5 Romance Novels For Beginners
POV: you like Emily Henry but haven't branched out much.
If there’s one question I get asked often, it’s what book I would recommend for someone just getting into the romance genre. It’s also one I’ve avoided answering — until now. Reading is so subjective and everyone’s taste is different, so it’s especially hard to suggest one blanket book to represent the entire genre. It’s why I prefer recommending books based on more specific reading preferences. For example, do you like something light and fluffy that will make you laugh? Or do you want something emotional that will leave you feeling raw?
First off, I will say that I don’t think you can go wrong with anything by Emily Henry, and that’s because her writing is so good; she writes contemporary romance stories with the literary approach of fiction novels so they hold mass appeal. Many of my friends who mainly read other genres will dabble with romance each year when she releases a new book. However, if you’re looking for something a bit more intentional, here are some titles I recommend to help get you started.
The common thread among these stories is that they each surprised me with emotional depth that elicited emotions I wasn’t expecting to feel while reading and they featured compelling character development outside of the romance. In other words, they’re romance novels that don’t focus on just the romance.
Rock Bottom Girl by Lucy Score
The vibe: funny, breezy, endearing
This is a classic beach read in the sense that it’s easy to read, doesn’t require much emotional bandwidth, and is incredibly entertaining. (A little cheesy, yes, but still entertaining.) I guarantee you’ll be chuckling by page two. It’s also a classic story: girl moves to back to small hometown to get life back on track, girl reconnects with guy from high school, romance happens. But what sets this book apart, in addition to being laugh-out-loud hilarious, is the progression of the heroine’s character arc. It’s highly satisfying and will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.
Forced to move back home after losing her job and her boyfriend, the main character reluctantly takes a temporary position at her old high school teaching P.E. and coaching the soccer team. Her and another teacher, a guy she went to high school with, strike up a deal to help each other out. There’s a “meet-puke” as Lucy calls it, a makeover, some fake dating, and a cast of delightful side characters. Like I said, entertaining!
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
The vibe: angsty, sexy
On the romance to fiction scale, this book is rooted firmly on the romance side for two reasons: the plot focuses solely on developing the love story (no subplots or notable secondary characters) and the storytelling is actually traditionally romantic. The connection between the characters is intense, with plenty of yearning and angst, and some spicy scenes (but not too many!) that might make you blush. If you like reading Emily Henry, I would say Yulin is like the more potent version of her; everything is just slightly amped up a few degrees — the longing, the heat, the drama.
In the story, an author is headed to LA to adapt her bestselling book series into a TV show. The problem is that one of the screenwriters she’s set to work with is the boy from high school who changed the course of her and her family’s life thirteen years ago. As they spend more time together — in and out of the writer’s room — and their feelings grow, they must grapple with their complicated past.
Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan
The vibe: surprising, clever, emotional
I can’t say enough about how smartly this book is executed. It’s hard to simultaneously poke fun at the predictability of the genre while intentionally playing into it — and somehow making the outcome still feel like a surprise. The author spins very expected tropes (“the notorious rake,” “the offer,” “snowed in”) in very unexpected ways, to the point where I had no idea where the plot was going — which is very rare!
The story follows an audiobook narrator who reluctantly takes on a job to narrate a romance audiobook. Between trying to come to terms with the accident that left her disabled and caring for her ailing grandmother, the last thing she needs is to start falling for the male narrator she’s assigned to work with. The plot touches on forgiveness, grief, and complicated adult relationships, and skews heavily toward the fiction side on the romance to fiction scale.
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
The vibe: sweet, wholesome, charming
Take the movie The Holiday, swap Cameron and Kate for granddaughter and grandmother, and set it in London and the English countryside during springtime and you get this book. I’m not usually one for multi-generational stories, but this premise is really cute with slow burning romance (for both women) and some heartfelt moments.
Told in alternating POVs from each woman, the story is about a granddaughter and her grandmother who decide to swap lives to inject some change into their day-to-day. After the granddaughter is forced on a work sabbatical, she decides to leave the city and head to her grandmother’s countryside home to clear her head. Meanwhile, her grandmother decides to stay in her London flat to experience the city dating scene. New experiences arise, perspectives are shifted, and unexpected love interests appear.
Bonus recommendation: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
This one by the same author is also a good starter romance novel. It’s a fun set-up, with humorous moments balanced with more serious topics. It’s a bit heavier in tone than The Switch — a good bridge book if you’re not a fan of light, fluffy reads but want to try out a romance for taste. I recommended it to a friend for her book club that predominantly reads thrillers, and it hit the right note.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
The vibe: fresh, poignant
The idea for this book is interesting and executed in a very unexpected way. Woman falls in love with a ghost? How’s that gonna work? Spoiler: it does and it all comes together beautifully with Ashley’s masterful storytelling. If you like the way Emily Henry writes, you’re going to like Ashley. There’s yearning, there’s heartache, there’s self-discovery. Grief is a big theme in this book, but the book never once feels heavy.
A ghostwriter must work with a difficult new book editor to finish her book when she’s summoned home following the sudden death of her father. As she returns to her hometown and the funeral parlor her family runs, the last person she expects to show up is her handsome new book editor. The only problem? He’s a ghost.
If you end up reading any of these recommendations, I’d love to know what you thought! And if you need more, feel free to leave a comment or message me!