Books
These 9 Novels Are Basically Your Favorite Rom-Coms Of 2018 In Book Form
If you're sad that the year of the rom-com is coming to an end, don't worry: there's a book that can help with that. Look, it's absolutely no secret to anyone who's been paying attention to pop culture for the last year that a boat load of adorable-meets-emotional stories about the joys and dramas of love in all of its many forms (romantic, familial, friendship) were released — both in book-form and in movie-form. And while 2019 seems ready to offer up more of the same, you rom-com lovers out there might just want to indulge in a few more feels before 2018 wraps up.
Below are nine different books that correspond to 10 of the year's most beloved rom-com films. They all explore some seriously swoon-worthy romances, but dive deep into lots of other topics, too: complicated career paths, journeys to self-confidence, embracing new friendships, figuring out who you are and doing it on purpose. If you're looking for some lighthearted yet thoughtful books to read over the holiday season (and a move to pair it with) to get your heart all filled up with joy before the new year rolls around, any one of these books will do it for you.
If You Loved 'Crazy Rich Asians', Read 'Royals' by Rachel Hawkins
If you want to read about a "normal" girl being thrust into a world of high-stakes wealth and fame, you're going to fall head-over-heels for Royals. It follows Daisy Winters, an American teen who is whisked away to Scotland before her elder sister's wedding to the crown prince. Scandals and hijinks ensue when she meets Miles, who has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal.
If You Loved 'Destination Wedding,' Read 'The Wedding Date' by Jasmine Guillory
Listen, weddings are rom-com fodder for good reason. If you loved watching Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves fall in love after being forced together for a wedding weekend, you need to read Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date. When Alexa and Drew meet in an elevator, it leads to one seriously swoon-worthy wedding date that might just change their lives.
If You Loved 'Love, Simon,' Read 'This Is Kind Of An Epic Love Story' by Kheryn Callender
Love, Simon was the gay "happily ever after" so many people have been waiting to see on-screen for so long. In It's Kind Of An Epic Love Story, one character, Nathan Bird, doesn’t believe in happy endings. But when his childhood best friend, Oliver James Hernández, reappears, it might just be the rom-com-worthy twist he needs in his life.
If You Loved 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before,' Read 'The Kiss Quotient' by Helen Hoang
Either you love the fake relationship trope or you don't. And if, like me and thousands of other TATILB viewers, you love it, then you want to get the steamy grown-up version of it on your reading list ASAP. The Kiss Quotient follows Stella, a 30-year-old woman with Asperberg's who hires a hot escort named Michael to teach her about the sex (and romance) she has yet to experience.
If You Loved 'Love Per Square Foot,' Read 'When Dimple Met Rishi' by Sandhya Menon
In this Indian rom-com from Netflix, Sanjay and Karina don't earn enough to be able to buy a home, so they decide to enter into a marriage of convenience. If the idea of two people brought together by outside forces is your jam, then When Dimple Met Rishi will be, too. Rishi is pro-arranged marriage; Dimple is not. But when they spend a summer together, they might just realize it's not such a bad match after all.
If You Loved 'Dumplin,' Read 'The Summer Of Jordi Perez' by Amy Spalding
Both Dumplin' and The Summer Of Jordi Perez have a lot in common: empowering and diverse body representation, a teen girl ready to follow her dreams no matter what it takes, dynamic friendships, explorations of self-image, and one seriously swoon-worthy romance. Chances are pretty high that you'll fall for Abby Ives just as hard as you did Willodean Dickson.
If You Loved 'Permission,' Read 'Surprise Me' by Sophie Kinsella
In Permission, an engaged couple decide to sleep with other people before their big day... and chaos inevitably ensues. In Surprise Me, a married couple decide to shake things up in their predictable life.
If You Loved 'Book Club,' Read 'The Dirty Book Club' by Lisi Harrison
Naughty book clubs that lead to revelations in life, romance, and female friendship? In The Dirty Book Club a group of women inherit a erotica book club and begin to divulge the intimate details of their own lives.
If You Loved 'Set It Up,' Read 'The Hating Game' by Sally Thorne
Set It Up is all about that workplace-set romantic drama and guess what? So is The Hating Game! This time, instead of setting up their bosses, Lucy and Joshua are two enemies at the same company who are currently competing for a promotion, Soon, their long-running battle of wills begins to spill over into some seriously romantic tension that neither can ignore.
