The best romance books, recommended by people who read a lot of them. Whether you're looking for your first romance book or you're an avid fan looking for the best romances of 2022, you'll hopefully find what you're looking for here.
Romance is by far the bestselling genre in the world, and American romance writer Colleen Hoover was the bestselling author in 2022. It's no surprise: while tales of murdering one's landlady and trying to live with the subsequent guilt may touch on universal themes, trying to find someone to love and spend our lives with is a lot more immediate for most of us.
We also have collections of the best historical romance and romantic comedies.
PS We'd have loved to include our Jane Austen interviews on this list, as one of the pioneers of the genre, but she's been relegated to the English literature section of the site).
PPS We've also interviewed bestselling romance writers Sophie Kinsella (real name: Madeleine Wickham) and Eloisa James (Mary Bly in real life, a tenured professor in English literature at Fordham University) on their favourite books in the genre. You'll find their recommendations below:
The Best Regency Romance Novels, recommended by Olivia Waite
Britain’s Regency period has always been a popular setting for historical romances—and particularly so in the wake of the hit television adaptation of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series. We asked the author and columnist Olivia Waite to recommend five of the best Regency romance novels for those who prefer their love stories trimmed with lace.
The Best Romance Books of 2022, recommended by Katherine D. Morgan
If you like your novels to end happily ever after, then do we have reading recommendations for you. Guest editor Katherine D. Morgan selects five of the best romance books of 2022, and offers a quick round-up of the love stories you should be looking forward to over the next few months.
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1
The Bride Test
by Helen Hoang and Emily Woo Zeller (narrator) -
2
Get a Life, Chloe Brown
by Talia Hibbert and Adjoa Andoh (narrator) -
3
Boyfriend Material
by Alexis Hall & Joe Jameson (narrator) -
4
Desire Lines
by Elizabeth Kingston & Nicholas Boulton (narrator) -
5
Love Lettering
by Kate Clayborn & Nicol Zanzarella (narrator)
The Best Romance Audiobooks, recommended by Emily Connelly
The Best Romance Audiobooks, recommended by Emily Connelly
With Valentine’s Day only days away, it’s time to get in the mood for love—and what better way than listening to an audiobook about two people who at first don’t get along but then fall madly in love? Emily Connelly, assistant editor of AudioFile magazine, recommends her favourite romance audiobooks.
Eloisa James on Her Favourite Romance Novels
Bestselling romantic novelist Eloisa James says romance novels are all pretty feminist: even historical heroines (who couldn’t hold a job) are forthright, strong women
The Best Romance Books of 2021, recommended by Natasha Tomic
Romance is one of the most widely read and commercially successful genres, a literary haven for those seeking a happy ending. Here, the book blogger and self-confessed romantic fiction addict Natasha Tomic chooses her top five romantic novels of 2021, and explains why it's the perfect escapist genre.
The Best Romantic Comedy Books: The 2021 Romantic Novelists’ Association Shortlist, recommended by Celia Anderson
There’s nothing more comforting than a good rom com: they promise warmth, cosiness and a glimpse of another lifestyle, whether that be stringing up fairy lights in a traditional department store or setting up home on a remote island. Here, Celia Anderson of the Romantic Novelists’ Association talks us through their 2021 shortlist of the best romantic comedy books.
Sophie Kinsella recommends her favourite Chick Lit
The bestselling author of the Shopaholic series, Sophie Kinsella, chooses her own favourite books from the Chick Lit genre. Have a romp with these angst-ridden women searching for the perfect man (and the perfect pair of high-heels).
The Best Christmas Romance Books, recommended by Katherine D. Morgan
Who wouldn’t want someone to kiss under the mistletoe this Christmas time? Guest editor Katherine D. Morgan rounds up five of the best festive romance books to cozy up with by the fire with a mug of cocoa over the coming Christmas holidays.
The Best Romance Books of 2020, recommended by Frannie Cassano
The best romance books of 2020 (so far) as recommended by Frannie Cassano, winner of the 2018 RWA Cathie Linz Librarian of the Year award. After nearly two decades as a librarian, she remains an avid reader of romance and picks out her favourite ‘comfort reads’ from across the genre.
The Best Romance Books: 2019 Summer Reads, recommended by Frannie Cassano
Romance: it’s one of the bestselling and most widely-read genres, with thousands of books published each year. But where to start? And which books are at the cutting edge of the genre? We turned to Frannie Strober Cassano, the Romance Writers of America’s 2018 Librarian of the Year, for her choice of the best new romances published in the past 12 months.
The Best Love Stories, recommended by Jenny Davidson
From Jane Austen to James Baldwin, the best love stories in literature recommended by Jenny Davidson, novelist, historian and Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.