Romance Stories to Fall in Love With
The best romances sweep you into worlds where chemistry crackles, longing simmers, and love arrives in ways you never quite expect. Whether you’re looking for stories from familiar favorites like Tia Williams and Abby Jiminez, or new voices like Lauren Kung Jessen, you’re sure to fall in love with the book on this list.
"A triumph of art and emotion." —Talia Hibbert, New York Times bestselling author
You never forget your first love. Isn't that what they say? Verity Hill knows this truth intimately. She didn't simply miss Wright "Monk" Bellamy when they parted ways in college. She's haunted by his touch. Every kiss, any lover since—it's a shadow of what they had.
Time heals all wounds. Isn't that what they say? Monk doesn't believe that for a second. He wasn't simply betrayed when he and Verity split. He was devastated, with parts of him left behind in the ruins of all that was destroyed.
More than a decade after their disastrous breakup, Verity and Monk must work together on the set of an epic Harlem Renaissance biopic. With Monk, now a world-class musician, creating the score, and Verity, an award-winning screenwriter, penning the script, there's Oscar buzz before shooting even begins. This once-in-a-lifetime project could catapult them both to new heights, but can they can put the past behind them for the sake of the film … for the sake of something more?
“Tia Williams is one of the very best romance writers we have. A forever auto-buy for me.” – Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author
A New York Times, USA Today, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Bookriot, and Parade Most Anticipated Book of the Summer!
New York Times bestselling author Tia Williams returns with an intensely romantic, deliciously sexy tale about a woman searching for her handsome seatmate on a European flight—and the unexpected places her hunt for love leads her.
Sasha Cruz knows types. As a booked-and-busy casting agent, she’s always casting—at happy hour, the grocery store, everywhere. She’s all about finding the perfect person to slot into the perfect role. What she doesn’t do, however, is relationships. Too much energy, not enough time.
On a flight to Paris for work, a chance encounter with her type changes everything. Sasha’s seated next to a broodingly attractive mystery man, and sparks fly—but they never exchange contact information. Convinced she’s lost out on her soulmate, Sasha emails her work friend for help, but accidentally writes to the entire company worldwide! The international manhunt to find Seat F begins.
Meanwhile Sasha takes matters into her own hands. She hires a smoldering detective she knew in another lifetime—who complicates matters in unforeseen (and irresistible) ways.
With a worldwide search underway, will love take flight for Sasha?
INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER
To open her cannabis dispensary, a chronically ill woman must defeat the surly doctor next door in this hilarious and steamy romantic comedy.
Nomi Wyeth, former valedictorian and current pothead, has her heart set on opening her own boutique cannabis dispensary in charming downtown Sparrow Nook, New Jersey. Cannabis changed Nomi’s life, giving her relief from Crohn’s disease when nothing else could, and it’s her dream to help others find the same peace and comfort she has.
But Nomi’s plans are rudely interrupted when Dr. Julian D’Angelo, former salutatorian and current asshole, returns to Sparrow Nook with a chip on his shoulder, a probation to serve at the medical practice next door, and a lifelong vendetta against weed.
When an unfortunate shaving accident lands Nomi onto Julian’s exam table, Julian is appalled to discover that his high school nemesis is still inconveniently gorgeous, still hates his guts, and worst of all, that she’s planning on opening an amoral weed bordello next to his clinic. War is the only answer and definitely not an excuse to keep running into witty, free-spirited Nomi.
As they battle each other all over Sparrow Nook, from “pot luck” fundraisers to public debates at City Council meetings, their fraught pasts and feelings for each other become harder and harder to ignore. It’s tough to say what will change first—their minds or their hearts—but one thing’s for sure: they’re not going down without a fight.
A Southern small-town romance about the visibility of Black women’s voices in country music, perfect for fans of Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter and The Final Revival of Opal & Nev.
“The best romance I’ve read all year.” —The New York Times
A New York Times Notable Book
Every Thursday night, former country music heartthrob Luke Randall has to sing “Another Love Song.” God, he hates that song. But performing his lone hit at an interstate motel lounge is the only regular money he still has. Following another lackluster performance at the rock bottom of his career, Luke receives the opportunity of his dreams, opening for his childhood idol—90’s era Black country music star, JoJo Lane, who’s being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. But the concert is in Arcadia, Arkansas, the small hometown he swore he’d never see again. Going back means facing a painful past of abuse and neglect. It also means facing JoJo’s daughter, August Lane—the woman who wrote the lyrics he’s always claimed as his own.
August also hates that song. But she hates Luke Randall even more. When he shows up ten years too late to apologize for his betrayal, she isn’t interested in making amends. Instead, she threatens to expose his lies unless he co-writes a new song with her and performs it at the concert, something she hopes will launch her out of her mother’s shadow and into a songwriting career of her own. Desperate to keep his secret, Luke agrees to put on the rogue performance, despite the risk of losing his shot at a new record deal.
When Luke’s guitar reunites with August’s soulful alto, neither can deny that the passionate bond they formed as teenagers is still there. As the concert nears, August will have to choose between an overdue public reckoning with the boy who betrayed her, or trusting the man he’s become to write a different love song.
An instant USA Today bestseller
An NPR 2025 Book We Love
A New York Times Notable Book of 2025
A Book Riot Best Book of 2025
A Publishers Weekly Best Romance Book of 2025
A Chicago Public Library 2025 Must-Read Romance
But when she arrives home, her little brother makes a surprise announcement: he’s engaged to his girlfriend, Cara—the “other woman” Aaron had been seeing behind Nikki’s back. And what’s worse? They intend to have the wedding this summer, right here at the lake.
Hoping to stop her brother from making the biggest mistake of his life, Nikki discovers an unlikely ally in Cara’s brother, Nate. While their bond begins as shared shock over their siblings’ rushed nuptials, it quickly deepens into something more. Nikki knows Nate is completely wrong for her—he’s a laidback country boy, she’s a driven LA influencer—and yet he’s a welcome distraction from the mess of her love life… as well as the growing sense that her family's been hiding something from her, something she may not be ready to hear.
But as fireworks light up the water, can Nikki and Nate really stay focused on preventing this wedding? Or will all the reasons they’re wrong for each other lead to an even more unlikely love story—their own?
"Deeply romantic, real, funny, and heartfelt." —Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners
A stroke of luck.
Hazel Yen would love to be that person who doesn’t believe in bad luck. But having lost her job, her mom, her optimism, and even her dim-sum leftovers, she’s sitting in a fortune teller’s booth, desperate for a sign—any sign—that her luck might change.
Which is when fate crashes into her, disguised as Logan Wells and his utterly chaotic cat. Except after one spontaneous and mind-melting kiss, Hazel’s terrible misfortune starts taking a turn for the miraculous. Money problems vanish. A new job lands in her lap. And she’s crushing—hard—on the guy who started it all.
Only there’s a problem: Logan’s luck has taken a turn for the worse. A shared lottery ticket could be just the answer they’re seeking or a disaster waiting to happen. Has Hazel’s fortune truly changed? And if so, could winning at life mean losing at love?
“What an original, emotionally rich and truly romantic novel The Fortune Flip was. I was utterly charmed by this gorgeous tale of luck and love.“ ―Kirsty Greenwood, USA Today bestselling author of The Love of My Afterlife
"The Fortune Flip enchanted me from page one. I fell in love with Hazel and Logan as they were falling in love with each other and adored watching them navigate life’s lucky and unlucky breaks as a team. An absolute delight of a story." ―Lily Chu, author of Drop Dead and The Takedown
Daniella Daisy Maria wanted love. It’s all she hoped for when watching endless rom-coms every Friday night. What she hadn't hoped for was to find it in her childhood best friend Levi. It was the hand-trembling, heart-thumping kind of love that wasn't supposed to happen when you saw your best friend. But it all ended when he didn’t feel the same way and she vowed to never see him again.
Four years later and one night in a crowded bar in the West Village, there he was, just as perfect as ever. Maybe it was the lighting or the way his hair curled above his brow, but she couldn’t say no when he asked her to be his fake girlfriend for his sister’s wedding. Another chance at being his friend and mending her immature mistake? How was she supposed to say no?
The weight of possible rejection from her dream grad school quickly became the least of her problems. With old, resurfacing feelings at every staged, romantic interaction and stolen glance, she struggles to find confidence. She couldn't help but think that maybe she should’ve said no to protect her heart for a second time.
Blair Kellermoon—blond, bubbly, former rom-com star—has always worried no one would take her seriously as a producer. And with her latest film project stalled indefinitely, she’s starting to think desperate times call for desperate measures. Enter bestselling author Jack Branksome: beautiful writer, awful person. Yet somehow he and Blair have become unlikely text-friends, despite his very public refusal to participate in her celebrity book club. And he’s confessed he’s dealing with his own nightmare: the hotly anticipated novel he can’t seem to write.
So Blair does something unthinkable: she invites him to stay at her pool house. Now they’ve become two misfits bonding over movie nights, cheesy pasta, befriending wild crows, and solving the mystery of the weirdly green pool. Blair was sure she knew exactly how her story would end. But Jack might be proof that it’s only just beginning …
Darcy Kendrick is used to putting out fires. As an overworked admin to a hockey team, she’s seen it all. But nothing prepares her for accidentally DMing her very private, very NSFW fantasy to the subject of this fantasy: team captain Eric Tremaine. Nobody actually dies of embarrassment. Right?
But when a wedding invite puts them on a collision course with her chaotic family and his emotionally fraught past, Eric suggests a plan: they fake-date their way through the “Wedding Experience.” It’s mutually beneficial. Totally strategic. And definitely not real. Except between mini tacos, slow dances and lingering glances, Eric starts to wonder if the sharp-tongued assistant with a bottomless to-do list might be the one person who truly sees him. And for Darcy? The fire in her heart might be the only one she can’t put out.
It’s supposed to be fake. It’s supposed to be temporary. So why is it so hard to walk away?
She’s at the top of her game … can she risk falling for him?
Indiana Gaffney’s first love has always been tennis, and after snagging a slot at the elite Outer Banks Tennis Club, she’s climbing the ranks quicker than one of her own speeding serves. But Indy wants more than top billing at the club—she’s set her sights on a wildcard invitation to Wimbledon and she’s going to do anything it takes to make sure that spot is hers.
But while her eyes are on the competition, Indy's heart is somewhere else: Sports agent Jack Harrison. Tall, handsome, a powerhouse in the tennis world and the older brother of Indy’s new friend and the sport’s biggest star, Penny Harrison.
Indy knows that tennis stardom and relationships rarely mix, so she’s sneaking hookup sessions between practice drills, keeping Jack a secret from everyone in her life—even Penny. Instead, Indy throws herself into training with her one‑time rival Jasmine Randazzo, who is still mending her own broken heart. But with the days ticking down to Wimbledon, Indy's off-the-court romance with Jack is heating up and for the first time in her life, Indy will have to choose: How much will she do for the love of the game—and how much will she do for love?
This heart-pounding sports romance is told through the eyes of three tennis stars as they balance relationships, high stakes tournaments, and friendship, from the author of Finding Her Edge (coming to Netflix), perfect for fans of Sarah Adams and Chloe Walsh.