14 favorite romance novels for February
I love a good romance novel. But I won't read just anything. My favorites are either deeply, emotionally complex or lighthearted and fun, without being way too steamy. I’ve gathered some of my favorites from the last 15 years, that I still love and read over again to share here!
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover - This is hands down one of the most impactful fiction books that I have ever read. I first read it over two years ago and I’ve thought about it at least once a week since then. It gripped me and hasn’t let me go, and I’m not mad about it. So incredibly well written. My favorite book of Colleen Hoover’s for sure!
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren - one of my favorite fun rom com books! Enemies, Ethan and Olive, get stuck on a honeymoon trip together in Hawaii and the whole book is a fun wild ride. I’ve read this one multiple times over when I’m looking for something lighthearted!
Wish You Were Here by Renee Carlino - Beautifully complex and so well written! Renee Carlino wrecks me with her books. I sobbed through this one, just like the others. It’s a book that will have you feeling all of the emotions as you read it, and it is worth experiencing every bit of it.
Roomies by Christina Lauren - This marriage of convenience story is such a fun twist on the average rom com. Everything about it is delightful! Another book I’ve read multiple times.
My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak - I very very rarely read YA novels, but this one was good! A tragedy forces Jackie to move into a home with eleven brothers. It’s funny and moving and an all-around good read.
Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker - a truly delightful book, filled with conflict and struggle and is steeped in emotional depth. A young single mom saves a hockey star’s life and it’s a rags to riches kind of tale, but with the emotional complexity that you find in real life.
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - One of my top 5 favorite books of all time. It is so beautifully, complexly written that I had to remind myself it was fiction as I was reading it. Told through the eyes of each band member, it is heartfelt, deeply honest, and emotionally complex.
After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I have a hard time reading books where the main characters’ marriage is in trouble (gives me tons of anxiety, because I just want them to make it out okay), but I made it through this one and I’m glad I did. I cried through the whole book, and it took my emotions on a wild ride, but it was worth it by the time I got to the end of the story. It’s a story about Lauren and Ryan, whose marriage is in trouble, and they take a one year break with no contact to see if they can come back together and make it work. It’s complex. It’s not a quick lighthearted read. But it taps into true human emotion in a stunning way.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - I can never pass up Twilight on a good romance list. I first read this series when I was in middle school and I’ve come back to them many times since then when I need a comfort read. They are nostalgic and just so fun for me. One of my go-to series if I need something comforting and familiar!
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry - I just finished this one a couple weeks ago and it is so good! Told between present day and the past twelve years, it follows Poppy and Alex through the friendship. Such a fun read!
Swear on this Life by Renee Carlino - Emiline picks up a bestselling novel and unexpectedly finds that her tumultuous childhood was the inspiration for the entire novel. Furious with the author for writing the incorrect ending to her story, her childhood best friend and first love, she goes looking for him and finds so much more than she expected. Another book by Renee that wrecked me as I read it, but that I couldn’t look away from.
Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren - Christina Lauren will just forever be one of my favorite authors. She has so many incredible books. Josh and Hazel are about as opposite as you can get, and it makes for the best story. Feel good and heartwarming and all the things I love in a good story.
To Have and To Hoax by Martha Waters - I love a good historical romance. This one is one of the most fun ones I’ve read. Lady Violet Gray and Lord James Audley fell in love and got married five years ago. Four years ago, they had a massive fight and have barely spoken since. A fake tragedy brings them back together. A delightful read as they work through four years of hurt and rediscover their love.
Before We We’re Strangers by Renee Carlino - this book is so complex and has an emotional depth that only my very favorite writers seem to be able to convey. It’s a love story about two people we were separated for 15 years, but a chance encounter brings them back together again for a second chance. I sobbed my way through the story, but would read it again in a heartbeat.
If you’re a romance fan, put your favorite books in the comments! I am always looking for new ones to read!