Hello everyone, as Valentine’s Day approaches once again it feels like everyone is talking about romance and everywhere I go I see chocolate, flowers and heart decor that just reminds me of it so here are some YA romances I absolutely adored who have my heart and gave me all the feels! If you’re someone, who like me, wants to experience a teenage romance they didn’t get (or maybe reexperience t if you did have one?) then here are some great books for you to read!
LOVE FROM A TO Z
Love From A to Z follows Zayneb who goes to her aunt in Doha, Qatar early for spring break after being suspended for speaking up against Islamophobia. I love how honest and raw and vulnerable this book can be and how it amazingly tackles all the issues it raises. I also loved the romance between Adam and Zayneb and how soft and slow and sweet it was – they just fit so well together and I loved seeing their journey. To be honest, I just adored every single thing about this book and you need to go read it now!
HANI AND ISHU’S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING
Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating follows Hani and Ishu as they fake date each other for their own reasons, going on dates, getting to know each and all in all being messy girls in love who are the cutest together. I absolutely adore their relationship and how they respect each other and look out for each other and are there for each other – they just fit so so well together and I loved watching them fall in love slowly through the book! Moreover, the book also tackles racism, Islamophobia toxic friendships and biphobia. If you’re looking for a relaxing read to soothe you and make you smile, this is the perfect book for you!
PERFECT ON PAPER
If you’re looking for a cute, feel good romance with a complete disaster of a main character who’s great at giving relationship advice to others but sucks when it comes to herself, you’re at the right place! Darcy runs an anonymous advice column out of a school locker and when someone catches her, she’s forced to help him out and get him back together for his girlfriend in exchange for him keeping her secret. I loved Darcy and how she has flaws and makes mistakes but also grows and learns from them! The romance was also cute and heartwarming and I adored Brougham so so much!
YES NO MAYBE SO
Yes No Maybe So deals with so many topics that are so important today with the nuance and emphasis they need while also having a cute, fluffy romance that makes your heart feel like it will burst outbox your chest! You all probably know by now how amazing Becky Albertalli is and this book of hers with Aisha Saeed is no exception! I really liked how it explored the inner working of political campaigning at the very base level. I highly recommend this book as not only is it quite relevant for today but also gives you a sweet romance to fall for along the way.
YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN
You Should See Me In A Crown follows Liz who decides to take part in a beauty pageant to win a scholarship she needs to go to school. As she learns to cope with her anxiety and being in the spotlight, she meets Mack, another participant in the beauty pageant. As they spend more time together, they start to get to know each other and fall in love. I love the friendships in this book, especially between Liz and Jordan. This was an amazing book and I really enjoyed every second of it!
RADHA AND JAI’S RECIPE FOR ROMANCE
A compelling story of finding and being true to oneself, Radha and Jai’s recipe for Romance is filled with passion for dance, food and an adorable romance. Written in a cheesy, fluffy style, you can’t help but read ahead as you find out more about Radha and Jai and fall in love with them. I loved seeing both Radha and Jai face their problems and dealing with them, eventually growing to be better people while also being so cute and amazing together. If you’re looking for a quick, fun read, this is the one for you!
NOT HERE TO BE LIKED
Not Here To Be Liked is a fun and fast paced YA contemporary that follows Eliza Quan who finds herself in the middle of a feminist movement in her school after the essay she wrote on how she was unfairly not elected to be editor-in-chief for her school newspaper as she was a girl vs the other candidate who was under qualified but was chosen because he was a ‘male’ goes viral. The romance between Eliza and Len was also pretty cute! I liked how it developed and how we got to know Len slowly and liked him as we understood his true motives and it was really cute and fun to read about!
I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI
This is a coming of age story as Kimi tries to find herself and her passion on her trip to Japan, where she’s meeting her maternal grandparents for the first time. In Japan, she also meets Akira and as she goes around the city and explores with him, falls in love. The audiobook narrator for this was absolutely fabulous and I would highly recommend it if you like audiobooks. This book was cute and funny and if you’re looking for something happy, this is the one for you!
I’LL BE THE ONE
I’ll be the one follows Skye who decides to take part in a competition looking for K pop stars to showcase her talents in dancing and singing. This book boldly takes on the fat phobia and toxicity of the k pop industry and the ingrained mindsets people, especially Skye’s mom has which she has dealt with her whole life. I loved how strong Skye is and how she refuses to back down and instead challenges everyone and their beliefs. I also liked the sweet romance that takes place right in the middle of it and how adorable it all was!
CHARMING AS A VERB
Charming As A Verb is a very relatable book which follows a teen as he struggles with being in the last year of high school, stress fo college applications and falling in love. Henri is charming and knows how to get people to like him and is trying his best to please his parents, friends and everyone around him. When Henri starts walking his classmate, Corinne’s dog, she discovers his scheme and convinces him to help her change her image at school in return for keeping his secret. I loved all their interactions and seeing how they connected and fell in love with each other. This book was so funny and cute and just a lovely read overall!
TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW
Taking place over 24 hours, this book follows Rowan as she decides to strike an alliance with her long time rival Neil to win the senior class game. I loved how they talked and confronted all their misconceptions and saw each other in a new light which allowed them to understand for each and fall for each other! Their banter was so amazing and I loved all there scenes together and seeing how slowly things changed as truths were revealed. This was fun and heartwarming and just a great read overall!
XOXO
One of the most adorable books I have ever read – XOXO is a fun contemporary that follows Jenny who has a romantic date with a boy for one night followed by her moving to Korea where they turn out to attend the same school, and that he is a famous k-pop star! This entire book was such a ride filled with cute, awkward and fun moments that all combined into a great experience! If you’re just looking for something to distract you and to absorb you, this is the book for you!
FIFTEEN HUNDRED MILES FROM THE SUN
Fifteen Hundred Miles From The Sun follows Jules, a queer Latinx boy in a small town in Texas as he accidentally outs himself by tweeting when he is drunk and coming out to the world. I loved his friends and how amazing they were to him and how they just felt like a warm hug every time they were on the page! I Las loved seeing him and Mat becoming friends on twitter and just falling in love online and then being absolutely perfect together even as they struggle because of not being hear each other. However, there are quite a few hard moments in this book and it can be a little hard to read at times. Overall though this was a heartwarming loving story I completely adored!
TOKYO EVER AFTER
Tokyo Ever After follows Izumi as she finds out her the identity of her father who turns out to be the Crown Prince of Japan and decides to reach out to him, being thrust into a whirlwind of a journey as she goes to Japan to meet him, see her extended family and maybe also fall in love with her bodyguard along the way! This book was so much fun and just easy to get through and I loved reading it!
HOW MOON FEUNTEZ FELL IN LOVE WITH THE UNIVERSE
This book was so beautiful and lyrical and emotional and I can not explain to how you how much this book means to me. It follows Moon who has always remained hidden in the shadow of her twin, Star. She’s been treated as the ugly twin who is discarded by everyone, fat shamed, slut shamed and just been really hurt. However, as she and Star go on a summer tour, she finds herself embracing her talents and arts, finding new people who help her recognise her worth and challenging the way she has thought of herself her whole life.
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It's Just a Coffee Addicted Bibliophile 
Not Here To Be Liked was so amazing! I haven’t read so many of these. Definitely going to be adding them to my TBR! Thanks for the recs! 💓
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Thanks for these lovely recommendations, Jayati–I love the diversity of the reads in this genre now. A bookstagrammer friend made a list on my blog as well, and it includes one of your recommendations: Today Tonight Tomorrow.
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I’ve read and loved Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun, and the others are all on my tbr 😂 thank you for these recommendations! 💛
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hope you enjoy them!!
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excellent list, jayati!! i couldn’t agree more with what you said about love from a to z and moon fuentez—i may not be as much of a contemp romance reader anymore, but those two were truly something else 😭❤️ and i still need to read xoxo, but it looks so fun and i can’t wait to get around to it!
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yeah those two are truly some of the best books ever!! I hope you enjoy XOXO as well!
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Ahh I haven’t read any of these but I recently got an ebook of Hani and ishu’s guide to fake dating and I’m so so excited to read it!!
l hoping to get to more of these as well!!
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hope you love it and the rest as well!
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So many favorites on this list! I also lovwd Moon Fuentez, Love from A to Z, Fifteen Hundred Miles? And You Should See Me In a Crown. I really need to pick up Charming As a Verb and I’ll Be the One. I have a feeling I’ll love them. Great list!
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Hope you love them!! ❤
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