The Romance Books You Should Read This Summer

Summer is the season of romance. The golden lighting, the warm weather, the sense of possibility that anything could happen—it’s the ideal setting to fall in love. Or at least read about it—a lot. And this summer, there are a positive deluge of excellent romance books on the shelves.

Romance has long been the unsung hero of the publishing industry. Though far too many refuse to take it seriously as a genre, its widespread popularity—and steady, hefty sales—speaks for itself. Its authors are wildly prolific and incredibly creative, finding new ways on what feels like a daily basis to explore complex themes of love and connection, all with an inevitable happy ending on top. (That last bit is not a complaint.) This summer, the genre feels particularly wide open, full of stories about best friends turned something more to rivals realizing how much they truly have in common, across settings that include a paleontology dig site, a Wild West-themed amusement park, Tornado Alley, and more. 

Here are some of the best new releases, series continuations, and fun trends making this summer just a little bit steamier.

Buzzy New Summer Releases 

    

Yes, Chef by Grace Reilly

What if The Bear, but a romance? That’s the basic vibe behind the latest from Grace Reilly, author of the Beyond the Play series, and it’s as adorable as you might expect. The story follows a down on his luck chef and a social media influencer determined to prove her worth beyond her follower count as they join forces to resurrect a beloved family restaurant. 

A deliciously (see what I did there) structured grumpy/sunshine romance ensues, featuring believably messy characters, well-plotted emotional arcs for both, and vividly realized restaurant world. (The food all sounds so good!)

The Brave and the Fearless by Dilan Dyer

Cowboy romances are all the rage right now, and Dilan Dyer’s The Brave and the Fearless is an excellent example of why. An age-gap romance between an up-and-coming musician and a retired country music star, Adrianna and Brooks’s story begins as a fake engagement to help him prove his stability during a custody battle, but quickly turns into something deeper and more complicated. 

The Brave and the Fearless thoughtfully deals with everything from raising a neurodivergent child to misogyny within the music industry. While the book’s central age-gap romance will likely cause some readers to balk, Dyer handles that aspect of Adriana and Brooks’s relationship with remarkable care. (There’s very little maturity gap between them; the characters were close before the fake engagement; and they even have a fairly serious—and lengthy—conversation about this issue. It’s hard to ask for a lot more.) The unique Wild West-themed amusement park setting continues to delight, and it’s hard not to swoon over Brooks, who is, basically, the best dad ever.

Fossil Feud by Maggie North

Bestseller Ali Hazelwood may have pushed the idea of the STEMinist romance into the mainstream, but there are so many writers telling excellent smart and steamy stories in this space right now. The latest novel from Rules for Second Chances and The Ripple Effect, the adorably named Fossil Feud is definitely in the running for best title of the summer. (And perhaps its most unique premise too.)  

A delightfully original story involving two rival paleontologists who must join forces to find the truth about a potentially fraudulent fossil discovery, everything about this book is for the Jurassic Park girlies. North’s well-researched romance goes into entertainingly nerdy detail about the specifics and science of paleontology, even as it’s painfully honest about the misogyny that heroine Ripley must face on the regular in her chosen field. Throw some A+ yearning on top, and this is a sure thing.

Wild Goose Chase by Sarah Adler

Another wildly original premise on this list, Sarah Adler’s Wild Goose Chase mixes multiple love stories, ornithology and…taxidermy? Just go with it. 

The story follows Cal, a buttoned-up antiques dealer who winds up with an illegal taxidermied goose courtesy of an ex who found it in her attic. His plans to get rid of it are thrown into chaos when the bird goes missing, and with the help of his business partner’s spunky niece, Annie, he’ll have traipse all over Baltimore in the name of tracking it down. As these two opposites grow closer on the hunt for the missing goose, their story is intertwined with the bird’s origins, and flashbacks to 1908 follow a second (equally charming) romance between an ornithologist and a journalist. Prepare to learn a lot about bird law along the way.

Embrace by Bal Khabra

The fourth and final installment in author Bal Khabra’s Off the Ice series, Embrace finally puts easygoing fan-favorite character Kian Ishida front and center. Even though he already has an NHL contract, Kian still wants to make sure he graduates Dalton University with his degree, one of his deceased father’s last wishes. He enlists Scarlett, his hockey coach’s stepdaughter, to help him turn his struggling academics around in exchange for helping her rehabilitate her playboy reputation. 

A sweet, fast-paced friends-to-lovers romance with a surprising amount of emotional depth ensues, as both Kian and Scarlett open up about their respective pasts and families, including his mother’s dementia and her desire to reconnect with her incarcerated father. 

Familiar Faves and Heavy Hitters

Romance authors are not just some of the most popular figures in publishing today; they’re also incredibly prolific. These are the latest can’t-miss offerings from some of the genre’s more popular names.

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

Even if you’ve never read a Carley Fortune novel, you’ve almost certainly heard of her work. Her 2022 novel Every Summer After has become a big hit (titled Every Year After) for Prime Video, and a second season focused on its sequel, One Golden Summer, has already been greenlit. Plus, her emotionally charged, seasonally themed romances have rapidly become a summer staple in the world of publishing. (See also: Meet Me at the Lake, This Summer Will Be Different)

Her latest, One Perfect Storm, follows the story of childhood best friends Frankie and George who find themselves on a romantic honeymoon trip together after Frankie’s original intended leaves her before the wedding can take place. As the two are forced to evaluate what they really want from their relationship—including that one kiss they don’t talk about—intense angst and longing ensue.

The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston

Most romance authors have a formula. This isn’t a criticism, simply a fact. After all, as the song says, everyone has to have a gimmick. Author Ashley Poston’s appears to be originality. An author who is writing the kind of offbeat, whimsical romances that are like very little else in this genre space at present. From The Dead Romantics (a ghostwriter falls for a literal ghost) to A Novel Love Story (a literature professor stuck in the fictional town from her favorite romance series), her stories feature creative plots, colorful characters, and unexpected twists.

Her latest, The Someday Garden, is a lush, magical realism romance that feels a bit like a more adult version of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. The story follows horticulturist Sophie Drear who is hired to spend a summer revitalizing the storied grounds at the famous Lilymoor House. She’s hoping to use the trip to heal from a devastating recent grief but finds herself falling in love with the estate—including the magical door to a hidden garden and the handsome man who is trapped within it. Poston’s lyrical prose brings the story’s gorgeous setting and well-developed characters to vivid life.

The Final Score by Lana Ferguson

At this point, most of us (read: me) would probably read anything by author Lana Ferguson, who has given us stories featuring everything from feuding divorce lawyers (Overruled) to the Loch Ness Monster (Under Loch and Key). A prolific purveyor of excellent contemporary and paranormal romances, her witty prose and colorful characters are delightful in any reality. Her latest book, The Final Score, is the second installment in her popular series of hockey romances and features a pair of characters readers may remember from the previous book, The Game Changer.

The story follows Ian’s step-sister, Abbey, and Delilah’s brother, Jack, as they’re forced to navigate a forced proximity roommate situation after a leak in her apartment forces her to camp out in his spare room. As Jack struggles with anxiety over a lingering injury and Abby works to process her grief over her mother’s death, their friendship of convenience turns into something more. 

Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian

Star Shipped is the first contemporary romance from Cat Sebastian, the popular author of such modern queer historicals as You Should Be So Lucky and The Queer Principles of Kit Webb. Titled Star Shipped, it’s a delightfully fun (and funny!) story about a pair of feuding costars on a popular science fiction series whose fake friendship for the cameras turns into something much more complicated and real. 

Simon and Charlie have spent the better part of the last decade starring on “Twin Peaks in space” sci-fi drama Out There, and they’ve never really gotten along. In fact, Simon’s ready to leave the show and transition to more serious roles. But in order to try and manage his unruly public image ahead of such a big move, he takes the opportunity to stage a fake friendship with his longtime rival that turns into something more. The wonderful character development is the reason to read this one, as Simon and Charlie navigate the joy and fear that go hand in hand with finally being seen for yourself.

Recent Hits

With so many new romance titles hitting shelves on a weekly basis, it’s understandable if you’re running a little behind when it comes to new releases. Here are some of the best romance books from earlier this year.

Romantic Hero by Kirsty Greenwood

A whimsical meta romance from the author of The Love of My Afterlife, Romantic Hero is the sort of book that initially seems as though it should be silly and insubstantial, and then wallops you over the head with its surprisingly rich emotional depth. The story, which follows a real-life romance writer in the midst of a bad breakup who wakes up one morning to find a very fictional hot cowboy on her sofa, is both laugh-out-loud funny and genuinely meaningful, wrestling with themes of self-worth, grief, and letting go. 

The rare story where it’s just as satisfying to watch our heroine Gertie learn to stand up for herself as it is to see her catch feelings for the suddenly materialized River—who also happens to be the villain from her unfinished manuscript—and the banter between the pair is top-notch.

And Now Back to You by B.K. Borison

A companion novel to B.K. Borison’s excellent radio show romance, First Time Caller, this second installment in the Heartstrings universe, tells the story of Jackson Clark, best friend of Aiden Valentine and generally adorable station weatherman and traffic reporter. Where the first novel in this series was something of a riff on Sleepless in Seattle, And Now Back to You pays homage to another of Borison’s favorite rom-coms, When Harry Met Sally. (Per the author herself, Jackson is very “Sally-coded”.) 

Sparks fly when Jackson is forced to co-report on a massive snowstorm with local TV meteorologist Delilah Stewart, his polar opposite in temperament and personality, with whom he has a longstanding rivalry. But while trapped together in a snowbound mountain lodge, the pair realizes that they have more in common than they ever previously thought. Borison’s gift for flirty banter and opposites-attract charm remains undefeated. 

Get Over It, April Evans by Ashley Herring Blake

Ashley Herring Blake is known for her array of charming Sapphic romances, including Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, Make the Season Bright, and Dream On, Ramona Riley. Get Over It, April Evans is the second installment in her Clover Lake series and features a charming black cat/golden retriever-style romance between two cabin mates at a New England summer art retreat who turn out to have an ex in common.

Titular heroine April Evans has been going through it. Since getting dumped by her fiancé, Elena, for a younger woman three years ago, she’s been forced to close her failing tattoo parlor and rent out her home to pay the mortgage she can no longer afford. To make ends meet—and to get free housing—she takes a gig at a fancy resort in New Hampshire. But when she arrives, she discovers her new roommate is none other than Daphne Love, Elena’s other woman. Of course, the two grow closer in spite of their shared past, and sparks fly as they teach together and learn to trust each other. Beautifully realized characters and some welcome cameos from characters elsewhere in this series. 

Into the Blue by Emma Brodie

A Reese’s Book Club pick from earlier this spring, Into the Blue is the sort of popular word-of-mouth title that will probably still be moving copies come Christmas. A rom-com that comes with a hefty side of angst before it gets to its happy ending, the story follows an aspiring comedy writer and the broody heir to an acting dynasty who fall in love during an improv camp in the summer of 2000.  The pair spend the next decade doing a serious amount of poignant yearning as seemingly insurmountable challenges mount up around them, and fate repeatedly throws them back together again and pushes them apart. 

A deeply character-driven story that is emotionally devastating and uplifting in equal measure. 

Fun Trends: Weather Romances, Dark Dystopias, and Cozy Sweetness

Much of the fun of the romance genre is in finding out just how many ways its authors can find to tell what is largely the same story in delightful new ways. From weather romances to autumnal cottagecore, these are some solid choices from popular new trends.

Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances

Call it the Twisters effect. In the wake of the release date of the 2024 sequel, which infamously did not include an end-of-movie smooch between its obviously destined-for-each-other protagonists, several romance authors—quite rightly!—decided that this was the sort of cosmic wrong that could only be corrected via multiple books that somehow involved this premise. (We’re not mad about it, is what I’m saying.) 

Heather Frances’s debut novel Chase Me If You Can follows the story of a wedding photographer who spends six weeks of the year chasing storms looking for the perfect shot. Determined to win a prestigious contest—and finally be taken seriously by her male peers—Sloane’s dreams are complicated by the constant presence of “Wild Wes” Talbot, a talented trust fund baby who has been a thorn in her side for a decade and who can spend his summers storm chasing in a way she can’t afford. But when they’re forced to share a vehicle during the height of the season, there’s more crackling around them than just lightning and wind. Lots of entertaining banter and a thrilling, frequently chaotic setting help this love story stand out from the pack. 

Important note: Chase Me If You Can isn’t the only storm-chasers-focused romance hitting shelves this summer. Keep an eye out for Chelsea Curto’s In Stormy Weather. 

 

Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe

Thanks in large part to the mega-success of Dani Francis’s Silver Elite series, dystopian romance is back on the publishing menu like it’s the late 2000s all over again. (There’s even a new Hunger Games movie coming out. Everything old really is new again.) Daggermouth isn’t reinventing the wheel in this genre space. Still, it is a wildly immersive, surprisingly dark ride that involves a genuine enemies-to-lovers central relationship, a forced marriage, serious generational trauma on both sides, and furious social and political commentary.Set in a city called New Found Haven, where the haves and have-nots are literally forced to live in specific rings according to their stations, hierarchy is everything. Ruled by a masked elite who never reveal their true faces, their rules are enforced by extreme prejudice, and surveillance is constant. Mercenary Shadera Kael is determined to assassinate Greyson Serel, the regime’s golden boy, the president’s son, and The Heart’s primary executioner. But when her quest fails, she’s forced into a nightmare: Captivity among her most hated enemies and a forced betrothal to the man she tried to kill. 

Daggermouth is not always subtle in either its themes or its character choices. But as the story progresses and the shocking twists pile up—particularly in the story’s back half—it’s extremely difficult to put down. Mind the trigger warnings, however, as this story features a great deal of violence and multiple instances of sexual assault.

Keeping Score by Brittany Kelley

Sports romances are everywhere right now. In fact, several of them are mentioned earlier on this list! But, as it is World Cup season, it seems right and proper to specifically shout out the rise of sports romances—which got an enormous bump recently from the success of TV series like Heated Rivalry and Off Campus—using the latest upcoming novel from Relationship Goals author Brittany Kelley. 

Soccer romance Keeping Score follows the love story between a professional team’s director of operations whose dreams of playing herself ended with an injury and the charmingly goofy L.A. Aces goalie who has wanted something more than friendship with her seemingly forever. Peak golden retriever meets black cat energy and a story that’s more sweetness than spice makes for a lighthearted summer escape.

The Matchmaker’s Cottage by Kat Sloane

When everything in the real world seems like garbage—and at the moment pretty much everything in the real world is garbage—it’s time to break out the heavy hitters: Cozy romances. Essentially a Hallmark Christmas movie that’s good for any time of year, these sorts of books are all about comfort: Familiar tropes, glorious settings, peak atmosphere and vibes. The Matchmaker’s Cottage’s Fall aesthetic will have you yearning for a pumpkin spice latte in the midst of the summer heat. 

The story follows Julia, who runs an Instagram-perfect bed and breakfast in upstate New York that’s struggling a bit financially. So when her former childhood sweetheart Ethan, now a PR pro to the stars, unexpectedly asks to use her B&B as part of an elaborate matchmaking scheme to convince his celebrity clients to fall in love. But as Julia and Ethan’s connection rekindles, they’re forced to face the mistakes they tried to bury.  The result is a delightfully warm and charming second chance romance between a perfectly cast grumpy/sunshine pair that proves sometimes you really can go home again.