Valentine’s day is approaching fast this February, which means it’s time to get cozy with a pink blanket, chocolate, a nice candle, and of course a good book. With a carefully curated collection from Laura Sands and Hannah Stoner, including a variety of books, some with fantasy, some filled with tragedies, and others that are just a cozy romcom, booklovers are sure to get in the spirit of romance with our 14 favorite books featuring love stories.
See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Pages:432
Rating: 5/5
Trope(s): Forced Proximity, Friends to Lovers
About: Barrett Bloom is starting her freshman year of college, excited to leave her embarrassing high school past behind, but is caught off guard when her roommate ends up being her former nemesis. After her first day of navigating college classes and another embarrassing event, she wakes up reliving the same day over and over again. No one knows she’s stuck in this time loop except for the nerdy kid from Physics class; Miles. Forced to spend time together, Barrett and Miles attempt to right some wrongs, including the tension between Barrett and her roommate. With their future unforeseeable, the two try to live life to the fullest, becoming best friends, and eventually something more.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Pages: 401
Rating: 3/5
Trope(s): Fake Dating, Enemies to Lovers
About: Olive Smith, a PhD student, is trying to convince her best friend Ahn that she’s not single. Adam Carlsen, a professor at Olive’s university, is trying to convince the university that he is ready and willing to stay for this job. When Olive meets Adam, they realize that they are the exact person the other needs. To appease both Ahn and the university, Adam and Olive begin fake dating, but will it stay fake for long?
Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
Pages: 418
Rating: 5/5
Trope(s): Destined for Love
About: On the stairs of a house party, Jack and Kate meet, immediately hitting it off, and over time they fall in love. The only problem is Kate has sickle cell anemia. When she passes away Jack’s heart shatters. Upon hearing the news, he falls down the stairs becoming unconscious. Once he wakes up from the impact, he finds himself at the same party where he met Kate, waiting for her on the same staircase. Jack is allowed to relive this same period of time in hopes that Kate will eventually survive, and time will move on.
Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter
Pages: 384
Rating: 4/5
Trope(s): Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating, Love Triangle
About: Hopeless romantic Liz is a senior in high school and has always wanted to have her own love story. When her old childhood crush, Michael, moves back to town, she thinks it’s finally her chance at love, but to win him over she must befriend her arrogant neighbor, Wes. Wes and Liz put on an act that they’re interested in one another to attract Michael to Liz, but it ends up being easier for Liz to fall for Wes’s charm.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Pages: 384
Rating: 5/5
Trope(s): Friends to Lovers
About: Amidst growing up in the 80s, Aristotle is a somewhat shy and introverted teen with not a lot of friends. One day at the pool, he meets Dante forming a new friendship which shakes up his life. After a summer of adventures with each other, Dante reveals that he is moving away. Dante writes to Ari after he has moved in hopes of keeping their connection. The two boys who spent a lot of time together begin to question the deepest meanings of life along with their sexualities.
Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith
Pages: 434
Rating: 3/5
Trope(s): Childhood Friends to Lovers
About: Alice has been in love with her best friend, Teddy, for years, but has always been too nervous to say anything. But when Alice gives Teddy a lottery ticket, winning him $140 million dollars, they must learn to navigate both their friendship and their potential relationship.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Pages:426
Rating: 4/5
Trope(s): Star-Crossed Lovers
About: Hazel has been struggling with cancer for most of her life. Her mom decides to take her to a cancer support group in hopes she’ll open up and make some friends. At the first meeting, she meets Augustus who’s also struggled with cancer, but is now in remission. Hitting it off quickly, the two share their favorite books with one another, allowing them to begin in-depth discussions about living life with cancer.
So this is Ever After by F.T. Lukens
Pages: 384
Rating: 3/5
Trope(s): Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn
About: Arek has just successfully finished his quest to take back the kingdom of Ere from the evil king but what seems like the end to a fairytale has only just begun. After crossing the region and forming his ragtag group of quest companions, Arek beheads the king, somewhat clumsily, and takes the throne. But there’s a catch. If he doesn’t find a spouse by his eighteenth birthday, three months away, he can’t become king and the magic tied to this law will slowly kill him. With the pressure to rule a kingdom and find someone he loves, Arek turns to his best friend Matt for love advice. Together they plot ways for their friends to fall in love with Arek, but repeatedly his efforts fail and he’s running out of time.
Serendipity: Ten Romantic Tropes, Transformed (Collection) Edited by Marissa Meyer
Pages: 233
Rating: 3/5
Trope(s): Secret Admirer, Fake Relationships, Friends to Lovers, Matchmaker, Forced Proximity About: Serendipity: Ten Romantic Tropes, is a truly unique book, perfect for Valentine’s Day. Marissa Meyer, author of the Lunar Chronicles, the Renegades trilogy and more, has formed a collection of short stories from YA’s favorite romance authors. It branches through ten different romance tropes, such as forced proximity and secret admirer. This collection covers a diverse cast of characters for every short story, and has different writing styles, such as first person, third, and even a short graphic novel.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Pages: 357
Rating: 5/5
Trope(s): Enemies to Lovers, Morally Gray Love Interest
About: Evangeline has always been a dreamer. She grew up with her parents telling her fairy tales and living in a magical antique store. When they both died, Evangeline chose to remain optimistic, continuing to believe in true love. Over the years she falls in love with a local sweetheart, Luc, but when Luc unexpectedly gets engaged to Evangeline’s stepsister, Evangeline is desperate for any hope to win him back. She’s desperate enough, that she turns to the help of Jacks, a god-like immortal, called a Fate, who’s kiss will kill any girl that isn’t his true love. Jacks reluctantly agrees to help Evangeline, but the original goal of winning Luc back fades away as they get wrapped up in their own adventure, and the enemies grow closer.
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Pages: 377
Rating: 5/5 Trope(s): Friends to Lovers, Star-Crossed Lovers
About: Achilles is an unmatched warrior, longing for glory, who’s widely considered “the best of all Greeks,” while Patroclus is his opposite. As a healer, Patroclus wants nothing but peace and safety. Through fate they meet and form an inseparable bond, but when Achilles decides to go to war against the Trojans, fate has new plans for them. Taking place in Ancient Greece, Song of Achilles is a Greek mythology retelling and a classic of this generation, with gods, fate, and heartbreak around every corner.
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Pages: 453
Rating: 5/5
Trope(s): Star-Crossed Lovers, Secret Relationship
About: Before she was the Wonderland villain, the Queen of Hearts, was just a girl named Catherine. Catherine dreams of opening her own bakery, but her parents believe that is un-lady-like and beneath her. So, they drag Catherine to a ball that, unbeknownst to her, was where the King of Hearts was going to get her to fall in love with him. Catherine wants nothing to do with the King of Hearts or ruling a kingdom, so she runs away from the ball before the King of Hearts can drag her further into his court. Outside in the gardens she runs into Jest, the King’s new jester. Taken by Jest’s charm and witty humor, Catherine decides to continue to meet with him in secret, because she fears what her parents and the King will say. But as their relationship deepens, Catherine discovers secrets and soon it’s not just her parents that she’s scared of.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Pages: 384
Rating:4/5
Trope(s): Childhood Friends to Lovers, Fake Dating
About: Lara Jean has written a secret love letter to every boy she’s fallen for. When her former crush Peter approaches her about the letter, she is confused until she realizes that the letters she wrote years ago have now reached the hands of the guys she used to like. One of the letters is to her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh, and instead of coming clean about her feelings for him when he confronts her, she decides to lie that she is in a relationship with Peter. After her interaction with Josh, Lara Jean and Peter embark on a fake dating journey that leads to a genuine romantic connection.
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
Pages: 484
Rating: 5/5
Trope(s): Star-Crossed Lovers
About: In France 1714, Adeline is forced into a marriage she didn’t ask for, and in this moment of desperation she breaks the one rule, that her mysterious aunt told her, “never pray to the gods after dark.” Luc, a dangerous devil-like stranger, appears and offers her a deal to live forever but no one can remember her. Desperate for a way out of the marriage, Adeline takes Luc up on the ill-fated deal. Adeline moves throughout the world as time ticks on, finding ways to leave a small imprint of herself on the world, but the fact that no one will remember her the next morning is weighing on her. Until she stumbles into a bookstore in New York City, and meets Henry, who says the three words that will forever change her life: “I remember you.”
Not only are there several books to dive into for the holiday, but romance movies are being pushed more to the general public. As a lover of romance movies, Myana Brown has compiled a list of the best love stories to watch during the Valentine’s Season with diverse options to delight all viewers.
Anyone But You (2023)
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 43m
Genre(s): Comedy, Romance
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, and Alexandra Shipp
Where To Watch: In Theaters
About: Two strangers meet in a cafe and end up spending the night together. In the morning, she departs, spurring a grudge against each other. Until they end up in a wedding party together and everyone makes it their mission to turn them into lovers.
The Notebook (2004)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 3m
Genre(s): Drama, Romance
Starring: Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams, and Ryan Gosling
Where To Watch: Hulu and Prime
About: A nursing home patient reads the love story of a couple in the late 1930s to another patient at the home. The story goes through the highs and lows of young romance, unknown if they will make it through the problems of relationships.
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 37m
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance
Starring: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Where To Watch: Disney+, Freeform, Prime
About: When new student, Cameron, arrives to the school and spots Bianca Stratford, he makes it his goal to date her. However, he runs into a problem when he finds out she can’t date unless her older sister Kat does. He comes up with a plan to set Kat up with bad-boy Patrick, but the plan does not go smoothly.
Flipped (2010)
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 30m
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance
Starring: Madeline Carroll, Callan McAuliffe, and Rebecca De Mornay
Where To Watch: Max
About: When Bryce moves to a new neighborhood and meets Juli, he despises her for years, unbeknownst to her. He does everything he can to shoo her away, until one day, his view on her changes and he has to win her back.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 14m
Genre(s): Drama, Romance
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, and Michelle Williams
Where To Watch: Prime
About: Two Cowboys go looking for work one summer and end up receiving the job of working on a sheep farm together. They end up developing a relationship, despite having families. For years after they meet up and spend time together, however, their love must remain a secret.
The Wedding Singer (1998)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 37m
Genre(s): Comedy, Music, Romance
Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor
Where To Watch: Prime
About: Robbie is a wedding singer and Julia works as a waitress at weddings. They are both preparing for their weddings to separate people, but realize that they are meant for eachother and not their current partners.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime:1h 56m
Genre(s): Comedy, Romance
Starring: Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, and Adam Goldberg
Where To Watch: Paramount+
About: Benjamin and Andie work for separate companies, but both fall into competing bets. Benjamin is trying to make a girl love him in 10 days and Andie is trying to lose a guy in 10 days. Neither of them know what the other is trying to accomplish.
Bride Wars (2009)
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 29m
Genre(s): Comedy, Romance
Starring: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, and Candice Bergen
Where To Watch: Max
About: Two best friends are proposed to on the same day and plan for their wedding to be at the same place. However, the venue makes a mistake and schedules the weddings on the same day, so they spend time trying to sabotage each other’s weddings.
Anyone But You (2023)
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 43m
Genre(s): Comedy, Romance
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, and Alexandra Shipp
Where To Watch: In Theaters
About: Two strangers meet in a cafe and end up spending the night together. In the morning, she departs, spurring a grudge against each other. Until they end up in the same wedding party and everyone makes it their mission to turn them into lovers.
The Notebook (2004)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 3m
Genre(s): Drama, Romance
Starring: Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams, and Ryan Gosling
Where To Watch: Hulu and Prime
About: A nursing home patient reads the love story of a couple in the late 1930s to another patient at the home. The story goes through the highs and lows of young romance, unknown if they will make it through the problems of relationships.
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 37m
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance
Starring: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Where To Watch: Disney+, Freeform, Prime
About: When new student, Cameron, arrives to the school and spots Bianca Stratford, he makes it his goal to date her. However, he runs into a problem when he finds out she can’t date unless her older sister Kat does. He comes up with a plan to set Kat up with bad-boy Patrick, but the plan does not go smoothly.
Flipped (2010)
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 30m
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance
Starring: Madeline Carroll, Callan McAuliffe, and Rebecca De Mornay
Where To Watch: Max
About: When Bryce moves to a new neighborhood and meets Juli, he despises her for years, unbeknownst to her. He does everything he can to shoo her away, until one day, his view on her changes and he has to win her back.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 14m
Genre(s): Drama, Romance
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, and Michelle Williams
Where To Watch: Prime
About: Two cowboys go looking for work one summer and end up receiving the job of working on a sheep farm together. They end up developing a relationship, despite having families. For years after they meet up and spend time together, however, their love must remain a secret.
The Wedding Singer (1998)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 37m
Genre(s): Comedy, Music, Romance
Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor
Where To Watch: Prime
About: Robbie is a wedding singer and Julia works as a waitress at weddings. They are both preparing for their weddings to separate people, but realize that they are meant for each other and not their current partners.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime:1h 56m
Genre(s): Comedy, Romance
Starring: Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, and Adam Goldberg
Where To Watch: Paramount+
About: Benjamin and Andie work for separate companies, but both fall into competing bets. Benjamin is trying to make a girl love him in 10 days and Andie is trying to lose a guy in 10 days. Neither of them know what the other is trying to accomplish.
Bride Wars (2009)
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 29m
Genre(s): Comedy, Romance
Starring: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, and Candice Bergen
Where To Watch: Max
About: Two best friends are proposed to on the same day and plan for their wedding to be at the same place. However, the venue makes a mistake and schedules the weddings on the same day, so they spend time trying to sabotage each other’s weddings.
Valentine’s Day (2010)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 5m
Genre(s): Comedy, Romance
Starring: Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway
Where To Watch: Prime
About: Three different couples are followed through Valentine’s Day. Each relationship faces an issue and they must work through it, but will any of the relationships make it past the day?
