Sometimes nothing beats a great romance book. Take a step back from that murder-mystery novel, the psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping plot twist and pick up a steamy romance to raise your standards for love to an unreachable level.
By Gemma Mathers
Happy Place
by Emily Henry
Every year for the last decade Harriet and Wyn and their closest group of friends whisk away to Maine for their annual getaway. Only this year everything is different. Harriet and Wyn have broken up and none of their friends know.
When their yearly holiday becomes a wedding for two of their friends, Harriet and Wyn decide to keep their break up a secret – how hard can sharing a room and fake-dating your ex-fiancé really be? Emily Henry always brings her A-game when it comes to romance and Happy Place is no exception. It was Henry’s stellar reputation with romance that drew me to this book and she did not disappoint. Happy Place is a must-read for anyone yearning for their next page-turner with to-die-for friendships and a truly fantastic romance.
You & Me on Vacation
by Emily Henry
You and Me on Vacation follows best friends Poppy and Alex over the course of ten summers in which they navigate their friendship and ever-growing feelings towards each other. But two years have passed since Poppy and Alex have spoken, and when Poppy is given the chance for one last trip she extends the olive branch that might just fix their broken friendship. When the lines of their friendship start to blur Alex and Poppy struggle to find their way to one another or face leaving each other behind for good. You and Me on Vacation is a gorgeous will they, won’t they romance that keeps the reader on their toes through every page.
Icebreaker
by Hannah Grace
Hannah Grace’s debut novel Icebreaker quickly became a TikTok sensation due to the sizzling romance between the main characters. Grace plays perfectly on the sports romance genre with Anastasia, a competitive ice skater, and her romantic counterpart Nathan Hawkins: a renowned hockey player at their university. Forced to train together after the university skating rink breaks, Anastasia and Nathan fall into the whirlwind of romance, competition and the pressure of making it big in the Olympics. It’s easy to see why Icebreaker became such a hit on TikTok due to Grace’s strong female lead and the very steamy romance.
Magnolia Parks
by Jessa Hastings
Magnolia Parks and BJ Ballentine are meant to be together and everyone knows it. Torn apart by BJ’s unforgivable actions, Magnolia and BJ toe the line of their devastating relationship and fight to keep the other at bay – Magnolia by dating every rich socialite in London and BJ by partying and “seeing” other girls.
Jessa Hastings blurred the world of London socialites with the extravagance of a gossip girl lifestyle. This series gave and gave and gave. From the first page Magnolia and BJ’s toxic whirlwind relationship is all-consuming. The drama, the love triangles, the toxicity of their relationship all add an addicting component to the narrative. I could not put this book down or the entire series! All four books with a fifth to be released in January, the Magnolia Parks Universe is a must-read.
Reminders of Him
by Colleen Hoover
After five years in prison for a tragic mistake Kenna Rowan returns to her home town hoping to reunite with her four-year old daughter. The only person in the town willing to give Kenna a chance is Ledger Ward: one of the few remaining connections to Kenna’s daughter. But as Kenna and Ledger grow closer both run the risk of losing everyone around them. Reminders of Him is potentially Colleen Hoover’s most emotional novel to date. The complexity of grief and life after loss in tandem with the romance in this novel makes it all the more heart-breaking. Through Kenna, Hoover explores the bounds of love and the lengths to which a mother will go for their child.