My favorite part about Valentine's Day is the flood of new romance books hitting shelves and the candy on clearance the day after.
Romance books + discounted candy + me = love
Everyone has their favorite tropes, and a few of mine have made it onto this list. However, if you're looking for books that match these specific romance tropes for teen reads, look no further. I've got you.
Here are top tier romance tropes and their book counterparts:
Friends to Lovers
Seoulmates by Susan Lee
"The perfect childhood friends-to-lovers story—full stop." —Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners and The Soulmate Equation
Her ex-boyfriend wants her back. Her former best friend is in town. When did Hannah's life become a K-drama?
Hannah Cho had the next year all planned out—the perfect summer with her boyfriend, Nate and then a fun senior year with their friends.
But then Nate does what everyone else in Hannah's life seems to do—he leaves her, claiming they have nothing in common. He and all her friends are newly obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas and Hannah is not. After years of trying to embrace the American part and shunning the Korean side of her Korean American identity to fit in, Hannah finds that's exactly what now has her on the outs.
But someone who does know K-dramas—so well that he's actually starring in one—is Jacob Kim, Hannah's former best friend whom she hasn't seen in years. He's desperate for a break from the fame, so a family trip back to San Diego might be just what he needs. That is if he and Hannah can figure out what went wrong when they last parted and navigate the new feelings developing between them.
Enemies to Lovers
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue.
Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever. And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered. She and her two sisters were then stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. This is especially true for Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him—and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. As civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters and Faerie itself.
Grumpy + Sunshine
Café con Lychee by Emery Lee
From the author of Meet Cute Diary comes a delectable rom-com that's brimming with zest and a sprinkle of sweetness. A must-read for fans of Casey McQuiston and Julian Winters.
Theo Mori and Gabriel Moreno have always been at odds. Their parents own rival businesses—an Asian American café and a Puerto Rican bakery—and Gabi's lack of coordination has cost their soccer team too many games to count.
Stuck in the closet and scared to pursue his own dreams, Gabi sees his family's shop as his future. Stuck under the weight of his parents' expectations, Theo's best shot at leaving Vermont means first ensuring his parents' livelihood is secure.
So when a new fusion café threatens both shops, Theo and Gabi realize an unfortunate truth. They can only achieve their goals by working together to cook up an underground snack operation and win back their customers. But can they put aside their differences long enough to save their parents' shops or will the new feelings between them boil over?
Fake Dating
The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim
To All the Boys I've Loved Before meets Pride and Prejudice, this delightful and heartfelt rom-com is about a Bangladeshi American teen whose meddling mother arranges a match to secure their family's financial security—just as she's falling in love with someone else.
Zahra Khan is basically Bangladeshi royalty, but being a princess doesn't pay the bills in Paterson, New Jersey. While Zahra's plans for financial security this summer involve working long hours at Chai Ho and saving up for college writing courses, Amma is convinced that all Zahra needs is a "good match," Jane Austen style.
Enter Harun Emon, who's wealthy, devastatingly handsome, and...aloof. As soon as Zahra meets him, she knows it's a bad match. It's nothing like the connection she has with Nayim Aktar, the new dishwasher at the tea shop, who just gets Zahra in a way no one has before. So, when Zahra finds out that Harun is just as uninterested in this match as she is, they decide to slowly sabotage their parents' plans. For once in Zahra's life, she can have her rossomalai and eat it too: "dating" Harun and keeping Amma happy while catching real feelings for Nayim.
But life—and boys—can be more complicated than Zahra realizes. With her feelings all mixed up, Zahra discovers that sometimes being a good Bengali kid can be a royal pain.
Best Friend's Brother
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
The Davenports delivers a totally escapist, swoon-worthy romance while offering a glimpse into a period of African American history often overlooked.
The Davenports are one of the few Black families of immense wealth and status in a changing United States. Their fortune was made through the entrepreneurship of William Davenport, a formerly enslaved man who founded the Davenport Carriage Company years ago. Now it's 1910 and the Davenports live surrounded by servants, crystal chandeliers, and endless parties, finding their way and finding love—even where they're not supposed to.
There is Olivia, the beautiful elder Davenport daughter, ready to do her duty by getting married. This is until she meets the charismatic civil rights leader Washington DeWight and sparks fly. The younger daughter, Helen, is more interested in fixing cars than falling in love—unless it's with her sister's suitor. Amy-Rose, the childhood friend turned maid to the Davenport sisters, dreams of opening her own business—and marrying the one man she could never be with, Olivia and Helen's brother, John. But Olivia's best friend, Ruby, also has her sights set on John Davenport, though she can't seem to keep his interest. This is until family pressure has her scheming to win his heart, just as someone else wins hers.
Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, The Davenports is the tale of four determined and passionate young Black women discovering the courage to steer their own path in life—and love.
Brother's Best Friend
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Belly has an unforgettable summer in this stunning start to the Summer I Turned Pretty series from the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before (now a major motion picture!), Jenny Han.
Some summers are just destined to be pretty.
Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer. It is a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer. They have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between.
But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer. The more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.
Celebrity Romance
I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman
From the bestselling creator of Heartstopper and Loveless, a deeply funny and deeply moving exploration of identity, friendship, and fame.
For Angel Rahimi, life is about one thing: The Ark—a boy band that's taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark's fandom has given her everything she loves—her friend Juliet, her dreams, her place in the world. Her Muslim family doesn't understand the band's allure, but Angel feels there are things about her they'll never understand.
Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark. He's their frontman—and playing in a band with his mates is all he ever dreamed of doing, even it only amplifies his anxiety. The fans are very accepting that he's trans, but they also keep shipping with him with his longtime friend and bandmate, Rowan. But Jimmy and Rowan are just friends—and Rowan has a secret girlfriend the fans can never know about.
Dreams don't always turn out the way you think, and when Jimmy and Angel are unexpectedly thrust together, they find out how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.
A funny, wise, and heartbreakingly true coming of age novel. I Was Born for This is a stunning reflection of modern teenage life, and the power of believing in something—especially yourself.
Hidden Identity
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends comes the "equal parts intoxicating and dazzling" (Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves) first book in a captivating new duology following an ill-matched pair of spies posing as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders in 1930s Shanghai.
It's 1931 in Shanghai and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.
Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death. However, the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption for her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.
Code name: Fortune.
But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind's mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind's new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.
To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong. Though Rosalind finds Orion's cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.
Villain and Hero
Renegades by Marissa Meyer
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer, comes a high-stakes world of adventure, passion, danger, and betrayal.
Secret Identities.
Extraordinary Powers.
She wants vengeance. He wants justice.
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society. They established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. Nova's allegiance, however, is to the villains who have the power to end them both.
Second Chance Romance
Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless in this boy-meets-boy spin on Grease, from Nationally and Internationally Bestselling author Sophie Gonzales
A 2021 Rainbow Book List Selection
A 2021 Southern Book Prize finalist
A Goodreads Choice Awards 2020 finalist
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
An Indie Next Pick
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. Now Ollie is one prince short of his fairytale ending, and to complicate the fairytale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school across the country. He minds this change a little less, however, when he realizes it's the same school Will goes to. This changes when 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.
Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn't ready for a relationship, especially since this new, bro-y jock version of Will seems to go from hot to cold every other week. But then Will starts "coincidentally" popping up in every area of Ollie's life, from music class to the lunch table, and Ollie finds his resolve weakening.
The last time he gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again.
Right? Right.
If you've fallen in love with any of these tropes, you can find these books and more young adult romance novels at your Union County Library here!