Candace Bushnell Books in Order (Updated March 4, 2026)

Candace Bushnell is an American novelist and columnist best known for the writing that became Sex and the City.

Most of her books are standalone, but she also wrote a small Carrie prequel sequence where order matters.

Reading order, solved in 20 seconds

• Safest first read: Sex and the City (1996): it establishes the voice, worldview, and social lens her later fiction riffs on.
• Only place you should keep strict order: The Carrie Diaries → Summer and the City, these are direct sequels in a prequel continuity.
• Everything else: pick by premise; you won’t break continuity.

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The Carrie Diaries (series) – publication order

1. The Carrie Diaries (2010): Carrie’s teen years launch the prequel continuity, giving you the “before New York made her” version of the character and her early rules for surviving social life.
2. Summer and the City (2011): The prequel arc moves into the city and accelerates the relationships and ambitions that define the endpoint of this mini-series.

Collected edition (optional):

• The Carrie Diaries Complete Collection (2014): A convenience omnibus that packages the two prequel novels without adding new narrative steps.

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Adult fiction and story collections – publication order

1. Sex and the City (1996): A sharp, scene-by-scene look at dating, desire, and status in New York that doubles as the cleanest entry point to Bushnell’s core style.
2. Four Blondes (2000): Interlinked stories that widen the lens to multiple women navigating money, attention, and romantic leverage in overlapping social ecosystems.
3. Trading Up (2003): A reinvention story driven by ambition and image, where each “upgrade” forces a more complicated trade-off than the last.
4. Lipstick Jungle (2005): Friendship and power in a high-stakes professional world, shifting the pressure from dating-centered drama to career-centered consequences.
5. One Fifth Avenue (2008): A building-as-cosmos novel that tracks intersecting lives, showing how proximity can amplify secrets, envy, and social maneuvering.
6. Killing Monica (2015): A darker, more satirical escalation that leans into public perception and private collapse, pushing the social critique to a sharper edge.

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Essay-style nonfiction – publication order

1. Is There Still Sex in the City? (2019): A later-life, real-world reset of Bushnell’s themes, built around modern dating culture and midlife change rather than a fictional continuity.

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Co-authored YA – separate continuity

1. Rules for Being a Girl (2020): A YA contemporary about power and social rules in school life, separate from both Bushnell’s adult New York fiction and the Carrie prequel line.

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If you want a “timeline feel” (optional path)

This is only useful if you specifically want to meet Carrie young and move forward:

1. The Carrie Diaries (2010): The beginning of the prequel timeline, before the adult world’s assumptions harden.
2. Summer and the City (2011): The prequel’s escalation into New York, where choices start to narrow into identity.
3. Sex and the City (1996): The adult-era worldview, which lands differently after you’ve watched the prequel formation.

After that, return to the standalones in publication order or choose by premise.

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Recommended reading order for first-time readers

If you want the most reliable “this is Candace Bushnell” path with minimal fuss:

1. Sex and the City (1996): Establish the voice and the cultural baseline first.
2. Four Blondes (2000): Expand into her broader ensemble mode.
3. Trading Up (2003): Add the ambition-and-image thread.
4. Lipstick Jungle (2005): Move from social life into power structures.
5. One Fifth Avenue (2008): Enjoy the multi-character city mosaic at full strength.
6. Killing Monica (2015): Finish the adult fiction run with the sharpest edge.
7. Is There Still Sex in the City? (2019): Read as reflection and update, not a sequel.
8. The Carrie Diaries (2010) → Summer and the City (2011): Take the prequel mini-series as a deliberate detour when you want origin-story energy.
9. Rules for Being a Girl (2020): Slot in anywhere you want YA, since it’s its own lane.

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Latest release status (as of March 4, 2026)

• Most recent book-length publication: Rules for Being a Girl (2020) (co-authored).
• Most recent solo, adult book-length release: Is There Still Sex in the City? (2019).
• No reliably confirmed new Bushnell book title beyond these appears in standard public bibliographies as of the date above.

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FAQs

Are these books one connected series like a typical franchise?

No. Outside the Carrie prequel pair, Bushnell’s adult books are best treated as standalones with shared themes, not shared plot continuity.

Will reading the Carrie prequels first “spoil” anything?

Not really, but it changes the experience: you’ll meet Carrie in a YA mode before you see the adult social lens that originally defined the brand.

What if I only want one book to see if I like her writing?

Pick Sex and the City (1996) for the signature voice, or Is There Still Sex in the City? (2019) if you want the later-life, essay-style angle.

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The simplest rule to remember

Start with Sex and the City (1996) unless you specifically want a YA prequel vibe. If you do, read The Carrie Diaries (2010) and Summer and the City (2011) in order, then treat the rest as standalones you can choose by premise.