends and revisiting it when you begin new chapters in your young adulthood.Â
- Just Kids by Patti Smith.
Set in the late 60s and early 70s in New York City, legend Patti Smith takes readers through her life with Robert Mapplethorpe. She revisits their relationship, art, sexuality, and belonging. She writes with love and fondness about a time in her life with such struggle that reshapes how readers view their relationships and place in the world. It’s humble, grungy, sexy, beautiful, raw, heartbreaking, and poetic, just like Smith’s music. I learned so much about how to love and create from Smith’s words and dove right into the rest of her oeuvre. I am telling you to run, don’t walk to pick up this book.Â
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Evelyn Hugo is THE “It Girl,” first of all, and learning from this multifaceted character as she navigates Hollywood in the sixties, her sexuality, and self-preservation instinct left me with heart palpitations. Reid has written about the human experience and its intricacies with grace and care. If you love old Hollywood and are looking for a messy, kick-butt character, this is THE book, and I cannot wait to see what becomes of this work, as many are rooting for it to become a movie or series. Â
- Play It as it Lays by Joan Didion.Â
Nothingness is hard to write about, but Didon does it so well and hauntingly. It follows a former burnt-out actress, Maria, as she navigates her life in Hollywood, LA, and Las Vegas and her idea that life does not mean anything. I would classify it as a psychological thriller as Didion dissects and critiques American life in the 1960s. There is a reason that this is still a must-read over 50 years after it was first published. I recommend this book if you love The Bell Jar by Syliva Plath or are trying to get into Didion’s work, I cannot get enough of it.
