Best New Romance Books of 2024
Romances are some of the most popular books to read in the summer while lounging at a pool, on the beach, or just relaxing at home. But with so many books to choose from it can be daunting. Kirsten and I want to make choosing your next romance easy so we gather a list of our favorite new romance books of 2024.
I divided the list by sweet, steamy, fantasy, as well as a few more so that you can choose a book to suit your mood. Don’t worry, every one of these books will give you the happily Ever After ending you need!
*Romance Books 2024 Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Best New Romance Books of 2024
Best New Summer Romances
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
Ali is a newly single mom and a professional organizer whose life could not be messier. When her mom died, she couldn’t get over it and her already failing marriage could not recover. Now her soon-to-be ex-husband comes and goes as he pleases and Ali is having a hard time picking up the pieces of her life.
When she meets Ethan, she decides that a summer romance would be the perfect thing for her to start the next chapter in her life. She does not realize that Ethan might turn into so much more. She also does not realize that Ethan is her best friend’s brother whom everyone calls Scooter. She has not seen him in years.
Why I Love This Book: Same Time Next Summer and Nora Goes Off Script were both books I loved, so I could not wait to read this book. It’s a slow-burn romance that deals with the loss of a parent, the loss of self, and how to move forward one step at a time. Throughout the book, Ali moves through the stages of grief, mourning the loss of her mother. It was poignant and moving with the HEA you expect. #gifted
Find this book in Best Beach Reads 2024 / Best New Romance Books / Best Books About Motherhood
This Summer Will Be Different
Author: Carley Fortune
Year: 2024
Genre: Romance
More info: New York Times Bestselling Author
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
I love Carley Fortune’s wonderful style of writing and her perfect love stories and this book from the new release books may be my favorite book yet.
Lucy heads to Prince Edward Island to stay with her best friend for a week. When her friend’s flight is delayed, Lucy is left as a tourist and feels an immediate connection with the local who shows her around. Only after their amazing night together does she realize he is also her best friend Bridget’s little brother, Felix.
Felix and Lucy agree that this can never happen again because this was her best friend’s first rule: “Do not fall in love with my brother”. When Bridget disappears one week before her wedding, Lucy follows her back to PEI to try and help her friend and determine what made her flee from a man she loves. She might just have to deal with her won feelings as well.
Why Jackie loves it
Not only is this a wonderful romance novel, but the setting of Prince Edward Island has so many nods to Anne of Green Gables that my heart did a little song throughout the book. All the stars to this gem. #gifted
Find this book in: Best New Romance Books of 2024 / Best Beach Reads 2024 / Carley Fortune Books
Seven Summer Weekends by Jane L Rosen
We are back on Fire Island with this book from the spring 2024 book releases. Addison Irwin had a Zoom disaster and lost her job (hint: do not make fun of your boss in a group chat). When she inherits a property on Fire Island from her aunt, she is surprised because she never had a relationship with her.
She must decide what to do with the house and what to do with her life moving forward. To help her make her decision, her aunt arranged for guests to stay at the house’s guest cottage during the summer weekends. They each teach her a little more about herself and about the aunt she barely knew. She also begins to get to know her moody neighbor with a sweet dog.
Why I Love This: I am so excited to be back on Fire Island with this new romance. Not only is the story great, but I got to see some of my favorite characters from the last book. And no, you do not need to read Fire Island to love this book!
Find This Book In: Best Beach Reads 2024 / New Romance Books / Grumpy Sunshine Romance Books
Best New Spicy Romances
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
It’s a fake dating romance from the queens of romance themselves, Christina Lauren! Anna thought that she had divorced West after they graduated from UCLA. Now, three years later, West needs to contact his not-so-ex-wife and convince her to pretend they are still happily married. Why? To receive a huge inheritance of course!
Anna, desperate for the money to pay for her dad’s medical bills, agrees to jet off to a tropical paradise to spend a week with West’s toxic family at his sister’s week-long wedding celebration. The over-the-top shenanigans reminded me of Crazy Rich Asians in the best way!
Why I Loved it: I was cheering Anna on as she took on West’s snooty family with her pink hair and bohemian spirit. The chemistry between them was crackling, but it was how they looked after each other that made my heart swoon.
Find this book in Fake Dating Books / Wedding Novels / Beach Reads 2024 / Romance Seaside Books / New Romance Books 2024
Just for the Summer
Author: Abby Jimenez
Year: 2024
Genre: Romance
More info: April 2024 GMA Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋💋💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
The premise of this story is rather straightforward and sweet – Justin and Emma discover they both have a “curse” where people immediately find their soul mate AFTER dating them. To find their own happily ever afters, they decide to date each other and then break up.
Sounds fun and light, right? But it’s so much more! Each of them is going through some very serious family drama which adds intimacy and drama immediately to their relationship. Their relationships with the secondary characters also made my heart soar. The representations of friendship, family bonds, and found family really tugged at my heart.
Trigger Warnings
Depression
Why Kirsten loves it
The romance!! Omg the butterflies this story gave me. Justin and Emma’s relationship may be my favorite romance ever. The way they supported each other, cared for one another, and loved each other was perfection.
Find this book in: Beach Reads 2024 / Lake Books / New Romance Books 2024 / Best Books for Book Clubs to Read
Fangirl Down
Author: Tessa Bailey
Year: 2024
Genre: Romance
More info: Big Shots #1
Spice Rating: 💋💋💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Wells Whitaker was supposed to be the next big thing in golf but his career has spiraled. Josephine Doyle is his biggest fan who is always there to cheer him on no matter what until the days he quits.
Now he knows he has made a huge mistake. He goes to find Josephine and begs her to be his caddy which she agrees to because she needs the money to rebuild her family’s pro shop after a storm.
Why Kirsten loves it
I’d never read a golf romance before but was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it! As in every Tessa Bailey book, Josephine and Wells had chemistry in spades and the sexy scenes were HOT!
Find this book in: Best Romance Books of 2024 / Sports Romances
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
Rue Siebert is a biotech engineer at Kline, a start-up business where she works with her best friends, Trish and Florence. Rue has had a difficult childhood and has difficulty letting people in. She prefers one-night stands with no strings attached.
When Rue’s almost hook-up with Eli Kilgore is interrupted by her brother, she is relieved – especially when she finds out that Eli and his partners have started a hostile takeover of Kline.
But even though Rue never has a second date, she makes an exception for Eli, if only to get him out of her system. Soon they are both torn between their attraction to each other and their loyalty to their respective companies.
Why We Love This Book: If you love Ali Hazelwood Books, this pick from the spring 2024 book releases will not disappoint you. It is a very steamy pick, even when compared to Hazelwood’s other romances. Her books always depict women in STEM and we love a strong female protagonist.
Trigger Warnings: This book talks about food insecurity and its lasting effects
Find This Book in Ali Hazelwood Books / Summer Reads of 2024 / New Romance Books 2024
Best New Sweet Romances
Recipe for a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden
Georgia May Jackson is a sous-chef in Paris hoping for a big promotion where she will be the head chef at a restaurant. When she loses her boyfriend and sense of taste in one night her dreams seem like they may be gone forever.
She has no choice but to take time off and travel back home to Seattle with the hope of finding herself, her sense of taste, and her sense of purpose.
Georgia also had a way with flavors and her dishes had a way of making people feel while eating. As she heads home, she realizes that this may be more than just a gift for flavors.
Why I Love It: I loved “The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie” and was so excited to read this book. It lived up to all my expectations and more. This is a sweet romance that will leave you smiling. #gifted
Find this book in Magical Realism Books / Books About Food / Enemies-to-Lovers Romance Books / Romance Books 2024
A Novel Love Story
Author: Ashley Poston
Year: 2024
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Eileen Merriweather loves a great HEA storyline and her life can use some romances with a guaranteed Happily Ever After. Her fiance broke up with her a week before the wedding and left her to pick up all the pieces. She still has not recovered completely. To make matters worse, all her friends from her romance book club cannot make it to their annual retreat this year.
Eileen decides to go on her own, but her car breaks down and she finds herself inside her favorite fictional town of Eloraton. She has no idea how it happened, but she is inside a fictional town that is in limbo. They are stuck between the author’s previous book and the unfinished last story. When she meets the grumpy bookstore owner, she thinks that he must be part of the last story and she unknowingly starts changing things in the town.
Why Jackie loves it
Ashely Poston’s books are so original and this one was no exception. I love the idea of a romance story within a story. The book is magical without seeming impossible. It was delightful and difficult to put down #gifted
Find this book in: Grumpy Sunshine Romance / Best Beach Reads / Best Romance Books of 2024
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Daphne loved to tell the story of her meet-cute with her fiance, Peter, until he broke up with her to be with his childhood best friend, Petra. She had moved to his hometown, into a house he bought, and she is stranded with nothing but a job as a children’s librarian- a job that she absolutely loves.
With no other options, Daphne moves in with miles, Desperate, she moves in with Miles, Petra’s ex-fiance until she can find a new place to live- preferably in a new city.
As the two spend more time together and begin to heal their hearts, they realize that this can be the start of a new chapter.
Why I Love This: Emily Henry always has unique romances that hit just the right spot. You will fall in love with Daphne and Miles, flaws and all!
Find this book in Emily Henry Books / Books About Librarians / Beach Reads 2024/ New Romance Books 2024
Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar
Meghan is a theatre teacher and aspiring playwright who has just been invited to her best friend/ex-boyfriend/crush’s wedding. To add some salt to the fresh wound, he also asks her to be the best man.
Karthik is allowing his mother to set him up with girls in an attempt to arrange a marriage even though he has absolutely no intention of marrying anyone, ever.
When Meghan and Karthik allow their parents to introduce them, a fake engagement seems like the perfect solution. He can get his mother to stop bugging him and she will have a date for the wedding.
Why I Love It: I read this book in a day and loved it. There is character development and an adorable love story that will have you grinning from ear to ear. #gifted
Find This Book In: Fake Dating Books / Best New Romance Books
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
Emma Wheeler finally has a chance at the career as a screenwriter she has always dreamed of. She has a chance to re-write a script for Chalie Yeates, the famous screenwriter that is is mildly obsessed with, and with a push from her ajent/ best friend, she decides to give it a go. She is reluctant because her dad requires full-time care, but her younger sister agrees to help take care of their dad while she is gone.
When she arrives in LA, she quickly discovers that Charlie does not want any help writing his script and has no intentions of making the script good. In fact, he did not even know that she was coming to help. As Charlie reluctantly agrees to let Emma, he realizes there is more to life than just sci-fi /cowboy / hero movies and there may be room for love.
Why I Love It: This romance about writers immediately caught my attention, but the characters’ flaws, as well as character development, made me love them both.
Find This Book In: Best Rom-Com Romances / Grumpy Sunshine Books / Best New Romance Books
Fantasy Romance Books
The Love of My Afterlife
Author: Kirsty Greenwood
Year: 2024
Genre: Fantasy Romance
More info: July 2024 GMA Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Delphie has just died and is in her pj’s in the afterlife when she meets the man of her dreams. Her hilarious afterlife therapist, Merit, is obsessed with all things romance so she gives her the chance to return to her life with the caveat that she has ten days to find this mysterious man and get him to kiss her.
That would be easy except for the fact that she does not know his last name and cannot seem to find him anywhere. Even worse, her therapist seems to be hindering her progress rather than helping. Delphie reluctantly asks her grumpy downstairs neighbor to help her. Soon, Delphie is making friends, loving life, and regretting shutting everyone out her whole life.
Why Jackie loves it
Delphie reminds me of a more loveable Eleanor Oliphant. Thanks to the love-obsessed afterlife therapist, this book is one part love triangle mixed with a little bit of forced proximity, and a whole lot of laugh-out-loud rom-com!
Find this book in: Books Like Eleanor Oliphant / Romantic Comedy Books / Best Romance Books of 2024 / Adult Fantasy Romance Books
Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle
Romina Tempest uses the language of flowers to manifest love for buyers of her flora fortunes. To save her family business she needs an investor to expand the shop. Her friend and business partner, Trevor, convinces her that a fake dating scheme will get his father to invest.
But things get complicated when Trevor’s dad announces his engagement to the mother of her high school sweetheart, Alex. Should she keep up the ruse with Trevor OR give Alex a second chance?
Why I Loved it: Alex and Romina had such great chemistry and Trevor’s antics had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions. The magical element is light enough that even non-fantasy readers will enjoy this one. #Gifted by Berkley
Find This Book In: Books for Summer / Second Chance Romance / New Romance Books of 2024
Bride
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Year: 2024
Genre: Fantasy romance
More info:
Spice Rating:💋💋💋💋💋
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Misery Lark is the daughter of a Vampyre councilman who is being forced into marriage with their mortal enemy (the Weres) to form a peace treaty between the two species. She has been living with humans and trying to live her life under the radar.
Now, she must move into Were territory with her husband, Lowe Moreland, the Alpha of the Weres. She also has her reasons for going into Were territory and as long as she can stay under the radar, she should be able to stay alive. After all, the last Vampyre/ Were marriage ended in a deadly and bloody battle. This paranormal romance is SPICY. If Ali Hazelwood’s last books made you blush, this one will give your face a sunburn.
Trigger Warnings
Violence, kidnapping
Why Jackie loves it
I feel like this is an adult version of Twilight if Bella fell in love with Jacob. Anyone who is “Team Jacob” will love this book. But more than that, I loved the depth of the characters and the intricacy of the plot without it feeling overwhelming.
Find this book in: Ali Hazelwood Books / Adult Fantasy Books / New Romance Books 2024/ Best New Fantasy Books / Adult Fantasy Romance Books
YA Romance
Always Choosing You by K. Sinko
While this is technically the second book in a series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Rory is trying to figure out who she is now that soccer season is over, college is looming, and her relationship with her best friend is on the rocks after he confessed his feelings for her and she shut him down.
Now, Tyler has become the star of the football team and the homecoming king. His newfound popularity has left him little time to see Rory. As she tries to fill the hole left by her friend, she grapples with jealousy after seeing him with his new girlfriend, head cheerleader Zoe.
Why I Loved it: The best part about Sinko’s writing is her ability to accurately capture the many layers of young adulthood. With most YA stories, I roll my eyes at the scenarios and the teens’ reactions – chalking my lack of empathy up to my middle age.
But with her novels, I’m transported back to the messy, emotional, frustrating, and fun moments of being a teenager reckoning with pending adulthood. I recognize the universal moments of finding out your parents aren’t perfect, the whirlwind that is teen romances – love triangles and all, and the missteps we all take in navigating our shift from child to adult.
Find This Book in Best Beach Reads 2024 / Best New Romance Books
The Getaway List by Emma Lord
Emma is tired of being a good girl and fulfilling everyone’s expectations. So on the day of her graduation, she packs her bags to visit her best friend Tom in NYC. They decide to conquer their “getaway list”- a list of adventures they always wanted to do together.
But when her weekend stay in the city turns into summer, she begins to plant roots and craft a new path for herself. She can also no longer ignore the slow-burn romance brewing between her and Tom. I loved watching Emma grow as a person, finding new friends, a job she loves, and a city she thrives in.
Why I Love It: I particularly like that this ya romance features a high school graduate who hasn’t figured out her life yet. It’s nice to see books normalizing young adults not going to college, but finding their unique paths.
Find This Book In: Best Beach Reads 2024 / Best New Romance Books
The Complete List of Romance Tropes: Our 12 Favorites
Looking for more romances categorized by trope? Here are all my favorites.
Ultimate List of Romances
If you love all things romance, then this is the list for you! This is carefully divided by sub-genres like second-chance romance books, romcoms, and more.
