Books like Friendship by Emily Gould

A 1930s wartime tale of a blind French girl and a German boy whose lives intersect in occupied France, weaving themes of survival, friendship, and the moral choices people make amid World War II.

The Goldfinch chronicles the life of thirteen‑year‑old Theo Decker, who survives a museum attack that kills his mother and carries an art piece that becomes a lifelong obsession, exploring loss, identity, and art in contemporary America.

A novel about Emma Woodhouse, a young woman's struggles with matchmaking, misplaced pride, and the dangers of meddling in others' lives in 18th-century England.

Don Tillman, a genetics professor with Asperger’s, designs a scientific survey to find a wife, only to meet Rosie Jarman, a drinker and late arriver who challenges his controlled worldview and leads him to discover that love can’t be measured.

In January 1946, London novelist Juliet Ashton receives a mysterious letter from a Guernsey native, opening a lively epistolary journey that reveals the island’s quirky community, wartime struggles and a beloved book club born of curfew-breaking escapades.

Set in a Southern California black community, The Mothers follows 17‑year‑old Nadia Turner as she navigates grief, a forbidden romance, and an unplanned pregnancy that shapes her and her friends' futures for years to come.

A dual narrative of friendship and ambition, following two young Black women from North West London to West Africa as they chase dance dreams and confront cultural identity.

Rachel, a Manhattan attorney, teeters between loyalty and desire when her best friend’s fiancé becomes an unexpected love interest, forcing her to confront friendship, risk, and the blurred line between right and wrong.

In the idyllic English village of Edgecombe St. Mary, retired Major Ernest Pettigrew finds unexpected companionship—and love—with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, a Pakistani shopkeeper, as they navigate friendship, loss, and cultural boundaries.

An introspective novel where a young writer confronts a life‑threatening heart condition, unexpected literary acclaim, and the possibility of unconventional fatherhood amid a New York on the brink of change.

Vivian Morris, a 19‑year‑old expelled from Vassar, discovers freedom and love in the bohemian world of a crumbling Midtown theater, only to confront scandal that forces her to redefine what she wants from life.

In Maeve Binchy’s warm tale of friendship, two young women from a small Irish village follow their hopes to Dublin, where hidden secrets and love stories collide and test the bonds of their Circle of Friends.

A poignant tale of identity and change in Nigeria, chronicling the journey of a thief who finds purpose and connection in his community.

Three female academics at Columbia University craft daring games rooted in their neighborhood’s history, only to find the stakes rising when one’s mysterious brother becomes involved.

Ike, a Nigerian cab driver in New York, plots to steal an ancient war deity from his homeland to finance his struggle for a better life, confronting cultural tensions, faith conflicts, and the lure of the exotic.

A remarkable friendship and its enduring journey of two remarkable women from the postwar era of the 1950s, told with vividly descriptive language and a relatable narrative.

Four women in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood navigate friendship, love, and family life—two widowed war survivors, a tenant mother, and an art historian—capturing intergenerational bonds and the city’s quiet resilience.

"Aaliya Sohbi lives alone in her Beirut apartment, surrounded by stockpiles of books. Godless, fatherless, childless, and divorced, Aaliya is her family's 'unnecessary appendage.' Every year, she translates a new favorite book into Arabic, then stows it away. The thirty-seven books that Aaliya has translated over her lifetime have never been read-- by anyone. After overhearing her neighbors, 'the three witches,' discussing her too-white hair, Aaliya accidentally dyes her hair too blue. In this breathtaking portrait of a reclusive woman's late-life crisis, readers follow Aaliya's digressive mind as it ricochets across visions of past and present Beirut. Colorful musings on literature, philosophy, and art are invaded by memories of the Lebanese Civil War and Aaliya's own volatile past. As she tries to overcome her aging body and spontaneous emotional upwellings, Aaliya is faced with an unthinkable disaster that threatens to shatter the little life she has left" --

Three American women—Mercy, Hilary, and Margaret—live in a small expat community in Hong Kong, each confronting personal crises that force them to reevaluate identity, family, and friendship.

On a Delta Shuttle, graduate student Elise and former banker turned teacher Donald meet and quickly fall in love, but both carry dramatic pasts—Elise’s ex‑fiancée Adrienne and Donald’s previous relationships threaten their budding romance.

See https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19781733W/Eleanor_Oliphant_Is_Completely_Fine