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I have a confession to make…
I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day.
I feel that it is an overly commercialized day that can make feel you like a failure if you are single or feel like you are drowning under the expectation of creating the “perfect” romantic night for your partner. I am a very, very stubborn person, and I don’t like society telling me how I am supposed to feel about my partner (or lack of partner) on a certain day. Â
Rant Over 😀
BUT… there are two things that I like about Valentine’s Day:
- discounted chocolate on Feb 15th (you better believe I hit up every grocery and drug store)
- the excuse to read ALLL the Rom-Coms as I curl up in bed with my giant chocolate haul
Why I Adore Romantic Comedy Books
Is your stressed-out brained hopped up on too much cortisol to comprehend the most recent literary masterpiece? Are you like me with shelves and shelves of unread Pulitzer prize-winning novels that you just don’t have the energy to start? Â
The cure is a little bit of literary junk food: the Rom-Com. Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to pull these puppies out if you have never tried one before and experience a witty, quirky happily-ever-after that will lift up your mood just like a bar of discounted heart-shaped chocolate.
The Rom-Coms I adore can’t be just a standard skinny white girl meets boy and boom… HEA. They need to be quirky, hysterical, sassy with main characters that feel like real people. I want awkward, introverted women and men of all orientations. Â
Most of all, I want the ending of the book to give me a sigh of contentment.
22 Hilarious Romantic Comedy Books
Casey McQuiston
(M/M)
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. When Alex and Henry generate some bad press at a royal wedding, their respective PR departments force them to act the part of best friends, but could they be something more? This adorable novel fulfilled all my early 2000s teen fantasy’s with a queer first kid rom com.
Helen Hoang
(F/M)
Stella Lane loves math and her job, however her mother won’t stop heavily hinting that she should consider settling down. Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice–with a professional… Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. This charming own voices novel hits the spot and will make you smile for days.
Avery Flynn
(F/M)
As a defenseman for the Ice Knights, Caleb loves his job and loves his life, unfortunately when his image takes a hit due to a viral video the people in his life decide he needs an image makeover. He agrees to have his mom manage his dating profile as a publicity stunt, anything to get back to focusing on hockey. Enter stage left, Zara has a bet she doesn’t want to lose and they both agree to five dates, anything to get their family and friends off their backs.
Helen Hoang
(F/M)
Khai Diep thinks he has no feelings; his family knows that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When his mom gets tired of waiting for him to settle down, she goes to Vietnam to find him a bride in Esme Tran. Esme can’t turn down this opportunity, but also has hope for a future in America, now if only she can show Kai he’s as smitten with her as she is with him. This insightful look at the immigrant experience burrowed into my heart and would not let go.
Rosie Danan
(F/M)
Clara Wheaton never makes mistakes, and she never embarrasses her family. So why does she find herself stranded with an unknown roommate after traveling across the country to move in with her long time crush – just to find he’s abandoned her to go on tour? Her new roommate Josh is handsome and charming, and has made a name for himself in his profession. Clara and Josh team up to tackle the stigma against female desire and it will change both of their lives.
Alisha Rai
(F/M)
Rhiannon Hunter may have revolutionized romance in the digital world, but in real life she only swipes right on her career–and the occasional hookup. After one of those said hookups, the handsome Samson Lima ghosts her she decides to focus on business. Suddenly she runs into Samson again, big, beautiful – and working with a business rival. This up to date Rom-Com will give you big boss bitch vibes with a super adorable love story.
Talia Hibbert
(F-Bi/M)
Danika Brown is a smart, sassy, dedicated doctoral student that does not have time for a relationship or all the emotional baggage that comes with it. Zafir is a security guard and an ex-pro rugby player who suffers from GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) who has difficulties moving his charity forward due to his tragic past and GAD. A dramatic fire drill rescue throws these two together and before they know it, a video of the rescue goes viral on social media that gathers his charity some much-needed attention. A plan emerges to fake a relationship to garner support for the charity. What could go wrong?
The author has such a GIFT for writing real, sassy female leads. Technically a sequel but you can start here or with Get a Life, Chloe Brown.
Kate Stayman-London
(F/M)
Bea Schumacher is a devastatingly stylish plus-size fashion blogger who has amazing friends, a devoted family, legions of Insta followers–and a massively broken heart. Just when Bea has sworn off dating altogether, she gets an intriguing call: Main Squeeze wants her to be its next star, surrounded by men vying for her affections. Bea agrees, on one condition–under no circumstances will she actually fall in love.
Olivia Dade
(F/M)
Geeky cosplay in a Rom-Com? Yes, please!
April posts her latest cosplay to her favorite fandom website and her post goes viral, receiving support and criticism on her plus-sized cosplay. Marcus, the famous actor, sees the post and asks April out on a date. But Marcus also has a secret. He is hiding his online fandom personality (likely fired if it’s made public) and discovers that April is his closet fandom fan. Â
Lyssa Kay Adams
(F/M)
Gavin Scott, pro baseball player, has made the worst mistake of his life. When he finds out his wife, Thea, has been faking the big O; he walks out of the house in prideful anger. Now, his wife wants a divorce.Â
His teammates bring him into their secret club, The Bromance Book Club, where they read romance novels to learn what women want in relationships. Will he learn enough to woo his wife back and convince her that he has changed?
I only wish I heard a man say the feminist ideologies that come out of the men in the bromance book club. Too bad its fiction!
Camille Perri
(F/F)
In this sexy queer romcom Katie Daniels, a straight laced twenty-eight-year-old Kentucky transplant, has just been dumped by her fiance. She finds herself seated across a negotiating table from native New Yorker Cassidy Price, a sexy, self-assured woman wearing a man’s suit. A chance meeting later that night leads down a path where each woman must figure out what they want, and need.
Further Reading: 30 Queer New Releases for 2021
Sally Thorne
(F/M)
Annie is a 27-year-old freelance writer living in Cleveland and is Rom-Com OBSESSED. She has watched every 90s Rom-Com at least 100 times, is a Nora Ephron devotee, and compares every man she meets to Tom Hanks, her ideal man.
She manages to score an assistant job to a new Romantic Comedy movie that is being filmed in her neighborhood but is disappointed that the prankster lead, Drew Danforth, is as far away from Tom Hanks as one can be. Can she can get out of her own Rom-Com Movie Dreams and accept a non-Tom Hanks love for her life?
The Cheese factor is very high with this one 😀
Jasmine Guillory
(F/M)
When Nika attends a baseball game with her famous boyfriend of only 5 months, the last thing she expects is a public scoreboard proposal in front of 1000s of fans. When she turns him down, the video of the proposal goes viral and Nika is involved in a social media shit storm.
Luckily, the handsome doctor, Carlos, was there to rescue her from the stadium. She isn’t expecting any more than a sexy rebound from a handsome guy in the LA scene, but she may be pleasantly surprised. A cheesy friends to lover trope! Â
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Sally Thorne
(F/M)
Lucy and Joshua are executive assistants for two owners of a newly merged publishing house. She has her eyes on a promotion, and everything is moving that way except for her archnemesis, Joshua, who is competing for the same role.
It is one of the first modern Rom-Coms that I read in 2017 and rekindled my love of this genre. Fantastic enemies to lovers trope.
Sarah Morgenthaler
(F/M)
Graham is a grumpy owner of the Tourist Trap in Moose Springs, Alaska, whose diner has become the IT place for tourists to his despair. He has one rule and that is to stay away from tourists. Zoey is an adorable waitress from the midwest who is finally in Alaska for two weeks on her dream vacation. Throw in an adorable dog, a moose that is obsessed with bread, and a vacation that went wrong, you have the perfect cheesy, sappy Alaskan Rom-Com!
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Clare Lydon
(F/F)
When her first love walks back into her life, Harriet Locke is thrown – because Sally McCall still looks as gorgeous as ever. The trouble is, Sally doesn’t trust Harriet, and with good reason: she hasn’t forgotten the past. Can true love happen twice in a lifetime?
Abbi Waxman
(F/M)
The introverted Nina Hill has the perfect life with her little apartment full of books and her job at Knight’s, the local bookstore. She isn’t fond of adventure and would rather spend her days curled up with a book. Tom is the rival team member of her trivia team and is not the nemesis that she once imagined. Can Nina navigate the prospects of a new family AND a possible lover into her introverted life?
Further Reading: 8 Books about Bookshops
Meryl Wilsner
(F/M)
If you adored The Hating Game, you need to pick this paperback up right now!
Henley and Graeme are rival digital marketers for a cruise ship company vying for the same promotion. They are being sent on an all-expense-paid cruise to the Galapagos with the challenge of who can create the best pitch gets the coveted promotion. Fantastic enemies to lover trope with such witty banter!
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Meryl Wilsner
(F/F)
Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The two women staunchly ignore the rumors not willing to fan the flames, the only problem is, all this talk about love is making it a little harder to concentrate at work. Is this more to this rumor than they thought?
Sophie Sullivan
(F/M)
Everly catches her boyfriend cheating on her and accidentally announces it on the air live by her DJ best friend, Stacey. Now tons of guys are calling in and bachelorette a la radio has started with listeners calling in their votes. Chris is her boss, who has always had feelings for her and now those feeling may be a two way street. Â
Sophie Gonzales
(M/M)
Will Tavares is the dream summer fling―he’s fun, affectionate, kind―but just when Ollie thinks he’s found his Happily Ever After, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back. A family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country which just happens to be the same school Will goes to. Except Ollie finds that the sweet, comfortably queer guy he knew from summer isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High, this Will is a class clown, closeted―and, to be honest, a bit of a jerk.
Helen Fielding
The original hilarious romantic comedy, Bridget Jones’s Diary. If you have never picked up this book or watched the movie with Rene Zellweger, please run (don’t walk) to your nearest bookshop. Loosely based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Bridget has been my hero and my muse since High School. Â
I am officially declaring February the Month in which I will spend all of my free time cuddled in bed, reading hilarious romantic comedies, and eating all the chocolates. You won’t find me out and about until sometime mid-March 😀 Â
Which of these books are you going to be reading this February? Did I miss any of your favorite Rom-Coms?
-Alice
