12 Romance Books to Read Based on Your Favorite Sex and the City Character

Although not leading as glamorous a life as Carrie Bradshaw, struggling waitress Casey Peabody is motivated by her dreams of living a creative life. Following her mother’s death and a disastrous love affair, Casey is in Massachusetts without much of a plan—other than finishing the novel she’s been writing for six years.

While attempting to balance the demands of life and art, Casey manages to fall for two very different men—much like the infamous love triangle between Big and Aiden. Loosely characterized as a novel about writing a novel, this one is for all the aspiring writers, looking for a bit of spark to keep trudging forth. 

It’s 1940, and 19-year-old Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College and sent to live with her Aunt Peg in Manhattan, who runs a theater called the Lily Playhouse. There, she is exposed to a world beyond her wildest imagination, of dashing actors and enchanting showgirls. 

Like Carrie, Vivian becomes swept away by the offerings of the concrete jungle, and when she makes a mistake that threatens to ruin her budding career, she must decide what she really wants for herself. A deep exploration of youth, female sexuality, and pleasure, this new life will also lead her to the love of her life. Now, at 95 years old, Vivan is finally sitting down to tell her story—with no details spared.

Living in Brooklyn as a single mom and bestselling erotica writer, Eva Mercy has grown accustomed to the usual pressure. But when the mysterious, award-winning literary author Shane Hall turns up, her life takes a turn she never anticipated. 

When Shane and Eva meet at a literary event, and a connection blooms, the New York Black literati have no clue they met twenty years earlier—in a whirlwind of maddening passion. And that they have been writing to each other in their books since. 

Circling around one another, like the tempestuous Carrie and Big, the pair reconnect over the next week in a blazing Brooklyn Summer. Eva is not sure she can forgive the man who broke her heart (ring a bell?). With observations of Black life and motherhood, Eva must make a choice that will determine her future.

What many viewers have come to adore about Samantha is her lack of conventionality. She is unabashedly confident, outspoken, sexually liberated, and a fierce protector of her friends. 

The unnamed narrator in All Fours, a semi-famous artist, wife, and mother, ultimately decides to sever all the ties that bind her to society. Embracing the Samantha within, she embarks on a cross-country road trip from LA to New York, only to stop twenty minutes into her journey and check into a motel. 

There, she decides to reinvent herself, exploring her sexual freedom, carving out an entirely new path for herself. Although not your typical romance, what else could you expect from a Samantha-inspired recommendation?

Kristen Petersen is not one for drama, will do anything for her friends, and has no time to explain herself to men. Remind you of anyone? But she’s also hiding a big secret: she has to undergo a procedure that will prevent her from having kids. 

So, while she is happy to take on the planning of her best friend Kristen’s wedding, she can’t help but feel sad when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He is perfect, charming, sexy, predicts her needs, and he even gets her sarcasm—basically all the best of Smith Jerrod.

But Josh wants a family, and Kristen knows she can’t give him one. Can she keep pushing him away when her feelings are growing hard to deny?

Rhiannon Hunter is at the center of the digital dating world, but beyond her career, she rarely says yes to romance. Like Samantha, beyond the occasional hookup, Rhiannon is keen on protecting her heart—that is, until she meets former pro-football player Samson Lima.

Over one enchanting evening, she lets her guard down, only for him to disappear in the morning. Although Rhiannon thinks she’s over Samson’s ghosting, when he resurfaces months later, gorgeous as ever, she has her work cut out for her.

As her new business rival, Samson promises that, given a second chance, he won’t drop the ball—with her company or her heart. But can Rhiannon take the risk when she’s already given up so much?

Throughout the series, Charlotte is characterized by her absolute pursuit of true love. Over time, though, her view of love changes, particularly after she finds what she thought she wanted with Trey, only for it to end disastrously. 

Divorce lawyer Harry is not at all the kind of man Charlotte pictured falling for—but he is the man she needs. Although it takes her a moment to warm up to Harry, as it does with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, she learns to accept the love he has for her as genuine and pure. Harry and Mr. Darcy absolutely adore their woman, and once joined together, both make sacrifices to meet on equal footing. 

Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it. Although that didn’t work out for Charlotte and Trey, the motto is just the anecdote Harriet and Wyn need to revive their relationship. Since they met in college, Harriet and Wyn were inseparable. 

That is, until they broke up six months ago. Oh, and they still haven’t told their friends despite their yearly getaway coming up. The cottage is for sale, and this will be the last time they’re all together, so, to not break their friends' hearts, they will play the role of the perfect couple. But wait, are they just really good actors, or are they starting to remember why they fell in love all those years ago? 

Bethany Castle has planned out every detail in her life, ensuring everything runs smoothly. With that in mind, the homes she designs for her family’s real estate business are the most coveted. But the one thing she’s lacking in is the man department, which is no bother for Bethany—or so she says.

The only issue is that her brother, who runs the company, won’t take her seriously. That’s why, when a television producer finds out about the rivalry, he invites them on his show for a competition to see who can do the best renovation.

No one wants to join Bethany’s team, except for the new member of the construction company, Wes Daniels. His Southern charms are almost too much for her to handle. Much like Charlotte, Bethany has spent her life planning, but will she accept the wrench in her plan that is the infuriatingly gorgeous Wes?

Yasmen and Josiah Wade were once blissfully in love. But life is hard, and it is not always until death do us part. Although their marriage ended, the duo has found a new rhythm, co-parenting their two kids and running a business together. 

Like Miranda and Steve, though, the pair are drawn back together by unadulterated, steamy chemistry. Kisses lead to more, and soon old wounds are opened. Can Yasmen and Josiah find a way to move past grudges and give their love another chance? 

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is a firm believer that no woman is average. But it is the early 1960s, and she has been forced to resign from her position in an all-male team at Hastings Research. And yet, Elizabeth, much like Miranda, has no interest in staying complacent. 

Instead, she decides to sign on as a cooking show host, where his revolutionary tactics and commentary soon attract national attention—including a legion of housewives who are tired of being passed over. Although there is a romance at the center of the story, it is hardly the main focus, which we’re sure Miranda would approve of. 

Juggling a career, relationships, and identity, Carolina Santos is a strong reminder of our dear Miranda. A wedding planner who was left at the altar, Carolina is well aware of the irony. But she has to put her past aside if she wants to embrace this new career opportunity. The only issue is that she has to work with the best man of the one who got away.

Marketing extraordinaire Max Hartley would look forward to working with his brother’s gorgeous, talented, and absolutely off-limits ex-fiancée, if she didn’t despise him. But the pair must put their issues aside if they want to nail their presentation. Hopefully, the spark they just can’t seem to ignore doesn’t get in the way…