What to read next
10 books like The Girls Who Grew Big
Adela, Emory, Simone, and the other Girls have distinct pressures and desires, while Padua Beach gives their makeshift support network a vivid social and physical setting. The picks below take that appeal in different directions.
Read our review of The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley.
Best matches
Three strong places to start
If you only want three picks, start here.
Best overall
Fastest read
Best alternative
Choose by reading mood
Where to start
For the fastest read
Love by the Book
BriskFor the gentlest option
Keeper of Lost Children
GentleFor the strongest romance
Promise Me Sunshine
CentralFor the easiest entry
The Calamity Club
AccessibleThe full shortlist
Why each book belongs here
See what each pick shares with The Girls Who Grew Big, and where it goes in a different direction.
1
The Women
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Moderate
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Why this matches
- Similar because
- The Women also follows women who survive institutional neglect by caring for one another in practical ways.
- Different because
- The Women also builds survival through female solidarity, but Mottley is less melodramatic and more attentive to class, youth, and daily caregiving.
2
The Handmaid's Tale
- Pace
- Measured
- Darkness
- Moderate
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Why this matches
- Similar because
- The Handmaid's Tale makes the reproductive pressure much more overt, but money, judgment, and restricted choices matter in both books.
- Different because
- The Handmaid's Tale turns reproduction into state control; Mottley stays in a recognizable community where judgment, money, family, and friendship shape maternal choice.
3
Keeper of Lost Children
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Gentle
- Romance
- Central
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Why this matches
- Different because
- Keeper of Lost Children offers a broader historical saga about children and belonging, while Mottley remains close to contemporary young mothers speaking for themselves.
4
Promise Me Sunshine
- Pace
- Measured
- Darkness
- Moderate
- Romance
- Central
- Difficulty
- Accessible
5
The Calamity Club
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Gentle
- Romance
- Light subplot
- Difficulty
- Accessible
6
Death of the Author
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Moderate
- Romance
- Light subplot
- Difficulty
- Accessible
7
The Sirens
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Moderate
- Romance
- Light subplot
- Difficulty
- Accessible
8
Pride and Prejudice
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Gentle
- Romance
- Central
- Difficulty
- Moderate
9
Jane Eyre
- Pace
- Measured
- Darkness
- Gentle
- Romance
- Central
- Difficulty
- Moderate
10
Love by the Book
- Pace
- Brisk
- Darkness
- Gentle
- Romance
- Central
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Side-by-side
Pace, darkness, romance, and difficulty
| Book | Pace | Darkness | Romance | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Girls Who Grew Big | Balanced | Gentle | Central | Accessible |
| The Women | Balanced | Moderate | Minimal | Accessible |
| The Handmaid's Tale | Measured | Moderate | Minimal | Moderate |
| Keeper of Lost Children | Balanced | Gentle | Central | Moderate |
| Promise Me Sunshine | Measured | Moderate | Central | Accessible |
| The Calamity Club | Balanced | Gentle | Light subplot | Accessible |
| Death of the Author | Balanced | Moderate | Light subplot | Accessible |
| The Sirens | Balanced | Moderate | Light subplot | Accessible |
| Pride and Prejudice | Balanced | Gentle | Central | Moderate |
| Jane Eyre | Measured | Gentle | Central | Moderate |
| Love by the Book | Brisk | Gentle | Central | Accessible |
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