With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, romance is on many people’s minds. While there are plenty of wonderful rom coms out there, the most detailed love stories are often the ones found in books. Not only is it the perfect time to get your romance fix through literature, but reading this month may help you if you have a certain reading goal you want to reach by the end of the year. Whether you’re single and manifesting a significant other or are spending your Valentine’s Day appreciating how lucky you are to have found someone, there are plenty of wonderful romance novels out there that will have you feeling butterflies and smiling ear-to-ear when we witness a romance that seems too good to be true.
Although Valentine’s Day is often commercialized and marketed towards heterosexual couples, it’s important to acknowledge that queer people and couples also celebrate Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re a member of the community yourself or are a straight ally that wants to support queer authors, prepare to be swooning over these queer romance novels, even if some will require you to keep a tissue box close by!
- She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
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She Drives Me Crazy ($10) is a YA contemporary romance that has all the feels of an early 2000s rom com. Scottie Zajac is already having a bad day when she loses the basketball game against her ex-girlfriend, but it gets even worse when she gets into a fender bender with her nemesis, Irene Abraham. To make matters worse, their mothers think that it’s only fair that they carpool together until Scottie’s car gets fixed. However, a silver lining is discovered when Scottie uses it to her advantage and fake-dates Irene to make her ex jealous. Not only is the book perfect for lovers of the fake-dating trope, but their relationship has all the vibes of Nathan and Haley from One Tree Hill with a basketball player and cheerleader dynamic.
- Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
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Red, White & Royal Blue ($10) is an adult contemporary romance that follows the First Son of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz, and the Prince of England, Henry. The only issue is that Alex and Henry hate each other, which threatens any possible good standing between America and England’s relationship. In order to save their parents’ political careers, Alex and Henry must pretend to be friends. However, their fake friendship quickly turns into a very real secret romantic relationship that threatens everything that Alex’s mother has built during her campaign for reelection.
The book accurately depicts what it’s like to be a part of a political family while also having you root for Alex and Henry’s love. It also has my personal favorite tropes: enemies-to-lovers and secret dating. Whether you’re a lover of those tropes as well or just love a story that partially takes place in England, Red, White & Royal Blue is a perfect book for you this Valentine’s Day season, especially with the movie adaptation set to be released sometime this year on Prime Video!
- What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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What If It’s Us ($11) follows Ben and Arthur as they spend a summer in New York. Arthur wants to have a summer to remember. Ben, on the other hand, just wants the summer to be over. The last thing he wanted was to mail his ex-boyfriend’s belongings back at the post office, but that’s where he meets Arthur. When they’re reunited again in the big city, they start to think that maybe the universe is rooting for them to get together. Despite how perfect their first meeting seems, though, their string of first dates come up short. Arthur is beginning to think that he may not have the epic summer love he wanted no matter how hard he tries.
Not only is the title of the book taken from the fan-favorite Broadway play, Dear Evan Hansen, but it was also written by two of the biggest names in YA queer literature, Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. Whether you’re a fan of the authors, New York, Broadway, or just love a good meet-cute, What If It’s Us will have you wanting to spend a summer in New York so you can have a love story like Ben and Arthur’s.
- I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
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I Wish You All the Best ($10) tells the story of Ben De Backer, who gets thrown out of their house after they come out to their parents as non-binary. Having nowhere else to go, Ben moves in with their estranged sister and her husband. Due to their anxiety and their parents’ rejection, Ben only comes out to their sister, brother-in-law, and therapist. Ben’s plans of keeping a low profile at school change when they meet Nathan Allan, however, and the two develop a friendship that transforms into a budding romance.
Not only does I Wish You All the Best feature amazing non-binary representation, but it showcases a found family that is the epitome of queer joy. You will be crying and cheering for Ben as they go through the trials and triumphs of navigating life as a non-binary teen. In October, it was revealed that I Wish You All the Best is going to be adapted into a movie directed by Tommy Dorfman and starring Corey Fogelmanis and Miles Gutierrez-Riley, so this is a book you certainly don’t want to miss out on.
- Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen
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Hannah and Baker have lots of plans for how they’re expecting their senior year of high school to go in Her Name in the Sky ($12). What they don’t expect, though, is to fall in love with each other. As students at a Catholic school in conservative Louisiana, they’ve been told their entire lives that the feelings they have for each other are wrong. If you’ve dealt with internalized homophobia or religious trauma around your sexuality, or are just curious to learn more about it, I cannot recommend this book enough. It is heartbreakingly beautiful and will tug at your heartstrings in the best way possible.
Although I absolutely adore Hannah and Baker’s relationship, don’t read this expecting a lot of fluff — a box of tissues is essentially a requirement when reading this book. The gut-wrenching feelings will be worth it, though. Unlike the other books on this list, Her Name in the Sky was self-published, but it left a permanent impact on me and will be a story that I will carry with me forever.
- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
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Simon Spier’s world comes to a surprising halt when secret emails between him and another classmate get revealed. He must do everything he can to make sure that his sexuality doesn’t get outed, even if it means setting up his blackmailer with his best friend. Not only that, but it would also out Blue, Simon’s secret pen pal, and Simon can’t have that happen. What was supposed to be an uneventful junior year of high school has turned into Simon trying to navigate being bullied while also staying true to himself and maintaining the close-knit relationships with those he cares most about in the world.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda ($9) showcases how important it is to be able to come out when you’re ready, and having people in your life that support you wholeheartedly after you come out. This book will take you on a whirlwind of emotions from pure anger, to laughing so hard your abs hurt, to squealing and kicking your feet, to weeping. Whether you’ve seen the movie adaptation Love, Simon or not, you’ll want to read this book — while eating lots of Oreos, of course.
- The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
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In this adult romantic contemporary, Joy has spent many years being secretly in love with her best friend, Malcolm, waiting for him to realize that she’s perfect for him. But when Malcolm calls her to tell her that he’s met the “love of his life,” she learns the day may never come. Malcolm invites Joy on a weekend getaway with him, his new girlfriend Summer, and Summer’s ex-boyfriend-turned-best-friend Fox, and Joy wants to use it to get Malcolm to see her as the one he’s been waiting for his whole life. In fact, Fox even decides to help Joy out and the two fake-date for the weekend. Joy slowly realizes, though, that Fox could be the missing piece of her heart she’s been searching for.
Both Joy and Malcolm identify as asexual. Not only is the asexual representation important because it’s a sexuality that is less likely to be represented, but the book also breaks down some of the misconceptions with asexuality: that asexuality is not a spectrum, that asexuals are also aromantic, and that men cannot be asexual. While aromantic and asexual both fall under the “A” category in the LGBTQIA acronym, they’re not mutually exclusive. Men are also typically depicted as being hyper-sexual beings, especially in the romance genre, so I was very excited to see an asexual male character. If you’re looking for an accurate representation of asexuality in a fun romance, The Romantic Agenda ($13) will fulfill that desire.
- They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
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In a world where you get a call from Death Cast on the day that you’re going to die, They Both Die at the End ($9) tells the story of Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emerterio on their last day on Earth. Death Cast also has the Last Friend app, which allows you to meet people that are going to die on the same day as you. Through the app, Mateo and Rufus meet and make the most of their last day together… and maybe even fall in love.
If you’re looking for a beautiful love story about making the most out of your life, there’s no better book than They Both Die at the End. When reading the book, though, make sure you have a lot of tissues around you because you’re going to need them. Adam Silvera will beautifully rip your heart out of your chest and make you believe in love at the same time. Recently, it was announced that They Both Die at the End would be adapted into a TV show produced by Bad Bunny.
- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
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August doesn’t have any intention of pursuing romantic love when she moves to New York. She just wants to work at the local diner and hang out with her roommates. However, she can’t help the way that her breath stops when she gets around Jane on the subway, entranced by her mysterious aura and leather jacket. August’s crush becomes a little more complicated when it’s revealed that Jane is displaced in time from the 1970s. Now, August will do anything she can in order to help Jane figure out the missing pieces of her life, even if it means unearthing her own rocky past.
What I really liked about One Last Stop ($11) is that August is in her 20s and she still hasn’t dated anyone. Books, TV, and movies can often make it seem like we have to have at least been in one relationship by the time we’re 16. However, some people, especially queer people, don’t date until they’re in their 20s or older, so it was nice to see that in the book. Whether you’re in the same situation or have had a fair share of romantic relationships, One Last Stop will rot your teeth from how sweet it is.
- Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman
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Originally introduced in the Heartstopper webcomic/graphic novel, Nick and Charlie are back in this novella and dealing with what their lives may look like now that Nick is going off to university in the fall. While Nick is excited for this new chapter in his life, Charlie is anxious that their relationship won’t be able to survive the distance. While he knows how deeply they love each other, he also knows that first loves are rarely your last love.
This book has all the softness of Nick and Charlie that is seen in Heartstopper, but it’s also realistic with the angst they go through. Whether you’ve read the books or watched the show, Nick and Charlie ($14) delves deeper into their relationship and allows readers to fall more in love with their love.
