Romance

On the Romance shelf you will find love stories that range from the slow burn of a Regency courtship to the headlong pull of a fantasy romance, and Julia Quinn's Romancing Mister Bridgerton shows how much tension two people can generate while simply trading barbs in a drawing room. Sarah J. Maas takes that same charged attraction and drops it into a world of assassins and fae courts in Queen of Shadows, where the romance has to survive politics, violence and magic before it can go anywhere.

Where to start with contemporary romance

Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue puts a First Son and a British prince in a secret relationship that starts as damage control and turns into something neither can walk away from; it is the book for readers who want politics, banter and a slow burn that earns its ending. Colleen Hoover's Ugly Love drops you into a present-day arrangement between a pilot and a nursing student, then alternates with a past timeline that explains why he sets the rules he does, which makes it heavier and more guarded than McQuiston's. Jenny Han's P.S. I Still Love You continues Lara Jean's story after the events of the first book, and it asks you to care about a girl deciding between two boys who are both kind, which is a quieter tension than Hoover's. Alice Oseman's Heartstopper follows Nick and Charlie from friendship into first love across a graphic novel format, and its pace is gentle and visual in a way the prose novels here are not.

Romance for younger readers

Kiera Cass's The Selection places a girl in a competition to marry a prince, and the appeal is watching her decide whether she wants the crown or the person wearing it. Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places pairs two teenagers who meet on a bell tower and form a bond that is more about survival than courtship, which makes it a harder read than Cass's. John Green's The Fault in Our Stars gives you two cancer patients who fall in love while knowing how the story likely ends, and it is for readers who want the romance to sit inside grief rather than beside it. Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey is poetry rather than a novel, and it moves through hurt, love and healing in short pieces, so it suits someone who wants the feeling without the plot.

Steamier and more adult romance

Ana Huang's King of Wrath opens with a forced engagement between a billionaire and the woman he is supposed to marry for business, and the pleasure is in watching two people who dislike each other negotiate the terms. Colleen Hoover's November 9 has a writer and an actress meet on the same date every year, and the structure keeps them apart long enough for each meeting to carry weight. André Aciman's Call Me by Your Name spends a summer in Italy with a teenager and a visiting scholar, and its attention is on desire as something observed and remembered rather than resolved. Milan Kundera's The unbearable lightness of being uses love and sex to think about politics and freedom in Prague, so it asks more of you than the others in this section and gives back a different kind of satisfaction.

What is a good romance novel to start with?

Start with Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue if you want a contemporary story with humor and a public-facing relationship. If you prefer something quieter, Jenny Han's P.S. I Still Love You gives you a heroine deciding between two boys without a political backdrop.

What is the difference between young adult and adult romance?

Young adult romance, like Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places, centers on teenagers and usually keeps sex off the page. Adult romance, like Ana Huang's King of Wrath, puts adult characters in adult situations and often includes explicit scenes.

Which romance authors write in verse or graphic format?

Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey is poetry, with short pieces that move through pain and love. Alice Oseman's Heartstopper is a graphic novel, so the story unfolds in panels and dialogue rather than long paragraphs.

How much of a commitment is The Selection series?

Kiera Cass's The Selection is the first book in a series, so if you like the premise of a competition to marry a prince you will need to continue for the full arc. It is a lighter commitment than a long-running series because the first book stands on its own reasonably well.

What should a newcomer expect from Colleen Hoover?

Hoover's Ugly Love and November 9 both use alternating timelines and emotional distance between the leads. Ugly Love is about a no-strings arrangement that gets complicated, while November 9 is about two people who meet once a year, so the structure differs but the tension is similar.