Books
10 Romance Novels For 'The Good Place' Fans Who Love Eleanor & Chidi
As NBC's The Good Place enters its fourth and final season this September, you're probably asking yourself what the fork you're going to do without your weekly dose of Michael, Eleanor, Jason, Tahani, and Janet. The news from the Bad Place is that there is probably no form of media yet created that will truly compare to The Good Place when it's gone. Its combination of afterlife wandering, philosophical questioning, and ragtag friendship is undoubtedly its own. But there are books like The Good Place that will give you similar feels, especially if you're looking for romances that will remind you of the relationship between Eleanor and Chidi.
Viewers have watched these star-crossed soulmates find each other through multiple timelines and reboots. First as roommates with diametrically opposite personalities — Eleanor a rude, self-centered woman who believes she has been let into the Good Place mistakenly; Chidi, a man so concerned with doing what is morally right that he is paralyzed with indecision — then as friends coming together to change their circumstances, and finally as two people who love each other in any and all iterations of their wacky world.
Below are 10 books that you'll love if you ship Eleanor and Chidi:
'Get a Life, Chloe Brown' by Talia Hibbert (Nov. 5)
Eleanor and Chidi spend a lot of time thinking about how to change the course of their lives (and afterlives), and so do Chloe and Red. Can Chloe, who suffers from a chronic illness, and Red, who is dealing with the fallout of an abusive relationship, help each other figure out what they really want and who they want to be?
'Well Met' by Jen DeLuca
When Emily moves back to the small town of Willow Creek for the summer, she gets roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire — alongside Simon, the irritating and inscrutable teacher in charge of the volunteers. As they say, opposites attract.
'If I'm Being Honest' by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka
Much like Eleanor, Cameron Bright has a harsh reputation as a bench. When Cameron puts her foot in mouth in front of her crush, she resolves to tame herself to win him over. But as she grows closer to Brendan, a guy she wronged years before, she begins to wonder why she's compromising who she is.
'Landline' by Rainbow Rowell
Eleanor and Chidi are both in the unique position of being able to evaluate their past, and in Landline, Georgie is given the same gift through a telephone that allows her to speak with her husband, Neal, as he was 15 years ago. Can this power help them fix things in the present?
'What If It's Us' by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Eleanor and Chidi's relationships raises a lot of questions about serendipity and the idea of soulmates. So does What If It's Us, which follows Ben (who does not believe in fate) and Arthur (who is all about meant-to-be) after their meet-cute in New York City.
'Maybe in Another Life' by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Good Place focuses on the choices we make and how everything we do ultimately affects our course in life. Reid does the same here, in two timelines: The one where Hannah decides to go home with her best friend, Gabby, the other when she leaves with her ex-boyfriend, Ethan.
'By the Book' by Julia Sonneborn
In multiple timelines on The Good Place, Chidi becomes a teacher of philosophy and mortality to Eleanor and the rest of the group. If you like romance in an academic setting (and second chance romance, too!) you'll love By the Book, which centers on professor Anne and her ex-fiance Adam — her college's new president.
'The Right Swipe' by Alisha Rai
Eleanor and Chidi are definitely proof that opposites attract — and so are tough Rhiannon and sweet Samson from The Right Swipe. When they're unexpectedly reunited after Samson ghosts Rhiannon, they're given a second chance at love — but the road to happily ever after is bumpy at best.
'By Your Side' by Kasie West
I love when two people are stuck together due to circumstances beyond their control, thereafter falling in love. This happens to Eleanor and Chidi in The Good Place, and to Autumn and Dax in By Your Side, who fall hard for each other after accidentally being locked inside a library for a weekend.
'My So-Called Bollywood Life' by Nisha Sharma
Freewill versus fate, the true meaning of "soulmates," and just how to get to happily ever after are themes of both The Good Place and My So-Called Bollywood Life. Sharma's book follows Winnie Mehta, who is predicted to meet the love of her life before her 18th birthday. But what happens when she has to decide on her own fate?
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