17 Novels Set in College to Get You Excited for Campus Life

If a queer YA romance set on a college campus is what you’re looking for, Rachel Lippincott and Alyson Derrick have got you covered. The two authors actually met and fell in love at the University of Pittsburgh, where their novel takes place, so you know they know what they’re talking (or, in this case, writing) about. She Gets The Girl follows two very different college freshmen: Alex and Molly. Molly is shy, keeps to herself, and is helplessly in love with her unrequited crush from high school. Alex is bold yet standoffish, and is having trouble proving to her girlfriend back home that she can be in a committed relationship. Alex gets the idea to teach Molly what she knows about flirting and girls in exchange for a friendship believable enough to convince her GF she’s capable of letting people in. Naturally, the lines between friendship and romance blur as Alex and Molly develop feelings for each other.

This book captures the highs and lows of campus life, social anxiety, racial identity, and sexuality with poise and compassion. Reading about Molly and Alex adjusting to life on campus, one living in a dorm and the other in an off-campus apartment, felt so real.

This is one of the first college-set books I ever read. The story follows Cath, who has a twin sister she’s used to doing everything with. In high school, they styled their hair the same, kind of dressed the same, and were interested in the same things — one of which is writing fan-fiction for their favorite fantasy book series. Things change drastically when they go to college, and Cath has to learn how to cope with her anxiety and learn who she is without her sister right by her side.

Reading this book felt like having my internal monologue copied and pasted onto its pages. I found myself relating to Cath and the hurdles she faced while adjusting to life on campus so much. If you’re like me (and Cath) and are a fan of fandom, or are simply having a hard time adjusting to life on campus, Fangirl is for you.

The main character of this book, Andie Rose, is as Type A as they come. I’m talking, detailed plans with no room for error — and one of those plans includes transferring from her community college to a competitive four-year school and accomplishing her dream of becoming a self-help psychology icon. But even the best of plans can unravel, and life as Andie knows it begins to change.

As a community college student preparing to transfer, I related to this book so hard. Author Emma Lord speaks to the community college experience in a way I’ve never seen before, and I was able to see myself and my friends in the characters at Andie’s school.

With a touch of magical realism and a lot of laughs, Again, But Better is a quintessential book about life, college, and trying things over again when they don’t work out the first time. Shane is a star student pursuing the pre-med track to please her parents, even though she really wants to study English literature and writing. She’s a bundle of nerves when she sets off for a semester abroad in London, but over the course of the book and a fantastical turn of events, Shane is able to see that you only get so many chances to live your best life — and if you don’t get it right the first time, when given the chance to start again, you’ve got to take it.

If you’re looking for a short but (semi) sweet read, I’ve got you covered. This novel by Nina Lacour follows Marin, a college student who is struck with grief and living in her dorm room alone during winter break. She’s got no family to go back home to see, but she does have a friend from her past, Mabel, who comes to visit her at school and stirs up all kinds of emotions. If you want to cry, read this book.

Let’s Talk About Love is the college summer break novel you need to read. The story follows Alice, whose girlfriend has just broken up with her because she is asexual. Now, she’s spending the summer single and working in a library when a new boy starts working alongside her. Takumi is handsome and charming, and tips the scales of Alice’s attraction in ways she didn’t know were possible. This book will have you smiling from ear to ear and will make you wish for a summer romance of your own.

Calling all college athletes and fans of college sports! This spicy and swoon-worthy romance between a hockey player and a figure skater has the potential to melt even the coldest of hearts. Anastasia is a dedicated figure skater on track to compete in the Olympics. But when her skating team is forced to share the ice with their school's hockey team, things get … well, complicated. Anastasia’s biggest annoyance is Nate, the captain of the hockey team. To keep the peace between their teams, they have to get along — but that proves to be difficult as Anastasia and Nate explore the undeniable chemistry between them.

Speaking of sports romances, The Deal is the first in author Elle Kennedy’s TikTok-famous series of hockey rom-coms. In this book, Garrett is struggling to maintain his grades, and if he wants to stay on his hockey team he’s going to need help. His tutor and classmate, Hannah, is not impressed by him or his charms … but she needs Garrett’s help to get her crush to notice her. The two play out their scheme, making Hannah’s crush jealous with some harmless flirting, but of course, things start to feel serious. What results is a heartfelt, silly, and spicy romance.

In this university-set novel, Kiki is a relationship expert of sorts, with her own college radio show called “Brown Sugar.” She’s made it her mission to keep the women on her campus from falling for players, but when her comments on air lead to controversy, she finds herself in a fake relationship with one of the most well-known players on campus, Malakai, to fix her reputation. This is a funny, sweet, honest, and witty romance that touches on racial identity, love, and false assumptions in a raw and moving way.

This book follows August, a senior in college who has recently transferred to a school in New York City, where she struggles to adjust to her new life. The strangest thing about her move to New York and her last year of college, though, is the stunning and charming girl on the Q train who never seems to leave, Jane.

Along with her ragtag group of lovable roommates, August takes on the mystery of uncovering Jane's true identity, helping her remember who she was, and finding a way to free her from the train. The love story in this book is so swoony, but it’s the fun and heartwarming dynamics between August and her oddball roommates in their quirky little apartment that really speak to me as a college student.

First love, heartbreak, abuse, and mental health are all explored in this wildly popular Sally Rooney novel. Normal People follows Marianne and Connell over the course of many years of their relationship, with much of the novel taking place while the two are in college. The book speaks to many of the awkward, painful, and cathartic elements of the college experience, and has frank and heartwrenching discussions about anxiety, panic attacks, and self-esteem. It’s a character-driven story, capturing the good and bad moments in Marianne and Connell’s relationship. Have tissues on standby while reading this book, because it will almost definitely prompt some tears.

In this coming-of-age novel, Greer, a freshman, seeks the approval and mentorship of an iconic feminist leader — but the relationship isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Throughout the drama of the novel, Greer learns more about herself, friendships, love, power, and the tricky conundrum of being a woman.

In her debut novel, author Haley Jakobson depicts friendship, sexual identity, and trauma. The novel follows second-semester sophomore Sav, who is working on becoming the person she wants to be, including coming out as bisexual and finding a group of LGBTQ+ friends with whom she finally feels like herself. All feels like it’s going so well … until she’s faced with reuniting with her childhood best friend, Izzie, who is engaged to be married. This causes Sav to confront some traumatic experiences that occurred between her and Izzie's older brother when she was just 16. What results is a heartbreakingly beautiful story about finding friendship, learning to open up, and falling in love.

Widely considered in the book world to be one of the first dark academia-themed novels, The Secret History revolves around a group of friends at a prestigious and academically rigorous college, with most of the story taking place years after the death of one of the members of the central friend group. Over the course of the novel, readers are taken along on a journey to figure out what happened, and how it affected the individuals most impacted by the incident. It’s a journey full of questions, theories, and generally spooky vibes. It’s the ideal cozy mystery to keep on your bedside table in your dorm room.

In Shadow and Bone author Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House, Alex is the sole survivor of a homicide at just 20 years old. Her life seems to be directionless … until she’s given the chance of a lifetime to attend Yale University on a full ride. She has no idea why or how this is happening, but she goes off to the town of New Haven, Connecticut, to find out. What she discovers is a dark and strange underbelly of campus life, where wealthy and soon-to-be-successful students are more sinister than they originally let on. This book has very strong dark academia vibes, and will probably make you think twice about those prestigious Ivy League secret societies.

In this thriller, Phoebe has moved to Pennsylvania to teach at her old friend's college following a breakup with her long-term boyfriend. Instead of the cozy good time she expected, Phoebe finds herself wrapped up in a murder investigation. When a dead body is found on campus and is rumored to be connected to a secret society, Phoebe wants to help uncover the truth. But the path to solving the mystery is far more disturbing than she anticipated. Thriller fans will love reading The Sixes because of its atmospheric college-town environment, heart-pounding mystery, and the secrets uncovered.

In this YA thriller, lonely college freshman Emily finds herself joining a cult, and her college experience becomes everything she never wanted it to be. When Emily and the members of The Kingdom are taken on a trip to Italy, where they lose access to the outside world, things get deadly.

Jennifer Moffett’s thriller speaks to the isolating experience many college students face. Besides the adjustment to living away from home and higher-level academic courses, the social aspects of college can be difficult; reading about Emily’s loneliness and desperation to belong felt like I was reliving my first few months of college. Those Who Prey is a reminder that these feelings are a normal part of college life — just don’t let those feelings lead you to joining a cult, OK?