Love is in the air with these YA romances. If you love a good love story, then you’ll want to pick up these eight teen reads. From quirky, fun rom coms to heartfelt dramas, these books are going to give you all the feels. Get ready to feel the love.
Nerd Crush is a geeky rom com all about coming of age, cosplay, and learning to feel comfortable in your own skin. Sixteen year-old Ramona Lambert is a shy, artistic teen who loves cosplay, has a crush on the cute boy in her class, and has a best friend who’s been by her side since they were in diapers. But her best friend has just moved away, and Ramona is pretty sure her crush doesn’t even know she exists. In her cosplay, Ramona finds the confidence that she’s lacking in her real life. And it’s through her fake character Rel that Ramona can strike up a conversation with her crush… through email. But will she ever let him see the real her?
Tess Sharpe’s 6 Times We Almost Kissed tells the story of Penny and Tate, two girls who have always clashed even though their moms are best friends. And so, despite their mutual dislike for each other, they keep getting thrown together. When Penny’s mother decides to become a living donor to Tate’s mom, their lives become tangled together in new ways, and Penny and Tate are forced to play nice. There’s only one problem with their new truce: they keep almost kissing.
Sway With Me is a contemporary YA romance that follows Arsalan, a teen boy who’s learned everything he needs to know from his 100-year-old grandfather Nana. His only other family is an abusive, estranged father. So Arsalan turns to Beenish, the stepdaughter of a well-known and successful matchmaker, for help finding a future life partner. Beenish is happy to help, but she asks for one small favor: help ruining her sister’s wedding with a dance her family has forbidden her to perform. Beenish and Arsalan are an unlikely pair, but the more they work with one another, the more they realize what they really need is each ot
Promposal is an adorable new rom com out this April! High school senior Autumn Reeves has been waitlisted at her dream school, but she’s not taking no for an answer. She’s determined to make it to the top of the school’s list. All she needs to do is find a way to stand out. That’s when Autumn comes up with a brilliant business plan that will look great on her application: Promposal Queen, a promposal planning service. Mekhi Winston might have broken her heart way back when, but he’s also the only person she knows who can help her execute her business plan. So she sets her pride aside to get the job done. But when working with Mekhi reveals secrets long buried, much more than heartbreak is on the line.
It’s All in How You Fall is another new must-read romance book for fans of fun, contemporary rom coms. Caroline Kepler is a gymnast with three state balance beam titles and dreams of making Nationals and competing in college. But after an injury leads to career-ending back pains, Caroline’s plans for her future are destroyed. But rather than wallowing, Caroline decides it’s time to try something new. Enter three-sport athlete (and certified cutie) Alex Zavala. For every new sport Alex teaches her, Caroline agrees to set him up on a date. But of course, the more the two hang out with each other, the more impossible it is for Caroline to deny her feelings for him.
Mariko Turk’s debut YA romance The Other Side of Perfect follows Alina Keeler, who has spent her whole life dedicated to ballet. Despite the grueling practicing and the racism she experienced in the world of dance, it was Alina’s whole life. But then an injury ends her dance career before it even started. Now Alina must heal and make peace with her past before she can move forward. And when she joins the high school musical and meets her cute cast-mate Jude, she realizes she might be falling for more than just theatre.
Sidelined is a heart-warming, emotional romance about Elijah and Julain, two high school boys who used to be best friends. And maybe they were even on the way to being more than friends. But then Elijah broke into the school to steal from the coach. And Julian, whose entire life is dedicated to football, is the one who turned him in. Three years have passed, and now Elijah is desperate to prove to Julian that he’s changed. But with secrets and lies still creating distance between them, will Elijah and Julian ever be able to get back to where they were?
Set during the 2019 Hong Kong protests, An Echo in the City is the story of two star-crossed teenagers. Phoenix and Kai are on opposite sides of the protests. Phoenix loves Hong Kong, and participating in the protests is her way of protecting the city she calls home. Meanwhile, Kai has joined the Hong Kong police academy in the hopes of impressing is father. When Kai accidentally switches phones with Phoenix, he sees that she’s a part of a protest network, and he sees his opportunity to do something big to earn the approval of his father. But when Kai infiltrates the group, sparks fly almost immediately between him and Phoenix.
Emily Martin has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi. She’s a contributing editor at Book Riot and blogs/podcasts at Book Squad Goals.
