Whether you are participating in our Decades Reading Challenge or found this post searching for a book set in the 1980s, you’ll find a wide variety of titles and genres to choose from.
We’ve compiled a great list of books about the Eighties, including both humorous and poignant examinations of the decade spanning fiction, non-fiction, and memoirs. This book list is extra special to The Book Girls because we were both born in 1980.
After the revolutionary and progressive 60s and 70s, the 1980s in America marked a turn toward conservatism in social and political views. As hippies gave way to yuppies, the decade was largely defined by growing materialism and consumerism, big hair, and power bands.
The Eighties also marked the start of the computer age, with the first personal computers being introduced into offices and then homes. Technology also significantly impacted culture during the 80s, bringing about music videos, cable television networks, blockbuster movies, portable camcorders, and video games.
For additional historical context, check out the timeline of major world events included at the end of the post.
Joan is content with her quiet life as a physics and astronomy professor at Rice University in Houston. Then, she sees an ad that changes her life. NASA is looking for the first women scientists to join the Space Shuttle program. After being selected from a pool of thousands of worthy applicants, Joan began training in the summer of 1980.
As she trains with her new team, they become unlikely friends, and Joan finds a new passion for life. She also begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.
The Book Girls Say…
As we’ve come to expect from Taylor Jenkins Reid, this book excels in character development, pulling you into the characters’ lives. Early reviewers note that there is a lot of astronaut and NASA talk, so science fans may appreciate the level of detail, while some may find it overwhelming.
You’ll find themes of gender discrimination in STEM/the 1980s, family relationships, friendships, and a deep love story that fans of Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo may especially enjoy.
Many reviewers noted crying throughout the novel, so keep the Kleenex handy!
It’s 1982, and thirty-something Mimi is still single despite longing to be in a relationship. But, things are looking up as her psychic predicted something good was coming her way. When Ren, a divorced dad, falls in love with her and proposes, she believes that it must be what the psychic was talking about!
But then Ren’s ex-wife is in a serious accident. He must return to Connecticut to help care for her and their daughters. Mimi decides to pack up her NYC life and head to New Haven, Connecticut, to be with him. Her new job at a quirky local daycare provides her with a community of support, which she needs as it seems Ren and his estranged family may be reuniting. But, she still wonders if life’s twists, turns, and disasters just might lead her to unexpected happiness.
Like so many other young gay men, eighteen-year-old Brian arrived in New York City with a bright future ahead of him. But within the first six years of the 1980s, as the AIDS epidemic took hold. Brian lost his partner, his friends, and his future.
Rock Hudson’s death in 1986 shifted the conversation on AIDS and finally brought news of the epidemic into every American living room. It’s also the year that Brian returns home to small-town Appalachia to die.
The Book Girls Say…
Melissa read this moving literary fiction in 2022 and appreciated that it zoomed in on one family’s experience during the 1980s AIDS crisis. The characters are three-dimensional and realistic for the time and setting, which means that you may not always find them likable. However, you will feel the emotional push and pull of what it’s like when your children’s lives are not a mirror of your own.
For a different literary look at AIDS in the 1980s, try The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. It shows the experiences of a group of friends in Chicago in the 1980s. The book also has a split timeline following the main character’s sister in 2015 Paris as she hunts for her daughter, who she believes is in a cult.
In a small village in 1987 Ireland, the community is preparing for a wedding. But, the day before the ceremony, there is a devastating accident involving six members of the young wedding party, including the bride and groom. Three people survived, and three were killed.
Several families are shattered, and mourning gives way to anger. One of the survivors, Connor, was also the driver. He carries his own shame from the accident and from being gay in the 1980s, but others amplify this in their feelings about him. He feels like his only option is to leave his Irish home and try life in Liverpool, followed by London, and then New York, where he finally starts to make a new life. But secrets and regrets follow him, eventually forcing him to reconcile his past by returning home to Ireland.
The Book Girls Say…
This character-driven Irish novel explores the impact of homophobia, shame, and grief on individuals and communities in Ireland, particularly during the 1980s. The author, Graham Norton, is a successful actor, TV host, and comedian, but this is definitely a drama with some dark humor and not a light read.
When her estranged mother passed away, Stella received a one-way ticket and a note reading, “Go to Paris.” Although she prefers the comfort of her strict routines, her boss encourages her to take 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.
The Book Girls Say…
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) – all set in the City of Light.
On a sun-drenched summer holiday at their beachside holiday home north of Wellington, New Zealand, ten-year-old Alix narrates her family’s summer vacation. Her mom is working on a novel, her dad is occupied with grilling and watching cricket, and her teenage sister wants to flirt with the local lifeguard. While everyone else is preoccupied, Alix teams up with a new friend to solve an old mystery.
Two years ago, a young child named Charlotte was presumed drowned, but things are not quite as they seem. Alix and Kahu begin investigating, and their childlike sleuthing uncovers unsettling clues, eerie observations, and hints of adult secrets. Are her parents really happy together? Is her sister trusting the wrong person? Is their vacation rental safe?
As Alix pieces together fragments she scarcely understands, the holiday’s slow, nostalgic pace sharpens into suspense. And when someone else goes missing, the family finds themselves at the center of the investigation.
The Book Girls Say…
This debut novel from New Zealand author Jennifer Trevelyan is praised for its nostalgic portrayal of summer friendships and the confusion of being a child trying to understand an adult world. It’s described as a quiet book that flows slowly but effortlessly.
In 1989, Communist regimes were falling throughout Eastern Europe, but Romania was still under the control of a tyrant – Nicolae Ceaușescu. Seventeen-year-old Cristian wants to be a writer, but writing freely is not possible in his world.
When Cristian is forced to work as an informer for the secret police, he must decide whether he’s willing to betray those he loves or if he can use the terrible situation to help bring down Ceaușescu.
The Book Girls Say…
Ruta Sepetys has a gift for telling untold stories in compelling, relatable ways, and this book was no exception! It immediately earned a place on our list of our favorite books of 2022. While this novel is classified as YA, the characters and subject matter are very well-researched, making it very enjoyable for adult readers.
As children of the ’80s, we recall hearing references on the news to things like the “fall of Communism” and “the end of the Cold War.” But we were too young to understand what this meant, and we certainly couldn’t comprehend what the people in this region had been through. Reading this book opened our eyes to a completely different 1980s experience from that of our childhood memories living in the US.
We’ve had more than 100 of our readers rate this book across our Decades and Book Voyage Challenges, and it has been universally enjoyed!
The 1980s ended with an iconic and hopeful event – the removal of the Berlin Wall, which had 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 has 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 her grandparents raised her 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.
The Book Girls Say…
We recommend not reading other reviews before picking this up. It’s better to enjoy the suspense elements without spoilers.
Fourteen-year-old June had a very close relationship with her uncle, Finn, and was devastated when he died in 1987 from AIDS, which was then still a mysterious and seldom talked about illness.
June meets a stranger at Finn’s funeral – someone who is also struggling with the loss – and as the two get to know each other, their unexpected friendship may be what they each need to heal.
The Book Girls Say…
Our readers say this 2012 Goodreads Nominee for Best Fiction takes you back to the AIDS fears of the 80s and provides a great glimpse into the decade. That said, the book is more about the characters and relationships and has fewer details about the overall AIDS crisis.
In the seaside town of Shelly Bay, Australia, four very different women begin meeting for a daily swim.
Elaine is lonely after arriving in Australia with her husband, leaving her adult children and friends behind in England. Theresa’s husband is more interested in the local pub than in their family. Leanne is a young nurse and a new swimmer without close friends. Marie is a widow with a lifelong habit of taking a daily swim.
Over two years, the women open up to each other and bond during their daily swim, sharing much more than daily exercise.
The Book Girls Say…
Some readers say this book starts slowly as you learn about each of the four main characters, but that the pace picks up as you get further into the book. Additionally, many comment that the book is deeper and more emotional than they expected.
If you like retellings of classic novels, then this Young Adult novel might be a great 1980s selection. Set in a Texas high school in 1984, this is an homage to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. After moving to Northfield with her family, Elyse struggles to find her place in a high school world dominated by Friday night football. When her beautiful older sister starts dating Charlie, the football team captain, Elyse becomes increasingly curious about Charlie’s best friend, Billy. But body insecurities get in her way.
This book is described as an ‘80s time capsule, complete with Swatches, Care Bears, and MTV.
In 1929, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast. While the police could never find evidence to support this theory, the town all believed that seventeen-year-old Lenora was to blame. Since that night, she has never left Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.
By 1983, Lenora is in her seventies, uses a wheelchair, and has been rendered mute after a series of strokes. She communicates by tapping out messages on an old typewriter. Kit, a home-health aide, is assigned to Hope’s End to assist Lenora after the previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. One evening, Lenora types a surprising message: “I want to tell you everything.“
As Kit helps Lenora tell her story, new details emerge. But Kit also begins to suspect that Lenora still isn’t telling the full truth.
The Book Girls Say…
For another 1980s mystery set in the Northeast, try Girl, Forgotten, which features a split timeline between the 1980s & present day.
James Witherspoon had two families – a public one and a secret one – with two teenage daughters caught in the middle.
Set in a middle-class neighborhood in Atlanta in the 1980s, this novel tells the story of James’ two daughters meeting and becoming friends. Except only one of them knows they are sisters.
The Book Girls Say…
The writing in this novel is described as evocative and nuanced, with complex character development. Some complain, however, that the book ends a bit too quickly and without enough resolution. If you’re frustrated by books that leave loose ends and unanswered questions, this may not be the pick for you.
Jones also wrote Leaving Atlanta, another novel set in the early 1980s that we also recommend. Be aware that Leaving Atlanta deals with the difficult subject matter of the Atlanta Child Murders, a string of horrific murders of 29 African American children in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
In the summer of 1985, rising 7th-grader Bee spends her evenings chasing fireflies around her cul-de-sac with the neighborhood kids, including Max from across the street. Her only conflict is with her younger sister, Audrina, whose dazzling personality gets all the attention.
However, everything changes when Max’s little sister, Sally, goes missing at the lake. Not only is Bee’s illusion of security shattered, the neighbors in the community all become suspicious and protective. The strain is also felt inside their home, and is amplified when a shameful secret emerges.
The Book Girls Say…
One of our favorite authors, Elin Hilderbrand, said, “It’s a coming-of-age novel complicated by a tragic and untimely death, and it’s also a novel about two sisters you will never forget. I fell in love with the confidence of the writing and the colorful nostalgia of the mid-’80s details.”
It’s 1987, and best friends Billy, Alf, and Clark are 14. When they learn that THE Vanna White they grew up watching on Wheel of Fortune is featured in Playboy, they become obsessed with finding a copy of the magazine. But they’re not old enough to just purchase it at the store, so they’re going to need an epic plan.
After several failed attempts, they come up with the perfect idea. Befriend Mary, the daughter of the local convenience store owner, so they can create an opportunity to steal the security code and access their holy grail.
But Mary isn’t your average teenage girl. Like Billy, she’s a computer coder, except she’s actually better than him. The more time Billy spends with Mary, the more he questions whether he should keep his loyalty to the plan with his friends or if he has found his first true love.
The Book Girls Say…
Book of the Month calls The Impossible Fortress “a love letter to the 80s”. Melissa’s husband already read this one and enjoyed it, both rating it 4 stars.
This coming-of-age memoir opens in 1975 with the fall of Saigon when five-year-old Phuc Tran’s family immigrated to a small town in Pennsylvania. Most of the book, however, covers Phuc’s older childhood/teen years throughout the 1980s.
Part immigrant story and part coming-of-age tale, this book is described as a misfit’s memoir of great books, punk rock, and the fight to fit in. It is all of that and much more.
The Book Girls Say…
This memoir reads like a literary fiction novel as the author uses classic novels to connect to his own experiences growing up as the only Vietnamese-American student in his small town in the 1980s. He finds solace and self-discovery in literature and the subculture of the punk rock scene.
The audiobook of this memoir is narrated by the author himself, allowing you to hear his experiences in his own words and voice.
Sara was the head housekeeper at a posh London hotel in 1884. Based on her background, this is more than she ever expected and the highest station she could rise to in life. But then she meets American Theodore Camden. He is building the most luxurious residential building in New York, The Dakota, and invites her to come to manage the property. The job brings her to highs and lows she never could have expected.
Sara’s story is told in conjunction with a 1985 storyline of Bailey Camden, who is returning from rehab and gets the opportunity to start fresh with a job overseeing the renovation of an apartment in The Dakota.
The novel alternates between these perspectives, weaving together a story of love, betrayal, and the quest for success within one of NYC’s most famous residences.
The Book Girls Say…
This book is perfect for fans of dual-timeline historical fiction novels. The Dakota is still standing, and it’s located at the corner of Central Park West and 72nd Street, directly across the street from Central Park.
The Dakota was once home to John Lennon, who was murdered right outside the building gates in 1980, and it remains home to Yoko Ono. This building, dubbed New York’s most famous apartment building by Architectural Digest, has also been home to many other celebrities over the years.
This atmospheric, dual-timeline thriller, with a side of the paranormal, is a perfect pick for fans of the suspense and horror genres.
In 1982, 20-year-old Viv worked as a night clerk at the Sun Down Motel. She was hoping to save enough money to move to NYC, but something wasn’t right at the hotel, and she was determined to find out what it was.
In 2017, 20-year-old Carly grew up hearing the story of her aunt Viv’s disappearance from the Sun Down Motel thirty-five years before. When she visits the motel, she soon finds herself entangled in the mystery of the haunted motel.
Dante and Ari are vastly different Mexican American teenagers living in El Paso. Ari has difficulty with words, struggles with self-doubt, and is overcome with thoughts of his brother in prison. He has built emotional walls to protect himself.
Dante is articulate and self-assured, loves poetry and art, and has an open and unique perspective on the world. He’s the last person Ari would ever think could break down his walls.
Against all odds, they form a special bond that will teach them the most important truths about their lives and who they want to become. But there will also be significant hurdles in their way.
The Book Girls Say…
In this YA coming-of-age novel, Ari and Dante help each as they deal with struggles surrounding their racial and ethnic identities, sexuality, and family relationships. The film adaptation, starring Eva Longoria, Max Pelayo, and Reese Gonzales, debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in early 2023 and is anticipated to be released in the US soon.
If you adored the Brat Pack film of the 80s, this pop culture non-fiction read includes interviews with the key players, including Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, and John Cusack.
Through the lenses of now-classic films like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club, the author explores the cultural themes that shaped a generation’s vision for romance, friendship, society, and success.
David is a socially inept single father who directs a computer science lab specializing in artificial intelligence in 1980s-era Boston. His daughter, Ada, is a twelve-year-old prodigy who accompanies him to work every day. When his lab begins to gain acclaim, David’s mysterious history comes into question.
Around the same time, his mind begins to falter, essentially orphaning Ada and burying David’s secrets even further. Ada must embark on a mission to discover if her father really was who she thought he was. The journey takes her deep into a virtual universe.
The Book Girls Say…
If you enjoy mysteries that blend some science fiction into the real world, this looks like a compelling read!
The boy is in a black t-shirt, hiding behind headphones and his book, trying to be invisible. The girl is new to town, with crazy red hair and mismatched clothes that make her stand out. Boy meets girl. Through late-night conversations and lots of mix-tapes, they fall in love the way you only can the first time.
The Book Girls Say…
This YA novel will transport you back in time to what it was like to be a teenager falling in love. This is especially enjoyable if you were coming of age in the 1980s.
When it was first published in 1992, this book shocked the public and forever changed the view of the British monarchy. Unlike many tabloid-style books written about the Royal family, this biography was written with intimate involvement from Princess Diana herself. It also had the full cooperation and support of her family and friends, who speak freely in this tell-all.
Via this book, Diana became the first senior royal to ever speak in such unfiltered terms about her relationship with the Queen, her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles, and her life in the House of Windsor. Twenty-five years later, biographer Andrew Morton revisited the secret tapes he and the late Princess made to reveal even more insights into her extraordinary life.
Columbus, Ohio, 2045 (though the 1980s are the real star)
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
4.3 out of 5 100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This story follows Wade Watts, a young gamer who becomes caught up in a high-stakes treasure hunt.
The OASIS, a virtual universe, serves as the arena for intense, fast-paced competition against rival gamers and the corporation vying for control over the OASIS. All along the way, the story features 1980s nostalgia.
The Book Girls Say…
Although it is set in the future, this sci-fi / dystopian book is a hit on our 1980s book list because it’s heavy on 1980s pop culture and video game nostalgia.
It’s excellent as an audiobook because it’s narrated by Wil Wheaton, who is famous for the 1980s classic movie Stand By Me and a role on Star Trek: The Next Generation. You’ll also recognize his voice from his work in The Big Bang Theory, Teen Titans Go!, and a variety of video game character voices.
The successful Riva siblings are always the envy of those around them in Malibu. Their father is legendary ’70s singer Mick Riva, but each of the four siblings has found success in their own pursuits, including professional surfing and photography.
The book is set in 1983 at sister Nina’s famous end-of-summer beach house party. By midnight, the party is out of control. Before dawn, Nina’s mansion had been burned to the ground.
During this unforgettable night, each sibling has secrets revealed.
The Book Girls Say…
In the words of our readers, Malibu Rising is “descriptive and engaging with a strong storyline, great characters, and a lot of emotion.” Another reader explained, “I love when you know how a book ends, but you have no idea how you’ll get there. Great story of family. All of the 1980s references were wonderful!”
The audio version of the book is read by our favorite narrator, Julia Whelan.
This short and humorous read is packed with all the 80s nostalgia you could ask for! It’s 1980-something, and all Jake wants for Christmas is a Nintendo Entertainment System. But somewhere in town, a TV falls on and kills a small dog, and all the parents in town blame the Nintendo.
In a look back at the kid pop culture of the 1980s, this quest of Super Mario proportions is complete with flaming wreaths, speeding minivans, lost retainers, and Cabbage Patch Kids.
The Book Girls Say…
If you’re a child or teen of the 80s who grew up watching A Christmas Story, we think you’ll be entertained by this retelling set in the decade of your youth. Or if you were a parent in the 1980s who remembers the challenge of shopping for the elusive Cabbage Patch dolls, you’ll also enjoy the humor of this book.
This was a pretty unknown book – a bit of a random find – when we first added it to our Christmas Novels list. So imagine our surprise when we saw in 2021 that it was released as a movie starring Neil Patrick Harris. We recommend reading the book this month and watching the movie when the holiday season rolls around! Both Book Girls and our families really enjoyed it!
Written in 1949, this book painted a nightmarish vision of a 1984 future. Although it was written more than 70 years ago, George Orwell’s prophecies about the future are even more timely now than in 1984. We debated whether to include this book on the list since it was written about a fictional, future 1980s. But we think it serves as an interesting comparison for readers who experienced the 1980s firsthand. And it gives us a lot to think about in today’s society as well.
The Book Girls Say…
While 88% of our readers recommended reading this book, you should know going in that recommending it doesn’t mean it made their list of favorite books. Some say it was challenging to get through, despite being worth it overall.
That said, it’s a great time to pick it up if you’ve had it on your TBR list or are working through a list of classic literature.
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Printable Version of 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.
We offer two membership levels. Both our BFF members and our Inner Circle members get access to the single-page printables for the year-long reading challenges. Visit our Buy Me a Coffee membership page for a full list of benefits for each level.
Our BMAC members help cover the cost of running the challenges so we can keep them free for everyone!
Major World Events in the 1980s
We compiled this list of major events of the time period to provide some historical context for your reading. We hope you enjoy learning a bit more about this period in history.
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State was the most destructive volcanic eruption in modern history. By the time the eruption stopped the following day, a large ash cloud had already spread across the central US.
The popular video game “Pac-Man” was released in 1980. Video game technology continued to develop throughout the decade, leading up to the release of the Nintendo Game Boy portable gaming system in 1989.
Hollywood actor-turned-politician Ronald Reagan was elected president in the fall of 1980. Just 69 days after taking office, he was shot in an assassination attempt, but quickly recovered.
The US boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
In July of 1981, Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in a televised wedding seen by a global audience of 750 million people.
Scientists first identified AIDS in the United States in 1981. However, despite the rapidly increasing AIDS epidemic throughout the first half of the decade, the US government leaders were very slow to respond to the issue, and it was often dismissed as a “gay disease.”
The cable network MTV was launched in 1981 and introduced the VMAs (Video Music Awards) in 1984.
In 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Justice on the Supreme Court.
As technology boomed, “The Computer” was named Time Magazine’s 1982 Man of the Year, CD players were introduced in Japan, and Motorola released the first mobile phones in the US.
In 1984, the UK agreed to transfer the power of Hong Kong back to China at a later date (the actual handover of Hong Kong did not occur until 1997).
In what is now considered one of the worst marketing moves in history, the Coca-Cola Company introduced “New Coke” in 1985 before returning to the original formula just months later.
In 1986, the Chornobyl nuclear reactor exploded in Ukraine (formerly part of the USSR), creating a nuclear disaster.
During a 1986 launch watched on live television by school children all around the country, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all the astronauts aboard.
In 1987, construction began on the Channel Tunnel (the “Chunnel”) – the longest undersea tunnel in the world – which links England and France by train.
In 1988, George H.W. Bush, who had served as Vice President under Ronald Reagan, was elected President of the United States.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 symbolized the end of the Cold War.
The 1989 student-led protests in Tiananmen Square called for democracy, free speech, and a free press in China. Chinese troops attempted to break up the demonstrations by firing live rounds into the crowd, killing an estimated hundreds to thousands of protesters.
The Book Girls are best friends who jointly read over 200 books per year. We started Book Girls' Guide in 2019 to help others de-stress and find joy through the power of a great book. We do in-depth research on thousands of novels and non-fiction titles each year to provide curated book lists covering a variety of genres.
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