Good news for those who enjoy getting swept up in a swoon-worthy love story: Romance remains one of the fastest-growing (and most lucrative) book genres, giving authors plenty of room to churn out love stories of all shapes and sizes. Modern romantic fiction has also taken on its own form, as it's no longer confined to the standard boy-meets-girl pattern or dominated by Fabio-laden paperbacks of the regency variety. It features romantic leads that look and act more like the readers themselves.
That’s especially true of this year’s batch of new additions to the genre, which have been some of the most highly-anticipated books of the year. The best romance books that 2024 has to offer so far feature protagonists of all races, genders, and sexual orientations and cross into so many other genres—while still playing into all of our favorite classic romance and rom-com tropes, from friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers to love triangles to fake-relationships and forbidden-love and beyond. Here, find 25 of the best romance novels published so far in 2024 that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you giggling and kicking your feet.
Ali Hazelwood has made a name for herself writing steamy books that typically revolve around smart people working in a science lab of sorts. But she switched things up this year with Bride, a paranormal romance following the marriage of convenience between Misery, the daughter of a powerful Vampyre leader, and Lowe, the alpha of a werewolf pack. If you’d rather stick with Hazelwood’s usual style, the prolific writer put out yet another book this year, Not in Love, that returns to the science lab.
The Venn diagram of Swifties and romance lovers is probably very close to a circle, and Alban’s books are very much for those situated firmly inside that circle. Both of her books have been named after Taylor Swift lyrics and the latest one also pulls in elements of Parent Trap and Bridgerton: It’s set in the mid-1800s and follows two debutantes who decide to matchmake their single parents rather than seek out husbands of their own and, oops, end up falling in love with each other along the way.
L.L. McKinney’s latest reimagines the classic Jane Eyre as a queer YA romance, in which both Jane and Bertha Mason are desperate to escape the controlling, vindictive Mr. Rochester. They’ll have to team up to do so and just might find even more than freedom in their newfound connection.
Tessa Bailey is a go-to for smart, sexy, and fun romances, and luckily for us, 2024 marked the start of her latest series, Big Shots. This first entry follows increasingly washed-up golf star Wells Whitaker and his one remaining superfan, Josephine Doyle, who jumps at the chance to work as Wells’ caddy—a gig that comes with plenty of up-close-and-personal time with her celebrity crush.
This cozy novel puts a new spin on the fake-dating trope: Alison shows up at her ex-boyfriend’s funeral only to find that nobody else seems to be aware of the “ex” part of the equation, so she decides to stay in the role of grieving girlfriend for his family’s sake. That includes helping pack up her ex’s apartment with his best friend—who turns out to be the grumpy to her sunshine, setting up plenty of tense exchanges and very real sexual tension.
Another romantasy option that’s heavy on romance, this YA novel combines a fantasy world with the classic Regency setting, following magical dressmaker Niamh as she starts to fall for Kit, the groom in an upcoming royal wedding. Bonus for lovers of all things Regency era: Their blossoming connection is made public by a very Bridgerton-esque anonymous gossip columnist.
Emily Henry’s latest only further cements her status as the current queen of the rom-com genre. It’s got both “opposites attract” and “fake-dating” elements, as buttoned-up Daphne starts a new life after being dumped by her fiancé for his childhood best friend—complete with a new town, new job, and new roommate, who just so happens to be said childhood best friend’s ex. Things definitely won’t get complicated at all!
This rom-com starts with a truly unique premise, as we meet Sophie and Max, both cynical about love, who hire themselves out to object to weddings at the allotted time in the ceremony. Surprise, surprise: As they go around breaking up other people’s relationships, they start to form one of their own.
Grant and Helen have a complicated, traumatic past (that we won’t spoil here) and have spent over a decade avoiding each other. That all changes when the two writers work together on the same show, and they start to remember what drew them together all those years ago, even as their shared history threatens to keep them apart.
This one’s like Good Luck Chuck with a twist: Anyone who dates either Justin or Emma immediately finds their soulmate after the breakup. The two develop a plan to date each other and then call things off to break their respective curses—totally foolproof, as long as they don’t fall in love first.
Another multi-genre mash-up, Fraimow’s debut novel is a thrilling sci-fi tale set in outer space. Our protagonist Ruth, a small-time scammer disguised as the titular debutante, travels to the home satellite of the ex who recently ghosted her, with a plan to break his heart right back and steal some of his fortune. However, before she gets revenge, she finds her heart stolen by his older sister, who might be Ruth’s perfect match.
Is the possibility of true love worth potentially ruining a friendship? That’s the question plaguing best friends Cyn and Jucee in this queer romance, as they suddenly start seeing one another in a very different light and are forced to decide if they’re truly ready to make the leap from friends to something more.
In Greenwood’s hilarious rom-com, it’s only after she dies that Delphie meets the man of her dreams—only to see him snatched back into the world of the living before they can get to know each other. She’s offered the chance to follow him back to Earth, but there’s just one catch: She only has 10 days to track him down in a city of millions.
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde tells the sweeping love story of Ricki and Ezra, both of whom fled to Harlem to escape their stifling past lives—albeit, thanks to a sprinkle of magical realism, 100 years apart. For so many reasons that we won’t spoil here, the odds are stacked against these two, but you won’t be able to resist rooting for them to make it through despite it all.
The latest in McAlister’s reality TV-themed Marry Me, Juliet series, this novel focuses on the Bachelor franchise-inspired series’ showrunner, Murray. The season soon falls into chaos as its onscreen villain, Lily, has eyes only for Murray. That’s further complicated since Lily and Murray share a very tumultuous past that promises to make things even messier than they already are.
This genre-bending book combines romance, comedy, fantasy, and historical fiction in one perfect enemies-to-lovers tale, centered around a pair of rival bird experts who must reluctantly team up against some “fowl play” in the field. Plus, it’s the first in a new series of historical-fantasy romances from Holton—so you’ll have even more to look forward to after you’ve flown through Beth and Devon’s story.
Red, White and Royal Blue author McQuiston has built a reputation for writing smart, hilarious, and downright swoon-worthy queer romances, and their latest is no exception. The Pairing follows two exes who coincidentally end up on the same European tour and embark on a hookup competition to prove how over each other they are. (Insert the "sure, Jan” GIF here!)
Another twisty take on the “marriage of convenience” trope, this one sees college friends Anna and West, a free-spirited artist and serious professor, respectively, faking a years-long, loving marriage. It's all so West can claim his hefty inheritance—as long as it doesn’t ruin everything between them first.
Whatever happened to the “it” couple from your high school? In this novel, Violet and Xavier don’t stay together after graduation, but when they run into each other in Las Vegas as adults, sparks fly, and one thing leads to another—and then they wake up the next morning with wedding rings on. Things quickly go from one-night-stand to marriage-of-convenience vibes once they realize the pairing can help both their careers, and it’s of course only a matter of time before they’re all-in on the rekindled relationship.
It may come as a shock to learn that this is KT Hoffman’s debut novel since it captures all the perfectly frustrating magic of a great enemies-to-lovers romance. The one of two queer baseball-themed romances on this list, it tells the story of Gene, the first openly trans professional baseball player, and his longtime rival Luis, as the pair are suddenly forced into very close proximity after Luis is traded to Gene’s minor league team.
In a very meta take on the genre, this rom-com is about a pair of rom-com writers. Emma is an aspiring screenwriter who worships the genre and gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to work with her rom-com writing hero, Charlie, only to discover he’s very different from what she expected. Cue an intertwined story of the pair literally writing a new rom-com while metaphorically writing their own tangly love story in the process.
This book has everything a rom-com lover could ever want: an opposites-attract romance, a fake-dating setup, meddling families threatening to tear them apart, and so much more. It follows Naomi and Dev, who enter into a fake romance to sabotage his mother’s matchmaking plans—which, shocker, becomes less fake the more time they spend together.
Lily Chu’s latest will surely speak to anyone whose morning routine includes time to work through a handful of word games (guilty!). That’s protagonist Dee, and she’s even forged a rivalry with a fellow player, who just so happens to be a ridiculously attractive guy she’s soon forced to work alongside in a tricky workplace situation.
The title of this novel is no joke: It’s the story of cancer researcher Zoey, who ends up on aspiring hermit Davy’s island estate for a week. They spend that time learning to rely on each other to survive the island’s wilderness—and might end up throwing out their long-held plans for their lives in the process.
Cat Sebastian is responsible for writing some of the best queer historical romances in recent memory, and her latest is yet another home run (pun very much intended). The must-read LGBTQ+ book follows baseball star Eddie and journalist Mark, who’s assigned against his will to profile Eddie throughout a particularly frustrating baseball season. On top of their initial shared dissatisfaction with the setup, any possibility of romance is further stifled by the fact that the story is set in the 1960s, making it even more difficult for the pair to be openly in love, even as sparks begin to fly between them.
