Welcome to the O.C.: Books

If this book sounds familiar to you, it’s because not only is it part of the Seth Cohen starter pack, but it’s also a Pulitzer Prize winner. We know this thrilling, funny and imaginative story of two cousins creating comic book superheroes in New York City is one that Seth rereads time and time again.

Our favorite teenage rebel would definitely have The Outsiders tucked into his back pocket. Johnny and Ponyboy’s friendship reminds him a little of his own friendship with Seth, but really, it’s Ponyboy’s coming of age that he deeply relates to. And despite his bad boy appearance (trust us) Ryan Atwood definitely shed a tear by the last page. 

Mental health and societal pressures are two things Marissa Cooper wasn’t a stranger to. We’re confident that Esther Greenwood’s breakdown pulled her in with such an intensity that she found a piece of her own loneliness and struggle within the pages of The Bell Jar.   

This fierce and captivating novel about the immense power of teenage girls lives on Summer’s nightstand. There’s nothing Summer knows better than the power of rage, and this provocative and thrilling story is one she won’t soon forget.  

Sandy is a scrappy New York transplant to Newport Beach, and we know he’s entertained by this story of an amateur detective trying to untangle a case while his world unravels. This gripping and surprisingly moving novel is exactly the kind of story Sandy loves — both gritty and emotional.

This witty debut about three women in a wealthy Brooklyn family is exactly the type of escapism Kirsten needs in her life. Filled with indulgent pleasures and flawed yet lovable characters, Pineapple Street is a book she would enjoy during a day on the beach… if she wasn’t such a workaholic. 

This Pulitzer Prize winning novel is exactly the type of story Caleb would have reveled in — one full of corruption and greed. Even though Caleb worked in real estate and Trust is about a Wall Street tycoon and his wife, he might have recognized the parallels of privilege and deceit in his own fraudulent deals.

Vanity Fair wouldn’t just be on Julie Cooper’s bookshelves, it would be her guidebook. This rich and entertaining comedy might be set in London at the start of the nineteenth century, but Julie lives out similar misguided endeavors as she chases wealth and fame no matter the cost.