I didn't like Eleanor Oliphant but looking for something similar

[lookingforamindatwork]

As the thread title says, I didn't like the book. I only read it because it was recommended to me by a counsellor who felt I would be able to relate to it - have had some trauma in my life (not family related though), find it difficult to make friends, suffer loneliness.

I felt EO was inaccurate regarding trauma, care, mental health etc. Plus I wanted to see more development in her relationship with Raymond, even if just friends. I just felt the whole book could have been stronger.

Are there any similar and better books out there? Something I could maybe relate to better, and help me with my healing process. Plus I think I have a raymond in my life so it would be good to have another book with a character like him but more development really.

Any recommendations please?

Have a look at Saving Missy. A very enjoyable read about a lady who overcomes loneliness. Don’t know if it’s exactly what you’re looking for but I thought it was similar in ways to EO

The Rosie project is similar, I enjoyed it a lot

Agree - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is good. There are three novels in the series now. Don is a very engaging character, he has Aspergers (HFA) and struggles to form relationships. There's humour and sadness, but it's upbeat and charming.

I agree that The Rosie Project was very good and actually better then OE. I've also read a good book recently by Helen Hoang called The Kiss Quotient. It's quite an unusual story about a young woman with Asperger's. I must warn you that there is lots of sex in it though! It's an interesting perspective.

thanks for these suggestions. please keep them coming

If you would like to try an historical novel, set in Jersey during the second world war then I suggest When the Sky Fell Apart by Caroline Lea. Contemporary stories are Maggsie McNaughton's Second Chance by Frances Maynard and Meet me in the Museum by Anne Youngson.

If I Can't Have You by Charlotte Levin is very readable. It has been described as "Elinor Oliphant crossed with You". It is a bit macabre though.

Olive by Emma Gannon might fit the bill.

Adults by Emma Jane Unsworth

Expectation by Anna Hope are also books that might fit your brief. All have come out in the last year or so , so are contemporary

A man named ove was similar, too.

What about 'Convenience Store Woman' by Sayaka Murata?

The name caught my eye. A friend used to deal with someone of the same name (medical field) - there can’t be many people called this? She assumed that she had died because she stopped using the facility.

The Unlikely Pilgrammage of Harold Fry - about a man walking across the country. It’s very gentle and reflective. Not sure exactly whether it’s what you’re after but it’s the first book I thought of.

Didn’t particular like Eleanor Oliphant either.

It's completely different from Eleanor Oliphant but Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain is partly about the bereavements Vera experienced in WW1 and her reaction to then. She writes about her symptoms but is very clear that she was able to rebuild her life after the war.

You might like The Cactus by Sarah Haywood.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry -relationships, misunderstandings, all the things you should have said and didn’t.
It’s an easy to read, but beautifully written story.

Britt Marie Was Here is in that line and I really liked it.
I didn't really get on with Eleanor either.

Miss Garnett's Angel is a gentle tale of discovery.

Another vote for The Cactus by Sarah Haywood.
The seven imperfect rules of Elvira Carr by Frances Maynard is another possibility.

Another saying The Cactus is good. Also The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton by Anstey Harris.