Books to Fall in Love with this Valentine’s Day
Somehow, it’s that time of year again. The holidays have passed. The days are cold and dark, and we all need something to look forward to. Enter Valentine’s Day!! Sure, this love-themed holiday sometimes gets a bad rap, but I’m here to defend it!
Firstly, we all—at least those of us who don’t ski—need something to tide us over until Spring springs. Secondly, why hate on love? Love can be so many things! Also, Valentine’s Day, when done correctly, involves candy and sweet notes. Who hates on candy and sweet notes?!? So, to celebrate this most loveable of holidays, I have a list of books you will absolutely fall head-over-heels in love with.
Tip: to elevate the experience, read with a box of chocolates, a flute of Martinelli’s, and a bouquet of red roses by your side.
I Was Told There Would Be Romance
by Marie Arnold
I Was Told There Would Be Romance asks the important questions. Like, what if it’s all a LIE???? My hero Fancy Augustine grapples with this very question. Has she been duped by romance novels? Is it possible that her best friend can have a secret boyfriend and she’ll be single forever? To discover the answer to these critical queries, you’ll have to read this hilarious book. No spoilers here!
Games Untold
I have heard it said that Games Untold is the most romantic book set in the Inheritance Games world, and I couldn’t agree more! If you’ve read any of the other Inheritance Games books, then you’ll appreciate what a high bar that is. Games Untold digs deeper into the love stories of your favorite couples. Of course, there’s Jameson and Avery. But also, Nash and Libby, Hannah and Toby, and so much more! It’s utterly romantic while also being unbelievably fun!
Spellbound Solstice
by Alexandria Rogers
If you like your romance with a little magic—or your magic with a little bit of romance—then Spellbound Solstice will capture your heart. There is so much to love here! The gentle romance between Alice and Ronan! The tender love of their families! The magic! The adventure! The town they live in! It’s all so cute and soft and you’ll adore it!!
The Forest King’s Daughter
by Elly Blake
Romantasy is the most powerful movement in the world. (Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating. But it is a powerful movement!) It heightens the stakes, deepens the romance, and gives readers a whole new world to fall in love with. The Forest King’s Daughter does all this and more and should be on any and all romantasy fans’ TBRs. It’s action-packed, ethereal, and devastatingly romantic.
Mismatched
by Anne Camlin, illustrated by Isadora Zeferino
Jane Austen is the queen of romance. She created love stories that can be told again and again, in various iterations, and never feel old. Mismatched is one of these marvelous retellings! It takes what Emma started, and what Clueless continued, and absolutely soars! It’s a queer retelling, set in New York, and it’s the PERFECT Valentine’s Day read.
An Echo in the City
by K. X. Song
If you are like me, you love a tragic romance. A love made stronger by what cannot be. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I LOVE STAKES!!! (I literally say it again on this very list). The stakes are very high in An Echo in the City which is set against the background of the 2019 Hong Kong protests. An activist falls in love with an undercover Police cadet. It’s very Romeo and Juliet made all the more touching by the real and recent events the book portrays.
Sway With Me
I love a story with a deal. Cute boy meets pretty girl, they make an agreement that includes a wedding, a matchmaker, and a dance, and if everything goes to plan, their lives will both be better. But there’s no way they’ll fall in love, right? What an absolutely ludicrous idea! Two pretty people who enjoy spending all their time together? Never! This sweet, hilarious, and tender story is the perfect sweet treat this Valentine’s Day!
An Appetite for Miracles
I love STAKES! And I know that sounds vapid when a story covers painful topics, but I think those stakes connect me to the story even more. Yes, An Appetite for Miracles is sad. Danna and Raúl both come to this novel in verse with open wounds. But together, as they fall for each other, they prove that love is medicine.
Immortal Dark
by Tigest Girma
If you love a vicious, brutal, ruthless love story, then this is the book for you! A love story where the lovers literally want to kill each other—lovers that take enemies-to-lovers to a whole other level. Oh, and one of those lovers is a gorgeous vampire!! This delicious series starter is a divinely twisted Valentine’s Day read.
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich
by Deya Muniz
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwichwill literally melt your heart. And I do mean literally! Have the doctor on speed dial!! It’s the cutest graphic novel you ever did read. Filled with fabulous fashion, a tale of mistaken identity, romance, and cheese, CHEESE, and more CHEEEEESE. You will gobble this delicious story up and want seconds before you’ve even finished.