Book Recommendations by Enneagram Type

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These days, the personality assessment du jour is The Enneagram. There are so many facets and subtypes and enriching questions that go along with this system, but the bottom line is this: The Enneagram is made up of nine essential types of people with specific basic fears, values, and broad personality traits. 

If you’ve not explored The Enneagram so far, there are free online assessments to help point you in the direction of what type you might be. No matter what, I highly recommend poking around on The Enneagram Institute to further discern which type you might be! 

As a fun way to explore The Enneagram and encourage trying new romances, I thought it would be fun to round up a list of books paired with the different types.

Some of these include a character who might be a specific type, while others just speak to some major values of each personality. I hope this list helps you consider exploring The Enneagram and picking up a new book!

Type One: The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham

According to The Enneagram Institute, Type Ones, aka “The Reformers,” are “rational, idealistic, purposeful, self-controlled and perfectionistic.” 

As soon as I thought about what kinds of romance speak to perfectionists with high standards and ideals, Henry from Scarlett Peckham’s The Lord I Left sprang to mind! 

Henry is so complex and lovable because he holds himself to such a rigid moral regimen, and it’s hard for him to know how to be flexible. As someone who’s married to a Type One, this sounds very familiar to me!

Type Two: Rafé: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Type Two, “The Helper,” includes people who are, “caring, interpersonal, demonstrative, generous, people-pleasing and possessive.” 

And who embodies the spirit of The Helper? Rafe, from Rebkeah Weatherspoon’s sexy and delightful book Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny!

Rafe’s success as a nanny and his caretaking spirit embody so many of the values and traits that speak to Enneagram Twos! 

Another wonderful trait for Twos to appreciate is the big heart and superb mothering skills that the book’s heroine, Sloane, displays as she works hard to do what’s best for her twins!

Type Three: The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe

“The Achiever” is the nickname for Type Three for good reason! Threes are, “Success Oriented, Pragmatic, Adaptive, Excelling, Driven and Image-Conscious.” 

This type shows up in sooooo many romances: from dukes who are obsessed with their legacies to self-made billionaires! But one of the first books that came to mind is Joanna Shupe’s The Rogue of Fifth Avenue!

Frank Tripp is a self-made man in this Gilded Age novel. He’s charming, image-conscious, and focused on success as one of the city’s top lawyers! I must say, I personally love heroes like Frank Tripp because they’re great at cracking jokes, pleasing people, and leading a BOSS lifestyle!

Type Four: Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This is one where a hero might be this Enneagram type, but I also picked it because of the way the high emotional stakes of this book might appeal to Fours. 

Type Four, “The Individualist,” is, “sensitive, withdrawn, expressive, dramatic, self-absorbed, and temperamental.” A lot of those adjectives sound negative, but the major theme is that The Individualist has big feelings and often channels them in creative, expressive ways. 

This type speaks in different ways to both Henry and Alex in Red, White and Royal Blue. For better or worse, Alex definitely has the dramatic, self-absorbed qualities. And it’s a recurring theme in this book that Henry is a deep well of emotions—emotions that he then channels into wonderful writing!

Type Five: The Lawrence Browne Affair by Cat Sebastian

This was the first book pairing that made immediate sense to me! Really, any professorial and nerdy characters would be attractive to Type Five, aka “The Investigator.” They are, “intense, cerebral, perceptive, innovative, secretive and isolated.” 

Lawrence Browne is a character who exhibits all of these traits in Cat Sebastian’s delicious nerdy novel! He’s a scientist who conducts experiments for technological gains. He also lives up to being secretive and isolated to the extreme…that is, until he lets love into his life!

Type Six: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang 

“The Loyalists” of Type Six are “committed, security-oriented, engaging, responsible, anxious and suspicious.” 

At various times in this gem of a novel, both the hero and heroine exhibit traits that would appeal to Type Six vibes! Stella needs her world to be organized in a very particular way in order to succeed and maintain comfort. As a person with Asperger’s, maintaining control over the environment is very important to her.

Michael also typifies some Six traits. After all, enters the world of sex work partly due to the loyalty he feels for his family and the stability he hopes to provide!

Type Seven: A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole

Most of the connections I’ve made so far have to do with a hero’s Enneagram type. In this case, I think Portia from A Duke by Default relates a bunch to the type known as “The Enthusiast.” 

Type Sevens are, “busy, fun-loving, spontaneous, versatile, distractible and scattered.” Since a major part of this book deals with Portia recognizing that she might be someone with ADHD, a lot of these adjectives seem to apply to her!

Moving to Scotland to work for a sword-maker also seems pretty spontaneous, right? And since Portia realizes that her wide variety of interests makes her strong, I think she’s a lovely character for all the Enthusiasts out there to relate to!

Type Eight: Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas

Eights are often called, “The Challengers,” because they are “powerful, dominating, self-confident, decisive, willful, and confrontational.” 

Poor Type Eight sometimes gets a bad reputation, because these qualities can come off as abrasive or negative. A positive spin on The Challenger is that they’re a person who knows themselves and can forge a decisive path ahead whether you’re with them or not!

A lot of these qualities belong to Alpha heroes, so I decided to spotlight the impossible-to-beat Derek Craven from Dreaming of You. Sure, he’s rough around the edges—but he’s got a heart and internal ethic that we all love. 

Type Nine: Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

Though I have a lot of Type Three tendencies, I most strongly identify as an Enneagram Nine. This type, “The Peacemaker,” is “easygoing, self-effacing, receptive, reassuring, agreeable, and complacent.” 

It’s hard to find a book character that exemplifies my type, because one of our downfalls is that we sometimes lack inertia. And no inertia could mean no plot for readers! 

I landed on Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare, because Pauline’s story brings up some aspects of the peacemaker life. Plus, I like this book a lot…so I trust my fellow Nines will, too!

Pauline spends a lot of the book trying to manage the needs and expectations of the duke she’s falling for and his strong-willed mother! Plus, she’s definitely “self-effacing,” because she shrugs off embarrassing incidents to the best of her ability! 

Have you figured out your Enneagram type? Are there any other book characters out there who resonate with these traits? Let us know in the comments or by reaching out to @onfrolic !

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