If you’re looking for some sweet romance or rom-coms to binge-read, you’ve seriously come to the right place! I mean, who doesn’t love a book that make your heart race and your cheeks red with all the swooning? These books will have you grinning like a fool and blushing like a teen on their first date. I’ve got the scoop on the most epic love stories, you NEED in your life right now! Oh my gosh, where do I even start from?
Table of Contents
1. The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams
Okay, the bestest one first. This book is EVERYTHING. I’ve never wanted a male best friend this badly before. A classic friends-to-lovers trope done right! Or more accurately, the ultimate guide if you want your best friend to fall in love with you (Just kidding…. Or Am I?)!
Bree Camden is helplessly (and secretly) in love with her longtime best friend and NFL legend, Nathan Donelson. And that’s the least of her problems. After a car accident ended her chance of becoming a ballerina, Bree now runs her own dance studio – if she can afford the rent to keep it open, that is.
When Nathan comes to the rescue and buys the entire building, a stubborn Bree is not happy about it. Rebelling with a couple – okay, maybe more than a couple – of tequila shots, she spills her deepest, darkest secret to a TMZ reporter. One viral video later, the world thinks Nathan and Bree are the perfect couple and Nathan’s publicist has an idea that could mean financial security for Bree.
The catch? They have to pretend to be in love. For three. whole. weeks.
Is now the moment for Bree to finally act on her hidden feelings?
And is it possible that Nathan has been hiding some of his own?
This book nails both the rom-com and friends-to-lovers part!! Like, THE CHEMISTY! I’m talking fireworks, people! The ending? It’s just, chef’s kiss. I had heart eyes for DAYS. You’ll wanna read this one in one sitting – trust me, you won’t want to put it down! The whole will-they-wont-they question will keep you hooked, I swear! The Cheat Sheet!
2. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Nerdy, sexy and oh-so-cute! If you haven’t read The Love Hypothesis, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?! This is the perfect balance of brainy and swoony. It’s like, slow-burn chemistry that makes you shout “JUST KISS ALREADY!” Moreover, Adam is book boyfriend of your dreams- like, that guy who’s secretly soft but with a smart mouth. This book is a masterclass in rom-com writing, with witty dialogue, lovable characters, and a dash of nerdiness that’ll make anyone’s heart sing! Their chemistry is so OFF THE CHARTS, and I ship them so hard! You will too if you don’t already!
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships–but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding… six-pack abs.
Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
What the Five-Star Reviews Are Saying…
“Did I read this in 24 hours? Yes.” – Same, girl, same!
“Adam is just swoon!” – I KNOW, RIGHT?!
“Ali Hazelwood has made herself an auto-buy author” – Preach!
3. Love on the brain by Ali Hazelwood
This enemies-to-lovers is PURE GOLD, folks! YAAAS, another STEM-filled rom-com from the queen herself, Ali Hazelwood! If you loved The Love Hypothesis (and who wouldn’t?), then you need to pick this one too. It’s a nerdy, swoony, and absolutely delightful read. I mean, who doesn’t love a good academic rivalry turned romance? Their banter is top-notch and their slow-burn romance is everything.
Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project – a literal dream come true – Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.
Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school – archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.
But when her equipment starts to go missing and the staff ignore her, Bee could swear she sees Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas… devouring her with those eyes. The possibilities have all her neurons firing.
But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?
Ali Hazelwood’s another masterpiece where it’s not just the science that’s getting hot! Love on the brain!
4. The Spanish love deception by Elena Armas
OMG, this one! The BEST FAKE DATING ROMANCE EVER! Aaron is so swoon-worthy, you’ll be totally obsessed with him (I’m still like – if you are not Aaron Blackford, don’t talk to me). The banter? HILARIOUS. The tension? KILLING ME. And the slow-burn romance? You’ll be practically dying for them to get together. This book is all the romance vies, wrapped in a nice, steamy little bow. Another book boyfriend for you!
Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him.
She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won’t be easy to fool.
Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man.
But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.
5. The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas
I couldn’t have missed this after The Spanish love deception (you won’t either). Need a Spanish knight in shining armor? Lucas is your guy! And if you want some date ideas, this book has so many. I loved the banter, the way they both fight their feelings, and the fact that Lucas is just as irresistible as he is supportive. Plus, this is the perfect mix of steamy and sweet with the added bonus of a few epic “OMG did that just happen?” moments. SERIOUSLY LOVE THIS BOOK!
Rosie Graham has a problem. A few, actually. She just quit her well paid job to focus on her secret career as a romance writer. She hasn’t told her family and now has terrible writer’s block. Then, the ceiling of her New York apartment literally crumbles on her. Luckily she has her best friend Lina’s spare key while she’s out of town. But Rosie doesn’t know that Lina has already lent her apartment to her cousin Lucas, who Rosie has been stalking—for lack of a better word—on Instagram for the last few months. Lucas seems intent on coming to her rescue like a Spanish knight in shining armor. Only this one strolls around the place in a towel, has a distracting grin, and an irresistible accent. Oh, and he cooks.
Lucas offers to let Rosie stay with him, at least until she can find some affordable temporary housing. And then he proposes an outrageous experiment to bring back her literary muse and meet her deadline: He’ll take her on a series of experimental dates meant to jump-start her romantic inspiration. Rosie has nothing to lose. Her silly, online crush is totally under control—but Lucas’s time in New York has an expiration date, and six weeks may not be enough, for either her or her deadline.
The Spanish Love Deception! The American Roommate Experiment!
6. My roommate is a vampire by Jenna Levine
Okay, first of all – VAMPIRE ROMANCE. Need I say more? A unique and hilarious take on the whole vampire genre! This book is SO fun, you guys. It’s funny, quirky, and seriously hot. Plus, the slow-burn romance between them is everything- you’ll be laughing one minute and swooning the next. This debut rom-com is the kind that’ll make your heart race in the best possible way. Want a vampire roommate of your own? Honestly, same – sign me up!
Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it’s a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she’s desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch—only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price.
Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn’t look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they’re both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren’t there earlier, Frederick has to come clean…
Cassie’s sexy new…
7. Better than the movies by Lynn Painter
If you love rom-coms about rom-coms (is there anything better?!), then you’ll love Better Than the Movies. This book is screaming ‘Love Next Door’ KDrama, but with its own twist. Liz and Wes’s dynamic are hilarious, and the way their relationship grows from enemies to lovers is just… chef’s kiss. Plus, the whole thing has that perfect balance of sweetness and spice. Get ready to fall head over heels for this one because this book is the rom-com vibe!
Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet.
The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.
But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom…
Ending
Alright babes, there you have it! Some of the BEST rom-coms that’ll leave you smiling, laughing, and probably blushing. From fake dating to vampires to the ultimate grumpy-sunshine vibes, there’s something for everyone. Pick up any of these gems, and I promise you’ll be hooked from page one. Happy reading, lovebirds!
Let me know which ones you’re diving into first, and if you’ve got any romcom recs for me on my other social handles! Stay fabulous, book babes!