The best rom com books to read right now

When Stella enters a competition in order to save her struggling Christmas tree farm, she makes up a tiny, tiny lie to up her chances. Nothing too bad: she just implies that she opened up the farm with her long-term boyfriend that she does not actually have. She does, however, have a best friend called Luka. If you're looking for a romance that'll warm your heart and make you kick your legs up and giggle throughout, this wintry tale of friends-to-lovers is for you.

One thing about romcoms is how much we love a grumpy character who sheds their grumpiness in favour of their love interest. In When Grumpy Met Sunshine, the grump happens to be a well-loved, extremely grumpy football star who falls in love with his colourful, sunny, plus-size ghostwriter as they attempt to work on his autobiography. Unfortunately for them, they have to fake date to squish the rumours. A sunshine book packed with rom-com tropes that might even have you tune in to the next football game . . . maybe.

Who doesn’t want to wake up in Paris with the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen? Except you have a splitting headache, you’re in the middle of the street, you have no idea who he is and you have no idea who you are. Uh oh. One thing she’s sure of? She’s a spy (she’s not) and she needs to do spy things like pretend she’s married to a gorgeous man to save the World. This action-packed, hilarious closed-door rom-com is the hotly anticipated adult debut from YA author, Ally Carter.

If you ever wished for a Taylor Swift song to come to life, this is the book for you. Inspired by Begin Again (Taylor’s Version, obviously), Emma Lord has perfectly captured the feelings of the song in book form. Andie Rose plans to transfer to Blue Ridge State college and rejoin her high school boyfriend and her friends but once she arrives and meets Milo, her plans derail. Slowly realizing that she may have been viewing her high school romance through rose-tinted glasses, Andie starts to think she might deserve rather better. This coming-of-age novel beautifully balances the terrifying moments of growing up with the feelings of freedom and enlightenment that come with new love. Perfect reading for a Wednesday, in a cafe . . .

We’ve already established that giggling and swooning are an important part of reading romances and this book absolutely delivers on both counts. No matter how old you are right now, imagine yourself as a teenager and yes: love is for losers. Bleugh. When Phoebe’s best friend Polly gets into a relationship, becomes OBSESSED (*eye roll*) and completely forgets about her (rude) then really, what’s the point? But then Phoebe meets Emma and realises maybe Polly was on to something. Whether it’s the queer-awakening, the family, the lows, the highs or everything else in-between the lines of what Phoebe tells us in her diary, Love is for Losers makes us all feel like winners. 

Where on earth can I find a book about the son of the United States of America’s first Mexican woman President faking a friendship with a British Prince as part of a damage control operation after their very public fall-out, I hear you cry. Well. This book is perfect for those who would like to meet a public-enemies-to-secret-lovers romance novel where the stakes are highly political and every touch could be an international incident. Casey McQuiston will have you kicking and screaming but also swooning and asking for more.

Kiki has no interest in love (ha!). She does, however, want her relationship radio show to succeed and, of course, the way to do this is to enter a fake-dating contract with none other than Malakai, campus’s hot new heartbreaker. In Honey and Spice, Bolu Babalola brings you friendship, coming-of-age, female empowerment, family and love all with a dash of humour and a ton of sass.

Are you the vengeful type? A little petty? You might get along perfectly with Scottie. After a series of unfortunate accidents she decides to team up with her high school nemesis to get back at her ex. Between the forced proximity, the gayness, and the fake-dating, Scottie and Irene’s antics will have you laughing one minute and holding your breath the next, wanting to gossip with your best friend next to your locker.

In a beautiful and hilarious retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Bea and Jamie come together to prove to their friends that they’re not perfect for each other by pretending to be perfect for each other. You see where this is going, right? Chloe Liese brilliantly writes up these characters as an Own Voices author, and Two Wrongs Make a Right is another amazing addition to all her books with disability and mental health representation.

If somehow Begin Again did not convince you that Emma Lord is a rom com genius, you’ll want to have a look at Tweet Cute. It is the cheesiest romance on this list – and I mean that very literally: Pepper and Jack, via their respective family’s restaurant Twitter accounts, fight over a grilled cheese sandwich recipe that Pepper’s family *might* have stolen from Jack’s grandmother. The catch is that while the two fight on Twitter, the pair might be catching feelings in real life at school. This enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance will have you rooting for Pepper and Jack and craving a grilled cheese sandwich. 

Kate is the ultimate planner, including for her upcoming wedding to Norman and an iconic Las Vegas hen party with her three best girlfriends. Even running into her DJ ex, Trevor Rush, won’t ruin Kate’s vision for the perfect girls’ trip. But when an alcohol-fuelled night out leaves Kate and Trevor accidentally hitched, her plans are officially out the window. To make matters worse, Trevor has decided he wants Kate back, and won’t sign the annulment papers until she agrees to go on three last dates with him. In the scorching heat of Sin City, is it time for her to tear up the rule book, and finally take a gamble on love?