Raven Cohen
You devoured The Midnight Library and now you’re wandering the bookstore aisles wondering what can possibly hit the same way again. Don’t worry, we got you. Whether it was the “what if” moments, the alternate lives, or the emotional gut punches that kept you flipping pages, these five reads will absolutely scratch that same existential itch.
🕰️ 1. Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
Time Travel, But Make It Emotional AF
What if your life didn’t move in a straight line? Imagine waking up every New Year’s Day in a totally different year of your own life, sometimes older, sometimes younger, but never in order. That’s the bonkers, beautiful premise of Oona Out of Order. Every year, Oona has to re-learn who she is, who she loves, and how to keep going when life makes zero sense.
🧠 Midnight Library vibes? Check.
💔 Emotional gut punches? Oh, absolutely.
🎉 A time-travel book that also knows how to have fun? Yes please.
📖 Why You’ll Love It:
It’s not just about time travel, it’s about identity, free will, and the weird way life only makes sense in hindsight. You’ll close the book rethinking every choice you’ve ever made… but in a good way.
🌍 2. The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
Shadowless People, Forgotten Lives, and a Dystopia That Hits Deep
In a version of the world gone wrong, people start losing their shadows, and with them, their memories. As society unravels, so do relationships, identities, and everything we think makes us us. At the center is a love story: one person forgets, and the other remembers everything.
This isn’t your typical apocalypse. It’s lyrical, eerie, and deeply human. It asks: who are we without our memories? And can love survive forgetting?
📖 Why You’ll Love It:
If The Midnight Library made you cry in public, The Book of M might break your heart, but in a gorgeous, poetic way. It’s thought-provoking dystopia with soul.
🧓 3. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
Same Author, Same Feels, Different Kind of Time Trip
You already know Matt Haig can mess with your emotions and blow your mind, and How to Stop Time proves he’s got range. The story follows Tom Hazard, a man who looks 40 but is actually centuries old. He’s seen the world change, lost people he loved, and is tired of pretending he’s normal.
But what happens when you’ve lived too long and want something real, love, connection, maybe even peace? Just like The Midnight Library, this book is about time, loss, and figuring out how to actually live.
📖 Why You’ll Love It:
It’s wise, sad, and quietly hopeful. Think: Interview with the Vampire meets Eternal Sunshine, but British and existential.
☁️ 4. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
One Life. Infinite Ripples.
You might think your life doesn’t matter. That you’re just one person in the crowd. But what if, after you die, you found out you changed everything for someone else?
That’s the quiet magic of The Five People You Meet in Heaven. It follows Eddie, a maintenance worker at an amusement park, who dies saving a little girl… and wakes up in the afterlife, where he meets five people whose lives were forever altered by his.
It’s not flashy. It’s not loud. But it’ll absolutely gut you with how deeply it understands regret, love, forgiveness, and the invisible threads that connect us all.
📖 Why You’ll Love It:
It’s short enough to finish in a weekend, but the feelings linger for years. It’ll have you calling your grandparents, texting your best friend, and maybe tearing up over the janitor at your old school. Every life matters. Including yours.
☕ 5. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
A Tiny Café. A Cup of Coffee. A Chance to Change Everything.
Welcome to a back-alley café in Tokyo where the coffee comes with a twist: if you sit in one specific chair, you can travel back in time. But only to speak with someone who also visited the café… and only until your coffee gets cold.
Four people take that risk. Each with a heartbreak, a hope, or a haunting. And each learns that time travel can’t change everything, but it might be enough to say what was left unsaid.
It’s soft. It’s strange. And it’s full of that bittersweet beauty that makes Japanese fiction so unforgettable.
📖 Why You’ll Love It:
This book doesn’t scream; it whispers. And somehow, that’s what makes it hit harder. Like The Midnight Library, it turns small moments into massive emotional revelations. You’ll want to hug your favorite mug, a friend, and maybe your ex.
🎁 Bonus Bookstore Challenge
Ask for “Something Like The Midnight Library” and Let the Magic Begin
Here’s your mission: go to your local bookstore (yes, in real life) and ask the staff, “What’s your best recommendation for fans of The Midnight library?” Watch their eyes light up. There’s a good chance they’ll hand you something life-changing, and something you never would’ve picked on your own.
This works best at indie shops. Trust us.
✨ Wrap-Up: Your Next Existential Cry Is Waiting
Whether you’re longing for second chances, wondering about the impact of your choices, or just love a book that breaks your heart and puts it back together again, these five reads are ready to wreck you (in the best way).
Light a candle. Make your favorite cozy drink. Text a friend just to say “hey.”
Because if The Midnight Library taught us anything, it’s this:
Every moment matters.
And you’re not done yet. 💫
