Romance is such an interesting genre for me. With fantasy, I know my taste quite well, and even though I do come across the occasional surprise, I usually have a good sense of what I like and what I do not. Romance novels are a lot less predictable for me. Sure, I know some of my preferences (no miscommunication or pregnancy trope, not too many pop culture references, no men being glorified for doing the bare minimum), but pretty much any romance can be hit or miss for me.
What I love about the genre though is that when a book hits, it really hits, and often on a personal or soul level. I don’t think that the main character has to be relatable in order for the book to be enjoyable, but it obviously adds to the experience.
The books on my top 15 romance novels list are a mix of ones that I deeply related to, and others that I didn’t but that still managed to sweep me away.
The list is not in order.
I only included one book per series, but since romance series don’t necessarily have to be read in order, I picked my favorite book and not the first (as I did on my top 15 fantasy novels post).
- Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Even after all my time on Bookstagram, I sometimes still get surprised by how fast hype can happen. Suddenly, this book was everywhere and it seemed like everyone had read this serial killer romance and was enchanted by it, so of course I had to read it. This was my last romance of 2023, and it ended up being my favorite one. I loved it so much, it was so funny, so dark and just utterly charming. It’s impossible to describe the magic of this book and I genuinely don’t understand how so many people love it because it’s pretty fucked up (which I’m personally into); but it’s just so good.
- Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring-Blake
This was my second favorite romance of 2023, and it was one that was deeply relatable for me. The conversations around being single really hit me hard; both in terms of mourning a breakup while also realizing it set you free, as well as the feeling of others pressuring you to seek out a new relationship, as if being on your own is not good enough. The romance was beautiful and I cried a lot, the setting and the theater element was so fun and I just loved this book so much.
- The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
I’ve read multiple books by Christina Lauren and while I liked them for the most part, there was always something in them that ruined the experience for me (looking at you, third-act breakup in The Unhoneymooners). That’s why I was a bit skeptical about TTLE, but I love a good dating show romance novel, so I knew I had to give it a try and I’m so glad I did! I loved this one, it was funny, it was charming and I had a great time from start to finish.
- Hang The Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur
Alexandria Bellefleur is my favorite romance author, I love her books so much, but Hang The Moon has a special place in my heart. I related a lot to Annie, and then you have Brendon in the mix who is just this adorable hopeless romantic trying to convince cynical Annie that romance is not dead. Ugh, this book made me swoon, it made me laugh, it made me cry. Such a beautiful story, I think I’m due for a reread sometime this year.
- Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
I know this is a bit of an unpopular opinion, but for me, Chloe Brown was my favorite of the Brown Sisters. As someone who is mentally Type A (but physically Type B lol), I related to her character a lot. I think I just have a soft spot for ‘slightly grumpy FMC gets swept off her feet’. The romance was charming and deep, I loved this book so much.
- A Little Magic by Lindsey Lanza
The title is very fitting because this book truly felt a little magical and quickly secured its spot as my favorite holiday romance ever. I love a good friends to lovers and this one was just so adorable and the mix of funny and swoony moments with deep and sad ones just really had me so emotionally invested.
- Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun
Speaking of holiday romances, I also adored KHOFM. The whole setup was so much fun, I loved how the FMCs got reacquainted after their one-night-stand in the year before and how they slowly unraveled what had happened. I didn’t love the third act breakup (though let’s be real, it’s rare that I love one lol), but other than that it was such a charming and lovely holiday romance.
- Powerless by Elsie Silver
Much like everyone else, I obviously had to check the Elsie Silver series out and see why everyone is into cowboy romances all of a sudden. While I did enjoy the series overall, my favorite book was the one that was the least ‘yeehaw’. I’m not a hockey romance girlie but I had a great time with this one. Again, I love friends to lovers and this was so well done. I started it right before my breakup and it took me over a month to finish it for that reason, but even in my state of heartbreak and bitterness, this book swept me off my feet.
- One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This was my first TJR book and it remains my favorite (though I am not caught up on her bibliography). I cried my eyes out for pretty much the entirety of the book, it was so heartbreaking and beautiful. The setup was so unique and it was perfectly done, if you’re in the mood to cry, I highly recommend this book.
- Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee
I’m a simple woman: I see a pastel-colored cartoon cover with a corgi, I need the book. I’m not the biggest fan of YA romance but I decided to give this one a go (because of the corgi), and I am so glad I did because this was one of the sweetest books I have ever read. It was just so much queer joy and just two teenage boys falling in love and getting to be happy. It made me so happy and of course, the corgi was partially responsible for that.
- Twisted Lies by Ana Huang
I liked Twisted Love and Twisted Games and DNFed Twisted Hate, so my expectations were Twisted Lies were… medium. But better to be surprised than to be disappointed, and boy, did this one surprise me. I had the absolute best time and devoured it so quickly. I thought I was going to find it too long (I mean let’s be real, romance novels don’t need to be almost 600 pages), but I had such a good time that I didn’t even mind. Also, the epilogue was perfection, I need ever series epilogue to be like this!!
- With You Forever by Chloe Liese
I chose this as my first book in the Bergman Brothers series because it was the one I felt the most drawn to, and it was a very wise decision on my part. Both main characters were amazing, I loved their dynamic, it was so fun and charming and also a bit cathartic. Beautiful book and I’m so excited to continue this series soon.
- There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark
One of the reasons why I was very excited for Butcher & Blackbird was that I had read this duology by Sophie Lark and LOVED it. Now, this is a very different serial killer romance and it’s definitely dark romance, but I ate it up. It’s so fucked up and had me questioning my morals the entire time, but I had such a good time with it. 10/10.
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
I have sadly fallen out of love with Emily Henry after I didn’t like Book Lovers and honestly hated Happy Place (fingers crossed that Funny Story will be more up my alley again), but I loved Beach Read with my whole heart. I usually relate to female characters more, with this being one of the biggest exceptions. I loved Gus’ character so much and he had me crying a couple of times, truly so well written. I really have to start rereading romances.
- You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
Maybe there are other romances that I loved more, but this is one that has really stayed with me. I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if it hadn’t been an Afterlight pick at the time as it seemed very outside my comfort zone, but I ended up reading it within a day. It was a bit of a challenging read and it’s definitely not for everyone, but it just really touched my soul and almost two years later, I still think about it every so often. It’s tragic, it’s messy, but I really loved it.
I have been neglecting romance novels so far this year, but writing this list has really put me in the mood and reminded me of how great this genre is. I can’t wait to see which romance novels I fall in love with this year, but I’ll be sure to update this list over time.