When it comes to comfort reads, nothing beats a good romance novel. The best ones have you falling in love with their characters within a few pages. Suddenly, you’re rooting for them to find happiness and overcome whatever obstacles might stand in their way, from working through their personal issues to learning how to communicate better.
Romance transports you to idealised worlds where high-waisted Regency fashion dances with world-famous stars falling for the girl-next-door. Best of all: a happy ending is always guaranteed. Here's our pick of the best books to fall in love with!
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
This slow-burn romance follows Shiloh and Cary, best friends who fell in love in their late teens, then split. In their 30s, they find themselves drawn together again, but will their history of misunderstandings get in the way? I loved this for its realism and the flawed, complicated characters.
The Last Library by Freya Sampson
When the library where June works is threatened with closure, she’s forced to step into the limelight and let go of the things holding her back in order to save the beloved community centre. Wonderful characters, gentle humour and a sweet romance make this an endearing read.
London, With Love by Sarra Manning
When Jennifer and Nick meet as teenagers, it’s the start of a complicated 30-year friendship between two people who love each other but just can’t seem to get their timing right. The descriptions of London through the 1980s up to the present day – the neighbourhoods, the music, the clothes – are pitch perfect.
Love In Provence by Jo Thomas
Escape to the lavenderfilled fields of Provence, where Del is fighting to keep her dream of running a bistro alive – and her relationship with her French boyfriend going, despite the fact he’s hundreds of miles away touring with his band. This has everything you want from an escapist read: romance, food and beautiful descriptions of the French countryside.
Songs In Ursa Major by Emma Brodie
If you need a little romance in your life, this swooning love story about two singer-songwriters is for you. Jane Quinn is a small-town girl with a big musical talent, but when she starts touring with musician Jesse Reid, she sees the darker side of the industry.
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
Imagine: you’re driving through pouring rain and get stuck in a small town. Plot twist: the town is the setting of your favourite romance series, which has been left unfinished due to the author’s untimely death. What do you do next? For Elsy, there’s only one answer. She heads to the local diner and meets characters – including Anders, the ultimate book boyfriend – she has fallen in love with over the course of many chapters. Ashley Poston delivers a delightful novel that doubles as a cosy commentary on why we love romance. A must-read for lovers of the genre!
Lies & Weddings by Kevin Kwan
Kevin Kwan is back with another story of weddings, gossip and indecent wealth. This time, we’re in Hawaii, where the Gresham family is hosting the wedding of the decade at which their son is finally going to secure their financial future. But will he secure his heart? Dreamy, decadent locations are the perfect background to secrets and scandals. This is 437 pages of pure entertainment – you won’t be able to put it down!
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
Gwen, a violin prodigy, is on the brink of becoming first chair for a prestigious New York orchestra, the crescendo of all her hard work and professional dreams. This, however, is the position that Xander, a cellist who also plays in his own rock-and-roll cover band, has coveted since he picked up his first bow as a toddler. Julie Soto orchestrates their relationship with all the intensity and emotion of the best symphony. One to read while listening to the playlist Soto herself curated.
Big Date Energy by Bethany Rutter
Romance novels rarely start with the main character rejoicing in their singledom, so that’s just one of the details that makes Big Date Energy an entertaining and endearing read. Fran is determined to enjoy her single life in London: she’s on the apps, she’s hitting on hotties in pubs, she’s having great sex. And she is, despite herself, rekindling her relationship with her first love. A second-chance romance that dives into the fun and fraught sides of the London dating scene.
A Love Song For Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
This is a romance with a scent – heady jasmine – and a soundtrack of 1920s Harlem jazz. Through the story of Ricki and Ezra, Tia Williams writes beautifully about our human tendency to romanticise the past, our identities and love itself. The budding florist and successful musician are no ordinary couple. They are separated by a century, a voodoo curse and the mystic of leap years. Theirs might be a fated, magnetic pull, but they’ll need to fight to hang on to it. At what cost? Perfect if you loved the same author’s Seven Days In June and Ashley Poston’s The Dead Romantics.
The (Fake) Dating Game by Timothy Janovsky
They’re both experiencing a low point in their lives, but that won’t stop Holden and Leo from being the cutest pretend couple – especially if it means a chance at winning the jackpot in a national game show. Even better if it gives them an excuse to explore the magnetic attraction they’re experiencing. A fake-dating romance with great character backstory and a genuinely surprising twist. You might even shed a tear or two in the third act. A must-read for fans of Alexis Hall.
10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall
Alexis Hall’s romance formula hits every time: two cute guys who misunderstand each other at first, then fall in love, supported by a hilarious cast of characters. Here, he adds Gollum, the cat, who will judge you while sitting on the laps of your worst (and annoyingly attractive) enemy. When Sam’s boss Jonathan threatens to fire the team he manages, Sam is left with no choice but to fake amnesia so he can get him to change his mind in time for Christmas. I am still laughing at a particularly successful scene where the full cast of the story attempts to fit the hugest Christmas tree into a normal-size house.
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
People-pleaser extraordinaire and theoretical physicist Elsie complements her poor academia salary by being a fake girlfriend for hire. Her plans get derailed when her favourite client’s brother turns out to be Jack, the experimental physicist who happens to be on the hiring committee for her dream job. Ali Hazelwood always knows how to write dream book boyfriends, and she delivers again with Love, Theoretically. The debate over theoretical and experimental physics has never been so hot.
Unladylike Lessons In Love by Amita Murray
Regency romance with a hint of mystery? Sign me up! I loved the witty dialogue and the strong, independent main character in Lila, the eldest daughter of an English earl and his Indian mistress, who runs an exclusive London gaming club. When her best friend reveals she’s pregnant by a man falsely accused of a crime, Lila teams up with Ivor, who once accused her of sleeping with his father, to investigate. Nothing brings out chemistry and sizzling repartee like a good mystery with personal stakes!
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
A super gossipy romance that takes you behind the curtain of a late-night comedy show. Sketch writer Sally is fed up with her average-looking male colleagues dating glamourous and successful guest-hosts from the show, something that never seems to happen to her female colleagues. Enters Noah, a pop superstar and therefore the person least likely to be interested in her… Or is he? From late night writing to pandemic email conversation, Romantic Comedy combines humour with poignancy and a lot of heart. Perfect for fans of The Idea Of You and How To Fake It In Hollywood.
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Take Harriet and Wyn, two people reeling from a recent break-up. Place them in a dream Maine seaside cottage with their best friends, who aren’t aware of the separation. Add flashbacks to the steamy early days of their relationship. What you get is Emily Henry’s latest romance novel which intertwines masterful descriptions of the longing and grief you feel when love ends with the hope and happiness of its beginning.
Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake
To write her second romance novel, Iris Kelly needs to spark her creative fire. A hard task when you’re the lone single among all your coupled-up friends... On a trip to a Portland bar, Iris meets Stevie and one thing leads to another – where ‘another’ is a fake relationship scheme. What if play-acting at love can unlock Iris’ inspiration? I loved Iris, the confident heroine who is determined to find love without losing herself and who demonstrates how you can choose your partner and yourself at the same time.
Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma
This is a make-or-break wedding for Bobbi: not only is she planning her BFF’s celebration, but it might also be the key to the promotion she deserves. Pity she needs to work with chef Bunty, the groom’s irritating best friend. To top it all, a mystery saboteur starts undermining the preparations. Mix enemies-to-lovers with a contemporary take on Much Ado About Nothing for a light, funny and spicy romance. Just like Bunty, I fell in love with the quick-witted and efficient Bobbi.
You, Again by Kate Goldbeck
It all starts with a misunderstanding between chef Josh and down-on-her-luck comedian Ari. She’s stopping passers-by to convince them to give money to charity and he just doesn’t have time. With New York for background to his failed restaurant and her failed marriage, they keep bumping into each other as they both try to figure out their lives. Kate Goldbeck describes to perfection the vulnerable/loving/anxious/horny inner monologue of both characters. This is a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance which made me shout “kiss already” quite a few times!
An Island Princess Starts A Scandal by Adriana Herrera
Off to Paris to exhibit her painting, Caribbean artist Manuela encounters an ambitious British duchess, Cora. Manuela’s one last summer of freedom before a loveless arranged marriage turns into one last fun-fuelled affair, which we get to experience with a beating heart and bated breath. Vibrant heroines, a dramatic historical setting, and a bohemian artsy world: I couldn’t get enough of the banter, the romance or the friendship between the women.
The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk
This novel tastes like mince pies fresh out of the oven, sprinkled with a dusting of magical realism. Spending Christmas at home right after a breakup, Gwen gets stuck in a time loop, cursed to forever open presents, flambé pudding and argue with her dad and sister. Or is she? Determined to see another Boxing Day, Gwen starts reassessing the relationships in her life. A heartwarming romance about the biggest love of our lives: ourselves (and the tall, hot surgeon next door).
