Monday, June 16, 2025

Six top books exploring romantic obsession

Olivia Worley is an author born and raised in New Orleans. A graduate of Northwestern University, she now lives in New York City, where she spends her time writing thrillers, over-analyzing episodes of The Bachelor, and hoping someone will romanticize her for reading on the subway. She is the author of the young adult novels People to Follow and The Debutantes. Her newly released adult debut is So Happy Together.

At CrimeReads Worley tagged six "books about romantic obsession that either inspired So Happy Together or that I’d be honored to see it shelved beside. ... [T]hese books all have one thing in common: they’re sure to get your heart pounding." One title on the list:
A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch

Another literary novel that feels like a thriller, this one follows aspiring writer Naomi as she becomes obsessed with her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, Rosemary—who quickly becomes the inspiration for Naomi’s new novel. While A Novel Obsession doesn’t delve into murder territory, Naomi’s quickly-snowballing secrets are just as impossible to look away from.
Read about another entry on the list.

A Novel Obsession is among Hanna Halperin's nine novels about infatuations that are all consuming.

--Marshal Zeringue