1. My Grape Year by Laura Bradbury
When Laura Bradbury arrives in Burgundy, France, for an exchange year at 17 years old, she is determined to fit in with her host family and their community. This means learning local customs and skills and adapting to the general rules — including a disapproval of dating. Unfortunately, the local young men are very charming and Burgundy seems to be made for romance. My Grape Year is the first in Bradbury's Grape Series memoirs.
Promising review: "Easy to read, funny, but with some deep and serious emotions and relationships. It provides amazing details about moving to a new country, where the simplest things can turn out to be surprising and challenging. I love all the details about Burgundy, the cuisine, the wine. I felt like I found a kindred spirit." —Aniko Nagyne vig
Get it from Amazon or Barnes & Noble for $15.99, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
2. My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella
When Katie Brenner is unexpectedly fired, she finds solace in her family's farm in Somerset and soon takes their burgeoning vacation business on as a new project. Everything is miraculously going well, until Katie's former boss Demeter — the chic, brilliant, always-put-together woman whose life seems to be as close to perfect as anyone could get — shows up as a guest, turning everything upside down.
Promising review: "An engaging protagonist, check. Romance, check. An amazing leading man, check. A bit of a mystery to solve, check. Hilarious moments, check. Aww, moments, check. Serious, more profound moments, check. It's the perfect romantic comedy!" —Sara
Get it from Amazon for $14.82+, Barnes & Noble for $16.23+, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
3. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Don Tillman is a brilliant but socially awkward professor who's decided it's time to get married — with the help of a very scientific 16-page "Wife Project" survey he developed to ensure he'll end up with someone possessing only the qualities he seeks. On paper, Rosie Jarman is all wrong. But she's on a search of her own — to find her biological father — and when Don helps her develop the "Father Project," their relationship takes on a life of its own.
Promising review: "It is one of the all-time best romantic novels I have ever read — a thought-provoking, as well as highly entertaining, all-night read. [...] It is endearing proof that love can be scientifically explained, but must be artfully tested to confirm its existence." —Margitte
Get it from Amazon for $13.40+, Barnes & Noble for $14.44+, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
4. Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal
In this retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in Pakistan, the Binat family is struggling to save face in the aftermath of a social scandal that has emptied their fortune and all but guaranteed that the five daughters will remain unmarried. When they receive an invitation to a big wedding, and one of the daughters catches the eye of a successful bachelor, it seems the family's luck is about to change. But the bachelor might not be as good as he seems — and perhaps his curmudgeonly friend has more to offer.
Promising review: "This is one of those books I just want to hold close to my heart and never let go. An absolute delight, but also insightful and educational." —Julie
Get it from Amazon for $17.70, Barnes & Noble for $22.95, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
5. The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines
The Magnolia Story is the first book by Fixer Upper's Chip and Joanna Gaines, and it offers a behind-the-scenes look at their family, faith, and shared passion for home renovation.
Promising review: "Their devotion to God, their family, and their business is so inspiring, and their honesty and integrity is motivational. This book was very encouraging to my own entrepreneurial efforts." —Sarah Grace Grzy
Get it from Amazon for $13.25, Barnes & Noble for $22.94, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
6. Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann
After Alice comes out as asexual to her girlfriend — and then quickly gets dumped — she's determined to give up dating for good. But then she meets Takumi, a fellow employee at the library who just so happens to fill Alice's mind with romantic fantasies. Will she follow her heart — and risk Takumi breaking it?
Promising review: "I can’t even express to you all what it felt like to see the words 'biromantic asexual' in an actual book. I don’t have the ability to express what seeing representation like that for the first time ever means. So you’ll have to see it for yourself by reading the novel." —kav (xreadingsolacex)
Get it from Amazon for $6.85+, Barnes & Noble for $8.22+, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
7. The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
After being on the receiving end of a proposal gone very, very wrong, Nik swears off men — or she would if she could stop thinking about the man who, with his sister, rescued her from the disastrous moment. Realizing they're both drawn to each other, they promise each other they'll keep it casual. But that so rarely goes as planned.
Promising review: "I loved this story. It’s filled with women supporting women, has a cast of diverse characters, and loads of body positivity. My only complaint is that I wanted more at the end." —Stacee
Get it from Amazon for $11.11, Barnes and Noble for $11.67, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
8. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
When Lily Bloom, a former small-town girl running her own business in Boston, starts dating neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (despite his apparent aversion to relationships) she finds herself overwhelmed by questions about this new setup, and by thoughts of her first love, Atlas Corrigan — thoughts that only get stronger when Atlas finds his way back into her life.
Promising review: "Emotional. Incredibly insightful. Empowering. Eye-opening. Not to mention completely original. It Ends With Us is filled with such raw truths I had to stop a few times and just think about a line or passage I just read. It is filled with SO many heartbreaking moments I didn’t think my heart could endure it all." —The Crazy World of a Book Lover
Get it from Amazon for $10.87, Barnes & Noble for $13.60, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
9. Intercepted by Alexa Martin
Marlee swears she's done with dating after she finds out her NFL-star boyfriend of 10 years has been cheating on her — but Gavin Pope, a quarterback and former fling, hopes she'll change her mind. Trying to navigate both her growing feelings for Gavin and a group of football wives who are less than welcoming when it comes to her possible return, Marlee realizes it's more than just her reputation on the line.
Promising review: "An unputdownable, feel good, MUST READ romance — I couldn't get enough. I'm ready for more where this came from, Alexa Martin. I'm ready to feel more of the giddy joy I felt while reading this book. I'm ready for more of that yummy heartache and the fury and the sweet romance. I'm here for all of it and I can't wait for more." —Jessica (Angie & Jessica's Dreamy Reads)
Get it from Amazon for $10.40, Barnes & Noble for $13.50, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
10. The Way You Make Me Feel by Maureen Goo
Clara Shin likes to make trouble. When she takes one prank too far, she is punished by her father to spend a summer working in his food truck. It seems like a miserable sentence — until Clara realizes her coworker Rose maybe isn't as uptight as she'd previously thought, and this boy who keeps coming by is kind of cute, and maybe a job is something she could actually become invested in.
Promising review: "This is everything I love about contemporary YA, and everything I look for in a summer read. It's like an adorable love note to LA, food, and families, which ends with the most beautiful messages. Basically, it's one of those feel-good reads that's in no way forced or super cheesy." —Cait (A Page With a View)
Get it from Amazon or Barnes & Noble for $9.99+, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
11. A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole
Naledi Smith is juggling grad school and multiple jobs and has no time or patience for romance — especially the kind described in these emails she keeps getting claiming she's due to marry an African prince. A former foster child, Naledi is big on self-sufficiency and low on trust, so she assumes it's all a scam. Except it isn't — and when Prince Thabiso shows up, and his betrothed doesn't recognize him for the royal he is, he decides to keep his identity a secret and get to know her as a regular guy.
Promising review: "This book was a lot of fun, sexy, with a compelling story. [...] Lots of erotic tension and a deeply satisfying ending. Definitely dive into this one." —Roxane Gay
Get it from Amazon for $5.99+, Barnes & Noble for $7.19, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
12. Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
Josh and Hazel have known each other since college, and they've always been opposites — Hazel, spontaneous and action-seeking; Josh, responsible and mild-mannered. After Josh ends his relationship with a cheating girlfriend, he's relieved to find Hazel again and go out for some easy fun, with no plans for a relationship. But then they find each other again, and again, and again.
Promising review: "If pure FUN is what you’re after, look no further than Josh and Hazel. [...] Their journey to love is intoxicatingly quirky, perfectly paced and all around fun. It’s one I could reread over and over. In fact, when I turned that final page, my love-drunk heart wanted to go back to the beginning and experience it all again." —Melissa
Get it from Amazon for $8.79, Barnes & Noble for $13.60, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
13. Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid
In one day, Janie Morris loses her boyfriend, apartment, and job. This would be bad enough — but then there's Quinn Sullivan, the very attractive man who unnerves Janie more than anyone or anything, and who happens to witness her entire life turn upside down.
Promising review: "It's original and refreshing like a breath of spring air after a long, cold winter. I loved it because of it's excellent characters who weren't like a million others I've read before. I loved that it was sweet and light but NOT fluffy. You don't want to skim over a bit of it because every page is filled with humor, wacky philosophy, and unknown factoids. You don't want to miss a second inside this girl's brain." —Christie (SHB Blogger)
Get it from Amazon or Barnes & Noble for $16.99, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
14. What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Arthur's in New York for only one summer, but he knows the universe has a way of presenting a person with a love story when he least expects it — his love of Broadway shows has taught him this much. Ben, who's just broken up with his boyfriend, is feeling less whimsical when it comes to fate and romance. But when the two bump into each other at the post office, neither can ignore the possibility of happily ever after — or disaster.
Promising review: "I can’t believe this book was written by two different authors, because it was seriously seamless perfection. This was one of the best and most realistic romances I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. [...] Seriously, friends, please read this masterpiece; it’s so very heartwarming and I think this is the happiest I’ve been while reading a book all year." —Melanie
Get it from Amazon or Barnes & Noble for $10.99+, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
15. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman are true work nemeses — they aren't simply annoyed by each other; they detest each other. But when they're up for the same promotion, their competitive and passive aggressive games morph into something more like sexual tension.
Promising review: "Books like these are exactly why I have stupidly high expectations in men. In relationships in general. Damn you, fictional characters! And books like these are exactly why I ADORE reading. Why my soul is bound to books." —Warda
Get it from Amazon for $10.19, Barnes & Noble for $12.74, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
16. My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward by Mark Lukach
Mark Lukach's memoir describes the way mental illness has affected his marriage. His wife Giula had her first psychotic break at 27 years old and spent nearly a month in a psych ward; her second and third followed the birth of their son. My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward explores the challenges of loving someone with a mental illness while caring for ourselves.
Promising review: "This book just gripped me from page one. I could not put it down and I will be passionately recommending it to most everyone I know. It is full of raw, beautiful, easy-to-read writing, depicting a very real and very hard story with glimmers of hope throughout… I cannot recommend it enough!" —Stephanie
Get it from Amazon for $12.19, Barnes & Noble for $14.39, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
17. Fight or Flight by Samantha Young
Ava Breevort just wants to get home to Boston after a trip to Phoenix for a childhood friend's funeral. But first her flight is delayed, and then her chance at a first-class seat is thwarted by an arrogant (but handsome) stranger, and then the antagonism between the two leads to a very steamy encounter. Ava thinks that's all it is, until that stranger shows up at her doorstep with an unexpected proposition — it turns out he's stranded in Boston, and maybe they can have some fun.
Promising review: "This book is what enemies-to-lovers romance dreams are made out of. [...] Everything about this book was perfection: the banter, the chemistry, the romance, and OMG the hate lust. These two were absolutely incendiary together and I couldn't get enough of them." —Lana (Dirty Girl Romance)
Get it from Amazon for $12, Barnes & Noble for $13.50, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.
18. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Stella Lane is 30 years old, highly successful in her career as an economist, and almost entirely inexperienced in the romance arena. Her parents are itching for grandchildren, but interpersonal relationships have never come easily to Lane (she, like author Hoang, has Asperger’s syndrome) so she decides to call in a pro to help as she navigates the dating world. Enter Michael Phan, Daniel Henney lookalike and male escort.
Promising review: "Friends, The Kiss Quotient is so deserving of every ounce of hype it has received thus far. I am not sure I’ve ever been so happy, and had such a lame grin on my face, while reading any other book. This was heartwarming, beautiful, and a treat to read. Don’t sleep on this one. Also, Michael and Stella are both partner goals, I swear." —Melanie
Get it from Amazon for $10.20, Barnes & Noble for $10.91, or find it through Indiebound or your local library.