As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Are you a romance fan and wondering what books to read next? Here's a list of 50 bestselling books guaranteed to keep you busy at least for a year.
Not sure you're a romance fan, check my reasons as to why you should read Romance.
Wondering how to get all of them done soon? Here's my article on how to read more books and the benefits of reading.
I have created this list based on reader popularity, my wishlist and ratings available in Goodreads. I have also listed the number of ratings the book has received on Goodreads to give you an idea as to the popularity of the book.
The rating below the title is my own personal rating of the book. It may or may not match that given by Goodreads or Amazon.
To cater to the reader’s tastes I’ve divide the 50 into further 5 categories. Hope you enjoy all of them.
Best Classic Romance Books
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- First Published: 1813
- Goodreads 2934000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Elizabeth Bennet and Mr.Darcy
- Classic story of initial dislike and hasty judgements, turning to attraction and love.
- Pages : 279
- 20 million copies sold
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- First Published: 1847
- Goodreads 1,597,293+ ratings
- Main Characters : Jane and Edward Rochester
- Forbidden Love and dangerous secrets between a governess and her ward’s father.
- Pages : 532
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- First Published: 1847
- Goodreads 1,316,837+ ratings
- Main Characters : Caroline and Heathcliff
- Has parallel love stories of more than one characters. Groundbreaking book due to its dark depiction of human nature.
- Pages : 464
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
- First Published: 1991
- Goodreads 800000 ratings
- Main Characters : Nurse Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser
- Themes of historical (World War II) fiction, romance and adventure as Claire travels Scotland. The first book in a series of 8.
- Pages : 850
- 25 million copies sold
- Awards : RITA award, Puddle award for romance.
Gone with the Wind by Maragaret Mitchell
- First Published: 1936
- Goodreads 1060000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Coming of age story of Scarlett O’Hara
- Scarlett, a spoiled daughter of a well-to-do man, is ready to do anything to leave a life of poverty behind.
- Pages : 1037
- 30 million copies sold
- Awards : Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award
The Thorn Bird by Colleen McCollough
- First Published: 1977
- Goodreads 30000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Meggie and Ralph
- A family story of the Cleary’s set in Australia.
- Pages : 692
- 33 million copies sold
The Great Gatsby by F. Scot Fitzgerald
- First Published: 1925
- Goodreads 3700000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan
- Love story between a mysterious billionaire and his ex-lover, portraying affluent American lifestyle.
- Pages : 200
- 30 million copies sold
- Awards : Grammy Award Nominee
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- First Published: 1985
- Goodreads 400000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza
- A passionate story of true love. Portrayal of love in two different forms.
- Pages : 348
- 30 million copies sold
- The author won a Nobel Prize.
Audie Award, Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
- First Published: 1995
- Goodreads 27000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Sebastian Ballister and Jessica Trent
- A British Regency romance between notorious, bad guy and tough-minded beauty.
- Pages : 375
- Awards :
RITA Award, Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award, Romance Readers Anonymous (RRA) Award
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
- First Published: 1995
- Goodreads 84000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Simon Basset and Daphne Bridgerton
- Falling in hopeless love story where the line between real and reel starts to disappear.
- Pages : 384
- Awards : RITA Award.
Best Young Adult Romance Novels
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- First Published: 2008
- Goodreads 6270000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Katniss Everdeen
- Dystopia fans are in for a treat. The Hunger Games is an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from the Panem nation in North America are selected by lottery to compete battle to the death. The novels are Hunger games, Catching Fire and MockingJay
- Pages : 374
- 29 million copies in the US alone
- The list of awards is so long, I decided to leave it out. In short it is a book with high accolades.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
- First Published: 2013
- Goodreads 800000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Park Sheridon, Eleanor Douglas
- Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations Eleanor and Park fall for each other. First-love story.
- Pages : 328
- Awards: All About Romance (AAR) Annual Reader Poll for Best Young Adult Romance (2014), Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award (2014), Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award (2014), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction (2013), Lincoln Award (2015) , North Carolina Young Adult Book Award for High School (2016), Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction (2013), The Magnolia Award for 9-12 (2015)
The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
- First Published: 2019
- Goodreads 12000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Rhiannon Hunter and Samson
- Explore Modern dating, online dating and dating apps. A women oriented theme.
- Pages : 387
Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
- First Published: 2006
- Goodreads 60000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Sascha Duncan and Lucas HunterTo read a phenomenal story about the powers of the mind more than the heart, get this book.
- Pages : 334
Roller Girl by Vanessa North
- First Published: 2016
- Goodreads 500+ ratings
- Main Characters :Tina Durham and Joanne “Joe Mama” Delario
- Divorced lady looking for a shoulder to cry. Finds two good friends and a passion to thrive.
- Pages : 154
Best All Time Favorite Romance Novels
Me Before you by JoJo Moyes
- First Published: 2013
- Goodreads 1100000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Louisa Clark and Will Traynor
- A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars.
- Pages : 369
- Awards : Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction (2013)
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
- First Published: 2000
- Goodreads 1,316,000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Noah and Allie
- A moving story set in the beautiful coastal of North Carolina.
- Pages : 227
- For my full review click here.
Vision in White by Nora Roberts
- First Published: 2009
- Goodreads 126000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Mackensie Elliot and Carter Maguire
- Nora Roberts cordially invites you to meet childhood friends Parker, Emma, Laurel, and Mac—the founders of Vows, one of Connecticut's premier wedding planning companies.
- Pages : 325
- Awards : Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Romance (2009)
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
- First Published: 2000
- Goodreads 665000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan
- A Bible carrying girl quiet girl and a seventeen year old boy discover the depths of a human heart.
- Pages : 215
- Awards : Iowa High School Book Award (2004)
Love Story by Erich Segal
- First Published: 2002
- Goodreads 50000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Oliver Barrett IV, Jennifer Cavilleri
- A love story of opposites attract, working class vs. royalty.
- Pages : 224
Whitney my Love by Judith McNaught
- First Published: 2006
- Goodreads 30000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Clayton Westmoreland, Whitney Stone
- Story set in England and France about the British Royalty.
- Pages : 708
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
- First Published: 2006
- Goodreads 55000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Evangeline and Sebastian
- Four young ladies looking for the perfect husband in London.
- Pages : 368
- Awards : RITA Award by Romance Writers of America Nominee for Short Historical Romance (2007)
The Wedding date by Jasmine Guillory
- First Published: 2018
- Goodreads 70000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Alexa Monroe and Drew Nichols
- Fun, flirty and very contemporary this novel will leave you smiling.
- Pages : 320
Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard
- First Published: 2003
- Goodreads 30000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Jaine Bright and Sam Donavan
- A Fun game to find Mr. perfect between four friends turns deadly serious with the murder of one. I love this one for the suspense twist.
- Pages : 405
- Awards : All About Romance (AAR) Annual Reader Poll for Favorite Romantic Suspense & Feistiest Heroine & Favorite Villain & Honorable Mentions for Favorite Funny & Favorite Contemporary Romance (2001)
Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines
- First Published: 2012
- Goodreads 500+ ratings
- Main Characters : Rush Finlay, Blaire Wynn
- Forbidden love story between step kids.
- Pages : 300
- Award : Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Romance (2013)
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
- First Published: 2011
- Goodreads 500000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Abby Abernathy and Travis Maddox
- Good girl bad boy story that turns into forever love. Love the cover of this one.
- Pages : 319
- Awards : Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction and for Goodreads Author (2011)
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
- First Published: 2016
- Goodreads 200000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Ryle Kincaid, Atlas Corrigan, Lily Bloom
- White collar relationship story with love from the past as the twist in the tale.
- Pages : 385
- Awards : Goodreads Choice Award for Romance (2016) and Nominee for Best of the Best (2018)
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah Maclean
- First Published: 2010
- Goodreads 38000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Calpurnia Hartwell and Gabriel St. John
- A lady who has always lived her life by rules only to have failed in finding love looks for a willing partner to help her break them.
- Pages : 397
- Awards : RITA Award by Romance Writers of America, Nominee for Best Regency Historical (2011)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- First Published: 2003
- Goodreads 770000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Buttercup, Westley.
- A novel about everything. Based on the author’s favorite childhood classic.
- Pages : 456
Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
- First Published: 2003
- Goodreads 13000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Duke of Jervaulx and Maddy Timms
- Love between Sweet Girl and dangerous man, lost to the world but one.
- Pages : 533
- Awards : Romance Readers Anonymous (RRA) Award (1996)
- First Published: 2005
- Goodreads 15000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Harriet Pomeroy and Gideon Westbrook
- Regency romance story, beach read.
- Pages : 385
The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
- First Published: 2009
- Goodreads 64000+ ratings
- Main Characters : Tatiana Metanova, Alexander Belov, Alexander Belov
- Wartime story between a victim of Hitler's war and a young officer of the RED ARMY. Such a beautiful book cover!
- Pages : 912
