25 Romance Novels for People Who Don’t Like Romance Novels

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

This is wherever I ever commencement retired with non-romance readers. Some mightiness accidental this isn’t technically a Capital-R Romance due to the fact that the main quality doesn’t conscionable her last emotion involvement until astir halfway done the book, but everything astir it screams romance. The main character, Feyi, is dealing with an extended play of grief aft the nonaccomplishment of a spouse and is managing it the lone mode she can: tons of intersexual partners and nary affectional attachment. When a “friend” (her word, not his) invites her to the islands for an extended visit, it’s determination she meets a antheral she can’t halt reasoning about. Do you similar mess? This is the messiness for you, written successful Emezi’s enrapturing penning style.

Thank you for signing up! Keep an oculus connected your inbox.

By signing up you hold to our terms of use

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Emily Henry is astir apt 1 of those authors whose books you’ve seen successful Target and airports, oregon connected tables astatine the beforehand of Barnes & Noble. Her archetypal big romance, Beach Read, was a runaway hit, drafting successful readers of each types. But successful my opinion, this is her champion work. Starring 2 New York Book People who find themselves successful the aforesaid tiny town, Book Lovers is a emotion missive to books, writing, bookstores, readers, and, well, publication lovers. (Also, if you similar audiobooks, Julia Whelan’s narration is apical notch.)

Unwritten Rules by KD Casey 

If your grievance astir sports romance is the information that the writer knows thing astir sports, fto maine present you to KD Casey, whose cognition of the crippled is lovingly scripted into each catcher’s mitt and easter ovum successful this book, and each the rest. I person referred to this publication arsenic “the baseballiest of each shot books” and I basal by that statement. It besides features a main quality who is dealing successful solitude with unspeakable anxiety, and overmuch of the communicative has arsenic overmuch to bash with however helium works done that arsenic however helium finds his mode backmost to the romanticist narration astatine its center. 

Thirsty by Mia Hopkins

Some radical are enactment disconnected by modern romance due to the fact that each different idiosyncratic is simply a billionaire and cipher is dealing with existent real-life crises. Well, Thirsty is the solution. Both of the main characters — 1 of whom is doing comparatively good for herself but not good enough, the different of whom has lone precocious gotten retired of situation and has utmost fiscal anxiousness — consciousness similar existent radical dealing with existent things, but that doesn’t mean they don’t person clip to autumn successful love. And the different 2 books successful this series, Trashed and Tanked, don’t clasp backmost from exploring however mean radical with utmost setbacks mightiness beryllium capable to travel retired connected the different side. 

The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

Some radical don’t privation to work romance due to the fact that they don’t privation to beryllium amazed by sex. There are a batch of choices a scholar tin marque to guarantee they’re speechmaking closed doorway oregon non-explicit romance, and 1 of those is to prime up a romance centering a quality who is asexual. (Bear successful mind, an asexual quality doesn’t ever mean the publication has nary sex, but successful this case, it does.) Joy is caput implicit heels successful emotion with her BFF, but can’t bring herself to admit it. When helium invites her retired to a water location for a agelong weekend, she thinks it’s yet clip — until helium reveals that it’s to conscionable the caller pistillate he’s dating, and to support her friend busy. Cue shenanigans. 

Love Flushed by Evie Mitchell

In summation to everyone being a billionaire, it seems similar everyone is successful the utmost authorities of cleanable health. So however astir a romance successful which the main quality starts her ain toilet insubstantial institution due to the fact that the worldly that was retired determination conscionable wasn’t moving for her issues with a chronic digestive illness. (The writer has Crohn’s, but I don’t retrieve a circumstantial unwellness being named successful the book.) The information that she has to spell into concern with her ex-boyfriend and they person to each woody with that fallout is conscionable a bonus. 

Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan 

An audiobook narrator who wrote a romance caller astir audiobook narrators and narrates it? You privation this.

Take The Lead by Alexis Daria (February 13)

I work the archetypal variation of this publication respective years agone and to this time my reappraisal is simply: “I’m crying. Why americium I crying?” There are immoderate books I mightiness effort to reel you successful with topics and hooks and “not similar different girls books” but this one? It’s conscionable that spectacularly written. It doesn’t substance that it’s trope-filled goodness, the cleanable world amusement communicative for immoderate romance scholar to love. It’s just…that good.

I’ll Come Back For You by Charish Reid

The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller

Speaking of ghosts. This Victorian-era humanities romance besides includes a haunting, and determination are decidedly immoderate frightening moments. But alongside the parts you definitely want to work with the lights on, you get to acquisition the dilatory romance of Alva, the titular widow, and Sebastian, the lovable genius who wants to conscionable her ghost. 

The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan

One happening that sets this romance speech from truthful galore others is the magnitude of clip each of the characters gets by themselves. There are a batch of romances successful which the characters walk a batch of clip successful each other’s pockets; they conscionable and can’t halt being astir each other, oregon are trapped unneurotic for immoderate reason. What astir the opposite of forced proximity? (Forced distance? Maybe.) The different happening that sets this publication isolated is that it is simply a humanities romance acceptable successful China, featuring a Chinese pistillate who has been adopted by a British Emigre, and a Black American sailor-scientist trying to found a telegraph line.

Wolfsong by TJ Klune

This is 1 of the top books ever written, and I mean to basal by that. Not romance. Book. It spans a ample fig of years, starting retired with Ox, the narrator, gathering Jack erstwhile they’re some precise young. You privation a dilatory burn? Watch these 2 kids turn into themselves, surviving for themselves and each other, until they tin admit their roles arsenic soulmates arsenic adults. I don’t adjacent cognize if I’m describing it well, but you conscionable person to work it. 

An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole

Intrigue? Drama? Danger? History? You get each of those with the books successful The Loyal League. In the archetypal one, Elle Burns (inspired by Mary Bowser, a existent beingness spy for the Union), indispensable spouse with a Pinkerton detective to infiltrate a Confederate household. They don’t get along. So that’s fun. This trilogy gets amended and amended with each book, truthful decidedly cheque retired A Hope Divided (my favourite of the three) and An Unconditional Freedom. 

The Tenant by Katrina Jackson

I know, statistically, determination aren’t arsenic galore haunted romances arsenic determination look to beryllium successful my list, but this 1 successful peculiar stands retired for maine — successful portion due to the fact that Katrina Jackson is 1 of my favourite authors and she enactment her ft into this story; successful portion due to the fact that the idiosyncratic doing the haunting is besides a protagonist. I’m not going to archer you however that works; you conscionable person to cheque it out.

Syncopation by Anna Zabo

There are radical who deliberation a romance caller featuring an aromantic protagonist is an oxymoron, but Anna Zabo shows however imaginable it is. Zavier doesn’t acquisition romanticist emotion similar different people, but helium tin inactive attraction astir radical and person palmy relationships. Zabo is the benignant of writer who volition marque you attraction astir thing they enactment to paper, including drumming. 

Damaged Goods by Talia Hibbert

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

This publication is astir love. Love of self, emotion of family, emotion for a partner, emotion of your work. Anna loves her music, but it doesn’t emotion her. She loves her boyfriend, but helium wants to instrumentality clip apart. She loves her family, and falls profoundly into the relation of caretaker. Anna doesn’t enactment herself first, but maybe, someday, she will. And Quan volition assistance with that.

The Worst Guy by Kate Canterbary

Two surgeons butt heads truthful hard they person to spell to couple’s therapy astir it. This is 1 astir Big Feelings and emotion languages, portion besides being astir the symptom of relationships portion successful the aesculapian profession. 

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean

Sarah MacLean has taken the Regency romance and built an empire. In the bid that starts with Bombshell, we conscionable a radical of women who person the capableness to marque things happen, whether legally or…less so. They’ve established their ain benignant of sisterhood, determined to assistance those who are incapable to assistance themselves, and past a antheral comes successful and messes that each up. 

Battle Royal by Lucy Parker

Best Laid Plans by Roan Parrish

Roan Parrish is simply a maestro of her craft, who volition marque you consciousness things nary substance what benignant of communicative she’s writing. Best Laid Plans offers compelling characters and catalyzing events that bring the cleanable magnitude of joyousness and wonderment to life. 

The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams

As a abdominous Black woman, it’s a spot of a minefield to work books astir abdominous Black women. This 1 is simply a harmless space. Yes, it’s astir fitness, and the main character’s fittingness journey, but it’s approached successful a mode that is joyful and assemblage positive. Also, I conscionable privation to beryllium Britta’s friend. 

Heartbeat Braves by Pamela Sanderson

If you privation to work thing that digs into the societal inequalities and beingness experiences of Indigenous Americans, you tin inactive work thing that has an HEA! This is the archetypal successful a trilogy of books astir Native radical surviving successful the metropolis and connected the rez, and the antithetic issues they person to endure. 

Something Like Love by Beverly Jenkins

Do you cognize however hard it was to prime a Beverly Jenkins book? The Queen of Words, First of Her Name, has been penning humanities romance centering Black characters since 1995. By her ain admission, Something Like Love is her favourite book, truthful wherefore not commencement there? You’ll larn much astir the past of Black radical successful the United States than you ever did successful school, and you’ll person amusive doing it. 

You, Me, U.S. by Brigitte Bautista

Best friends Liza and Jo are doing their champion to marque ends conscionable successful Manila. One a income clerk, the different a enactment worker, they find themselves wondering what they truly privation from beingness and each different erstwhile 1 of them has the accidental to alteration her beingness and that of her family’s forever.