Lay your romance novels on me
October 19, 2020 11:24 AM Subscribe
What are the page-turningest, hottest, most fun, hands-down-best contemporary romance novels of the last few years? Any sub-genre.
I personally loved Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (fun and witty) and Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (cute and very sexy).
posted by toby_ann at 11:34 AM on October 19, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by toby_ann at 11:34 AM on October 19, 2020 [6 favorites]
I loved "If I never met you" and "You had me at Hello" by Mhairi Mcfarlane. She's funny and empathetic and her romantic relationships are as much about genuine liking, respect and friendship as romance. Also, totally feminist.
posted by Zumbador at 11:37 AM on October 19, 2020
posted by Zumbador at 11:37 AM on October 19, 2020
The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite was a lovely concoction of science, feminism, history, and wlw romance.
Beach Read by Emily Henry is about writer's block and literary snobbery, with a side of cult investigation and dealing with a parent's death.
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore is about women's suffrage.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, about a woman with Asperger's who hires a male escort to teach her to be good at sex.
posted by mogget at 11:50 AM on October 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
Beach Read by Emily Henry is about writer's block and literary snobbery, with a side of cult investigation and dealing with a parent's death.
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore is about women's suffrage.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, about a woman with Asperger's who hires a male escort to teach her to be good at sex.
posted by mogget at 11:50 AM on October 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
Hands-down best contemporary of the past few years: Rebekah Weatherspoon's Xeni. It checked off all your boxes (page-turning, hot, fun) for me. It does feature grief as a theme, however, so it's not super light.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 11:51 AM on October 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by mixedmetaphors at 11:51 AM on October 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
First off, check out Smart Bitches, Trashy Books; if you filter their reviews on B+ or better, there you have my reading list.
I will recommend:
Get a Life, Chloe Brown, by Talia Hibbert (Chloe decides not to let her chronic health conditions run her life)
Beach Read, by Emily Henry (a romance author and a lit fic author swap genres and fall for each other)
Hate to Want You, (and also every other book written) by Alisha Rai, (high school sweethearts torn apart by family business complications meet again as adults)
ETA- seconding The Kiss Quotient.
posted by gideonfrog at 11:52 AM on October 19, 2020 [4 favorites]
I will recommend:
Get a Life, Chloe Brown, by Talia Hibbert (Chloe decides not to let her chronic health conditions run her life)
Beach Read, by Emily Henry (a romance author and a lit fic author swap genres and fall for each other)
Hate to Want You, (and also every other book written) by Alisha Rai, (high school sweethearts torn apart by family business complications meet again as adults)
ETA- seconding The Kiss Quotient.
posted by gideonfrog at 11:52 AM on October 19, 2020 [4 favorites]
As a fan of all other genre fiction, I try about once a year to get into romance and always bounce right off them...with the sole, unexpected exception of Elizabeth Hoyt's The Leopard Prince, which I found delightful.
posted by Merricat Blackwood at 11:59 AM on October 19, 2020
posted by Merricat Blackwood at 11:59 AM on October 19, 2020
My reading group is OBSESSED with The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. It's about a 39-year-old woman who meets a thinly-veiled Harry Styles while accompanying her daughter to a concert. It's a little bit sharper and sadder than the standard romance novel-- if you're a genre pedant you may not like it-- but is tremendously fun and satisfying.
Also nthing Red, White and Royal Blue.
posted by acidic at 12:14 PM on October 19, 2020
Also nthing Red, White and Royal Blue.
posted by acidic at 12:14 PM on October 19, 2020
I loved the Reluctant Royals series by Alyssa Cole. The characters are so fun and so smart - I want to hang out with all of them.
And like everyone else here, I thought Red, White and Royal Blue was great.
posted by entropyiswinning at 12:40 PM on October 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
And like everyone else here, I thought Red, White and Royal Blue was great.
posted by entropyiswinning at 12:40 PM on October 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
Nthing Red, White and Royal Blue. I also like "Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruits" (high school) and "Applied Electromagnetism" by Susannah Nix. Her other books are good too, but I really loved that one.
posted by jenfullmoon at 12:44 PM on October 19, 2020
posted by jenfullmoon at 12:44 PM on October 19, 2020
GREAT recommendations so far.
Two of my favorite that haven't been mentioned yet: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne and The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary.
posted by catoclock at 1:03 PM on October 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
Two of my favorite that haven't been mentioned yet: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne and The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary.
posted by catoclock at 1:03 PM on October 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
I have a tough time finding romance books that I click with, so I'll be watching this thread with interest. However, on the flip side that means the ones I like are very memorable to me, and I can heartily recommend them. On the flip flip side, I am not always 100% sure if the books I think are romances would really be defined as such by hard core romance fans. So, with those caveats, here are my recommendations of books I think of as romance novels:
-If you are up for some YA romance, I recommend Pride by Ibi Zoboi--an updated Pride and Prejudice set in an Afro-Latinx community in Brooklyn.
-Good Riddance by Elinor Lipman: A young woman finds her late mother's high school yearbook and decides to attend her high school reunion to see if she can find out the truth behind her mom's relationship with a classmate. There is definitely a romance in here, but I don't know, it might be more chick-lit?
-The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn: Two researchers time travel back to Jane Austen's time to meet the famous author and her family.
-Less by Andrew Greer: A middle aged author gets an invitation to his much beloved ex-boyfriend's wedding, and decides the only dignified way to turn down the invitation is to accept any and all international speaking/teaching invitations he has received, so he will be too busy to attend the wedding. Parts of this were so funny I literally laughed out loud.
Oh, and seconding the above recommendation for Sally Thorne's The Hating Game.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 2:00 PM on October 19, 2020
-If you are up for some YA romance, I recommend Pride by Ibi Zoboi--an updated Pride and Prejudice set in an Afro-Latinx community in Brooklyn.
-Good Riddance by Elinor Lipman: A young woman finds her late mother's high school yearbook and decides to attend her high school reunion to see if she can find out the truth behind her mom's relationship with a classmate. There is definitely a romance in here, but I don't know, it might be more chick-lit?
-The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn: Two researchers time travel back to Jane Austen's time to meet the famous author and her family.
-Less by Andrew Greer: A middle aged author gets an invitation to his much beloved ex-boyfriend's wedding, and decides the only dignified way to turn down the invitation is to accept any and all international speaking/teaching invitations he has received, so he will be too busy to attend the wedding. Parts of this were so funny I literally laughed out loud.
Oh, and seconding the above recommendation for Sally Thorne's The Hating Game.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 2:00 PM on October 19, 2020
LUCY PARKER. She has a series called London Celebrities. Each one is good, hot fun, she writes excellent female characters, and her cast is pleasingly diverse, especially as you progress later on into the series.
Linda Holmes wrote a lovely novel, I believe it's her first, called Evvie Drake Starts Over. Highly recced.
I recommend Rainbow Rowell so frequently people must think I'm shilling for her, but I LOVE Attachments and Landline. Caveat: neither is particularly sexy, but they are very swoony and will give you The Feels.
A hearty co-sign to Mhairi Mcfarlane, Alyssa Cole and Talia Hibbert. I really liked Beach Read and Red, White and Royal Blue as recommended above, too.
PS: I posted this Ask a while ago; may be some good recommendations in there for you.
posted by unicorn chaser at 2:17 PM on October 19, 2020 [4 favorites]
Linda Holmes wrote a lovely novel, I believe it's her first, called Evvie Drake Starts Over. Highly recced.
I recommend Rainbow Rowell so frequently people must think I'm shilling for her, but I LOVE Attachments and Landline. Caveat: neither is particularly sexy, but they are very swoony and will give you The Feels.
A hearty co-sign to Mhairi Mcfarlane, Alyssa Cole and Talia Hibbert. I really liked Beach Read and Red, White and Royal Blue as recommended above, too.
PS: I posted this Ask a while ago; may be some good recommendations in there for you.
posted by unicorn chaser at 2:17 PM on October 19, 2020 [4 favorites]
It's smut, but well plotted smut that is expertly written, Harper Sloan's cowboy novels.
posted by PinkMoose at 3:24 PM on October 19, 2020
posted by PinkMoose at 3:24 PM on October 19, 2020
I have been on a massive contemporary romance kick this summer, so I am so glad for this thread to share and find more mushy stuff.
Jasmine Guillory just released the 5th book in her Wedding Date series, Party of Two. They're all inter-related stories with different main characters from the same world and I have loved all of them.
Sandhya Menon writes high school/college age romances that are very sweet, also a shared universe like Jasmine Guillory. Start with When Dimple Met Rishi.
For Kiss Quotient fans, I also liked Helen Hoang's second book in the series, The Bride Test.
A super-sub-genre pick, Conventionally Yours is about 2 college-age men who play in the same tabletop RPG league but Just Can't Get Along. Super sweet and I hope there's more coming in the series as it's labeled as "True Colors #1" on Goodreads.
posted by assenav at 4:02 PM on October 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
Jasmine Guillory just released the 5th book in her Wedding Date series, Party of Two. They're all inter-related stories with different main characters from the same world and I have loved all of them.
Sandhya Menon writes high school/college age romances that are very sweet, also a shared universe like Jasmine Guillory. Start with When Dimple Met Rishi.
For Kiss Quotient fans, I also liked Helen Hoang's second book in the series, The Bride Test.
A super-sub-genre pick, Conventionally Yours is about 2 college-age men who play in the same tabletop RPG league but Just Can't Get Along. Super sweet and I hope there's more coming in the series as it's labeled as "True Colors #1" on Goodreads.
posted by assenav at 4:02 PM on October 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
LUCY PARKER. She has a series called London Celebrities.
I haven't been as into her later books, but Act Like It is freaking brilliant at having a guy who comes off as an arrogant jerk work as a romantic hero.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:37 PM on October 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
I haven't been as into her later books, but Act Like It is freaking brilliant at having a guy who comes off as an arrogant jerk work as a romantic hero.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:37 PM on October 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
Co-signing Jasmine Guillory, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Alyssa Cole, Helen Hoang, and Alisha Rai. For extremely hot Alisha Rai I'd recommend A Gentleman in the Street.
For books that are hilarious and tons of fun (but have a low heat level), I recommend all of Bria Quinlan's stuff. The Brew Ha Ha series is DELIGHTFUL.
If you are willing to read contemporary urban fantasy romance, then OMG read the Ilona Andrews Hidden Legacy books, or the Innkeeper books. So much page-turning, so much hotness, so much fun. Hidden Legacy: our world, only there are people with superpowers, but they function more like noble houses than caped crusaders. Our heroine is a private detective just trying to keep her family afloat in the middle of all this, and gets involved in a Big and Dangerous Case, where she meets the hero. Innkeeper books: what if that bed-and-breakfast on the corner was actually a disguised waystation for aliens? And if a lot of human myth about werewolves, vampires, etc. had been generated by encounters with alien species? And you're trying to stop an alien incursion, and a hot neighbor gets involved?
I haven't seen anyone here mention Jackie Lau. She writes romance novels set in Toronto's Chinese-Canadian community. They are hilarious and deal with serious topics at the same time. I've enjoyed every one of her books.
posted by rednikki at 8:28 PM on October 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
For books that are hilarious and tons of fun (but have a low heat level), I recommend all of Bria Quinlan's stuff. The Brew Ha Ha series is DELIGHTFUL.
If you are willing to read contemporary urban fantasy romance, then OMG read the Ilona Andrews Hidden Legacy books, or the Innkeeper books. So much page-turning, so much hotness, so much fun. Hidden Legacy: our world, only there are people with superpowers, but they function more like noble houses than caped crusaders. Our heroine is a private detective just trying to keep her family afloat in the middle of all this, and gets involved in a Big and Dangerous Case, where she meets the hero. Innkeeper books: what if that bed-and-breakfast on the corner was actually a disguised waystation for aliens? And if a lot of human myth about werewolves, vampires, etc. had been generated by encounters with alien species? And you're trying to stop an alien incursion, and a hot neighbor gets involved?
I haven't seen anyone here mention Jackie Lau. She writes romance novels set in Toronto's Chinese-Canadian community. They are hilarious and deal with serious topics at the same time. I've enjoyed every one of her books.
posted by rednikki at 8:28 PM on October 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
Winston Brothers series by Penny Reid
Brooklyn Bruisers series and True North series by Sarina Bowen
Funny, contemporary, angsty, hot
posted by ohshenandoah at 7:37 PM on October 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
Brooklyn Bruisers series and True North series by Sarina Bowen
Funny, contemporary, angsty, hot
posted by ohshenandoah at 7:37 PM on October 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
Nthing Alisha Rai, I especially enjoyed The Right Swipe. Also just read and loved Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, very funny!
posted by sumiami at 9:33 PM on October 22, 2020
posted by sumiami at 9:33 PM on October 22, 2020
If you're looking for something with literary flair, and don't mind it being a bit unconventional (or at least not genre-like), I can't recommend Madame by Antoni Libera enough. I thought I was just uninterested in romantic (rather than familial or platonic) love prior to reading it, but it turns out I do have a romantic bone in my body.
posted by davedave at 10:08 AM on October 23, 2020
posted by davedave at 10:08 AM on October 23, 2020
Came in here to recommend Evvie Drake Starts Over, see I was beaten to it, so I second that recommendation!
posted by kristi at 1:51 PM on October 23, 2020
posted by kristi at 1:51 PM on October 23, 2020
Haven’t finished it, but I’m enjoying American Dreamer by Adriana Herrera, about a Dominican New Yorker who moves his food truck up to Ithaca and meets up with a hot repressed librarian...
posted by sumiami at 7:02 PM on October 23, 2020
posted by sumiami at 7:02 PM on October 23, 2020
I am back to recommend You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle, about an engaged couple who don't want to be engaged at all. It's very good.
posted by unicorn chaser at 4:53 AM on October 25, 2020
posted by unicorn chaser at 4:53 AM on October 25, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
Most fun in a completely different way? Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Other contemporary authors to check out: Jasmine Guillory, Lucy Parker, Lyssa Kay Adams, Alyssa Cole (she writes both contemporaries and historicals), Alexa Martin
Also, an erotic romance rec for a series I just find hilariously awesome but that might only be because I live in Ottawa: The Frisky Beaves series by Ainsley Booth & Sadie Haller.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:33 AM on October 19, 2020 [1 favorite]