Romances that Have Us Swooning on Bookstore Romance Day

Bookstore Romance Day is celebrated across the country on August 20, and we’re joining in the fun to feature some of our favorite romance novels! We especially love how expansive and inclusive mainstream romance has become in recent years, and BRD is an exciting time to let these titles take the spotlight. Read on for some of our booksellers’ favorites!

The Fastest Way to Fall, Denise Williams

This story is surrounded with some controversial takes – and I think it’s what draws me to Denise Williams’ writing in the first place. Fastest Way to Fall follows Britta Colby as she chronicles her fitness journey for the magazine she works for. Lo and behold, her fitness instructor himself, Wes Lawson, is the very person she falls for, and the two work together to form a wholesome, loving relationship. Overall, I find Denise Williams’ romances (at least the ones I’ve read, haha) to be healthy and relatively grounded in reality, and those are just the qualities we need to see in a romance!

—Ericka

The Dead Romantics, Ashley Poston

It all starts with a ghostwriter who can see ghosts. And the irony is not lost upon her. However, ghosts are far from Florence’s main concern when her next deadline continues to loom and her new editor—who, yes, is really hot but that’s not the point—refuses to give her another extension. Worlds collide though when she is forced to return home for a family funeral and her hot editor shows up…AS A GHOST. Having been very much alive just the day before, Florence must help her hot ghost as he also tries to help her figure out why she can’t seem to finish this book. This book was funny, heartwarming, and surprised me with how gently it laced in themes of vulnerability, grief, and acceptance.

—Madz

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, Ashley Herring Blake

Hot and grumpy artist reluctantly falls for the small business owner with a big heart. This story is sexy, domestic and so much fun! Delilah Green returns to her hometown to photograph her stepsister’s wedding. The two are decidedly not close, Delilah takes the gig against her better judgement. While there, she reconnects with the maid-of-honor, her stepsister’s childhood friend.

—Aatia

Drunk On Love, Jasmine Guillory

Jasmine Guillory is, to me, truly great at two things: good sex and good food. This book has both of those and good wine to boot! A romance at a winery that will make you book a flight to Napa, order a glass of Pinot, and start sizing up whoever is sitting next to you at the bar. A delightful read.

—Emma

Happily Ever Afters and One True Loves, Elise Bryant

Elise Bryant is surely becoming YA romance’s star-studded name… At least, I think so. In both Happily Ever Afters and One True Loves, Bryant’s leading ladies are charming, hilarious, and all-around a delight to read. The entire time, you’re rooting for these high schoolers to find their matches, all the while rooting for either character to come into their own. Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon, you’re sure to ride the Elise Bryant Hive with me!

—Ericka

Under the Whispering Door, TJ Klune

While you won’t find this book in the romance section, it’s one of the most charming romance books I’ve read. There’s something about simple soft fantasy that just adds a touch of inexplicable magic to any love story. Wallace, like most people, lived a life he thought was right—he wasn’t perfect but he got shit done and that’s what mattered. However, when he winds up in a tea house with a handsome man handing him a cup of tea to soothe the news that he's dead, Wallace is forced to confront all the things he missed out on—including love. Stuck in the tea house, getting closer and closer to a man he knows he will have to say goodbye to, Wallace learns that maybe he doesn’t want to go back to his old life after all but maybe he isn’t quite ready to move on either. Get the tissues ready now, you’ll need them.

—Madz

If I Never Met You, Mhairi McFarlane

I read this one a while back, and have since vowed to keep Mhairi McFarlane on my auto-buy authors list. There’s depth, fake-dating, love, and McFarlane’s romances are perfect for those who aren’t looking for steamy reads. In If I Never Met You, we follow Laurie as she grapples with her break up with her long-term boyfriend. What starts as a method of ‘getting back’ at her ex, ends up with her relationship with office playboy Jamie. I’m sure you’ve guessed that the two end up together, but seriously, read it for their journey! You’ll be happy you did :)

—Ericka

Written in the Stars, Alexandria Bellefleur

I fell head over heels for this totally swoony sapphic romance! Astrologer Elle goes on a disastrous date with the uptight Darcy, and the fall out leads to an elaborate fake dating scheme. What starts as pretend quickly turns into something more than either woman bargained for. With a mix of electric chemistry, interesting side characters, and tense family dynamics, with quite a few astrology memes sprinkled in for good measure, Written in the Stars hits all the right notes. Alexandria Bellefleur cleverly updates Pride and Prejudice for the millennial reader, and the result is equal parts funny, sexy, and touching.

—Julia

The Accidental Pinup, Danielle Jackson

The Accidental Pinup is a fantastic debut that lends a fresh take on several classic romance tropes. With interracial love, body positivity, and some steamy rivals-to-lovers tension, Jackson brings to life a lot of fun and love in this Chicago-based romance. This book is funny, complex, and integrated with emotionally mature and sexy characters that will keep you turning pages until the epilogue.

—Anna

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty, Akwaeke Emezi

This was my book club’s recent pick, so I feel as though I’m well equipped with the evidence to prove that this book is not only steeped in some of the most beautiful writing significant to Emezi’s style, but also holds one of the most astonishing love interests of the year. Many folks will be quick to call this book messy, which, sure – but let’s not forget that Feyi is also a survivor of trauma and grief and is simply a bruising human being also capable of love. The journey to that love affair runs rampant, but Emezi’s luscious descriptions of the islands, food, and Feyi and Alim’s intimacy are sure to keep you turning the pages.

—Ericka

The Wedding Date, Jasmine Guillory

This was my gateway romance. Alexa and Drew hit it off in an elevator at a San Francisco hotel. One of them makes an unusual request, be my date to my ex’s wedding? She agrees and the two put up an excellent front for the wedding. Despite their incredible chemistry and mutual interest, Drew insists he’s not a relationship guy and Alexa struggles to get out of her own head. This heroine is a woman after my own heart because she gets excited about fancy cheese and crackers.

—Aatia

Where I End and You Begin, Preston Norton

This YA romance has all the zany antics of Freaky Friday, The Parent Trap, and a modern Cyrano—all wrapped up into one high school romance. It’s hard to keep your secrets when someone else winds up in your body and that’s exactly what happens when Wynona and Ezra wake up swapped. Crushes are soon revealed and the two make a pact to help each other get with the person of their dreams. But the longer they spend in each other’s bodies and in each other’s lives the more they realize who they are, who they want to be, who they want to be with. In fact, Ezra may feel more like himself in Wynona’s body than he ever has in his own. Going far deeper into queerness, identity, and love than initially appears on the surface—this book was a big turning point for me accepting my own gender (or rather lack thereof).

—Madz

Take a Hint, Dani Brown, Talia Hibbert

This is my favorite romance. Absolutely. Hands down. Maybe forever. I love it. I love Dani. I love Zafir. I love their tension and jokes and insecurities. Dani is an iconic academic who’s decided love isn’t for her, and Zaf is a hopeless romantic who’s cut himself off from much of the world in the wake of a family tragedy. And naturally they’re sexy as hell. Talia Hibbert deals with grief, mental illness, and sexuality with such care and tackles the struggle of romance for career-driven women so well. This book is the second in a fantastic trilogy, book-ended by Get A Life, Chloe Brown and Act Your Age, Eve Brown. If you pick them up, you’ll never put them down.

—Anna

Book Lovers, Emily Henry

Do yourself a favor and get this book. Emily Henry is a major name in the contemporary romance genre for a reason, and this book perfectly exemplifies why. This is a love letter to all of the women who get dumped for "the sweet girl", the women who aren't the wallflower that brings the guy to his knees with realization. Nora is strong and doesn't mince words and she commands the room, and Charlie Lastra LOVES it. Set in the classic world of New York publishing, Book Lovers confronts the archetype of the "right" girl, and makes you fall in love along the way. Henry's newest work is her best in my opinion, and it's made me even more obsessed than before.

—Anna