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A great romance does far more than promise a happy ending. The best love stories make you ache for two people to find their way to each other, fill the gap between them with real obstacles - class, time, distance, pride, grief - and earn every moment of joy when it finally comes.
Whether you want to laugh, sob, or both within the same chapter, romance is the genre that reminds us why we read at all.
The short answer
- The one to start with
- Beach Read by Emily Henry — warm, funny and very readable
- Best for a good cry
- Me Before You by Jojo Moyes — tender and heartbreaking
- Best epic love story
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon — two centuries and one enormous romance
What makes a great romance?
Chemistry you can feel, two characters who feel like real people rather than placeholders, and a genuine reason they can't simply be together on page two. The form is gloriously broad - from the slow-burn historical epic to the modern enemies-to-lovers rom-com - so we've spread the list across tear-jerkers, comedies and grand sagas.
Every one delivers the thing romance does best: emotional truth that stays with you.
Our pick of the best romance books
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
A carer, a man who has lost everything, and a love that asks impossible questions. Funny, then utterly devastating.“A gifted, high achiever walks out of his flat one morning and gets hit by a taxi”Our review, by Sarah Broadhurst
Reviewed by Sarah BroadhurstAudiobook read by Nicholas Boulton, Rachel Atkins, Tamsin Topolski and othersOne Day by David Nicholls
Twenty years of two lives glimpsed on a single date each year - clever, true and quietly heartbreaking.“Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 23 February 2012”Our review, by Sarah Broadhurst
Reviewed by Sarah Broadhurst and the LoveReading teamAudiobook read by Anna BentinckOutlander by Diana Gabaldon
Time-slip, history and a grand passion across the Scottish Highlands; the sweeping epic that launched a phenomenon.“Oh what an entertaining series this is, I have read each book as it has been published since the early 1990’s”Our review, by Liz Robinson
Reviewed by Liz RobinsonAudiobook read by Kristin AthertonThe Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
A marriage lived out of order, full of longing and grace; unlike any other love story.Audiobook read by Fred Berman and Phoebe StroleBeach Read by Emily Henry
A burnt-out romance writer, a literary rival and a summer that changes both - the modern rom-com at its sharpest.Audiobook read by Julia WhelanIt Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
A tender, difficult story of love and the courage to choose yourself; emotionally honest and hugely talked-about.Audiobook read by Olivia SongRed, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The US President's son and a British prince fall in love - joyful, witty and irresistibly warm-hearted.Audiobook read by Ramon De OcampoThe Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
First love, lasting love and memory; the tear-jerker that became a modern romantic touchstone.Audiobook read by Barry Bostwick
Who chose these books, and why that matters
This is not a list pulled from a bestseller chart. Every title here was read and chosen by the LoveReading editorial panel, and we turn far more books down than we put forward.
The panel includes a judge of the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger; a past Chair of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals; a former children’s editor of the Guardian, who is also Children’s Director of the Hay Festival; a Managing Director of the Hay Festival of twenty years; the founder of the Murder One bookshop, who has reviewed for the Guardian, The Times and the Daily Telegraph; and two UK School Librarians of the Year.
Each is named, with a photograph and full biography, on our editorial experts page.
Members of the panel include:
Liz RobinsonLoveReading reviewer since 2014 and former judge of the CWA Gold Dagger
Lois CudjoeBook critic, content creator and passionate cross-genre reader
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Julie VuongPublishing journalist, BookBrunch feature writer and Mslexia columnist
Maureen StapletonWriter and journalist with international publishing experience
Their judgements are informed by our Reader Review Panel — several hundred readers across our adult and children’s sites who read titles before publication and tell us plainly whether a book delivers.
LoveReading has been recommending books since 2004 and has reviewed more than 33,000 titles in that time. We review for schools, for publishers and for readers, and we are a winner of the Small Business x Sage pop-up shop competition on London’s Oxford Street.
Every physical book bought through us donates 25% of the cover price to a school of your choice — more than £100,000 in books so far.
Find your next love story
Romance readers rarely stop at one - and the best way to find your next is to follow the feeling you loved most, whether that's the wit of a rom-com or the sweep of a saga. Browse our romance reviews and editors' picks to keep your to-be-read pile happily overflowing.
Your questions answered
What makes a romance novel rather than a love story?
Romance as a genre puts the developing relationship at the centre and rewards the reader with an emotionally satisfying ending. Plenty of literary novels feature love, but in romance the journey of two people toward each other is the main event, not a subplot.
Are these romance recommendations chosen by an algorithm?
No. Chemistry, emotional truth and an ending that feels earned aren't things an algorithm can measure - but they're exactly what our editors and 800-strong Reader Review Panel read for. Every love story here was chosen on merit by people who adore the genre, never ranked by a bestseller chart.
I want to laugh, not cry - where should I start?
Go straight for Beach Read or Red, White & Royal Blue - both are witty, warm and uplifting. If you don't mind a good cry, Me Before You and One Day are the modern tear-jerkers everyone remembers. Our reviews flag the tone so you can choose your mood.
Do all these romance novels have a happy ending?
Most deliver the happy-ever-after the genre is loved for - Beach Read, Red, White & Royal Blue and Outlander all reward you with one. A few, like Me Before You and One Day, are love stories rather than traditional romances, and they will break your heart. Our reviews flag the tone so there are no unwanted surprises.
More from the LoveReading blog
- Dark Romance: Why Readers Can't Look AwayJuly 2026
- LoveReading's Romance Picks of the MonthSeptember 2025
- Exploring Romance Tropes: Discover 50 Enemies to Lovers Books Romance Readers Swoon Over.January 2024
- What to Read After Bridgerton - The Books For Fans of Regency RomanceJune 2024
More guides from our editors
Browse every title we have reviewed in this genre: Romance books.