It’s no secret I’m a fan of romance. Who isn’t? Every time the month of February starts, I find myself nearing more and more romantic books, and this year is no different. For me, there’s really no better way to spend Valentine’s Day curled up in bed with someone I love (though he’s currently away for a semester abroad so I’m missing half of my regular tradition this year…) reading my favorite novel. As such, I’ll be spending the day reading We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia—an empowering sapphic book eerily similar to the situation faced by refugees worldwide, particularly the case of the Mexico/U.S. border.
Below, I’ve compiled nine novels that I absolutely adored for your Valentine’s read that span different genres, but all have really sweet romance in them. Enjoy! ✨
Young Adult Books
1) A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
This story takes place a year after 9/11 and as a sixteen-year-old Muslim, Shirin experiences racism and prejudice because of her religion and heritage. There are funny moments, sweet moments, but heartwrenching ones that really highlight the realities faced by minorities in a xenophobic society.
2) Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
It’s Simon Snow’s final year at Watford School of Magics, and his evil roommate-slash-enemy has gone missing. He can’t even enjoy Baz’s disappearance because he’s too busy worrying about him. His girlfriend wants to break up, and his mentor thinks he’s dangerous and wants to send him away—so yeah, things are not really going well. This book is fun-filled fanfiction, and very enjoyable. I can’t wait for Wayward Son.
3) Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee
In a world where everyone has superpowers, Jessica Tran is the outlier. She’s the middle child of a famous superhero couple, her sister is the next big thing and her brother is basically a genius. Jess ends up getting an internship with a really famous tech company but surprisingly ends up working for a villain……..together with her crush, Abby. It’s an adorable superhero book that tackles marginalizations and revolves around a girl discovering her own identity.
4) Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Set in Victorian England, the novel deals with the mystery of the Jack the Ripper murders. Audrey Rose Wadsworth is an intelligent woman who gives no fucks to the men who belittle her skills in forensic science, but she ends up getting tangled in the investigation of the serial murderer together with the overly flirtatious and just-as-intelligent Thomas Cresswell.
5) Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
As an alchemist, Sydney Sage knows her purpose is to protect humans from the knowledge that vampires exist. Her last encounter with them landed her in trouble, and she knows she’s being punished by being assigned to protect Jill Dragomir, the little sister of the Moroi Queen. She’s sent to Palm Springs to pose as her sister together with her guardian Eddie, and there, she meets another Moroi royal who’s also there to protect Jill. They slowly develop a deep friendship, and eventually inspires him to start pursuing his passion for art.
6) The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Henry is ready to set out on a tour of Europe with his sister and his best friend. He has it all planned out—a trip full of drinks, sex, and literally every fun thing you can think of, but his father sends someone to put a stop to all that. Eventually, one of his rash decisions sets him off to an adventurous chase around Europe, but that’s not his only problem: he also has a long time crush on his aforementioned best friend, Percy.
New Adult Books
7) Managed by Kristen Callihan
When Sophie gets her plane seat bumped up to first class, she thinks she’s lucked out. Obviously, it isn’t that simple, and she gets a seat next to a snotty and aloof man who’s also the most attractive being she’s ever seen in her life. She decides to have a little fun picking at her companion, and he realizes that her presence may be the very thing he needs to get through this flight.
8) The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
Working as an assistant to the world famous football player Aiden Graves would be anyone’s dream. Unfortunately, Vanessa has had enough. He relies on her for almost everything—his meals, his schedules, his social media accounts—but he hardly acknowledges her existence and could barely let out a simple “thanks” in return. When Van suddenly decides to quit her job after two years, Aiden gets a huge wake-up call.
9) Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
Hazel knows she can be a lot to take. She’s fun, loud, a little bit crazy and all kinds of amazing. She has a crush on Josh (like everybody else), but he somehow seems to be right there whenever she has her embarrassing moments. And Josh is her complete opposite: calm, cool, and collected. After college, Hazel realizes that her best friend’s brother is Josh—so they’re right back into each other’s lives. Hazel is determined to have him as a best friend too, and he’s in dire need of one as well.
If your favorite didn’t make the list, let me know your recommendations in the comments! I’m always looking for more books to read, especially swoon-worthy ones!
I finished A Very Large Expanse of Sea last month and loved it and yes to Bloodlines by Richelle Mead! I love Adrian Ivashkov and Sydney Sage’s chemistry. The three new adult books you’ve listed are on my tbr. I am excited to read them especially The Wall of Winnepeg and Me. <3 Great recommendations, Kaitlyn!
Yes!!! Ocean/Shirin and Sydney/Adrian are two of my favorite couples ever, especially Sydrian <3 I can't wait for you to read the others. Let me know what you think!! :D :D
YES TO THE FIRST FOUR! I love all of those! Not your sidekick is such a fun read!! I’m sure 5-9 are fun aswell, but I haven’t read those yet :’).
One book, or actually one graphic novel, I absolutely loved is Heartstopper. It’s such a cute and fun read, it features so many important subjects and it’s just heartaching (from cuteness)
Not Your Sidekick is GREAT! Thank you so much for your recommendation! I love reading graphic novels but I haven’t heard of this one yet, so that’s definitely added to the TBR!!
Great post! I totally agree with your recommendations. AVLEOS definetely belongs up there and so does Carry On, that was my first LBGTQ+ book and damn, it was so good. I think I’m going to reread it soon.
Thank you! Glad you liked the first two! I’m really excited for Wayward Son!
Same!!
Some of these I’ve heard of, and some of these I haven’t but sound really cute and fluffy! Happy Valentines Day! 💕
That’s great! Happy Valentine’s Day, Danielle! 😀 Hope you enjoy the holiday!
I haven’t read Bloodlines but I loved other books by Richelle Mead so I might have to give it a chance 🤔Not Your Sidekick sounds SUPER cute
I actually prefer Bloodlines more than VA! And yes, Not Your Sidekick is DEFINITELY worth reading. <3
Unfortunately Stalking Jack the Ripper was not my cup of tea, but I am very very interested in reading A Very Large Expanse of Sea and Bloodlines, also Not Your Sidekick is on my to buy list for March, I’m so excited! Happy Valentine’s!
I prefer the second book to the first. Stalking Jack the Ripper was kind of obvious on the mystery part, but the second book completely won me over <3 Glad I was able to give you some recs! Happy Valentine's to you too :D
A Very Large Expanse of Sea was my first read of 2019 and I really liked it! And I have The Gentleman’s Guide and Carry On on my TBR! Now I’m going to add Christina Lauren’s book too..☺️
Ahhhhh!!! That’s so great to hear. I hope you enjoy them! <3
Yay Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is on your list!! I recently finished it and I really liked everything about it but specially JOSH IM. 100% in love with him.
I really liked Stalking Jack the Ripper + The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue too! Great list :3
JOSH IM YESSSSS!!! I haven’t actually read Gentlemen’s Guide just yet, but I’ve been hearing stellar recommendations from my friends, so I can’t wait to get into the hype. I’m also really excited for Capturing the Devil <3
awwww long distance sucks 😕 I hope your Valentine’s Day was still a decent one, though.
Carry On is such shameless fun; I remember that I had to stop every few pages to keep from squealing or shrieking out loud in public because I just had SO MANY FEELINGS 😂 and I’ve heard so many good things about Not Your Sidekick – I’m hoping to make this the year I finally read it! Gentleman’s Guide (and the sequel!) is also so hilarious and entertaining and relatable. great list! 💕
I really want to get to Not Your Sidekick it looks so good! I agree with Stalking Jack the Ripper I loved it!
Not Your Sidekick! <3 I still need to read that one, though. 🙁 I wasn't a huge fan of Sydrian as a romantic couple in the Bloodlines series, but I DID love their friendship and how she inspires him to go for his passion.