12 Teen Romance Books That Will Melt Your Heart
Love and crushes are incredibly puzzling. Is your affection for them genuine? Do they have feelings for you? How do you know when you're ready to move on? While asking your mother, sister, and best friends is always a good idea, getting an unbiased opinion on your love life is sometimes helpful.
We've compiled a list of the best teen romance novels that will keep you believing in love even when you're experiencing heartbreak and confusion.
Jenny Han's "To All the Boys I've Loved Before"
Lara Jean's concept of love stems from the cheesy romance novels she's read, but she's never had a boyfriend.
When she crushes, she crushes hard and keeps a secret box in her closet with a letter for each crush. Lara Jean is mortified when these letters are accidentally mailed to each of the boys.
Especially since one of those boys is Josh, her best friend and sister's ex-boyfriend.
To persuade Josh that those feelings are gone, she forms a phony relationship with the school's top lacrosse player, who is trying to make his ex jealous.
This type of teen romance novel makes you wish you had a friend like Lara Jean.
The Netflix adaptation is also a must-see!
Junauda's "The Stars and the Blackness Between Them"
This fearless story follows two young Black girls as they struggle to find their place in the world. Audre is going through a lot right now. After her mother discovers her with a secret girlfriend, she is sent to live with her father in Minneapolis. In Minneapolis, she'll meet Mabel, who is also going through a lot. Mabel has been sick for most of the summer and believes. she likes girls. But, when their worlds collide, love comes at them fast and furious.
Nisha Sharma's "My So-Called Bollywood Life"
Bollywood fans will enjoy this modern take on the classic Only You. A psychic prophesied that Winnie Mehta would meet her true love before she turned 18 and that his name would start with an R, so her boyfriend Raj is the one. But then they break up, and she meets a fellow film buff who does not fit those criteria. It's funny, sweet, and just rightly familiar.
But a grim diagnosis adds fuel to the fire, throwing their romance into doubt.
Casey McQuiston's "Red, White, and Royal Blue"
The premise of Red, White, and Royal Blue is completely absurd. After being photographed brawling at a royal wedding, Alex Diaz, the first son of the United States, and Prince Henry, the heir to the throne of England, stage a fake friendship.
At first, the two despise each other, but after being forced into each other's companies, they realize that neither is as they appear on the outside.
While the premise is ridiculous, this was a wonderful romance story about two famous teenagers with a lot on their shoulders. It's one of the best gay teen love stories out there, and it's funny, sexy, and heartbreaking.
This book is for you if you enjoy books about enemies to lovers.
Jennifer Dugan's "Hot Dog Girl"
Thanks to her new job at Magic Castle Playland, Lou Parker sets out to have the perfect summer of her life. However, as summer begins, she realizes that nothing is going as planned, including her new job, which requires her to dress up as a hot dog, and her crush, who is currently dating the girl who plays the park's princess. After learning that Magic Castle Playland will close at the end of the summer, Lou must find a way to save both the park and her summer before it is too late.
John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars"
One of the most heartbreaking young adult novels ever written is The Fault in Our Stars. It tells the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a lung cancer patient (though she would be upset if anyone defined her by her disease in that way).
After being diagnosed with depression, she is forced to attend a support group where she meets Augustus Walters, a gorgeous and muscly boy who is interested in her for some unknown (to her) reason.
They form a close friendship, bonding over their shared experiences and fears, and bring far more color and excitement into each other's lives than either could have imagined.
As they experience the joy and pain of first love, each finally feels like a "normal" adolescent. This book will make you cry your eyes out.
Kody Keplinger's "The DUFF"
Bianca Piper is a cynical adolescent with a rough demeanor and a bad attitude. She's not like the other girls at her high school, who preen their hair and flick it in front of boys before going to parties.
Bianca believes she is above all of this.
Her tough exterior is tested when Wesley, the most popular boy in school, refers to her as the "DUFF." DUFF is an abbreviation for a designated, ugly, fat friend. And, no matter how tough you are, that title has to sting.
However, Bianca's home life is a shambles, and she finds herself in an enemies-with-benefits situation with Wesley.
Sleeping with him is an easy way to forget about everything else, but feelings begin to develop.
Both are in denial about their chemistry, and things begin to become complicated.
Adam Silvera's "They Both Die at the End"
When Rufus and Mateo learn that today is their last day on Earth, they are determined to make the most of it. Last Friend is an app that connects people who are similar to them. They find more than a distraction from their impending deaths in their attempt to cram as much as they can into their final 24 hours.
Sandhya Menon's "When Dimple Met Rishi"
When Dimple Met Rishi perfectly captures an Asian American's struggles with love, education, and family.
Dimple is looking forward to a summer program for aspiring web developers because she believes it will give her a break from her parents and her mother's obsession with finding her the perfect Indian husband.
She has no idea that the boy her mother wants to set her up with is also enrolled in the same program.
While Dimple rebels against her family's ideals, Rishi strongly believes in tradition and is eager to fulfill his parents' wishes regarding marriage.
But first, he'll have to win Dimple over, which won't be easy. This book is about pursuing your dreams, embracing your culture, and discovering your identity as a young second-generation immigrant.
Elizabeth Acevedo's "The Poet X"
This New York Times bestselling novel in verse (quite an accomplishment!) focuses on Xiomara, a young Dominican American girl growing up in Harlem with her religious immigrant family. Her mother is overbearing in her efforts to instill Catholicism in Xio and her twin brother. Still, Xio pours her heart out in her journal, documenting the dramas and traumas of first-generation life, addressing religion, faith crises, sexual harassment, and the rush of first love (and lust).
Stephanie Perkins's "Anna and the French Kiss"
Most teenagers can only dream of the story Anna, and the French Kiss tells. It all starts when Anna is reluctantly shipped from the United States to Paris for boarding school.
She's devastated about missing her senior year in Atlanta, but then Étienne St. Clair appears, and life in Paris becomes much more exciting.
He is an American who was raised in England and, of course, speaks fluent French. The only problem is that he already has a girlfriend.
Anna and the French Kiss is a complicated love story in which you alternate between wanting to shake the characters and swooning over their blossoming romance.
This book is irresistibly romantic, set in Paris, and will take you to Notre Dame Cathedral, the Catacombs, and more.
Jennifer E. Smith's "The Geography of You and Me"
Long-distance relationships are central to The Geography of You and Me. Lucy lives in a posh New York City apartment, while Owen is the builder's manager's son.
They've never spoken before, but after spending 30 minutes trapped in an elevator together, they realize their first impressions of each other were incorrect.
They spend the night walking around New York before falling asleep on the roof of their building, side by side. But when Lucy wakes up the next morning, Owen has vanished.
Both families are forced to leave the building shortly after this night.
Although they are on opposite sides of the world, they continue to send postcards to each other, but both of them wonder if the distance between them, metaphorically and physically, is simply too great.
It's not a fast-paced romance but a story about how even the most insignificant events can have far-reaching consequences.
