Romance bestsellers

“2020 is apparently the year I start reading romance novels and loving them. Maybe it's my need for a little lighthearted fluff in quarantine, but straight fluff isn't really my jam no matter the day. I want fluff with meat on its bones. I want fluff with substance.

As for Beach Read... Did I just give a romance novel ALL THE STARS? Why yes. Yes I did. And if I could give it a few more, I would. Because Beach Read is just the kind of substantial 'fluff' I needed to read. It's the kind of book that flips the patriarchy on its head, the one that has told readers like me that romance novels can't be good literature. Because at the end of the day, my preference for anything *but* romance had little to do with the writing quality, and everything to do with social biases. Henry attacks those head on. And then she goes leaps and bounds further, delving into grief and love and identity, and how we understand each other.

This book is therapy. It's a book about writer's block in the best of ways - not just the literal premise of swapping stories, but that of feeling stuck in a rut and not knowing what to do to move forward with life. I felt completely and utterly seen in its pages. I cried ugly tears until I had none left. And then it lifted me up in a bucket full of swoon. Reader, I adored every minute. And with Julia Whelan to narrate, what more could you ask for?”

“I listened to this audiobook almost entirely it one sitting. It was utterly enthralling.”

“A satisfying conclusion to an absolutely delightful series! In the final installment of the trilogy, we follow the youngest Brown sister, Eve, a lovable hot mess who is looking to prove to her parents that she can get her life together. Her attempts to turn things around lead her to accidentally interview for as job as a chef at a bed and breakfast. The owner of the B&B, Jacob, is Eve’s polar opposite on paper, so they naturally get off to a bad start. It doesn’t help that Eve also hits him with her car! As the pair begin to learn more about each other, the sweetest romance blooms. Talia Hibbert proves once again that she knows how to write a romantic comedy!”

“What fun! This delightful book should be in every beach bag this summer. A hilariously comedic rom-com with memorable characters, set in varied vacation spots in various years. I enjoyed the changing timeline and seeing the relationship as it grew through the years.”

“I have never been so mad to realize a title was an author's debut. Sweet, tender, funny, I devoured this book. I wanted to cancel plans for this book! Spending time with these characters was the literary equivalent of curling up by the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate while it's snowing outside. McQuiston's words were a direct line to my 23 year-old self. I couldn't believe they stared back at me from the page. And while I wish this book had been around when I had just come out, when I was figuring myself out, reading it now is almost just as good (we all need disaster bisexual role models).”

“Get a Life, Chloe Brown is the ultimate book candy! Chloe, a Black British thirty-something web designer, has been living in her family home ever since a diagnosis of fibromyalgia upended her life several years prior. After years of semi-hermithood, a near-death experience prompts her to make a list of things she’d like to do in order to “get a life.” As fate would have it, the apartment building she soon moves into contains a devilishly handsome superintendent. With a beautiful and long overdue representation of fibro and plenty of glorious, woman-focused sex, this audiobook is absolute bliss.”

“Harry Potter meets Greek mythology in this fantastical novel. Part adventure story, part fairytale compilation, The Starless Sea is an amazing book that takes listeners on a magical journey beyond time and fate. Zachary Ezra Rollins is a quiet man living a comfortable life of solitude. He allows himself just enough social interaction to not be considered a hermit, but he doesn't have anyone he would consider a true friend, only his stories in books and video games. Zachary soon finds himself on a quest filled with more questions than answers, with nothing but a book of fairytales to guide him--one of which sounds eerily familiar. I absolutely loved getting lost in Zachary's adventure. The portions of fairytales were phenomenal, and fully demonstrates author Erin Morgenstern's ability to tell a fantastic--and fantastical--epic story.”

“This fake-dating, opposites-attract romance is simply perfect. A social media astrologer is set up with her new business partner’s actuary sister. While the date goes terribly, how helpful it would be for both of them to have a date for certain upcoming events. The two leads are wonderful, flawed women with their own baggage and hang-ups (hello, family drama!), and it’s a joy to watch them fall in love with each other in spite of everything.”

“I loved the second of Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters series, Take a Hint, Dani Brown. Like the first, this book features realistic situations and diverse characters, and is also super sexy! Dani is a witchy PhD candidate teaching at a university, her classroom housed in the same building where Zafir Ansari works as a security guard. A former professional rugby player and a hopeless romantic, Zaf is a giant teddy bear. But workaholic Dani is the queen of no-strings-attached. After a security drill gone wrong ends with Zaf heroically carrying Dani out of the building, the incident goes viral on Instagram. Are Zaf and Dani just playing up #DrRugbae, or could they be something more? Hibbert yet again handles sensitive topics with grace and grants them visibility. I can’t wait for the next book!”

“How to begin a letter? How to begin a letter to your best enemy? This story takes place through the ages, between two-time traveling agents who must braid and unbraid the fabric of time in an effort to usher in their opposing futures. I read this twice before finishing it. This book is a book to savor.”

“In the late 1930s, the Works Progress Administration developed a number of projects intended to provide employment opportunities for unemployed artists, writers, and craftsmen. One of those projects was the Pack Horse Library Initiative, in which mounted horsewomen picked their way along snowy hillsides and through muddy creeks with a simple goal: to deliver reading material to Kentucky’s isolated mountain communities. In The Giver of Stars, Moyes has brought to life the amazing, funny, adventurous stories of a few of these trailblazing women. Historical fiction lovers will devour this story of a little-known piece of U.S. history.”

“Deborah Harkness' books are brain candy for the educated person. Her contemporary fantasies, filled with vampires, witches, and deamons, veer into historical fantasy (thanks to the long lives of characters). With a reader who can shift accents with ease, this audio book is enthralling. You'll be just as smitten by Harkness' descriptions of libraries, laboratories, and research as you will by her romances, making this a romance for the sapiosexual.”

“Isabel Allende’s latest novel couldn’t come at a better time for American readers heading into an election season. With immigration and desperate people seeking asylum as its central narrative thread, the novel reminds us of the uncanny resiliency of the human spirit and the power of love — both of others and of country — to restore and heal. From his awe-inspiring feat in the novel’s opening pages to his persistence in the face of a lifetime of adversity, cardiologist Victor Dalmau will live long and well in readers’ minds.”

“I don’t have enough superlatives to do this book justice. Everything is spot on, from the chemistry between the main characters to the telenovela drama to the meddling but supportive cousins. I love all the Spanish, the backstage glimpses into the making of a TV show (especially the inclusion of the intimacy coordinator), and the way the telenovela tropes, like a secret child, are woven into the grounded romance. Now I just hope Michelle and Ava get their own books soon!”

“After reading "When No One Is Watching" by the brilliant Alyssa Cole, I couldn't wait to get my hands on "How To Catch A Queen", the first of her Runaway Royals series. This novel is the perfect update to the regency romance subgenre! Strong female representation, a setting rich in culture and tradition up against changes that threaten the patriarchy, and an arranged marriage are the makings of a highly entertaining romance. Not to mention the dazzling narration by Karen Chilton (her reading had me laughing out loud more than once!). This is my first romance by Alyssa Cole, and now I can't wait to work my way through her backlist!”

“Lovely to find a book that is both predictable and yet entirely satisfying. A feel good book about love and life, how our beliefs shape us, and sometimes how they obscure what's been right in front of us all along.”

“Scintillating, ethereal, and utterly captivating. And with narration by Jim Dale, who could say no? Morgenstern writes in sparkling prose, slowly weaving tapestries that come together in beautiful, unexpected ways, though when you look back, the stage had been set from the beginning. The Night Circus is a beautiful tale of being open to the magic in the world and choosing your own path through it all. Now if only I knew where the Cirque was making its next stop. Perhaps I'll email the proprietor... ”

“Read through this at the speed of the duke’s horse racing across the snowy landscape to catch up with Miss Archer! The sexual tension built to a satisfying climax, the feminist history was an engaging plot foundation, and I’m excited to read more about this new band of intriguing, extraordinary, non-traditional women.”

“Evvie Drake is young and newly widowed, but no one knows that on the day her husband died, she had finally worked up the nerve to leave him. Dean Tenney is a major league baseball pitcher who has inexplicably lost the talent that made him a star. When Dean moves to Evvie’s small town to escape the humiliating sports headlines, their friendship proves to be just what both of them need. This is an absolute treasure of a novel — big-hearted, funny, sweet, and utterly satisfying. I cannot wait to sell this charming gem.”

“Boyfriend Material is funny. It starts out with quite a lot of silliness because fake dating requires some silliness to seem like a good option, but Luc with his bad decisions, terrible job, well-meaning, overwrought friends is charming. Pretentious, kind, insecure Oliver is charming. Boyfriend Material is charming enough to fake date. And then you start to care. OMG, I've fallen in love with this book.”

“Eury’s life was uprooted after Hurricane Maria destroyed her home in Puerto Rico. Spending a summer in the Bronx was supposed to help her recover, but Eury is haunted by more than just a devastating storm and an absent father. And he’s followed her to New York. Pheus, who has lived his whole life in New York, could charm honey from a hive with his voice and guitar. He was excited to spend the summer with his friends, and serenading Melaina, his on-again, off-again flame. But when Eury arrives, it takes everything for him not to trip over his usually-suave tongue. A contemporary, magical-realism take on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, the latest from Rivera looks at generational trauma and the trauma that arises from natural disasters. But more than that, Never Look Back is about what it means to be seen, by others who see a twisted version of your reflection, and those who can see you as you are. Rivera’s exquisite writing is the literary equivalent of a lullaby, fast-dance music, an acoustic set, a full-orchestra symphony, and of course, a bachata.”

“2020 has been quite the year and all I can seem to focus on are happy love stories. Out of all the ones I’ve read or listened to this year, this one hit me the hardest. The story is great, the characters are lovable, and I just couldn’t stop listening. Each chapter had its song and the book had its own playlist that IS on Spotify. A few chapters in and I started listening to the songs before each chapter. SUCH A COOL EXPERIENCE! I’m blown away by this book. I now require playlists to go with every book I read, and I will also proceed to not stop telling other people to read it.”