New Romance Books
Last updated: July 25, 2024
“This is the book I credit for making me realize that I was queer. Julie is really going through it in this book because she has never dated anyone before and she’s trying to figure out her sexuality. She’s also trying to figure out what her role in her friends’ lives are, since she feels like she’s stuck doing the same things day in and day out and all of her friends seem to be moving on. I felt so seen in this one, and if you’ve ever felt a similar way, then know that this book is for you.” Read more...
“As someone who has dealt with depression most of her life and has a wonderful partner who tries his best to care for me, I think of this book as a kind of blueprint that I can hand to male customers to tell them how to act. There’s a scene that makes everyone sob, which is lovingly called ‘the bathtub scene,’ which I did love and felt was very romantic, but my heart ached most at the scene where Matthew cleans Athena’s house for her during a bout of depression.” Read more...
“Mark is dealing with the grief of losing his long-term partner who led a closeted life because this is New York in the 1960s. He finds friendship and love with Eddie, a queer baseball player who is in a slump and having a hard time adjusting to a new city and team. It is so wonderful. It’s funny, warm, insightful, devastating, and just plain beautiful. I loved it and it has become one of my favorites to sell. I am so happy that this book is now one of my main personality traits.” Read more...
“This book is an interconnected standalone—so while you should definitely read the first book in the series, This Could Be Us, it isn’t necessary per se. I loved getting the chance to see Soledad rise up from the ashes of her ruined marriage and learn to trust herself, and to determine what she believes that her worth is. Also, Judah is an absolute dreamboat. I loved getting to read about a Black man having a healthy co-parenting relationship with his ex-wife as they parent their autistic twin boys. Everyone was so respectful. I think that more of this representation needs to appear in romance novels.” Read more...
“Say You’ll Be Mine is so charming. I love the ‘fake dating’ trope—in this case, a fake engagement of convenience—and I especially loved getting to learn about another culture that still values arranged marriages. This debut had me chuckling and I kept going, ‘shut up, you love her!’ while reading it, which is my favorite reaction to have an ‘opposites attract’ romance.” Read more...
“The queen of the contemporary rom-com Emily Henry is back with Funny Story, surely one of the most anticipated books of the season. Henry specialises in sharp, funny storytelling that ticks all the boxes of a beloved genre novel while simultaneously teasing at or subverting the form’s most recognisable tropes. Funny Story is a take on the familiar ‘fake dating’ scenario, but this well-worn plot device is elevated by Henry’s trademark wit and warmth.” Read more...
Popular Fiction Highlights of Spring 2024
Cal Flyn, Five Books Editor
“This is a rom-com by Alexis Hall. A lot of his books are sort of whimsical and silly, which is one thing that I like about him. This one has a sort of ridiculous premise. A man who is the manager of a bed and bath store suffers an accident and ends up recovering at his boss’s house. And he decides to fake amnesia, because he’s worried about his boss firing all of his employees. His boss is this very crabby, not very nice, man. So the story, of course, is that he recovers at his boss’s house and they end up falling in love. It’s very tropey. If you’re familiar with romance—I love romance—for romance readers the book hits a lot of really fun tropes. They start out hating each other and then they spend these weeks in this house together and the employee, Sam, realizes that his boss is not really who he thought he was. It’s a very charming, fun, pretty light-hearted romance. The narrator, Will Watt, does a great job. I’m not from the UK, so I can’t say how accurate they are, but he does a lot of different regional accents. There’s a pretty big cast of characters—the love interest, Jonathan, has a really big family and they get some time in the book. Then there are all the coworkers who have their own personalities. The narrator does a great job of bringing all those characters to life.” Read more...
Laura Sackton, Journalist
“It’s a charming paranormal romance about a Black witch who falls in love with a sexy prince who needs a perfect kiss to break an enchantment.” Read more...
“It was funny and refreshing, even when Josh and Ari got on my nerves, which they did… frequently. They were so frustrating, Ari especially, but it only made me root for their happily ever after more. Actually, it even made me love Ari more, because I know what it’s like to be scared to put my heart on the line, especially when I’ve had my heart broken.” Read more...
“Do you love sapphic romances? Fiancée Farce. Do you enjoy the ‘fake dating’ or ‘marriage of convenience’ trope? Fiancée Farce. Do you want to be wooed but also dream of getting frisky in a library? Well, well, I have the book for you!” Read more...
“It’s billed as 13 Going on 30 meets One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, but I’d argue that this one is in a class of its own. It was so charming, and it made me cry.” Read more...
“I truly loved this one. Oeople might judge me for reading young adult novels when my 30th birthday is in a few months, but I can’t help it. Being an adult is hard and expensive and frustrating, and sometimes, you want to go back to a time that was a bit simpler and you were a little less bitter.” Read more...
“Even though That Summer Feeling focuses on a woman named Garland, who is still reeling from an unexpected divorce, you get to witness her believe in hope and magic again when—instead of rekindling her feelings with her old flame—she find a new match in his sister. Summer is all about taking chances and creating a fresh start, and it was wonderful seeing someone relearn what it’s like to believe again.” Read more...
“It’s perfect for any woman who has asked herself if she is asking too much of her partner when in reality, she is asking for the absolute bare minimum. It’s a roommate-to-lovers romance, and it’s a slow burn for sure, but it made me laugh and I really rooted for Tara and Trevor to find their footing as friends but also as a couple.” Read more...
“It’s about what happens after the original happily ever after. Eliza and Graham are supposed to be excitedly celebrating their five-year wedding anniversary, and instead, they are feeling so disconnected that they don’t know which way is up and which way is down. I found that I became really invested in them as a couple, but also the two of them as people. It was wonderful.” Read more...
“Karelia Stetz-Waters may have my whole heart as a writer. Her characters are always so well-rounded and the banter is top-notch. In her newest romance, you have characters who are trying their best to heal from their respective traumas and manage to find love in the process.” Read more...
The Best Romance Books of Summer 2024, recommended by Katherine D. Morgan
If you’ve been looking for a love story to tuck into your beach bag, then look no further. Katherine D. Morgan—creator of Grand Gesture Books, a new romance-only bookstore—recommends the best new romance books of summer 2024. See all our romance and best novels of 2024 recommendations
The Best Romance Books of 2023, recommended by Katherine D. Morgan
Looking for a love story that will make you swoon, wince, whoop, and cheer? We have some suggestions for you. Guest editor Katherine D. Morgan rounds up the best romance books of 2023: five emotional and entertaining novels that will really hit you where it hurts.
The Best Romance Books To Read In Summer 2023, recommended by Katherine D. Morgan
If you’re dreaming of some steamy summer loving this season, then do we have book recommendations for you. Katherine D. Morgan—bookseller, romance editor, and fan of happily-ever-afters—selects five recently published romance books to pack for the summer of 2023.
