58 Best Romance Novels of All Time

Calla hasn't seen her father since she was a toddler, but when he reaches out to tell her he's dying, she leaves her city life in Toronto to head back to the rural Alaskan town she was born in. While she's having trouble adjusting to the rough wilderness, she gets some help from Jonah, the quiet but handsome pilot who's been keeping her father's charter plane business running.

Yasmen and Josiah's marriage fell apart, unable to solve their problems with love alone. Now, they're doing their best to co-parent and still run a business together, but there's a heated magnetism that keeps pulling them back together. They have to decide whether they're really willing to let each other go.

Evelyn Hugo, the glamorous old Hollywood starlet, is famous not only for her career, but also for her seven husbands. She's finally ready to tell her story and picks Monique, a relatively unknown magazine writer, to do the job. As the story unfolds, she lets Monique in on her climb to stardom, the friendships she made along the way, and—most importantly—her great forbidden love.

Ok, look, I know it's old and maybe you even had to read it in high school English class, but Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy literally invested the "I hate you, wait no, I love you" dynamic that we're all obsessed with today. Their banter is top-tier and their yearning is unmatched, and you'll be thinking about it for days after you're done reading.

This is THE Bridgerton book that started it all. When Daphne and Simon get into a fake courtship to get meddling society mothers off their backs, things get real spicy real fast—like maybe even spicier than the show, just FYI. And if you want to know what happens with the rest of the Bridgerton children's love lives, you can keep reading the rest of the series.

It Ends With Us might get all the attention, but Colleen Hoover's first-ever book is also incredible (and yes, also makes you suffer before getting a satisfying ending). When 18-year-old Layken's dad dies unexpectedly, she becomes the rock for her mom and little brother, having to stay strong even though she's starting to crumble inside. She starts to find some hope thanks to her gorgeous new neighbor, 21-year-old Will, but when a shocking revelation comes to light, they get pushed further and further apart.

If you've already watched (and re-watched) Heated Rivalry, then may I introduce you to the book series that started it all. Game Changer is the first of six books (with a seventh on the way later this year). Scott Hunter is a pro hockey star who's been in a bit of a slump, but when a delicious smoothie (and Kip, the hot barista who made it) seems to turn things around, he can't wait to get to know Kip more. As their relationship grows, Scott struggles with what it'll mean to introduce the world to his boyfriend, and Kip contemplates how long he's willing to be kept a secret.

This book is like a cozy, warm hug that you want to stay in forever. Set in the '90s in a picturesque Vermont town, newly divorced Michelle has come back to town to temporarily run her mom's bed and breakfast. There's plenty to keep her busy trying to keep up with the b&b, but her mind can't help but wander to the hot single dad who lives next door.

So your literal childhood hero becomes your new soccer coach—sounds pretty great, right? Well, turns out he's actually a total grump and you kinda can't stand him... for now. This one is a slowww burn, but oh so worth it.

Emily Henry is the master of rom-com books and Funny Story is no different. It answers the age-old question: what should you do when your fiancé dumps you for his childhood best friend? Turns out the solution is to start fake dating that girl's ex-boyfriend to make them jealous, except, oops, now the feelings are real.

If you want a Regency-era story centered around a kinda chaotic young woman who is somehow convinced she's an amazing matchmaker, then Emma needs to be your next read. Emma meddles around in everyone else's business, completely blind to her own feelings and what's right in front of her face, namely the dashing Mr. Knightley.

Boy meets girl. Boy travels back in time to visit girl throughout her childhood. Boy and girl’s love story becomes the subject of a massive best-seller that highlights how far you’ll go to protect unconditional love.

Set in the summer of 1997, Writers & Lovers follows an aspiring novelist to Boston following her mom's unexpected death, where she waits tables in Harvard Square, tries desperately to finish her novel, and falls for two very different men at the same time.

Danielle Steel is an absolute legend in the romance novel game, and Heartbeat may just be her very best work. In it, a daytime TV producer has a chance encounter with a former TV production assistant in the grocery store. Sparks fly, but there's a smol issue: the production assistant is pregnant with another man's baby.

After Katie’s fiancé Paul dumps her out of nowhere, she agrees to hang out with Cassidy—and soon, she’s questioning everything she thought she knew about love, sex, and herself. It’s a tender tale about finding yourself and trusting your unexpected impulses.

When a wedding photographer turns down her boyfriend's proposal and finds herself suddenly single, she ends up moving in with a total stranger...and as it turns out, that stranger may be just the person she needs in her life.

Love is a lot of things, but simple isn’t one of them. After meeting in college, Lucy and Gabe’s romance spans 13 years. If you physically have to watch When Harry Met Sally whenever it’s on, you’ll be intoxicated by their story.

This novel is not only beautifully written, but it’s also a perfect combo of eroticism, romance, and love’s philosophical nature. It follows a genderless narrator who begins an affair with a married woman and soon spirals into intense feelings of passion and loss.