Play 2026 Book Bingo
Books Set in Western Europe
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.Whether you found this post searching for Books Set in Western Europe, or are participating in our Book Voyage Reading Challenge, we hope you find the perfect books on our list below. We worked hard to include plenty of variety, so you can discover somewhere/something new to you!
Literary Themes in Western European Books
We’ve compiled a great list of contemporary and historical fiction novels set in Europe’s western countries, as well as some YA titles, memoirs, and non-fiction reads. We focused on finding book recommendations that will transport you to the country of your choice as you read.
While the two world wars of the 20th century are a common theme in literature set in Western Europe, we’ve worked hard to ensure this list covers a wider range of topics and genres. However, if you love historical fiction, there are countless excellent books set in Europe throughout both WWI and WWII. If you’re looking for European historical fiction set during WWI or WWII, you’ll find additional books on these lists: Best WW1 Historical Fiction Novels, Books Set in the 1910s, WW2 Novels Featuring Resistance Workers & Other Helpers, Books Set in the 1940s, and Books Like the Nightingale.
Depending on the context – geographical, cultural, or historical – you’ll find various answers as to which countries are classified as “Western Europe.”
For purposes of this reading challenge, we’ve included the following countries: England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy.
Highly Rated Books Set in Western European Countries
The Berlin Letters
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
The 1980s ended with an iconic and hopeful event – the removal of the Berlin Wall, which divided Germany into East and West for 28 years. In 1961, when the wall was raised, it instantly tore families apart. This novel follows the impact on the Voekler family and is told in a split timeline of 1961 & 1989.
Luisa Voekler lives in the US, and in 1989, she moved to a new role as a decoder at the CIA. She’s frustrated to still be working on old WW2 messages while co-workers have been assigned new tasks related to the Cold War.
Everything changes for Luisa and her family when she sees an old symbol from her childhood in Germany. She has always believed she was raised by her grandparents because her parents died in a car accident, but maybe that’s not really what happened. Her discoveries are so shocking that she takes matters into her own hands, empties her bank account, and flies to West Berlin.
Important to Note
We recommend not reading other reviews before picking this up and it’s better to enjoy the suspense elements without spoilers.
When the Cranes Fly South
Book Summary
Bo is 89 and still living at home with his beloved elkhound, Sixten, to keep him company. He also receives daily visits from a care team, but otherwise, it’s a quiet and lonely life. His wife is still alive, but is in a care home with Alzheimer’s. He has a son, Hans, but their relationship is rocky.
When Hans decides that Bo can no longer care for Sixten and that his beloved pup must be rehomed, Bo vehemently disagrees. The threat of losing Sixten makes Bo take stock of his own life and relationships, especially with his own father, who was not a loving man.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
This heart-wrenching, yet beautiful, read is a Swedish bestseller and extremely highly rated, but don’t pick it up unless you’re okay with a tear-jerker. Choose when you read the final chapters carefully, as sobbing is likely.
In addition to seeing the inner perspectives of both Bo and Hans, each chapter ends with notes from the carers, providing an impartial snapshot of reality. It’s the most realistic book Melissa has ever read about daily life at the end of life, and she found herself so thankful that Bo lived in Sweden, where the government provides in-home carers multiple times per day as part of its comprehensive eldercare system.
Melissa intended to read this in Kindle form, but there was no wait for the audiobook, which was phenomenal. The narrator was absolutely perfect for Bo and added to his story.
The Sea Sisters Swimming Club
Book Summary
At 50, Fran planned to continue her work as a police officer for a few more years. But then she had a heart attack right in the middle of dancing the night away in a sequin dress.
Instead of staying home and feeling sorry for herself, Fran heads to the Welsh coast to relax in a seaside village. The Sea Sisters, a local ocean swimming group, adopt her into their flock and challenge her to face her lifelong fear of the sea.
While in Llanbryn, she meets Wyn. While he appears to be the local troublemaker, the more she gets to know him, the more she’s drawn to him.
Thoughts on This Book
This novel is described as inspirational and uplifting, with gorgeous descriptions of the Welsh landscape. If this sounds up your alley, you might also enjoy The Ladies Midnight Swimming Club by Faith Hogan set in rural Ireland, which is emotional but similarly uplifting.
About the Author
Author Sue McDonagh was born in Essex, England, and worked as a policewoman there before being diagnosed with cancer at a young age. After recovering, she moved to the Welsh coast, where she began writing books and discovered a love of wild swimming.
Another Wales Book to Consider
For a very different style of book but with equally vivid descriptions of the Welsh coast, consider the psychological thriller I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. Many of our readers have rated this thriller very highly over the past few years, but be aware that the novel begins with the death of a child and also includes domestic and sexual abuse.
Call of the Camino
Book Summary
Reina Watkins has carried the weight of her father’s death since she was eight. When a last-minute assignment arises at the struggling magazine where she works, she jumps at the chance to walk Spain’s Camino de Santiago (the pilgrimage her dad once promised they’d do together) and to write the story that could finally change her life.
Back in 1997, Isabelle stepped onto the same hallowed trail, fleeing a past she couldn’t face and chasing answers she barely dared to ask.
Mile by mile, blister by blister, the Camino tests both of their bodies and unspools their secrets, pushing each woman to confront grief, belonging, and what it means to keep going when the road feels endless. Along the way, a motley crew of fellow pilgrims offers companionship, conflict, and unexpected grace.
As their journeys echo across decades, both women discover that the Camino provides exactly what you need—even when it isn’t what you expected.
Thoughts On This Book
While it is not categorized as Christian Fiction, this novel includes faith/spiritual elements because it’s centered on the Camino de Santiago (a historic Christian pilgrimage route). Reviewers from a variety of backgrounds say that the religious elements are integral to the characters and the story, but are not included in a way that tells the readers what they should believe.
The Paris Novel
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
When her estranged mother passed away, Stella received a one-way ticket and a note reading, “Go to Paris.” While she is much more comfortable living within her strict routines, her boss encourages her to go on the trip.
In Paris, Stella continues to live as cautiously and frugally as she does at home until she stumbles upon a Dior dress in a vintage store. When the shopkeeper insists that it was meant for Stella, she impulsively purchases the dress, and it launches a new outlook on life.
When Stella meets Jules, an octogenarian art collector, he takes her under his wing and shows her the best of the literary, art, and culinary worlds of 1980s Paris.
Our Thoughts on This Book
Both Book Girls read and enjoyed this character-driven novel. When Angela first started reading it, life was busy, and she was only getting in about 10 or 15 minutes at a time, and found it hard to connect to the story, but as soon as she sat with the book for a longer chunk of time, she found herself drawn in.
This novel includes many of our favorite things – food, art history, fashion, and books (including interactions with real-life authors at the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore) – all set in the City of Light.
More Books Set in Paris
If you’re looking for more books set in Paris, be sure to check out these lists: Best Novels Set in Paris and Rom Com & Romance Books Set in Paris.
Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Most of us have seen The Sound of Music at least once – whether on stage or screen – but did you know that the character of Maria von Trapp is based on a real woman? This is her story.
In the 1950s, Oscar Hammerstein (of the famous duo Rogers & Hammerstein) was asked to write the lyrics to a musical based on the life of a woman named Maria. She planned to live the quiet life of an Austrian nun before her abbey sent her to help teach the sickly child of a widowed baron. It was meant to be a 10-month assignment, but it turned into a marriage proposal. When the family was later forced to flee their home to escape the Nazis, Maria taught them how to survive using the power of their voices.
Hammerstein knew, however, that much of Maria’s real story (and that of her husband) – no matter how inspirational – would need to be reimagined in order to become a Broadway hit. He felt it was too soon after WWII for audiences to want to see just how close the von Trapps actually came to losing their lives.
When Maria gets her hands on the script version of her life, she is irate and wants to confront Hammerstein in person. But the only person who will listen is his secretary, Fran. The two form an unlikely friendship as Maria tells Fran her real-life story.
Based on a True Story
While this novel is said to tell the true story of Maria von Trapp, told from the first-person point of view, keep in mind that it is still historical fiction. However, the author benefited from autobiographies written by Maria (one in 1949 and the other in 1972) as source material.
Far and Away
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
When Lucy in Dallas and Greta in Berlin each have a tough week, these former strangers find themselves impulsively setting up a house swap. Thanks to martinis and desperation, the women find themselves exchanging Southern charm and barbecue for European sophistication and schnitzel.
As part of the exchange, Greta’s daughter Emmi and Lucy’s son Jack get tossed into each other’s orbits, where they both discover secrets they can’t ignore. But it’s not just the teens who need each other. Greta’s biggest career achievement is in jeopardy, and Lucy’s past with a hot Viking named Bjørn invades her present.
Our Thoughts on This Book
There are a lot of great historical fiction reads out there, but for years we’ve been eager to find a book that would allow our readers to arm chair travel to modern day Germany. After visiting Germany herself the year before, Book Girl Angela was thrilled to come across this 2025 release, and it did not disappoint.
Equally descriptive of Texas and Berlin, this novel is both humorous and heartfelt. The drama in the women’s lives is kept on the lighter side without feeling frivolous.
The cast of narrators includes Patti Murin, who made our list of the best audiobook narrators. This is an especially good choice as an audiobook because of all the German language incorporated throughout.
The Women on Platform Two
Book Summary
In 1970s Dublin, all forms of contraception were illegal, but a handful of women were determined to change that. Newlywed Maura dreamed of a family with Dr. Christy Davenport, but as his temper surfaced, she feared bringing a child into an unsafe home. Her best friend Bernie, already a mother of three, received devastating news: another pregnancy could be fatal. With no lawful options, these women had to weigh secrecy, stigma, and risk as they searched for control over their own bodies and futures.
Decades later, in Dublin in 2023, Saoirse survives a close call that forces her to admit she may never want to be a mother. She doesn’t realize that only a few decades earlier, women fought to make that choice possible—until she meets one of them and hears the story behind the freedom she takes for granted.
Inspired by a True Event
This novel is based a real historical event – the 1971 Contraceptive Train in Ireland. A group of Irish feminists from the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement, in May 1971, boarded a train in Dublin to travel to Belfast (in Northern Ireland) to legally purchase contraceptives that were still illegal in the Republic of Ireland at the time. The novel is inspired by this event.
While this novel has a contemporary timeline, the majority of it takes place in the early 1970s. The 2023 storyline exists to frame and reflect on the historical narrative rather.
About the Author
Laura Anthony lives in County Kildare, Ireland, with her husband and children. She writes under a pen name that is a tribute to her late niece and her late grandfather.
What If I Never Get Over You
Book Summary
While 21-year-old Ellie was touring Europe, she wasn’t planning on falling in love. Then she met Ash in Lisbon, Portugal, and within their three days together, the duo formed an unforgettable bond. Before Ellie moved on to the next town on her itinerary, they agreed to meet again in Spain. Sadly, Ellie arrived late, and Ash wasn’t there.
Six years later, Ellie has settled into a new, peaceful life in Wales. She’s working as a gardener for a viscount and viscountess on their sprawling five-hundred-year-old estate. When Ash suddenly reappears in her life, her heart breaks when she learns why he wasn’t waiting for her in Madrid. But now that they are reunited, she has a choice to make.
The Book Girls Say…
While the publisher doesn’t categorize this book as YA, and the characters are in their twenties, some reviewers feel that it reads more like a Young Adult title because of the maturity level of the characters.
The Sicilian Inheritance
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Sara is struggling after both her business and marriage failed. When her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, it just feels like another punch from her terrible year. However, Aunt Rosie left Sara a plane ticket to Sicily, a deed to a possibly valuable plot of land, and a shocking secret. Rosie believes Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina was murdered.
Sara is recharged by this new mission to discover what happened to Serafina. She ends up on an epic adventure through the Italian countryside and learns all about her feisty great-grandmother, who fought for the rights of all the women in her small village. However, as Sara begins challenging the status quo like Serafina did, she’ll find herself in the same danger.
Thoughts on This Book
This dual-timeline novel will draw you into the stories of both Sara and Serafina. It’s the perfect read for anyone who enjoys both historical fiction and mysteries. The story was inspired by the author’s own great-grandmother, adding extra depth to the writing.
Another Italy Book to Consider
Another great book that will transport you to Sicily is the memoir, From Scratch by Tembi Locke, which chronicles three summers that Tembi and her young daughter spent in Sicily after the loss of her husband. Despite having once been estranged from her in-laws, she begins to discover the healing powers of food and family.
The Secret of Snow
Book Summary
Má is an eccentric 85-year-old with a secret. She’s been diagnosed with cancer and is determined to find someone to care for her husband, Biera, when she’s gone, which is tricky because the only person she regularly talks to is Siri, who she believes is a real person, not just an AI phone assistant. She has no plans to tell Biera about her condition.
Dr. Kaj and his fiancée are new to their village, and he’s trying to adapt while still mourning the loss of his mother. One day, he finds a box of Sámi (the indigenous people of Scandinavia) handicrafts belonging to his mother. The crafts unlock something he never anticipated that will change his life for years to come.
Why This Book Made the List
When we saw that this February 2026 release was already a hit in Sweden, we immediately added it to our TBR list. If your club has enjoyed Swedish novels like When the Cranes Fly South or author Fredrik Backman, this debut is also worth considering.
One reviewer called it “charming and funny and sweet and heartbreaking and beautiful,” which is exactly what we’ve come to expect and appreciate about contemporary Swedish fiction. Reviewers really enjoy learning more about the Sámi people and culture.
About the Author
Tina Harnesk is a Swedish-Sámi author and librarian born in Jokkmokk, northern Sweden. She writes in Swedish and draws on Sámi storytelling traditions.
The Librarians of Lisbon
Book Summary
In 1943, two American best friends, Selene and Beatrice, who were both librarians in Boston before being trained by the U.S. Intelligence Office and sent to Lisbon. While their official job is to catalog all the information gathered by the Allies, they’re also undercover at night trying to infiltrate the Axis spy network.
Selene is soon charming her way through the lavish world ofthe outcast Portuguese baron, Luca. Meanwhile, Beatrice is plunged into the shadowy world of informants and double agents. While they both must succeed in their missions to achieve victory for the US and the Allies, a betrayal risks everything they have worked for.
Thoughts on This Book
We haven’t seen many books set in Portugal during WW2, so we are excited to learn more through this book!
There’s another historical fiction called The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin that also deals with a similar time frame in Portugal, France, and Washington, D.C. While that novel focuses a bit more on the role of the librarians, it is less descriptive of the setting of Lisbon.
Secret Nights and Northern Lights
Book Summary
Mona Miller lives by platitudes. She’ll tell you she’s “fine,” “all good,” and it’s “not a problem,” even when it’s all a lie. At the travel magazine where she works, that ‘team player’ reputation means endless fluff pieces and, now, the sting of being passed over for a promotion. So when an international assignment to Iceland opens up, Mona grabs it, determined to prove her worth despite being woefully unprepared.
There’s just one problem: the freelance photographer she’s paired with is noneother than Benjamin Carter, her childhood best friend, her first love, and the boy who ghosted and broke her heart fourteen years ago. Mona tells herself she can push through with a bright smile and a “no worries” façade, keeping Ben at arm’s length long enough to get the job done. But as Iceland’s breathtaking terrain tests them both, old resentments thaw, sparks reignite, and Mona must decide whether she’s willing to take the biggest adventure of all.
Thoughts on This Book
Readers say that the author did a great job of making Iceland feel like a character in the book. One even reviewer even went so far as to say that Iceland’s tourism board should pay author Megan Oliver for promoting their country so well.
Beartown
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In the tiny community of Beartown, life revolves around hockey. It provides entertainment and hope for a better future. This is a story about hockey, small-town life, and much more. When a shocking event occurs, the town quickly takes sides. Who will stand up for the truth and put hockey above humanity?
If you’ve already read Beartown or the sequel Us Against You, this is a great excuse to pick up the final book in the trilogy, The Winners, which was published in September 2022. All three books in the trilogy are set in the same small town in Sweden.
Our Thoughts on This Book
This was a 5-star read for both of us! Some will say you have to like hockey to like this book, but the book really isn’t about hockey – it’s about the people of this Swedish town.
Swedish author Fredrick Backman has a gift with words and melodic phrasing, along with a phenomenal insight into the motivations of the teenagers and adults alike. He writes characters that are so well-rounded that even when you don’t agree with their decisions, you will still understand what they were thinking.
Be aware that this story includes one scene with sexual violence.
Other Sweden Books by This Author
All of Fredrik Backman’s books are set in Sweden, so any of them would make a great Western European read. Check out our Backman author guide for a synopsis of each of his books.
A Good Life
Book Summary
Younger sister Agathe is disorderly, chaotic, and fiery, whereas Emma, the typical older sister, has always been the defender, protector, and worrier. Despite these differences, Emma and Agathe were thick as thieves when they were young, but as adults, they’ve been driven apart by the scars of a tragedy that transformed their happy childhoods into something much more complex.
When the two sisters are forced to reunite in the Basque Country at the home of their adored late grandmother, it may finally allow them an opportunity to share what’s on their hearts for a chance at reconciliation.
The story alternates between the sisters’ childhoods and the present day, allowing readers to see them grow from young girls into teens, young women, mothers, and wives with complex lives. As they get to know one another again, can they rebuild the bonds of sisterhood?
Translated From French
This novel marks the American debut of one of France’s most beloved contemporary novelists, Virginie Grimaldi. This translated story of sisterhood and healing will transport you to the Basque Country of France in both the past and present.
Another great French novel is The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain. This short, translated book will transport you to the streets of Paris, where a bookseller, Laurent, is trying to find the owner of a purse he found on the street. Inside the purse is a red notebook filled with intriguing jottings that Laurent uses as clues to find the woman it belongs to.
Book Summary
At forty-one, Darla Clarke has almost figured out how to have it all. She enjoys her job as a project manager in Boulder and her life that looks perfect on paper, but her world feels increasingly colorless. When a friend dies unexpectedly and leaves her a surprise inheritance and a ticket to Europe, Darla can’t ignore the question that follows: what if safe isn’t the same as fulfilled?
Trading spreadsheets for a sketchbook, Darla heads to Lisbon, where sunlit plazas and winding streets coax her back to the creativity she set aside.
There she meets André, a fearless rock climber who insists the best views come after the hardest climbs. As attraction sparks and new friendships take root, Darla experiments with living out loud. But when the road ahead offers another destination and a choice that could completely redraw everything.
Thoughts on This Book
Angela has had the privilege of traveling around Portugal and has been searching for a contemporary novel that would let her armchair-travel back to the beautiful streets of Lisbon. Whether you are looking for a book to read before your own trip to Lisbon, or just on that will make you feel like you’ve been there, Her Lisbon Colors will transport you.
Once There Were Wolves
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
92% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Sisters Inti and Aggie Flynn arrive in Scotland as part of a team of biologists tasked with reintroducing fourteen gray wolves into the remote wilderness of the Scottish Highlands.
Raised in Alaska, they are the daughters of a woodsman and an Australian detective. They watched their father struggle to balance his work for a lumber company against his desire not to contribute to environmental demise. While their father gave them insights into the wild world, their mother taught them how to contend with the dangers of predators in the civilized world.
The wolf reintroduction project is opposed by the sheep farmers who call the land home. Nevertheless, the plan proceeds, and the wolves begin to thrive. Soon, however, a tragedy strikes, and Inti knows the wolves will be blamed. She takes it upon herself to investigate other possible suspects, including the local police chief.
More About This Book
Charlotte McConaghy’s 2020 book, Migrations, has been a popular pick with our readers for the Arctic prompt of the Book Voyage Challenge. We are excited to read this Scotland-set novel that received a Goodreads nomination for Readers’ Favorite Fiction.
Part mystery and meditation on nature, Once There Were Wolves is based on a real environmental challenge facing the Scottish Highlands. According to official reports, the last wolf in Scotland was killed in 1680 (although there were reports of a handful of wolf sightings as late as the 1880s). Over the centuries, the lack of predators has allowed deer populations to grow unchecked. This has resulted in overgrazing that disrupts the ecosystem and damages new growth in the woodlands.
While this novel examines the effects of rewilding efforts in Scotland, in reality, wolves have not yet been reintroduced in this country, although efforts to gain public support for such plans are ongoing.
If you are looking for a lighter book set in Scotland, consider Bookshop of the Corner by Jenny Colgan or Winter Cottage by Rachael Lucas. Bookshop on the Corner is about an English librarian who travels to a tiny Scottish village to start her own mobile bookshop. Winter Cottage is a cozy romance set in the Scottish Highlands.
More Books Set in Scotland
If you are looking for a lighter book set in Scotland, consider Bookshop of the Corner by Jenny Colgan or Winter Cottage by Rachael Lucas. Bookshop on the Corner is about an English librarian who travels to a tiny Scottish village to start her own mobile bookshop. Winter Cottage is a cozy romance set in the Scottish Highlands.
The Fountains of Silence
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This young adult historical fiction focuses on life in post-war Spain under Franco’s dictatorship. In 1957, the regime needed money and opened the country to Americans hoping for investment.
That year, eighteen-year-old Daniel travels with his oil tycoon father from Houston to Madrid. Daniel brings his camera, eager to explore the city beyond the image that Franco is projecting to the world. Along with Ana, the young hotel maid tasked with assisting his family, Daniel discovers and documents the atrocities happening in the fascist regime.
Why This Book Made the List
While this book is classified as Young Adult, it’s excellent for adult readers. Angela & Melissa both rated it 5 stars. The beginning of the first chapter has a heavier and more literary feel than the remainder of the book, so keep going if you find the beginning odd. 🙂
Another Spain Book to Consider
If you are looking for a different style of book that also gives a peek into Spain’s history, consider The Spanish Promise, a dual timeline romance that takes you to the Spain of today and also transports you back to the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, prior to Franco’s rule.
The Rhino Keeper
Book Summary
Imagine a world where no one has seen a rhinoceros before, and the sense of marvel that would come with seeing one for the first time. In 1740, a ship captain named Douwemout van der Meer came into possession of a rhino named Clara while traveling in India. He brings her and her young keeper with him when he returns home to Amsterdam. Soon, they begin touring Europe together, becoming a family of sorts and enthralling everyone they meet, from peasants to kings and queens.
Nearly three centuries later, while studying abroad in the Netherlands, college student Andrea comes across a historical document featuring a rhinoceros in a hidden desk drawer. The young research historian is intrigued but will be forced to overcome her fears to uncover proof of a long-forgotten history.
Based on a True Story
This dual-timeline character-driven novel is based on the true story. Readers describe it as touching, tender, and beautifully written. It explores the treatment of animals as well as the bond between humans and animals.
Although written by a debut American author, Dutch reviewers praise the portrayal of Dutch culture and the inclusion of many famous (and infamous) figures from Western European history.
Another Amsterdam Book to Consider
We were so excited to see that Rachel Lynn Solomon, a rom-com author we’ve enjoyed in the past, had published a fake-dating/second-chance romance set in Amsterdam. The rating of What Happens in Amsterdam is a little lower than we’d hoped, but because we’ve really liked her other books, we’re looking forward to armchair traveling to Amsterdam via this book.
The Venice Sketchbook
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
92% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In 2001, Caroline Grant was in the midst of her marriage falling apart when her beloved great-aunt Lettie passed away, leaving Caroline a sketchbook, three keys, and the request that her ashes be spread in Venice. Key by key, Caroline will learn the secrets that Lettie kept for more than 60 years – secrets of impossible love, loss, and courage.
In her younger years, Lettie traveled to Venice numerous times as an art teacher, providing a wealth of art history to her students and allowing her to visit the man she loves, even though his future cannot include her.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
As the story unfolds, this novel is filled with beautiful descriptions of Venice’s narrow footpaths, canals, architecture, and food, both in the 1928-1944 timeline and in the 21st century. Art plays an important role throughout this novel.
If you’ve always wanted to visit, consider this book your armchair travel ticket.
Another Italy Book to Consider
If you love art history but want a grittier historical fiction suspense, consider reading The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer. It is about an art history professor who travels to Florence, Italy, to read the long-lost journal of his grandfather, who he suspects may have been behind the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa. Uncovering the truth turns out to be a dangerous endeavor. Like The Venice Sketchbook, the many art references and vivid descriptions of Italy bring life to the story.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Cyril Avery was born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community before being adopted by a well-off couple from Dublin. His adoptive parents tell him that he’ll never be a real Avery, but if that’s true, then who is he?
As a boy, he becomes friends with Julian, but this is complicated when Cyril realizes he loves Julian as more than a friend. Keeping this secret comes with great costs.
Over the course of 70 years, Cyril struggles to discover an identity, a home, a country, and much more. Through his eyes, readers also see the history of Ireland and LGBTQ rights from the 1940s to the 2010s.
Consider This Before Reading
This character-driven work is long at 582 pages, with reviewers saying it will make you laugh and cry. In addition to the phenomenal rating among our readers, as well as with over 150,000 readers on Goodreads, The Heart’s Invisible Furies has won numerous awards, including being the 2017 Book of the Year for the Book of the Month club.
Be aware that this book includes a lot of talk about sex and covers some difficult topics, so check trigger warnings if necessary.
About the Author
Irish author John Boyne lives in Dublin. He is also the author of the bestselling YA novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which was adapted into a movie in 2008.
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
98% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Do you dream of seeing the Venetian canals, the Amalfi Coast, or wandering through gorgeous Tuscan villages? This novel will transport you to all three dramatically different scenic Italian locations in vivid detail.
Two hundred years ago, Filomena Fontana cursed her sister. Ever since then, every 2nd born sister in the Fontana family has been unable to find love.
Some of the women believe in the curse, and others are skeptical, but when elderly Aunt Poppy invites two of the young second-born sisters to return to Italy with her, promising to have a plan to break the curse, they can’t pass up the chance. The trio of women travels throughout Italy, learning about their family history and uncovering secrets.
Our Thoughts on This Book
If you’re looking for a book to get lost in, this is a charming and light read filled with vivid atmospheric details! The narrator’s Italian accent makes the audiobook especially enjoyable.
Another Italy Book to Consider
If you are interested in a dual-timeline novel that also gives a historical look at the Tuscany region of Italy, consider These Tangled Vines by Julianne Maclean. As a bonus, that book is currently available with Kindle Unlimited.
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
94% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This non-fiction option chronicles the author’s first year living in Denmark. She shares her experiences and explores what makes Denmark consistently rated as the happiest place on earth.
Despite long and cold winter nights, the people of Denmark rate their happiness higher than those living on beautiful tropical islands. Will she feel the same way by the end of her first year?
The Kindle edition has a new chapter, in which the author updates her thoughts in 2020, six years after the original publication.
What to Expect in This Book
The humorous book provides a good overview of life in Denmark, as opposed to a how-to guide for duplicating the lifestyle.
Another Denmark Book to Consider
If you’d rather read a cute rom-com set in Denmark, pick up The Little Cafe in Copenhagen by Julie Caplin.
Cold Victory
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Shortly after the end of WWII, with the Cold War on the horizon, Finland is teetering between the Soviet Union and the West. This historical fiction puts the spotlight on the wives who are navigating diplomatic waters with far less information than their diplomat husbands have – an especially precarious position when everyone is being watched. One wrong word could end in catastrophe.
Louise is from the US and is married to a Finnish diplomat. She feels adrift in the political environment but finds her purpose working with the children orphaned by the war. After meeting at an embassy party, Louise begins to form a friendship with Natalya, the wife of a Russian diplomat. But in an environment where anyone can betray you, how much can these women disclose to one another?
Louise and Natalya’s husbands, Arnie and Mikhail, have another thing in common. They are both world-class skiiers and they drunkenly challenge each other to a friendly cross-country wilderness ski race. What begins as a harmless, secret wager gets leaked to the press and ultimately becomes an international spectacle.
What to Expect in This Book
Readers say that this novel is very descriptive of the setting of Finland and that you’ll learn a lot – in an easy-to-read manner – about the history of Finland and its role during and after WWII. It’s described as a great story of female friendship.
About the Author
A graduate of Yale University and a Rhodes Scholar, author Karl Marlantes served as a Marine in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals for valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten air medals.
The Tour
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
We’ve always loved the Irish works of the late, great Maeve Binchy, so when we heard Jean Grainger referred to as “the next Maeve Binchy,” we knew we needed to check out her books. And then when we read a review that described The Tour as “a feel-good Irish springtime read,” we knew we’d hit the jackpot.
Each week, Conor O’Shea leads American tourists on a high-end tour of “The Real Ireland.” He’s a seasoned guide, but his most recent tour group is filled with a colorful cast of unintentionally hilarious characters that manage to leave him speechless for the first time in his life. As the tour continues, you won’t be able to help but fall in love with these tourists, as well as the locals they meet along the way.
What to Expect in This Book
Readers describe this as pleasant and enjoyable. In addition to feeling like you’re traveling around Ireland with the characters, you’ll also learn a lot about the country, including gaining some modern perspectives on historical events. Some readers note that the character doesn’t go quite as deep as they hoped.
The Book Girls Say…
Born in Cork, Ireland, author Jean Grainger drew from her experience drew from her experience as both a history lecturer and a tour guide in writing this novel. She is also the author of the popular WWII historical fiction The Star and the Shamrock.
The Rachel Incident
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
Book Summary
University student Rachel works at a bookstore, where she meets James, who quickly becomes her new BFF and roommate. The duo runs the streets of Cork, striving for a Bohemian lifestyle but also sharply aware of a looming financial collapse.
When Rachel falls for her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, she plots to seduce him after a reading at her bookstore. However, Fred has other desires that launch a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred, and Fred’s glamorous, well-connected wife.
Thoughts on This Book
Reviewers say this book is spicy and provocative, so consider whether that is something you enjoy in your reading before selecting this one. It’s also a strong character-driven literary read with more subtle happenings than page-turning plot points. However, it’s a great pick for those interested in stepping into the life of a modern young woman in Ireland.
About the Author
Born and raised in Cork, Ireland, author Caroline O’Donoghue now calls London home. Speaking about her hometown in an interview, she says, “Cork is goth. … It was like that when I was growing up, and it’s like that now.”
Love & Gelato
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This YA novel is an excellent option if you’re looking for a coming-of-age story with mystery, adventure, and a sweet romance that will transport you to an Italy filled with – you guessed it – love and gelato. The descriptions of Italy in this book will have you immediately planning your next vacation, but this story also brings much more depth than you might expect at first glance.
Lina’s mother had one dying wish – that her daughter get to know the father she’d never met. Lina isn’t thrilled to be spending the summer in Tuscany with this man she just learned about, but when she is given the journal that her mom kept when she lived in Italy, everything begins to change. As she follows her mother’s footsteps, she processes her grief while also discovering art, hidden bakeries, and even romance.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
While this is a YA book, it has been enjoyed by many of our adult readers over the past few years. This is the perfect book to pick up if you just want something light and enjoyable that will make you feel like you’ve been on a very relaxing vacation to Italy.
More YA Options
If you enjoy this young adult novel about Italy, you might also want to check out Love & Luck (set in Ireland) and Love & Olives (set in Santorini, Greece). Kisses & Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau is another great YA romance set in Paris and is said to be perfect for fans of Jenna Evans Welch.
The Storm Sister
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Ally and her five sisters were all adopted as babies by their beloved father. Upon his death, all the sisters gather together at their childhood home – a secluded castle on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Each woman is handed a letter with a clue about her true heritage, and Ally’s clue takes her to icy Norway.
As Ally begins to unravel the mystery of her roots, she finds that her story is connected to that of a young, unknown singer named Anna, who lived there over 100 years ago. The story is told in a dual timeline between Ally’s present day and Anna’s life in the late 1800s. The more Ally learns about the past, the more she questions who her father really was, and why the seventh sister is missing.
About the Series
This is book 2 in a series of 8, with each following one sister through a different location around the globe. Each book can be read as a standalone, if you think you’d enjoy the series, we recommend starting with Book 1, titled The Seven Sisters. It is set in Brazil and has been a very popular pick on our South America list for the past few years, with many of our readers going on to complete the series.
About the Author
Author Lucinda Riley was born in North Ireland and started her career as an actress, and her family now divides their time between London and Cork, Ireland.
The Switch
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
When Londoner Leena Cotton is forced to take a two-month sabbatical from work after a disastrous presentation, she escapes to her grandmother’s house in a small village in Yorkshire, England.
Her grandmother, Eileen, is about to turn 80 and hopes her next decade might include a second chance at love. Convinced that her grandmother will have better luck in the romance department if she heads to the big city, Leena convinces Eileen to swap her places and move into Leena’s London apartment.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
This warm and charming novel is filled with vibrant descriptions of London and English village life as the grandmother and granddaughter duo aim to reset their lives after a difficult loss. Although Eileen’s search for love plays a role in this story, we wouldn’t describe this book as a romance. Instead, it’s a character-driven story about a wide variety of relationships.
We recommend the audio version for the full experience with accents!
Both Angela and Melissa are huge fans of English author Beth O’Leary’s debut novel, The Flatshare! While the settings play a more prominent role in The Switch, The Flatshare is one of our favorite rom-coms and provides a great look at modern-day life in London, including the challenges of the London real estate market.
More UK Books to Consider
If you are looking for more charming novels set in England, check out the the following lists, because a significant number of the books on both are set in the UK, as well as other parts of Western Europe: Characters Connecting Through Books and Books About Bookstores.
The Girl Behind the Wall
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In August of 1961, barbed wire was placed across Berlin in the middle of the night. Families were torn apart against their wishes by the new 30-mile wall. This historical fiction imagines the lives of twin sisters separated on that fateful night.
Karin is in East Berlin when the wall goes up, separating her from her twin, Jutta. They live parallel lives for years, with Karin surviving the brutal East German regime only with Otto’s help. One day, Jutta finds a hidden way to reach Karin, but the Stasi are watching. Should Jutta flee back home with her sister or follow her heart?
Another Berlin Book to Consider
While The Girl Behind the Wall focuses on sisters separated overnight by the construction of the Berlin Wall, The Berlin Apartment by Bryn Turnbull is a 2024 release about a young couple separated by the construction of the wall just days after their engagement.
You are welcome to choose any book that you’d like to read for the challenge, but we hope that this list of books has given you a good starting point.
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Printable Version This Book List
Readers who support The Book Girls’ Guide through our Buy Me a Coffee (BMAC) membership site can access printable versions of the reading challenge book lists. As we update each book list throughout the year – following the monthly reading challenge schedule – each list will be available in a single-page printable format for our BMAC members.
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Book Recommendations for Other Regions
Find more recommendations for other regions of the world using the links below.
- Books Set in Western Europe
- Books Set in South America
- Books Set in Antarctica and the Arctic
- Books Set in North America (By Country & Region)
- Books Set in the Middle East
- Books Set on a Form of Transportation
- Books Set in Asia: Northern Countries
- Books Set in Asia: Southern Countries
- Books Set in Australia and New Zealand
- Books Set in Eastern Europe & Russia
- Books That Take Place On an Island
- Books Set in Africa
- Books that Span Multiple Continents
I read What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon. Definite 5 star book! I would classify it as historical fiction, actually time travel but the historical characters and events true to life. It was a page turner.
Read Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany. It was easy to read and very enjoyable in going from present to past in telling the different stories. Ending was satisfying and I would recommend it to friends. 5 stars
I’m interested that much of the historical fiction revolves around WWII–for an area with such a long history, I would have expected a wider representation.
Another theme I see is American comes to Europe to find out deep secrets.
Fascinating.
Hi Tori, that’s an interesting perspective. We worked hard to give a wide range of books from 1900-present spanning Western Europe. 74% of the books have no relation to the WW2 era at all, and only 2 are entirely about WW2 (one fiction, one non-fiction). Another handful do have storylines that overlap somehow with WW2, all from different perspectives. The overall goal of the Book Voyage Challenge is to show a more contemporary viewpoint, so you are correct that none of the books cover the vast and important history of Europe before 1900.
If you’re interested in reading more historical fiction from other time periods, we’d recommend checking out our Decades Challenge. And you’re always welcome to read any book you’d like for the challenge, they don’t have to come from our curated lists.
I’ve read eight of these books, my favorite is ‘The Splendid and the Vile’.
I strongly recommend looking into The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne! My favorite book I’ve read in the past couple of years and gives a huge insight into Irish culture.
Thank you, Katie! I’ve heard great things about that and can’t believe we never stumbled on it during our Ireland search! Thank you!
Thanks for the wonderful list of books for February. I find myself drawn to the YA fiction and a few of the non-fiction books in this list. I have read many books set in England and I want to branch out. Looking forward to February.