Get Ready to Swoon, 'Cause We've Found the Most Romantic Novels of All Time (2024)

Let's be real here: Consuming romantic movies, shows, books, and everything in between has taken up an embarrassingly large amount of my time. What can I say...I just love love! I know I'm not alone on this, either. Chances are you've already watched (or plan on watching) some of this year's new romantic flicks or, at the very least, gone down the Colleen Hoover rabbit hole—and while we can debate all day about the best romance novels, I decided to put together the definitive list and save us all the trouble (you're welcome). The question is: Are you ready for it?

If you're new to the genre, pls prepare your imagination accordingly because it's about to get sent into overdrive. Basically, romance novels take all the steamy sex scenes and heart-melting moments you've seen in your fave rom-coms and turn 'em up to level 1,000—though they tend to have a lil more heart and a lil less bodice ripping than erotic novels. And yep, you better believe I included all the classics in this list (as well as plenty of incredible new romances). Without further ado, I present the 45 best romance novels of all time that'll tickle your fancy—and who knows what else?

Boy meets girl. Boy travels back in time to visit girl throughout her childhood. Boy and girl’s love story becomes the subject of a massive best-seller that highlights how far you’ll go to protect unconditional love.

Set in the summer of 1997, Writers & Lovers follows an aspiring novelist to Boston following her mom's unexpected death, where she waits tables in Harvard Square, tries desperately to finish her novel, and falls for two very different men at the same time.

Danielle Steel is an absolute legend in the romance novel game, and Heartbeat may just be her very best work. In it, a daytime TV producer has a chance encounter with a former TV production assistant in the grocery store. Sparks fly, but there's a smol issue: the production assistant is pregnant with another man's baby.

After Katie’s fiancé Paul dumps her out of nowhere, she agrees to hang out with Cassidy—and soon, she’s questioning everything she thought she knew about love, sex, and herself. It’s a tender tale about finding yourself and trusting your unexpected impulses.

When a wedding photographer turns down her boyfriend's proposal and finds herself suddenly single, she ends up moving in with a total stranger...and as it turns out, that stranger may be just the person she needs in her life.

Love is a lot of things, but simple isn’t one of them. After meeting in college, Lucy and Gabe’s romance spans 13 years. If you physically have to watch When Harry Met Sally whenever it’s on, you’ll be intoxicated by their story.

This novel is not only beautifully written, but it’s also a perfect combo of eroticism, romance, and love’s philosophical nature. It follows a genderless narrator who begins an affair with a married woman and soon spirals into intense feelings of passion and loss.

The movie that forever changed the way you look at peaches was a novel before it made Timothée Chalamet a household internet boyfriend. Reach for the book for more sizzling liaisons in the idyllic Italian countryside. And don’t worry—that peach scene is in the book, too.

Louisa Clark becomes the care assistant for quadriplegic Will Traynor, whose life was altered by a motorcycle accident. An unlikely pair, they become totally entangled in each other’s worlds as they try to stave off their growing feelings. (Spoiler: They fail and we’re weeping now.)

Will anyone ever capture the excitement of first love and the complicated feelings around losing your virginity as well as Judy Blume? Nope, the answer is nope. She speaks to the awkward and horny teenager in all of us. This novel is regularly censored for its honest depiction of teenage sexuality, which tells ya everything you need to know.

In this rom-com, PhD student Olive Smith suddenly finds herself in a fake relationship with one of the harshest professors on campus when she lies to her BFF about seeing someone new. But, as with any fake relationship, things get complicated really quickly and they have to figure out how long they can keep the charade up.

When a talented young production design intern discovers a mysterious letter at the estate sale of an old Hollywood film legend, it leads her on a wild scavenger hunt. What she doesn't expect to find: a romance with a woman living in a shelter for teens.

A reimagining of The Iliad might not be at the top of your list of must-reads, but this book proves you wrong with every turn of the page. It gives us the story of the Trojan War as told from the perspective of Patroclus, exploring the ~true nature~ of his relationship with the great warrior Achilles.

Come on. Like you thought this *classique* wasn’t going to be on here?! No one does young love better than Sparks, and even if you’ve seen the Ryan Gosling/Rachel McAdams movie, you should still pick up a copy of the book and experience Noah and Allie’s heart-wrenching summer romance all over again.

This achingly tender romance follows a young bisexual artist who—five years after losing the love of her life in an accident—decides she’s ready to get back into the dating scene. However, her new relationship is made complicated by the fact that she can’t stop thinking about her boyfriend’s dad.

If you’re obsessed with the royals and are looking for a more contemporary romance, you won’t be able to put down Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue. What happens when the prince of England and the first son of America go from enemies to lovers? You’re going to want to read to find out.

Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, Alyssa Cole's suspenseful (and suuuuper sexy novel) follows two undercover agents who share a common cause...as well as a whole lot of chemistry in the bedroom.

What do you do when you're a super-organized genetics professor trying to find love? Come up with a methodical questionnaire to assess all potential partners, of course. It seems like a great idea to Don until he meets Rosie, who doesn't seem to fit any of the criteria, but he can't stop himself from being drawn to her.

When she was 12 years old, Azere promised her dying father that she would marry a fellow Nigerian. But to quote the Patron Saint of Real Talk Selena Gomez, the heart wants what it wants. And what Azere’s heart really wants is kinda the opposite of her family’s values, a realization that ultimately makes her question her entire identity.

Guillory’s rom-com tells a thoroughly modern tale about romance that starts purely physical and long distance. (Been there.) You’ll root for these leads as they debate whether to keep it casual or make it really work.