Best Books to Read in Your 20s to Stop Overthinking Life

I have curated this list of books to read in your 20s in response to the question: how to stop overthinking. These books can help readers of any age, but for those in your 20s, the stories, narratives, and voices will be particularly pertinent.

The fiction and non-fiction stories below explore issues of identity, purpose, and change, each offering a new and unique perspective. Each book was chosen specifically for the ways that it has impacted my own experience of life – these texts bestowed lessons that continue to resonate with me even years after finishing the last page.

Keep reading to discover:

Why We Overthink in Our 20s

Navigating your 20s can feel like a futile experience. The paradoxical pressure to live life to the fullest and hold back to prepare for your future leaves most of us similarly lost, confused, and lonely at the same time.

We must all learn how to stop overthinking our past, present, and future, in order to let go and simply live. This is, of course, far easier said than done. You can read more on this topic in Finding Purpose in Your 20s.

One of the most important tools to help navigate your 20s is to follow in the paths of those who have come before you. Books are an amazing way to remember that the experience of overthinking is universal and that you do not need to have it all figured out before 30.

You may never figure it out at all.

But according to these incredible authors, that might just be okay.

Five Best Memoirs to Read in Your 20s

Some of the most powerful books you will read in your 20s will be memoirs. The ability to connect with and be inspired by a stranger through the story of their life can be a deeply moving experience. Beyond the words, is the lived experience conveyed via a memoir. You have the opportunity to walk with the author through the memories of their life, learning from them as you read.

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

In her memoir, Michelle Zauner of the band Japanese Breakfast shares the experience of rapidly losing her Mother to cancer. Crying H Mart is about a woman in her 20s who has no idea who she is, where she is going, and what her life is going to be about, and then her Mom receives a terminal cancer diagnosis.

Raw, painful, and beautiful, Crying in H Mart is a shockingly honest depiction of loss. Zauner depicts the experience of an Asian American who struggles with her identity whilst losing her Asian parent. Her experience is personal, but the themes of family, identity, and chasing your dreams are universal.

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Journalist, podcaster, and London-city-treasure Dolly Alderton recounts her experiences in dating, love, and adulthood in this stunning memoir. Everything I Know About Love is more than just a funny book, it is more akin to listening to a dear friend share their best stories whilst you commiserate over the challenge of being 20-something.

This book is a bold reminder of what it really means to become an adult and the importance of never truly growing up. Reading Everything I Know About Love will remind you of exactly why it’s okay to not have it all figured out with a promise that you are on the right path.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

This book will stay with you forever. When Breath Becomes Air is a devastatingly inspiring exploration of what it means to be alive. This book faces the question of human purpose head-on, but do not expect to find a clear answer by the end.

Written by neurosurgeon and scientist Dr Paul Kalanithi following his stage IV lung cancer diagnosis, this memoir will remind you of the tragedy of living a single finite life and embolden you not to waste a single moment of it.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

I promise you will never read another book like On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. This memoir acts as a letter from Vietnamese writer Ocean Vuong to his Mother who does not speak English and cannot read. Written in Vuong’s own form of poetic prose, you’ll find yourself moved, pained, and loved throughout this extremely powerful story.

Following themes of cultural and personal identity, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous reminds us of the role our upbringing plays in our adult life through a moment of transition: when who we were meets who we are about to become. This book will leave you reflecting on how you came to be, and why where you’re going matters so much less than the journey to get there.

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay

A self-proclaimed by Adam Kay as his “Love Letter to the NHS”, This is Going to Hurt is the published journal of a Junior Doctor in the UK. This book tells the story of a young man entering into his supposed dream career in a brutally real depiction of the medical industry.

This memoir is funny, honest, and so important, it reminds readers that even those who seem to have it all together might be moments from utterly falling apart. Kay doesn’t hold back in his emotions as he battles through the trials of working as a Junior Doctor in the NICU, sharing with readers his first-hand experience watching the beginning and end of life.

Bonus: A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

Controversially categorised as non-fiction, A Million Little Pieces is one of the most striking books on addiction ever written. Originally marketed as a memoir, elements of the story were later proven to be fictionalised, reducing the credibility of both Frey and his story.

Despite this, the core of this book tells the story of a broken man who desperately wishes to be fixed. It will help you understand addiction through Frey’s painfully frank words that ultimately make a statement that we are all simply human. For those not touched by addiction, this book also explores the psychology of trauma and how it can manifest into adulthood. This is a book worth reading.

Five Best Fiction Books to Read in Your 20s

Fictional stories hold an important place when it comes to navigating overthinking in your 20s. With a universal struggle to know our place in the world, fiction books can open our minds to the horizonless possibilities of life. These books helped to change my perspective of life in my 20s, I hope they can do the same for you.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Perhaps my favourite book of all time, Life of Pi is a wonder. On its surface, this book is the story of a boy trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger in the middle of the ocean, however, within only a few chapters you’ll realise this story is truly a complex adventure into philosophy, spirituality, and familial love.

I doubt I will read another book as meaningful as Life of Pi in this lifetime which is why I read it again and again. Each revisit reveals a new perception of our human experience that will stop you from overthinking your life and help you to start thinking deeply about your existence. And yes, you should read the book before watching the movie.

A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler

A stunning novella who’s title says it all: A Whole Life follows a boy from childhood, into adolescences, through adulthood, and finally to old age. The vast content matter is made beautifully small in a commentary on the importance of even the simplest of existences.

A Whole Life is comforting, familiar, and perceptive. The narrator is kind, allowing you to walk through the years by his side in a humbling portrayal of humanity. Step into another person’s life, one who is not fraught by questions of purpose, future, or any impact larger than time spent with those he loves.

Call me By Your Name by André Acimen

A startling depiction of devastating, all-encompassing young love. Call Me By Your Name portrays the kind of infatuation that is irresistible, overwhelming, and only found in youth. Acimen not only invites but demands that you join him in romanticising the love affairs and heart breaks that have formed the adult you are today.

Learning to love is one of the most important and confusing experiences of your 20s, and Call Me By Your Name will push you to feel, not to overthink. This book is about the fleetingness of youth, summed up in one hot and hazy summer spent in Europe.

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

Evaristo has created a symphony of stories to portray the experience of black womanhood in London. This book is bright, intuitive, and clever, giving the reader insights into so many overlapping and different lives, all within one greater narrative.

Girl, Woman, Other bridges many lives, dipping into characters of different ages and backgrounds to highlight the things we may miss on someone’s surface. Like a tapestry, this novel weaves together the stories we tell the world, each other, and ourselves with the truth falling somewhere in between.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This book is about following your heart, listening to nature, and taking chances on adventure. The Alchemist follows a young boy who leaves his hometown to go in search of treasure, learning valuable lessons about life along the way.

This story will teach readers that an openness to the language of the world around them can change your future and that there may be more to your environment than first meets the eye. Ultimately, The Alchemist will remind you of the power of believing in your dreams.

With countless memoirs, novels, novellas, and non-fiction texts at our finger-tips, this is just a tiny selection of books chosen for having helped (and continuing to help) me to personally stop overthinking in my 20s.

If you’re an aspiring author, you can check out my resources on writing including:

10 Expert Steps to Build Your Writing Self Confidence

Turn Your Book Idea Into a Novel Outline

What is a Writing Coach.

What books impacted the way you navigate life today? Leave them in the comments below.

Best Books to Read in Your 20s to Stop Overthinking Life

Why We Overthink in Our 20s