Looking for books that capture the lavish, mysterious, slightly sinister world of White Lotus on HBO? If you loved the streaming show, I have a great book list for you! Here are some Books to Read Like HBOs White Lotus! Updated for 2025 and White Lotus Season Three!!
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Table of Contents:
What I’m Looking for in a White Lotus Book
New Books Like White Lotus Season Three
Full List of Books Like White Lotus (updated for 2025!)
What is The White Lotus on HBO about?
- The White Lotus has been described as “social satire.” It’s not fast paced like a thriller, but does have dark themes and sinister undercurrents. All the seasons are centered around rich tourists staying at an upscale hotel chain called the White Lotus.
- White Lotus Season One (2021) is set at the White Lotus Maui, in Hawaii.
- In White Lotus Season Two (2022), a different group of travelers enjoy a vacation in Sicily.
- White Lotus Season Three (2025) is set in Thailand.
I’ve written before on the general trend of Travel and Vacation Thrillers, a trend that started during the pandemic and is still going strong!
Books to Read Like HBOs White Lotus
Here are the elements of The White Lotus that I have tried to reflect in my list of Books for Fans of White Lotus on HBO:
- Americans abroad. Both seasons feature well-off Americans trying to enjoy lavish vacations, but being somewhat thwarted by their own self-absorbed view of the world.
- A sinister vibe. Though both seasons had a death, I feel that Season Two had a more sinister vibe, which I liked a lot. To me it felt a bit Hichcockian. Season Three has TONS of foreshadowing. Of something…
- Fraught relationships. Many of the characters are at pivotal points in their lives. We have newlyweds and people facing medical crises in season one, a man who is separated from his wife in season two, and a lot of people with problems in season three.
- Rich people behaving badly. This seems to be a big theme in thrillers and mysteries lately, perhaps driven shows similar to Big Little Lies, Succession or Showtime’s Billions.
The OG White Lotus book (and movie)
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (1955)
The Talented Mr. Ripley is a psychological thriller about a young American guy who is hired by a rich man to travel to Italy and bring home his wayward son, Dickie. It has all the White Lotus themes: Americans abroad, a sinister feel, complex relationships. If you scroll down, I link to the movie based on the book.
New: Books Like White Lotus Season Three
White Lotus Three has a slightly different vibe, with themes of Buddhism vs consumerism, sexual experimentation, and toxic female friendship.
The Resort by Sara Ochs (2024)
Set in Thailand just like White Lotus Season 3, The Resort features ex-pats, locals and tourists at the Koh Sang Resort. When a diving student turns up dead, who is hiding something?
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (2022)
Just like White Lotus Season 3, this suspense story has a great mix of Americans abroad and female friendship. And its Italian setting is similar to Season 2!
The Villa has two timelines, one historical and the other in the present, each featuring a group of tourists staying at a villa in Italy. There is a murder in each timeline.Y ou can read my review of the Villa and/or join our spoiler discussion of the Villa.
The Last Session by Julia Bartz (2025)
To me, Season Three feels a little … unhinged?? Boundaries are going to be crossed. The Last Session has a low Goodreads rating and is REALLY out there. But it’s about a wacky wellness/ sex therapy center in New Mexico.
Current Mystery and Thriller Books Like HBOs White Lotus
Salt Water by Katy Hays (2025)
This new suspense story shares an Italian location with White Lotus Season Two. As the members of a rich family gather at a villa in Capri, their stay is overshadowed by the death of one of their own decades ago. One member of the family in particular has not forgiven or forgotten and wants answers!
Like White Lotus, this one is mostly sinister vibes + lavish vacation vibes … until the end!
Check out My Readers Guide for Salt Water!
Bad Tourists by Caro Carver (2024)
A girls trip to the Maldives is filled with secrets and lies. This book has the tropical vibe promised in Season Three of White Lotus.
Check out my Review of Bad Tourists!
Lady Killer by Katherine Wood (2024)
Lady Killer has an odd title, but it has The Talented Mr. Ripley references right in the text. When a rich heiress disappears in Greece, could her new husband be to blame? Or maybe those new friends she suddenly met?
Check out my Review of Lady Killer
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley (2024)
The Midnight Feast has ALL the White Lotus vibes: rich tourists at a lavish new resort in the UK, tension between the tourists and the locals (as in WL Season One) and plenty of drama.
Check out my Review of The Midnight Feast with spoilers!
The Fury by Alex Michaelides (2024)
The Fury has many White Lotus vibes:
- Friend group travels to a private Greek island
- The reader gets perspective on the locals’ perception of the visitors
- There’s a lot of sneaky and suspenseful goings-on
Check out My Review for The Fury with spoilers!
Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum (2023)
I hadn’t thought of this for the list until a commenter (thanks, Diana!) suggested it. It does NOT take place abroad. But to be fair, Season One is in the U.S. too.
Check out my Review of Bad Summer People here! Bad Summer people is about a group of well-off people from the Northeast who all gather in Fire Island (near New York City) for the summer. And these people are … well, not just bad, but very backstabby. Also extremely competitive about tennis, which not every reader was a fan of and made me think a little of this book.
The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis (2023)
The Chateau is a “friends trip gone wrong” book set in France. As it incorporates a variety of different narrators and definitely has that sinister Americans abroad feel, I think it fits well on this list!
Check out my thoughts on the Chateau here!
Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone (2022)
A pair of newlyweds takes a trip to Lisbon, but when her husband suddenly disappears, and the police aren’t helpful, Ariel must find out what happened to him.
You can read my Review of Two Nights in Lisbon.
The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones (2021)
If you liked the creepy, competitive Cameron/Daphne/Will/Harper dynamic of White Lotus Season Two, this is the book for you. The Guilt Trip is about three couples who travel to Portugal for the wedding of one of them. Secrets are revealed, tea is spilled, and things get murderous.
You can read my Review of The Guilt Trip and/or join our Spoiler Discussion of The Guilt Trip.
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins (2021)
The South Pacific setting of Reckless Girls feels a bit more White Lotus Season One, but the female friendships (or frenemy-ships?) and the bed hopping in this one feels very Season Two. This wasn’t my favorite Rachel Hawkins book, but it definitely has that White Lotus vibe!
You can read my Review of Reckless Girls and/or join our Spoiler Discussion for Reckless Girls.
Saint X by Alexis Schatkin (2020)
This thriller takes the story of the American tourist in jeopardy and looks at it from a variety of different angles, as I think White Lotus does as well. It’s also a series on Hulu.
Who Are the Characters in The White Lotus Season Two?
Jennifer Coolidge returns as needy, angsty heiress Tanya McQuoid Hunt. Jon Gries (Seinfeld) also returns as her (now) new husband Greg.
The other major characters are:
- Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Rec) plays Harper Spiller. She starts off as the show’s moral compass, similar to Rachel in Season One.
- Will Sharpe (you might not even recognize him from the excellent Netflix series Giri/Haji) also starts off as Will Spiller, a naive American tourist who made a fortune selling his tech company.
- Theo James plays Cameron Sullivan, a very different character from from his role in Divergent. He’s not the nicest guy, similar to Shane in season one.
- Meghann Fahy (from the Bold Type) plays Daphne, Cameron’s jaded wife.
- Haley Lu Richardson is annoying millennial Portia. Oh, Portia.
- F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) is Bert Di Grasso. He’s accompanied by his sex addict son Domenic (Michael Imperioli of The Sopranos) and his slightly sheltered college student grandson Albie.
- Tom Hollander is Quentin, a mysterious Englishman whose family owns a Sicilian villa.
- Sabrina Impacciatore is the closeted thirty-something hotel manager, Valentina.
- Beatrice Grannò is aspiring musician Mia.
- Simona Tabasco is sex worker Lucia, Mia’s friend.
Similarities Between Season One and Season Two
Season One and Season Two have some repeated character types:
- The rich, arrogant dude bros (Shane in Season One, and Cameron in Season Two).
- The pairs of female friends (Paula and Olivia in Season One and Mia and Lucia in Season Two).
- The painfully millennial characters (Olivia in Season One and Portia in Season Two).
- The naive, well-meaning young guy (Quinn in Season One and Albie in Season Two).
- Both White Lotus Season One and Season Two felt a bit like HBO’s Big Little Lies in that each seasons begins with a dead body. We’re not sure who it is, and we won’t know until the end of the series.
YA Books Like White Lotus
There aren’t as many YA books like White Lotus, but there are a few:
The Reunion by Kit Frick
A soon-to-be blended family gathers for a celebratory vacation at a beautiful resort in Mexico. It’s a time that family members can get to know one another and celebrate the wedding.
But one family member ends up dead. Who was it and who killed them?
Check out my Review of the Reunion here!
You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard
You Can Trust Me is about two female grifters who feel a little like Lucia and Mia. Summer and Leo are just trying to get by, using their youth and beauty and wits to con the rich. But when Leo vanishes after a trip to a private island with a tech titan, Summer will have to put her wits to the test to save her friend.
Check out my Review of You Can Trust Me!
Books on Tourism and Cultural Appropriation for fans of The White Lotus on HBO
One of the things Season One of White Lotus touches on is the power dynamics of tourism. Here are a few books that also incorporate that issue.
The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hennings
A man who is the descendant of Hawaiian royalty and white missionaries struggles to keep his family together.
Murder Casts a Shadow by by Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl
This historical mystery is set in 1934 and features a reporter trying to track down the stolen portrait of a Hawaiian king.
Iced in Paradise by Naomi Hirahara
Leilani Santiago is back in Kaua’i to help her family run their shaved ice business and has plenty of observations on tourism. When a pro surfer turns up dead, Leilani is on the case.
A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid
This is a non-fiction essay about colonialism and tourism in the West Indies and definitely worth a read!
Other Movies and Shows to Watch for Fans of White Lotus on HBO
Alfred Hitchcock movies! I’d recommend Strangers on a Train (1951), based on the book by Patricia Highsmith, Vertigo (1958) and North by Northwest (1959).
I though the 1999 adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley was a good one and the cast is great!
The Night Manager (2016) also stars Tom Hollander and is a good fit for fans of The White Lotus, though it leans a bit more toward a political thriller.
What did you think of The White Lotus? Do you have any other books to add to my list of Books to Read Like HBOs White Lotus? Talk to me in comments!
I haven’t seen White Lotus, maybe I should watch it.
Hi Mary and Happy New Year. Give it a try!
I loved Season 2 of White Lotus! The Guilt Trip and The Villa look fantastic – both have been added to my TBR list. Thanks!
Hi Katie! I thought Season Two was way creepier. That music! That strange head sculpture they kept focusing on. Hope you enjoy the books. Please come back and let me know. The Villa is great if you’re a nineteenth century literary nerd.
Bad Summer People. Totally gave me white lotus vibes!
Glad you are a fellow White Lotus fan and thanks so much for pointing that out. Since BSP was set in the US I hadn’t thought of that connection, but you are right – it’s a bunch of backstabby people on vacation!! I’m going to add it.
The Glass Kingdom is a good book to add to this list!
Thanks – will check it out.