Forget the flowers, chocolates, perfumes, and jewellery, I want books for Valentine's Day. And, as it turns out, I'm not alone. In Spain, it's traditional to gift books on 14th February. It's charming, it's wholesome, and it's carved a welcome position in my traditions already.
Valentine's Day is a great excuse to buy loved ones - be it a partner, a best friend, or a special lady in your life - a gift. I know, lots of people lament the commercialisation of love, but if you're not spending £100 on roses and, instead, you're taking the day as an opportunity to share one of your favourite reads with someone special, that can't be a bad thing, can it?
I've asked industry experts for the books that they would share with their loved one on Valentine's and their recommendations will have your TBR stack of books piled up by your bed. From classic romance, the best audiobooks of 2026, literary classics, historical books, and love letters to mother earth, these are the books that people recommend for Valentine's Day. I've already got a basket full on Amazon.
The books we'll be gifting this Valentine's Day
I'll jump straight in with my recommendation. Nothing says love like poetry, especially to me. This collection of poems is an easy read, with classic, lyrical little ditties, but look a little closer and there's profound, creative thoughts on love, life, and relationships. My favourite is the poem is the book's namesake. I have printed it and framed it in my home.
Described by Ella Mills (founder of Deliciously Ella) as a "literary rom com", this is a popular pick inside the woman&home team too. "I knew I would always write a book about you," begins our narrator as she reflects on two key figures at a transformative time in her life. Our Books Editor, Zoe, describes it as "a tender, life-affirming story that lingers long after the final page."
Publicity Director at Simon & Schuster, Sabah Khan, says 'I am such a romantic at heart, but as a single person this time of year can often feel a little rough. Instead of suggesting a wonderful rom com, of which there are so many, I think it's important to to think about self-love and my favourite book in the world is Tiny, Beautiful, Things by Cheryl Strayed. It's a collection of advice columns from her time being an agony aunt and it's an eclectic range, but I always find what I'm looking for when I turn to her.'
Reading the foreword of this, you'll find out that this is Dolly Alderton's go-to gift. Like Untamed, it's packed with wisdom on life through the lens of a wise and witty woman. I gave it to my mum who laughed herself off the sofa when reading it, but also needed a new pack of tissues to dab away at tears. It's a book you'll carry with you forever.
I was given this book by one of my best friends. For context, she studied English at Oxford, runs her own business, and is one of the smartest, most thoughtful women I know. She's gifted this to lots of ladies in her life and you'll know why as soon as you turn the pages. Part memoir, part inspiration, at its very core, Untamed asks "who were you before the world told you who to be?"
Bee Wilson is a food writer, so it's no surprise that this book examines all the paraphernalia we collect in our kitchens. What is a surprise is how these can quickly turn from being say, a heart-shaped tin, into a musing on the breakdown of marriage, love, and commitment. Each item, selected by family and foodie friends, blends memoir and anthropological investigation with powerful poeticism.
Whilst I am, first and foremost, in the woman&home book club, I do also follow what celebrities read, especially Fearne Cotton's Happy Place Book Club. Her pick for February is this honest, vulnerable account of rediscovering joy through a "quiet rebellion" against modern life. Fearne describes it as "a book of self-love in a month where love is at the forefront."
This is a book about love in its most powerful, old-fashioned, and yet unorthodox forms. Henry, a librarian, finds himself pulled through time into his past and future, whilst Claire waits all her life for Henry to appear (and disappear). The recommendation comes from Sharon Sweeny, our Group Features Director, who described it as "wistfully romantic."
This is Zoe, our Books Editor's, book of the month. She describes it as "A haunting, beautifully told story follows a talented artist who has fled a painful past in America to build a new life in Ireland. Living with her gentle husband and two daughters, she harbours secrets that only her evocative paintings begin to reveal. It's immersive and memorable"
Claudia Press Officer at Bedford Square Publishers has sharp, impeccable taste in books. When I asked for her recommendation, she said, "in my opinion books are much better than flowers. They last forever and give you a glimpse into your Valentine's mind. I've just finished, and was floored by, Colm Toibin's Heather Blazing. It's not exactly a love story, but a beautiful ode to the ordinariness of life."
I gave Claudia a second recommendation here, because she really is that brilliant with her recommendations. "If your valentine likes something a bit different," she says "I'd recommend this book, Cleaner, by Jess Shannon. It's dizzyingly brilliant and unlike anything I've read before, all in one paragraph. You can't put it down and you won't want to."
Bunny, the prequel to this viral book, fast became a cult classic with its dark, delirious story of Samantha Heather Mackey, a lonely outsider student who is seduced by rich girls (bunnies) into a smutty, surreal world. In this sequel, Sam has published her first novel and her one-time frenemies show up to cause chaos, whilst the Bunnies give their side of the story.
As part of celebrating her 250th anniversary, Penguin Random House has re-vamped four Jane Austen audiobooks. If you know someone who loves regency dramas, loves Bridgerton (Luke Thompson, Benedict Bridgeton, narrates some of these), and loves listening to their literature, gift them this audiobook for their commute.
Sharon, our Group Features Director, got to squeeze two recommendations in, because she is always so brilliant with her reads. She recommends, Is a River Alive? as a love letter to planet earth and its vital waterways.
You may have spotted this as People We Meet On Vacation on Netflix. If you haven't yet, hold off watching it, and enjoy this romcom in its audiobook form. It's a light-hearted, friends-to-lovers romance and you will undoubtedly fly through it.
Roses wilt, chocolates disappear, and perfume eventually runs dry, but a great book? That stays on the shelf (and in the heart) for years. This Valentine’s Day, I’m happily borrowing a page from Spain’s playbook and choosing stories over stereotypes. Whether it sparks conversation, shared reading time, or simply a quiet moment of escape, a thoughtfully chosen book is a love letter in its own right, and one I’ll be gifting again and again. And, if you want more regular recommendations, you can sign up to our monthly woman&home book club newsletters.
