As much as I love BookTok and the fact that people are reading again, I can’t help but notice that the same books are always being recommended. Obviously, for the big-name authors like Emily Henry or Ali Hazelwood, a lot of people are going to talk about their releases because of how large their fanbases are. But when you have a bunch of creators all talking about the same books, the reader space can feel very oversaturated. With that being said, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite romances that I never see talked about.
“Annie Knows Everything” by Rachel Wood
Now this book just came out so there hasn’t really been an opportunity for people to start talking about it, but I think we should get that conversation started because this was some of the most fun I’ve had reading a romance in a minute. It follows Annie as she gets laid off from her job and instead of panicking, decides to go for a different job at the same company that she isn’t qualified for at all. As she settles into her new position, she starts clashing with her new boss, which turns into chemistry. Annie is such a chaotic character, and this book is so funny. If you’re a fan of workplace romances, this one is perfect.
“You Between the Lines” by Katie Naymon
If you’re a “Tortured Poet,” this is the book for you. We follow Leigh, who’s at a crossroad in her life and decides to take a leap and apply for a poetry MFA program, which she gets accepted to. When she starts her program, she’s reunited with someone she went to high school with, Will, who didn’t have nice things to say about her work, which causes tension. This book has everything — Naymon blew me away with her phenomenal writing, and I saw myself so deeply in the main character Leigh. The tension is delicious and Leigh’s journey to becoming more confident in herself was so well done. This is probably the top three of my favorite romances.
“Any Trope but You” by Victoria Levine
I love a book about books; whether the main character works in publishing or is centered around a bookstore, I love the sort of meta-ness to it as a reader. And in this one we follow Margot, a famous romance author, who finds herself in hot water when it’s revealed that she doesn’t really believe in happily ever after. Because of this she decides to pivot and try to write a murder mystery and to do so she goes on a writing retreat to the Alaskan wilderness.
This book is such a good time because it turns the typical romance tropes on their head — our main characters swear they’re not looking for love but keep finding themselves in scenarios straight out of a novel. Both characters are also very guarded as they’re the caretakers in their families and struggle with feeling like they can’t give themselves to anyone because of that. Levine is such a delightful addition to the romance genre and I’m pumped for her next release.
“Passion Project” by London Sperry
This book felt like it was written for me because I too lived in New York City and absolutely hated it because of how depressed I was. Only I didn’t have a hot guy take me on adventures to help find my passion, I just transferred colleges. This is a more emotional story because our main character Bennet is dealing heavily with grief, and Sperry does such a good job showing her journey and how grief is different for everyone and isn’t linear. If you’re someone who misses who they used to be, pick this up immediately.
“The Heartbreak Hotel” by Ellen O’Clover
Speaking of tender romances that dive into the topic of grief, this one will rip your heart out. We follow Louisa who was just dumped by her famous boyfriend and instead of moving out of the house they lived in together, she decides to turn it into a bed and breakfast for the recently heartbroken. The landlord of the house, who Louisa had never met before, starts coming around more often and as they spend more time together feelings start to blossom. O’Clover wrote some brilliant longing and a tender, quite kind of romance that’s so beautiful to read. If you like your romances with a lot of emotionality, this one is perfect.
As the weather begins to warm up and the semester comes to a close, if you find yourself in the mood for a romance, hopefully one of these books will have piqued your interest. And if you’re curious as to what’s on my romance radar, I’m hoping to pick up “Love and Other Brain Experiments” by Hannah Brohm and “A Little Buzzed” by Alys Murray.