Whether you found this post searching for the best books set in the 2010s, or you’re participating in our Decades Challenge, we hope you’ll find some great books set between 2010 and 2019 to add to your TBR lists. If you’re looking for books set between 2000-2009, you can find them here.
You can read all about the Decades Challenge, download your free printable reading tracker, and find book lists for other decades here.
As always, we welcome you to choose any book you like that is set in the decade. To help you get started, we’ve compiled a great list of books set in the 2010s. Our fiction recommendations include works of drama, romance, comedy, and young adult literature. Each provides insights into the culture and social issues of the decade. A memoir and non-fiction title also closely examine relevant topics of the decade.
The 2010s brought a rising focus on new and lingering inequalities both in America and around the world. This focus led to both strife and progress. Mass shootings and natural disasters permeated throughout the decade, and politics became increasingly divisive.
Social media use evolved from a simple way to stay connected with friends into an easy way to influence strangers. Sometimes it’s good, like our ability to share favorite books with you right now. Or the money raised for ALS research during the viral Ice Bucket Challenge.
However, the full negative ramifications of social media are also still being learned. Sadly, this includes increased teen suicide and dangerous misinformation spreading like wildfire during elections.
Along the way, there were fundamental changes in how we travel and vacation. The sharing economy led to huge new companies like Uber and Airbnb. Alternative energies became more advanced, and many companies became more aware of their environmental impacts. We learned more about the harm of things like single-use plastics. We have a ways to go, but we’re doing a better job protecting the earth than we were when the decade started.
MAJOR EVENTS FROM 2010 TO 2019
Before recommending books from each decade, we like to provide historical context with an overview of the major events of the time.
If you’d prefer, feel free to scroll straight to our book list.
- A January 2010 earthquake near Haiti’s capital, followed by more than 50 aftershocks, caused catastrophic damage to the island nation.
- In April 2010, Apple launched the first generation iPad. While the iPad was not the very first tablet PC, its immediate popularity gave rise to numerous competitors.
- The 2010 underground explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia killed 29 miners.
- The Tea Party movement, representing US conservative populist social and political views, first began in 2009. It gained significant support and popularity during the 2010 mid-term elections.
- An underwater 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan in March 2011 caused a tsunami with waves over 130 feet high. Damage from the earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.
- England’s Prince William married Catherine Middleton in April 2011. The royal wedding was seen by an estimated 22.8 million television viewers around the world. Seven years later, in May of 2018, William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, married American Meghan Markle before a television audience of more than 29 million.
- In September of 2011, Occupy Wall Street began as a march through the streets of the Financial District of NYC. It turned into a months-long sit-in at a park near the New York Stock Exchange. This protest movement, centered around issues of social and economic inequality, greed, and corruption, gained attention on social media and gave rise to other Occupy movements in the US and around the world.
- England’s Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, marking 60 years since her 1952 ascension to the throne.
- In July of 2012, “Gangnam Style” – the music video for the song by South Korean musician, Psy, became the first YouTube video to ever reach one billion views. It launched a worldwide dance craze.
- On December 14, 2012, a 20-year-old man entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 26 people. Horrifyingly, this included 20 kids between the ages of six and seven. This was just one of many episodes of gun violence that marred the decade. Others included the 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado that killed 12 and injured more than 70 others; the 2015 shooting of nine parishioners during a church prayer group in Charleston, South Carolina by a young white supremacist; the 2017 murder of 58 people attending a music festival in Las Vegas at the hands of a gunman in a 32nd-floor hotel room window who also injured hundreds of others, and 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in which the teen gunman killed 17 and injured 17 others.
- During the April 15, 2013 Boston Marathon, two brothers detonated bombs that killed three and injured 264. A massive manhunt for the suspects of the Boston Marathon bombing ensued over the following four days.
- A devastating EF-5 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma in May of 2013 ravaged the town and destroyed the elementary school. It was the deadliest tornado in the US since the 2011 Joplin, Missouri tornado that killed 158 people.
- In 2013, several activists started using the social media hashtag #BlackLivesMatter following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teen Trayvon Martin. The hashtag became a national movement that gained additional traction during the protests that followed the 2014 deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York City, who were both killed during encounters with the police.
- Throughout the 2010s, social media became a popular way to raise money for charities. In the summer of 2014, the viral Ice Bucket Challenge raised over $115 million for ALS research. Those funds already aided in the discovery of a new ALS gene.
- Following the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, same-sex marriage became legal in all fifty states in June of 2015.
- In 2016, Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady, became the first female presidential nominee of a major political party. She ran against businessman Donald Trump who ultimately won the 2016 Presidential Election with a large electoral college victory despite losing the popular vote by 2.8 million voters.
- In 2016, Britons voted to withdraw the United Kingdom from the European Union in what came to be known as Brexit. The deadline to approve a withdrawal plan was extended several times. Parliament’s opposition to the proposed deal led to the resignation of Prime Minister Theresa May in 2019.
- In January of 2017, on the first day of Donald Trump’s presidency, more than 5 million people protested in support of gender equality and civil rights. The Women’s March – which was actually more the 600 marches across the world – was the largest single-day demonstration in US history.
- For the first time since 1918, a total solar eclipse was visible across the entire United States in August 2017.
- In the fall of 2017, the US territory of Puerto Rico was hit by two hurricanes, only weeks apart. Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria both pummelled the island, devastating the island’s infrastructure and resulting in the deaths of more than 4,600 people.
- The #MeToo hashtag went viral on social media beginning in October of 2017, following sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The hashtag turned into a feminist movement and became a rallying cry for millions of women who shared their own stories and experiences with sexual harassment and sexual abuse.
- Following a whistleblower complaint about a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the US House of Representatives approved Articles of Impeachment against President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Following a trial in the Senate, the President was acquitted in a vote that fell largely on party lines.
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The Leavers
by Lisa Ko
Setting: Bronx & Upstate New York, 2016
First Published: 2017
Deming Guo is 11 years old and lives with his single mom, Polly, who is an undocumented Chinese immigrant. She works hard a nail salon to make enough for them to survive in a crowded apartment with her boyfriend, his sister, and his nephew.
One day, she doesn’t return home from work. No one is sure if she left willingly and will send for Deming, or if something terrible happened. When it’s clear Polly isn’t returning, Deming becomes a foster child. He’s placed with Peter and Kay, older college professors who aren’t sure if they’re meant to be parents. As Deming becomes Daniel to fit in better, he struggles to reconcile his new life with his old.
Daniel's story alternates with that of his mother, Polly.
The Flatshare
by Beth O'Leary
Setting: London, 2019
First published 2019
While roommates aren't a concept unique to the 2010s, this decade was the rise of the sharing economy from ride-sharing to desk-sharing in coworking spots. The Flatshare takes this prevalence into a British apartment.
When night-shift worker Leon needs some extra cash to help a family member, he decides to get a roommate. The problem is that he has a one-bedroom flat, with one bed. So he places an ad for someone to sleep in his bed while he's at work. Of course, they'll never be home simultaneously, but it's still a crazy plan. But it's just the affordable solution that Sophie needs after a breakup.
The Flatshare will make you laugh out loud as Leon and Sophie exchange notes and learn to co-habitat on opposite schedules. Under the humor, more serious storylines encompassing other topics equally relevant to the last decade.
The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in America
by Helen Thorpe
Setting: Denver, Colorado 2015-2016
First Published 2018
The Newcomers follows twenty-two immigrant teenagers throughout the 2015-2016 school year as they land at South High School in Denver, Colorado. Ranging in age from fourteen to nineteen, most of these students came directly from refugee camps in countries plagued by war, famine, or drought.
The book follows the student's English language education with their dedicated and creative teacher, Mr. Williams. As they get a grasp of the languages, their individual histories unfold and add faces, names, and stories to those seeking asylum.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
by Gail Honeyman
Setting: Scotland, mid-2010s
First published 2017
Eleanor Oliphant was one of our favorite quirky characters of the last decade. She struggles with social interactions and thinks things are okay in her loner lifestyle. However, a chance encounter opens her eyes to the possibility of life being more than fine and better with friends instead of relying on frozen pizza and vodka.
While we still have a ways to go, an expanded understanding of the importance of mental health and a movement to de-stigmatize mental health care was a positive shift in the 2010s. Seeing Eleanor's struggles and progression aligns with this overall shift in perception.
The Book Girls Say... Eleanor is quirky and endearing despite her lack of social skills. We both enjoyed this one!
Wonder
by R. J. Palacio
Setting: Manhattan, 2012
First published 2012
Technically, Wonder is aimed at kids in 5th-7th grade, but this story grabbed the hearts of all ages and became a #1 bestseller across ages in the early 2010s.
10-year-old Auggie has a facial deformity that previously prevented him from attending a traditional school. In his own words, "I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. " Wonder begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.
The Book Girls Say... Reading this book that inspired the Choose Kind movement would be a great choice in a year when the world could use more kindness!
A Tale for the Time Being
by Ruth Ozeki
Setting: Canada and Japan, 2011
First Published: 2013
Main character Ruth is an author working on a remote Canadian island when she discovers artifacts believed to be from the 2011 tsunami in Japan. A journal and other items are enclosed in a Hello Kitty lunchbox. As Ruth looks through the items, she’s pulled into the past and her own future.
In Japan, 16-year-old Nao is lonely and can no longer take her classmate's bullying. But before ending her life, feels drawn to document the life of her grandmother, who has lived more than a century.
Ruth and Nao’s lives are woven together in this tale of humanity, history, and myth.
The Book Girls Say…This novel is autobiographical in part, with Ruth based on the author, but also combines magical realism to create a unique, award-winning novel.
Next Year in Havana
by Chanel Cleeton
Setting: 1958, Havana; 2017, Miami
First published 2018
Marisol grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother, Elisa. The story alternates between Elisa - a nineteen-year-old in 1958 Havana, the daughter of a sugar baron and member of Cuba's high society. Her family's position largely shields her from the growing political unrest, at least until she embarks on a forbidden affair - and Marisol, in 2017, as she arrives in Havana for the first time to fulfill her grandmother's dying wish of having her ashes spread in her birth country.
Marisol tries to reconcile the contrast of Cuba's timeless beauty with its political climate, all while uncovering the story of her grandmother's past.
This Is How It Always Is
by Laurie Frankel
Setting: Seattle, mid to late 2010s
First Published: 2017
Claude is the youngest son in a family with five brothers. And he firmly knows that when he grows up, he wants to be a girl. His parents see his sincerity and opt to move out of their smaller town to Seattle, where they expect people to be more accepting of others. However, despite being okay with Claude being whoever he is, they don’t want themselves or Claude to be targeted as weird.
In their new city, Claude is Poppy. The entire family keeps the secret until everything explodes one day.
The Book Girls Say…This story is a timely look at the inner workings of a family with a transgender child. While the book is about a fictionalized family, the author has first-hand experiences with the topic, giving authenticity to the parents' perspectives.
This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of 10/13/22.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
by Maria Semple
Setting: Seattle & Antarctica, early 2010s
First published 2012
If you're drawn to eccentric characters, you might love Bernadette. She's a renowned architect in hiding who doesn't fit in with her husband's fancy tech career or with the other moms at her daughter's school. In fact, she barely leaves the house, relying on a virtual assistant in India for all her family's needs. This becomes a real problem when her daughter's stellar report card earns her a family trip to Antarctica.
When Bernadette disappears before the trip, her daughter Bee is determined to track her down.
The Book Girls Say...Maria Semple managed to create an enjoyable, witty, and emotional novel. In addition to the main story, it's a good look at someone refusing to fit into the stereotypical 2010's mom mold expected at her child's private school.
Razorblade Tears
by S. A. Cosby
Setting: small-town Virginia, 2010s
First published 2021
Randolph and Buddy Lee are both ex-cons, but have very different lives. Randolph left his past behind and started a successful lawn care business. He has a loving wife and owns a lovely small home. Buddy Lee is a barely functioning alcoholic living in a run-down trailer.
Besides both being ex-cons, the only thing they have in common is that their sons married each other, and both dads handled that poorly.
When both sons are brutally murdered, the men meet because of their shared goal - finding out what really happened to their boys.
The Book Girls Say... Every chapter is easy to visualize in detail, but you won't just see the characters. You'll experience their emotions throughout the compelling story. Amid the page-turning tale, there are also great reminders about life and the importance of choosing to love your family while you can.
WARNING: If you're sensitive to violence or lots of rough language, consider skipping this one. The downside of being able to picture every scene is that the descriptive writing includes the violent scenes.
Things You Save in a Fire
by Katherine Center
Setting: Austin & Boston, 2017
First published 2018
Throughout the decade's challenge, we've seen the role and treatment of women continually evolve. However, things You Save in a Fire confronts some of the biases that have remained into the 2010s.
Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter in Austin and is great at her job. When her mother asks her to move to Boston despite their strained relationship, Cassie's experience at the new fire house couldn't be more different. With a lack of funding, poor facilities, and an old-school hazing culture, the firehouse is not happy to have a woman join their crew.
The Book Girls Say...Katherine Center became one of our new favorite authors over the past two years, and Things You Save in a Fire is one of her best! Some consider this book a simple romance, but we believe the other aspects of the story are more important.
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea
by Melissa Fleming
Setting: Syria, 2011
First published 2017
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea is a non-fiction book that reads like page-turning fiction. The Syrian refugee crisis flooded the news, with many countries overwhelmed trying to process the vast numbers of asylum seekers fleeing their war-torn homes.
This book tells the well-rounded story of one girl, Doaa, starting with her life in Syria before the war and following her journey of strength, courage, and sorrow. Each page is compelling as you get an inside look at a 19 year old refugee who first fought to stay in Syria and then fought for her life and the lives of other children during a harrowing four days at sea.
The Book Girls Say...This is one of Melissa's favorite books of all time. It intersects a dramatic page-turning story with rare insight into everything a refugee endures before landing in another country to ask for asylum. If you loved Adunni in The Girl with the Louding Voice, I think you'll also fall in love with Doaa.
Beartown
by Fredrik Backman
Setting: Small Swedish forest town, 2017
First published 2017
In the tiny community of Beartown, life revolves around hockey. It provides entertainment and hope for a better future. It's 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? The themes are definitely relevant to the decade.
If you've already read Beartown and 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. It's set two years after Beartown, so it still sneaks into the 2010s.
The Book Girls Say...Fredrik Backman has a gift with words, melodic phrasing, and unparalleled insight into human motivations. He writes characters that are so well-rounded that even if you disagree with their decisions, you understand what they were thinking. We both gave this one all the stars!
Small Great Things
by Jodi Picoult
Setting: Connecticut, 2017
First published 2018
Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse with twenty years of experience. After being reassigned away from a patient, she learns that the parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child.
The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey the orders of her superiors based on the parent's mandate, or does she intervene?
One to Watch
by Kate Styman-London
Setting: California, 2019
First published 2020
Bea is a plus-sized fashion blogger tired of watching casts full of size 0 models. After a drunken post about the un-realness of the reality dating show, Main Squeeze, she gets a shocking call asking HER to be the next star of the show.
Can she trust the male contestants with her heart, or is it safer to remember she's on the show for her career?
The Book Girls Say... We both loved this one and enjoyed that the story varies between the actual narrative/ standard book format and snippets of podcast dialog, emails, etc ABOUT the show as fans watched. All the aspects came together and served as a great way to help your brain fully engage in the story.
The storyline blending reality TV, blogging, and the push to stop judging based on traditional beauty standards is fun and an excellent representation of the 2010s!
Sirens & Muses
by Antonia Angress
Setting: New York, 2011-2012
First Published: 2022
This new novel will take you inside an elite NYC art school in 2011. America was in a recession after the 2008 crash, and the Occupy Wall Street movement was escalating. But at the school, students live in a bubble of their own world, spending days painting and sculpting.
New scholarship student Louisa feels adrift in the novel environment and has a surprise attraction to both her charismatic and wealthy roommate, Karina, and senior student Preston, an anti-capitalist online provocateur. As the relationships between the students force them to reconcile their identities and desires, Preston comes up with an explosive hoax that propels them into the cutthroat NYC art world.
The Book Girls Say…This character-driven dark academia book contains many mature adult themes, from sex, drugs, and suicide to the complicated financial aspects of the art world. It won’t be for everyone, but if you love social commentary mixed with a sapphic romance, it’s a great option.
Class Mom
by Laurie Gelman
Setting: Kansas City, KS
First published 2016
Class Mom is much lighter than anything else on the list, but an amusing take on life as a mom of elementary kids in the 2010s.
If you've ever done a little eye-rolling when dealing with other parents at your child's school, this is the book for you. Former rockstar groupie Jen is bamboozled into being the class mom for her daughter's kindergarten class. Her emails recruiting other parent volunteers are full of the things you wish you could say, but hopefully wouldn't.
The Book Girls Say...It's a fun, irreverent book that will make you laugh out loud as long as you don't take it too seriously. If you're not a fan of snark or sarcasm, skip it. It's total satire and not a serious novel, but sometimes, that's what we need!
Reconstructing Amelia
by Kimberly McCreight
Setting: Brooklyn, NY, early 2010s
First published 2013
Kate is in the middle of an important meeting when she gets the frustrating call that her daughter has been caught cheating at her exclusive school.
When she arrives to pick Amelia up, the school is surrounded by emergency vehicles, and Kate learns that her daughter jumped to her death. At least that is what she believes until an anonymous text tells her that Amelia didn't jump.
This suspense/mystery is a great insight into the increasing role of social media during the 2010s and the damage that comes along with it.
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry
by Gabrielle Zevin
Setting: 2013, fictional Alice Island, Massachusetts
First Published: 2014
In this funny, yet tender, novel, Alice Island bookstore owner A.J. Fikry is having a terrible year. His wife has died, the store isn’t making enough sales, and his beloved book of Poe poems has been stolen. As a result, he’s cranky and pushing those around him away more than ever. Luckily he has a few people that look past his curmudgeonly attitude.
His depression has reached the point that he no longer enjoys books. But, sometimes, life gives you second chances in unexpected ways. For A.J., it’s a small, but heavy, mysterious package that arrives at his shop. And as he begins to see the world around him in a new way, those around him can see him in a new way too.
The Book Girls Say…The Secret Life of AJ Fikry was also released as a movie in theaters in October 2022. It would be fun to read with a friend and then watch together.
Crazy Rich Asians
by Kevin Kwan
Setting: Singapore, 2012
First published 2013
Rachel is a New Yorker who agrees to spend the summer in Singapore, her boyfriend Nick's home country. He just failed to mention one crucial aspect of his life while they have been dating. He is considered Singapore's most eligible bachelor, and his family is crazy-rich.
The family is essentially royalty, and the younger generations are expected to follow the older generations' wishes for their life (and spouse) choices.
Crazy Rich Asians is the first book in a trilogy, and you can pick up the box set here. All three books are excellent and an entertaining look at the lifestyle of the 1% in the 2010s.
The Book Girls Say...We both laughed through this series and even loved the movie. It's a great pick if you want something funny. Just be ready to pay attention because there are a lot of characters! Reading the trilogy back to back is an excellent choice, so you don't have to relearn all the relationships.
Kitchens of the Great Midwest
by J. Ryan Stradal
Setting: Minnesota
First published 2016
The rise of a foodie culture was one of our favorite developments of the last decade. The story follows Eva on her journey to becoming an iconic chef. It starts with her birth and being raised by a father determined to pass on his love of food.
Each chapter is the story of a different dish and a different character, all weaving into a bittersweet story of Eva's life.
Know My Name
by Chanel Miller
Setting: US, 2015-2016
First published 2019
Chanel Miller first took the world by storm in 2016 as Emily Doe after her victim impact statement in a sexual assault hearing against Brock Turner went viral. Her memoir goes into more depth about her life before, during, and after that night. She's vulnerable and brave, sharing her struggles each step of the way.
While the prominent Me Too Movement started in 2017 with Harvey Weinstein, Chanel Miller's bravery and beautiful writing in 2016 was a precursor and opened millions of eyes to the second assault women face in the courts and public perception.
The Book Girls Say...Melissa read this one recently and was blown away by the brilliant writing. It's not just an account of a terrible event, it's full of beautiful language and raw emotion.
Eliza Starts a Rumor
by Jane L. Rosen
Setting: NYC Suburb, 2019
First published 2020
Eliza is a suburban wife secretly struggling with an intense fear of leaving her house. She forces herself to go to the store in preparation for a visit from her college-age children. While there, she hears younger moms talking about a new local online forum for women. Eliza has run a similar group for years, but these strangers call her group boring.
In a moment of desperation and weakness, Eliza starts a rumor on her board to liven it up, and the rumor reaches further than she expected. It's a great look at the repercussions of fake information, along with some additional 2010s themes.
The Book Girls Say...This book is a great mix of comedy and drama about a group of neighbors overcoming their individual problems when they're willing to share them and lean on other women.
The Book of Unknown Americans
by Cristina Henriquez
Setting: Delaware, early 2010s
First published 2015
After suffering a head injury in her home country of Mexico, Maribel's family must move to Delaware so she can attend a special school, which will give her the best chance of recovery. The neighbors within their new apartment building are from other Central & South American countries, creating a bond as they try to adapt to their new home.
It's a great look at the challenges of the immigrant experience, and the lengths parents will go to for their children. You'll also see an unlikely love story between Maribel and one of the boys from the apartment complex.
The Book Girls Say...Melissa read this one back in 2015 and rated it 5 stars. Some reviewers don't love that the coming-of-age story writing skewed a bit more toward YA versus literary fiction, but Melissa didn't mind.
There There
by Tommy Orange
Setting: Oakland, California, late 2010s
First published 2019
Toward the end of the 2010s, there was a growing mainstream awareness of the struggles of American Indians. There There tells the stories of twelve native characters traveling to the same Oakland Powwow.
The stories weave together into a comprehensive look at the challenges facing urban Native Americans today. There There won the PEN/Hemingway Award in 2019 and was largely praised as one of the best books of the year for its unforgettable and poignant storytelling.
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Sarah Vogel
Saturday 7th of November 2020
I recently finished "The Last Flight" and would recommend it if you like lots of twists and turns ! Thanks for all the great recommendations, as usual, Gals !!! (PS. ALL 3 of the the "Crazy Rich Asians" books are great!! Better than the movie, always !!)