Is there a cozier show than Gilmore Girls? Even over two decades after its initial airing, it continues to be a fan favorite during the fall. The nostalgia, quaint setting, and autumn scenery are the perfect way to welcome the cooler season. Whether you have your favorite of Rory’s boyfriends, are entertained by the quick dialogue, like watching the different complex relationships — familial and romantic — unfold, or love the small-town vibe, this show has something and someone for everyone. If you’ve gotten attached to all of these characters — and are looking for similar stories — check out these books if you like Gilmore Girls.
If you love Dean: Harriet and Wyn seemed like they would be together forever — but when careers and familial obligations come between them, they just can’t hold on anymore. But five months later, their friends still don’t know. So, when they both get invited on an annual trip to their friend’s cottage, they know that one of them has to back out. But when they find out that it’s the last trip before the cottage is sold, they decide that they can continue pretending that they’re a couple for the week. But five months of unresolved feelings and fights have to come to a head at some point — and they might realize that their real happy place is a person.
If you love the Stars Hollow events: When Lucy takes a trip to Prince Edward Island, she doesn’t think she’d break her friend Bridget’s number one rule — don’t fall in love with her brother. But to be fair, Lucy had no idea Felix was Bridget’s brother until the morning after. Keeping this secret isn’t easy — especially when Lucy and Felix can’t help but make the same mistake every time she visits the island. But five years later, Bridget — in a state of crisis — has fled to PEI just weeks before her wedding, and she needs her best friend and brother to help her through it. Between an oyster-shucking competition, memories of past summers, and uncovering more secrets, Lucy and Felix might stand a chance at helping Bridget — and sharing more than just every summer together.
If you love Rory, Lorelai, and Emily’s relationship: Though not as lighthearted as Gilmore Girls, the generations of women in the North family have leaned on each other to make it through the toughest times of their lives. When Miriam and her daughters leave her abusive husband, they turn to Miriam’s sister August. But 10-year-old Joan is turned away from one abuser only to face another — her cousin Derek. The house her mother and aunt grew up in can only bring Joan so much comfort when she’s forced to share it with the boy who hurt her. The North women have been shaped by generations of violence, but especially by how they’ve endured it — together. They may not always see eye-to-eye, but there’s nothing that can tear them apart if they hold each other tight enough.
If you love Logan: Josh and Ari have nothing in common — except for the fact that they’re sleeping with the same woman. Despite their immediate revulsion towards each other, they find themselves drawn back to each other over and over again — whether they’re spending New Year’s Eve at the same party, watching a friend get fired, or stumbling into each other after both their bad break ups. Finally listening to the universe, Josh and Ari decide to give friendship a go — they know it could never lead to anything more. But what happens when their strolls through New York City, movie nights, and long phone calls elicit deeper feelings?
If you love Lorelai: Lorelai and Emily’s fraught mother-daughter relationship is one you may recognize between 30-year-old Yinka and her mother. Career-oriented, Yinka hasn’t been too worried about finding a husband — despite her mother’s pleas — until she’s not only passed over for a promotion but let go entirely. Yinka feels that she can’t be jobless — not that she’ll tell her mother — and husbandless. But as she tries to find a date before her cousin’s wedding, the high standards she had once set for herself fall away with her increasing desperation. How can Yinka find herself when she has other people telling her who they want her to be?
If you love Luke: The cozy vibes of this witchy community will remind you of Stars Hollow and all its quirky characters. Mika Moon knows that presenting herself as a witch on TikTok could invite trouble — but who would suspect that someone who claims to be a witch actually is one? When she gets a message from a family who recognizes her for who she really is, Mika is asked to do the one thing she knows she isn’t supposed to do — train three little witches. Despite the threat of exposing their powers, Mika knows she has to help them — or risk separating the sisters forever. And if she finds love along the way — with a grumpy librarian no less — then she might start to believe in magic and in miracles.
If you love Jess: Eileen Merriweather is big on romance novels having happily-ever-afters — especially because her own love life isn’t going so well. But when her favorite author dies before finishing her beloved romance series, Eileen is the one who has to finish it. Driving to a cabin to grieve the author all on her own when her book club bails, a storm stops Eileen in a quaint town — one that seems all too familiar. By the time Eileen realizes she’s in her favorite romance series, Anders — the grumpy bookstore owner, and the only one who seems to know he’s in a novel — is trying to push her out. He might not want her to finish the story, but Eileen knows that she won’t get her own happy ending until the town gets one too.
If you love Lane: American-born Frank Li is the child of Korean immigrants. While they might not enforce the use of his Korean name or speak in Korean, the one thing they expect him to do is marry a Korean girl. But this becomes a problem when he meets Brit Means — his dream girl in every way, except for the fact that, because she’s white, his parents won’t approve. But along with a Korean girl in a similar situation, Frank concocts a plan — fake-date each other while they date their true love interests. But how can you be true to yourself — or someone else — when you have to keep so many secrets?
If you love Paris: If there was one thing Paris loved, it was academic competition — and Elsie Hannaway is in exactly that. Desperate to move on from her job as an adjunct professor on thermodynamics — and from her side gig as a fake girlfriend — Elsie finds hope when she’s in the running for her dream job. The only problem is that one of the people who decides if she gets the job is her nemesis — and the brother of the man she just fake-dated and broken up with. While Elsie braces herself to feel his wrath and kiss the job goodbye, she doesn’t expect Jack to stand up for and care about her. She even less expects to start falling for him — whether she gets the job or not.
Everyone knows Lorelai as a fast-talker with witty lines — but what about the actress behind her? In her memoir, Lauren Graham reflects on her time on the Gilmore Girls set — and how it felt to play Lorelai again nine years later for the reboot Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. To get to know Lorelai on a deeper level, explore the decisions Graham made behind her character — and how she sees herself in Lorelai as well. Between discussing her beloved role, Graham’s memoir also reveals some Hollywood tidbits, diary entries from the journal she kept while filming the reboot, set photos, and more.