This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.The Best Books About JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

The EditorsWed, April 8, 2026 at 4:44 PM UTC

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Best Books About JFK Jr. and CBKLawrence Schwartzwald - Getty Images

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For some, Love Story served as an introduction to John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette. For others (many of them loyal T&C readers), the Kennedy family has long been a topic of fascination. Regardless of which camp you fall into, there are plenty of books about John and Carolyn, should the show have piqued your interest in their lives, their relationship, and their tragic deaths.

Here, a few of our recommendations:

1) Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

Love Story was inspired by Elizabeth Beller’s 2024 biography of Carolyn Bessette, the first to tell the complete story of her too-short life. Through extensive interviews with those close to CBK, Beller's text expands on the story seen on screen painting a clear picture of who Carolyn was before she married John, and her struggles in the public eye.

More from Elizabeth Beller: Inside Camelot’s Final Fairy Tale—and Why It Matters Now

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Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

amazon.com

$19.00

2) JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography

Written by John’s executive assistant RoseMarie Terenzio along with People magazine editor Liz McNeil, this oral history offers untold memories, never-before-seen photos, and revelations about John from the people who knew him best.

Terenzio’s earlier personal memoir, Fairy Tale Interrupted: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Loss, is also worthy of a spot on your shelf.

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JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography

amazon.com

$18.30

3) Gallery Books JFK Jr., George, & Me: A Memoir

Love Story only hinted at John’s time running George. JFK Jr., George, & Me, by Matt Berman, the magazine’s creative director, tells a more complete history of the publication.

More from Matt Berman: What It Was Really Like to Work with JFK JR.

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Gallery Books JFK Jr., George, & Me: A Memoir

amazon.com

$14.73

4) CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion

In this beautiful coffee table book, Sunita Kumar Nair (who served as a consultant on Love Story’s costumes) details Carolyn's legacy as a style icon, through beautiful photos and interviews with both friends and family and fashion insiders.

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CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion

amazon.com

$65.00

5) SCRIBNER What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love

Carole Radziwill’s What Remains isn’t just an insider’s look at John and Carolyn’s relationship, it’s also a deeply moving portrait of grief, and a must-read for anyone interested in the Kennedy family story.

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More from Carole: Who Tells Your Story? Carole Radziwill on the Real Life JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

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SCRIBNER What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love

amazon.com

$9.99

6) Flatiron Books Four Friends: Promising Lives Cut Short

In Four Friends, William Cohan examines the lives of four of his Phillips Andover classmates, who all died tragically young. One of those young men was John F. Kennedy Jr.

More from William Cohan: You Don’t Know Jack!

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Flatiron Books Four Friends: Promising Lives Cut Short

amazon.com

$11.49

7) White House by the Sea: A Century of the Kennedys at Hyannis Port

If Carolyn's introduction to Hyannis Port left you wanting to know more about the famed Kennedy Compound and the family's history on the Cape, consider Kate Storey's fascinating, deeply researched White House By the Sea essential reading.

More from Kate Storey: The True Story of Jackie Kennedy and a Very Illegal Garden

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White House by the Sea: A Century of the Kennedys at Hyannis Port

amazon.com

$9.98

8) The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made

Love Story wasn’t shy about suggesting the similarities between Carolyn Bessette and Princess Diana, but those aren’t the only comparisons to be drawn between the Kennedys and British royals. This dual biography, out in June from T&C’s Caroline Hallemann, offers a look at the times the two famous families met (including Diana’s clandestine tea with JFK Jr. at the Carlyle hotel) but also the parallels between their lives.

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The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made

amazon.com

$35.00

9) St. Martin's Griffin Kennedy Heirs

Author J. Randy Taraborrelli has made his career chronicling the lives of celebrities and political figures, but the Kennedys are a particular focus of the bestselling biographer. In The Kennedy Heirs, he turns his attention not just John Jr. and Caroline but also their cousins in an examination of the third generation of the Kennedy family.

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St. Martin's Griffin Kennedy Heirs

amazon.com

$15.74

10) Dutton America's Reluctant Prince: The Life of John F. Kennedy Jr.

Steve Gillon is both a historian and a close friend of John's; his personal biography offers a revealing portrait of America's so-called reluctant prince.

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Dutton America's Reluctant Prince: The Life of John F. Kennedy Jr.

amazon.com

$22.50

11) St. Martin's Press The Men We Became: My Friendship with John F. Kennedy, Jr.

Rob Littell met JFK Jr. during freshman orientation at Brown; his memoir looks back on their friendship from those early college days to John’s intimate wedding to Carolyn Bessette and finally to John’s funeral.

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St. Martin's Press The Men We Became: My Friendship with John F. Kennedy, Jr.

amazon.com

$25.03

12) Gallery Books The Good Son: JFK Jr. and the Mother He Loved

John’s relationship with his mother Jackie is central to this 2014 biography by noted author Christopher Andersen.

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Gallery Books The Good Son: JFK Jr. and the Mother He Loved

amazon.com

$13.68

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”