Romance

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

FIC-ROMANCE-YOO

When Evie sees someone kissing, she can mysteriously see their past, present, and future. A nice gift to have except Evie's parents have just gotten divorced and she no longer believes in love and happily ever after. When she meets X and is roped into competing in a ballroom dance competition with him, she tries as hard as she can to not fall for him, but it's inevitable. A cute book that shows us even though there is heartbreak in the world, it's ok to enjoy your life in the present because any day could be your last.

Romance, Mystical Realsm

Read this if you liked:  Instant Karma, Love and Other Train Wrecks, Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, Instant Karma

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer

FIC-ROMANCE    

Prudence is a serious young lady. Always on time, always gets homework done, doesn't put fun first. Quint, her lab partner, drives her insane. He's always late, doesn't care about assignments, and is everyone's friend. He infuriates her. One day Pru slips and hits her head, and all of a sudden, she has the ability to mete out justice to those doing wrong. Her classmate trash talking her brother? She loses an earring. Her sister bugging her? She spills her drink. Prudence loves this new found power - people can now be accountable for their sins. Except...Pru realizes at some point that things aren't always what they seem and sometimes there is a good reason people do the things they do. It's a good lesson to learn - think before you judge. 

Romance, Mystical Realism 

Read this if you liked:  Love & Gelato, Tweet Cute, Voting Booth, Again Again, Today Tonight Tomorrow

This is My Brain in Love by I.W. Gregorio

FIC-ROMANCE GRE

Jocelyn, is a snarky sophomore who works in her parent's failing Chinese restaurant. When her father announces that it's time to close the restaurant, Jocelyn takes it upon herself to try to save the business. Enter Will, who helps market the restaurant. Will has an anxiety disorder and is prone to panic attacks. It becomes evident that Jocelyn is suffering from depression, and these two teens are trying to navigate their relationship while trying to make sure the restaurant survives. The book does a great job getting into the minds of the average teenagers who have crushes - does he like me? What did that text mean? How could he like me? Their insecurities are magnified by their disorders, but these are the thoughts of all teens. It's nice to see a book that brings these out so kids can know they are not alone.

Romance, Disabilities 

Read this if you liked:  Eleanor & Park, Frankly in Love, The Sun is Also a Star, All the Bright Places

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

FIC LOR

Pepper, an overachieving senior in HS, has been tasked by her mother's fast food chain to handle their twitter account.  It's fine until one day when she gets into a Twitter war with a small, local deli.  She wants to shut the war down, but her mom wants to ramp it up.  In typical fashion, on the other end of Twitter, unbeknownst to her at the start, is her classmate, Jack.  The war escalates, people take sides, and of course, they fall in love.  But there's a twist - ah...that's the reason the war continues!  A very cut rom-com that is very similar to You've Got Mail.

Romance

Read this if you liked:  The Upside of Falling, This is What Happy Looks Like, Eliza and Her Monsters, Fangirl

All This Time by Mikki Daughtry & Rachael Lippincott

FIC DAU

Kyle and Kim, a long-time couple, break up on graduation night moments before they are in a car accident that leaves Kim dead and Kyle with multiple injuries. Kyle has to deal with Kim's death, her admission that she didn't want to be with him any longer, his realization that his best friend liked her, his football career being over, and his college plans fading. While at the cemetery, he meets Marley, who is at her twin sister's grave. They become friends, and then soon after, Kyle starts to fall for her. Marley has deep issues - her sister died while they were together and she feels she could have prevented it. The two help one another get over their losses until one morning when Kyle wakes up and everything has changed.

Romance

Read this if you liked:  Breathless, Fault in Our Stars, Five Feet Apart, If I Stay, Goodbye Days, Just Breathe

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert

FIC COL

A cute story about Marva, a senior in HS who is serious and passionate about voting and politics and wants everyone to feel the same way. She meets Duke while on line to vote when he is turned away because he's at the wrong polling place. She offers to take him to his correct voting location, and so begins a day of craziness. It's completely unbelievable, but adorable how she's so passionate and he thinks she's adorable. Throw in a faltering relationship, a cute little sister, and a missing cat, and you have the makings of a perfect rom-com. 

Romance

Read this if you liked:  Yes, No, Maybe So, The Sun is Also a Star, Eleanor & Park, Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Breathless by Jennifer Niven

FIC NIV

With just days to go until graduation day, Claudine's parents tell her they are getting divorced. Her mother whisks her away to a family summer island and tells her she can't tell anyone about the separation. She's stuck on this island with no internet, angry, friendless, and confused. She meets Miha, and although she knows she's only there for a few weeks and he's only there for a few weeks, she starts to fall for him. She slowly lets go of some of her anger, but she has a lot of issues to deal with. Not only her parents, but her best friend is in a new relationship and she's afraid she's losing her, she has to go off to college and leave everyone behind. 

Romance, Realistic Fiction

Read this if you liked:  What Happened to Goodbye, Tell Me Three Things, Kissing in America, The Summer I Turned Pretty

Love Letters of Abelard and Lilly by Laura Creedle

FIC CRE

Lily has ADHD and dyslexia, and Abelard, who is a genius on the spectrum, end up in the Principal's office one day, and impulsively, Lily kisses Abelard. From there, they start to text one another. Abelard is named after the title character of a book from the Middle Ages - The Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard - a real life (doomed) couple who were separated and wrote to one another. Lily and Abelard, very socially awkward, have an easier time texting, and they take quotes from the book to send one another. They are perfect for one another. Lily has the chance to have a surgery to alter the electrodes of her brain, and Abelard has the chance to go to a special school out of state. They have a very special relationship and they only want the best for one another.

Romance, Disability

Read this if you liked:  Eleanor and Park, Say What You Will, Everything, Everything, Every Last Word

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

FIC YOO

Frank Li is the son of very traditional Korean parents who expect him to be a dutiful Korean son. But he is so torn. Yes, he's Korean, but he is also an American, born and raised here. He wants his own, full life which includes dating who he wants to date, but that's just not possible. When he meets Brit, very much not Korean, he has to date her in secret. But instead of explaining that to her, he keeps it from her which you just know is going to be an issue. He pretends to date Joy, a Korean friend of the family, which makes his parents happy. But then the inevitable happens and he and Joy do start to care for one another. Everything seems like it's finally working out until Frank's father and Joy's father have a terrible fight and now they are not allowed to see each other. It seems like so much goes on in this novel. It's not only a story about a HS love story (or stories, as the case may be), but also about culture, tradition, and lots of racism. Frank's parents won't speak to their daughter because she married a black man and it stays that way until Frank's father is diagnosed with cancer. There is a lot going on in this excellent book.

Realistic Fiction, Romance, Diversity

Read this if you liked: Yes, No, Maybe So, American Panda, When Dimple Met Rishi, Something About Sweetie

 Again, But Better by Christine Riccio

FIC RIC

Shane is in London for a study abroad experience and is having a great experience and meeting good friends. She likes Pilot, the boy in the room next door. They flirt and have fun, but then the girlfriend from back home shows up and that's that. Things get complicated when Shane's parents show up. She's doing an English concentration but she told her parents she was there for premed and it blows up. Her semester abroad spirals out of control from there and she never sees Pilot again. Fast forward 4 years and she's getting engaged to Melvin, going to medical school, and is still trying to make her parents happy. She decides she wants to see Pilot and see if there is still anything worth pursuing. Although he's surprised to see her, he's happy to meet with her. But then something crazy happens - they are spirited back to London to redo their semester abroad. They can now have the relationship they never did, Shane can confront her parents, they can change it all. And although they do start a wonderful relationship, Shane takes the opportunity to fix all the mistakes she made with school and career, and use this time to do what she really loves and decide once and for all if it's more important to follow her heart or to try to make everyone else happy.

Realistic Fantasy, Romance

Read this if you liked:  Opposite of Always, Before I Fall, Two Lives of Lydia Bird, Every Day, Invisibility, If I Stay

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

FIC LIP

Stella has Cystic Fibrosis and has spent much of her life in the hospital. She's a good kid with a great attitude, and she wants to beat this mostly because she thinks it will solve problems in her family life. When cute, daring, laid back Will shows up in the ward, she's immediately attracted, but he's too reckless for her. He no longer wants to submit himself to his treatments - he wants to get to his 18th birthday so he can walk out of the hospital and live whatever life he has left. But then he meets Stella, and he instantly falls for her. The trouble is, because they both have CF, they have to stay six feet apart at all times. But Stella rebels and does what little she can do, and takes one foot back.

Realistic Fiction, Romance

Read this if you liked:  The Fault in Our Stars, Everything, Everything, Zac and Mia 

Posted by John David Anderson

FIC AND

Cell phones have been banned at school, so the kids at Frost's middle school use post it notes instead.  It started out with affirmations, but quickly escalated into hate and bullying.  While all this was happening, the new girl, Rose, starts to hang out with Frost and his friends, and they are not all happy with it, threatening to tear their tribe apart.  Frost is a really good kid and has a lot of insight, and sees that all relationships change.

Realistic Fiction

Read this if you liked:  Thirteen Reasons Why, Fat Angie, Hate List, Mockingbird, Tell Me Three Things

The Universe if Expanding and So Am I by Carolyn Mackler

FIC MAC

The sequel to The Earth, My Butt, and Other Round Things, this is the funny and sometimes sad story of Virginia, a smart, funny, and curvaceous High School sophomore. The rest of her family is perfect - from the outside at least - and it makes her feel bad. But as the book progresses, we find that they are not, and she is pretty happy with herself the way she is. And she meets a cute boy along the way!

Romance, Humor

Read this if you liked:  The Earth, My Butt, and Other Round Things, Dumplin', Future Perfect

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

FIC POS

A retelling of Cinderella, Elle is a fan of Starfield, a SciFi show she and her dad used to watch together. Darien is the teenaged actor slated to play him in the upcoming movie, and Elle is not happy that he is playing her favorite character. When Darien texts Elle's cell phone by mistake, they start to text one another without names or knowing who the other is. They start like one another, and Elle decides to try to meet him at ComicCon. True to Cinderella, the evil stepmother and stepsisters get in the way of Elle's happiness, but she finally makes it to the ball to meet her Prince Charming.

Romance

Read this if you liked:  Don't Cosplay with my Heart, Cinder, Ella Enchanted, The Selection, Ash

Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland

FIC SUT

When Grace comes into Henry's life, she appears very odd. She's wearing boys clothes, smells a little, and is a bit damaged, but he starts to fall for her. As time goes on, Henry starts to find out what's going on in her life - her boyfriend has died in a terrible crash and she is mourning him by wearing his clothes and living in his house. But Henry is in love, and he just knows that Grace loves him too, even if she doesn't always show it. First loves are hard, and Henry doesn't want to give up, but Grace may be too damaged for him to help.

Romance

Read this if you liked:  Eleanor & Park, Holding Up the Universe, Words in Deep Blue, Something In Between

Tilt by Ellen Hopkins (Series Triangles, book 2)

FIC HOP

Tilt follows three people trying to learn what love is: Shane, Mikayla, and Harley. Mikayla thinks she’s madly in love with her boyfriend Dylan, but when Mikayla gets pregnant it affects every aspect of her life. Shane, who is openly gay, falls in love with Alex even though he is HIV positive. Shane is dealing with his sister’s terminal illness, and doesn't know how will he accept knowing Alex might not live a full life too. Harley wants to be love so badly that she falls for a bad boy who pressures her into doing things, but how will her desire for love shape her as a person? ~ Reviewed by Sarah Horsman

Genre: Romance, Novels in Verse

Read This If You Like: Triangles, Burned, Perfect, Crash, Glimpse, Butter

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

FIC MOY

Close Enough to Touch by Colleen Oakley

FIC OAK

Jubilee has a rare allergy, she's literally allergic to other people. At the age of 18, she kissed a boy and nearly died, then stayed in her house for the next 9 years. After her mother died and there was no money, Jubilee realizes she must find a job and risk getting close to people. She gets a job in a library, and one day while going home, she sees a young boy jump off a bridge into the river. She doesn't hesitate to go into the water to try to rescue him and give him mouth to mouth. She ends up in the hospital again and begins a sweet relationship with the boy's father. They are both shy and hesitant, and even though they never touch, it becomes such a powerful love story because they want each other so much yet they can't.

Romance

Read this if you liked:  Me Before You, The Rosie Project, The Fault in Our Stars

Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

FIC WEL

After Lina's mother dies, she goes to Italy for the summer to get to know her father.  She's never met him, and isn't happy with the idea of being there.  Her mother leaves her the diary she wrote when she lived in Italy, and Lina spends the summer discovering her mother's younger self, and uncovering the secrets she kept from her.  And of course because it's Italy, there's a bit of romance thrown in!

Romance

Read this if you liked:  The Moon and More, Summer Days and Summer Nights, This is What Happy Looks Like

What Light by Jay Asher

FIC ASH

Sierra's parents own a Christmas tree farm, and every year they leave their home in Oregon and go to California where they sell their trees.  This year, Sierra falls for Caleb, a boy with a checkered past.  She gives him the chance he deserves, but her parents, friends, and people around him are less willing to do so.  Even though she'll only be in California for a month, they fall in love and worry about what will happen when she leaves.

Romance, Realistic Fiction

Read this if you liked:   Twelve Days of Lily and Dash, Our Chemical Hearts, Love and First Sight, When Dimple met Rishi 

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

FIC MCG

After being lonely and practically friendless for her whole life, Amy, who has cerebral palsy, wants to make friends and be a normal teenager her senior year. Matthew, a boy with OCD, is recruited to help her around school. They both speak their mind, are very honest with one another, and help each other with their disabilities. They start to have feeling for each other, but Matthew is too shy to say it, and Amy is afraid Matthew could never feel that way about her.

Romance, Realistic Fiction 

Read this if you liked:  Like No Other, Eleanor and Park, Fault in Our Stars, Stoner and Spaz

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

FIC RED

Jordan attends a prestigious Performing Arts boarding school but has had a hard time landing parts and fitting in.  She attends on a scholarship, but her parents are telling her she may have to leave school because it's just too hard to make ends meet.  Jordan needs to do something drastic, so she poses as a boy and auditions for a spot in an all-boy a cappella group.  She gets in and finally feels like she fits in somewhere, but she feels guilty and feels like she's going to get caught any minute.  Throughout all of this, she struggles with her sexuality and tries to figure out if she really is a straight girl or if she may be bi.  Throw a competition in the mix, a rivalry with another group, and she has her hands full, but she's enjoying every minute of it.

Romance, LGBTQ

Read this if you liked:  Will Grayson, Will Grayson, This Song Will Save Your Life, Eleanor & Park, Fat Kid Rules the World, Wise Young Fool

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer Arementrout

FIC ARM

Touching book about childhood friends who were abused in foster care reuniting when they are in high school.  Mallory has been adopted by a stable, loving couple, but has many emotional issues left over from her foster home.  Rider seems ok, is in a good home, but doesn't really see a bright future for himself.   Rider always made it his mission to protect Mallory, and he continues to do so now that they've reconnected.  But there are so many forces working against them - Rider's ex-girlfriend, his 'brother' who is mixed up with the wrong people, and most of all Mallory's parents who don't think he's good enough for her and will hurt her in the end.

Romance

Read this if you liked:  P.S. I Still Love You, The Sun is Also a Star, Tell Me Three Things, The Geography of Me and You

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

FIC BUX

Jessie's mother has died and her father has remarried, and he's moved her half way across the country to live with his new wife and stepson in what might as well be the moon.  She's miserable until someone, who shall remain anonymous, writes her an email to try to help her navigate her new world.  Jessie starts to fall for him, and tries to guess who it is, but is at a loss.  There's a mean girl who hates her for no reason, a couple of cute guys who might be her anonymous friend, the best friend she left behind, and a couple of new friendships.  Adorable book.

Romance

Read this if you liked:  All the Bright Places, One of Those Hideous Books Where The Mother Dies, This is the Part Where You Laugh

A Little in Love by Susan Fletcher

FIC FLE

Eponine, the street girl from Les Misérables, tells the story of her life and her unrequited love for Marius, which ultimately leads to her death on the barricades during the short-lived rebellion of June 1832. - novelist

Historical Fiction, Romance

Read this if you liked:  Les Miserables, Belle Epoque, Tiger Lilly

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

FIC DUM

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (Dumplin) has always been at home in her own skin. With her best friend Ellen by her side, things have always worked. Will meets Bo, a hot former jock, and likes him, but she is surprised when he seems to like her back.  Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.  Such a great book!

Romance, Realistic Fiction

Read this if you liked:  Eleanor and Park, 45 Pounds, Fans of the Impossible Life, Future Perfect

The Game of Love and Death by Marth Brockenbrough

FIC BRO

For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players.  If they don't choose each other in the end, they will die.  And Death has always won. Flora is an African-American girl who dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earhart by day and sings in the smoky jazz clubs of Seattle by night. Henry is born a few blocks and a million worlds away, a white boy with his future assured in the midst of the Great Depression, a college scholarship, and all the opportunities in the world seemingly available to him.  When human beings make moves of their own, what happens next is anyone’s guess.

Magical Realism, Romance

Read this if you liked: Another Day, Eleanor and Park, The Walls Around Us 

Forever for a Year by B. T. Gottfred

FIC GOT

A true coming of age story about a boy and a girl who meet and fall hopelessly and intensely in love.  The book takes you through their entire relationship, told in alternating voices.  Gottfred writes just like teens speak and it almost seems like it's written like a diary.  They're young, they're in love, they experiment, they fight, they have problems, but they are in love and think they will always be together.  

Romance, Realistic fiction

Read this if you like Eleanor and Park, Fangirl, Paper Towns, Althea and Oliver

City Love by Susana Colasanti

FIC MAA

City Love is told in the voices of three roomates starting college:  Sadie, the 'normal' girl who grew up in the City, Rosanna, the small town girl who lives by a pretty strict moral code, and Darcy, the rich girl from California who wants to do nothing but have fun and date as many boys as she can.  Even though they're really different, they instantly bond and become the best of friends.  They've just moved to NYC and are having the time of their lives.  

Romance, friendship, roommates, New York City

Read it if you liked:  Any of Sarah Dessen's books, a good 'beach read

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

FIC YOO

Madeline has a rare immune deficiency disease and has lived in her house her whole life - never leaving, never having visitors, always wondering what it would be like to be outside.  When a boy moves in next door and her heart skips a beat, she will never be the same.   But one day she learns the truth about her disease and her whole world changes.

Romance, coming of age

Read it if you liked:  Fault in our Stars, Zac and Mia, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Finnikin of the Rock

Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

FIC MAA

In this classic Beauty and the Beast story, Feyre kills a fairy in the woods and as punishment, must go live in the land of Faeries with Tamlin, her captor.  At first it's very difficult, and she does everything she can to escape, but she eventually learns to accept her new life and and even enjoy Tamlin's company.  When an evil fairy threatens to destroy the land and to kill Feyre, Tamlin sends her back to her home in order to keep her safe.  Once home, she realizes she cannot live without him, and goes back to to find a curse has been cast over the land and she must fight to save him and the realm.

Fantasy, suspense, romance, intrigue, action.  Some sexual situations

Read this if you liked The Heir Series, The Red Queen, Ember in the Ashes, Beastly, Games of Thrones 

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda  by Becky Albertalli

FIC ALB

Simon is not openly gay and is being blackmailed when another student finds out he's having an online relationship with someone in his school.  They fall in love but the other boy is afraid to meet him and afraid of what will happen when they do.  Simon is forced to come out to his family and friends and tries to figure out who in the world it could be.  It's lighthearted, funny, very sweet coming of age story

LGBTQ, Romance, Realistic Fiction

Read it if you liked:  Will Greyson, Will Greyson, Two Boys Kissing, Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

FIC SIM

Don Tillman, a brilliant geneticist, thinks that having women fill out a six-page, double-sided questionnaire before a date is logical and reasonable. Rosie Jarman, an impetuous barmaid, thinks Don should loosen up and learn to live a little. Follow the unlikely pair in this laugh-out-loud, feel-good story of unexpected joys, discovery and love. -- Paulette Brooks for LibraryReads.

Realistic Fiction, Romance

Read this if you liked:  Us, Where'd You Go, Bernadette?  The Universe vs. Alex Woods

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

FIC GRE

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten. -Amazon

Romance, Realistic Fiction

Read this if you liked:  All the Bright Places, Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl, Before I Die, Everything, Everything

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer Smith

FIC SMI

Sparks fly when sixteen-year-old Lucy Patterson and seventeen-year-old Owen Buckley meet on an elevator rendered useless by a New York City blackout. Soon after, the two teenagers leave the city, but as they travel farther away from each other geographically, they stay connected emotionally, in this story set over the course of one year. - Booklist

Romance, Realistic Fiction

Read this if you liked:  Anna and the French Kiss, Anything Sarah Dessen or Susane Colasanti, Until Friday Night

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

FIC SMI

Perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet online when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an e-mail about his pet pig, Wilbur. The two 17-year-olds strike up an e-mail relationship from opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names. What's more, Ellie doesn't know Graham is a famous actor, and Graham doesn't know about the big secret in Ellie's family tree. When the relationship goes from online to in-person, they find out whether their relationship can be the real thing"-- Novelist

Romance, Realistic Fiction

Read this if you liked:  Eleanor and Park, Every day, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Just One Day

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith 

FIC SMI

Seventeen-year-old Hadley's father is getting remarried, and while Hadley is (much) less than thrilled about it, she's traveling to England to be a part of his wedding. After missing her flight to London by just four minutes, Hadley gets rebooked on another flight...where she meets Oliver. -- Description by Ellen Foreman.

Romance, Realistic Fiction

Read this if you liked:  Abundance of Katherines, Along for the Ride, Meant to Be, 13 Little Blue Envelopes

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

FIC LEV

A modern love story told through a series of dictionary-style entries is a sequence of intimate windows into the large and small events that shape the course of a romantic relationship. - Novelist

Romance

Read this if you liked:  Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Why We Broke Up, Invisibility, Zombies vs. Unicorns