The best romance books for teens capture the thrill of first love while also being true to the complexities and conflicting feels of big emotions. In some sense, high school romance books feature a kind of pure, often messy, but still relatable experience of falling in love for the very first time. The best romance books for young adults bring adult readers back in touch with the flush of their first loving, romantic experience. In this list of the best YA contemporary romance, you’ll find a mix of love stories, alternately tragic ones, hilarious ones, and feel-good ones. No matter which one (or more!) you choose to read, you’ll fall in love with falling in love all over again.
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And now for an epic list of the best romance books for teens…
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
We’re kicking off this list of the best romance books for teens with Sabaa Tahir’s emotional All My Rage, a hits-you-in-the-feels kind of love story. When I was reading it, I was blown away with how All My Rage pulls you in and doesn’t let you go in this captivating story of two friends who you yearn to be something more played out against the backdrop of two tragic family situations. Read it and just try to think of anything else.
How to read it: Purchase All My Rage on Amazon
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Another epic love story and among the best romance books for young adults is Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places, which tells the story of two misfits who fall for each other. There’s Violet Markey, who is experiencing clinical depression after the death of her sister, and Theodore Finch, who suffers from bipolar disorder. Together they find a connection that is downright cosmic. Have some tissues ready, this story of two star-crossed hearts is heartbreaking.
How to read it: Purchase All the Bright Places on Amazon
Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
This breezy high school romance is a swoonworthy trip that’s perfect for summer. Amy’s mom asks her to drive her car from California to Connecticut since they are relocating there this summer, but ever since her dad died in the spring, Amy can’t drive anymore. She enlists help from Roger, the nineteen-year-old son of a family friend, to get behind the wheel. Together they set out on a cross-country road trip adventure that heats up just like the weather.
How to read it: Purchase Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour on Amazon
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
This one is just so stinking cute. Anna is a cinema-loving American who isn’t so keen on her father’s plans to ship her off to boarding school in Paris for her senior year. Once she’s there, though, the City of Light also turns into the City of Love as she falls for her friend Étienne St. Clair. I devoured this book in just a few days, totally swept up in the breathless romance of it all. Anna and the French Kiss is certainly one of the best romance books for young adults.
How to read it: Purchase Anna and the French Kiss on Amazon
Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
I wrote about Christina Lauren’s Autoboyography for my Critical Thesis when I was in my third semester of my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program. A few years ago, Tanner and his family moved to a small Mormon town in Utah, forcing Tanner back in the closet and secretly bisexual. But in the spring of his senior year, he falls for Sebastian, an older Mormon who is already a celebrated author. The love story between Tanner and Sebastian is aching in this special story. This book is just so good on so many levels and for-sure one of the best YA contemporary romance books.
How to read it: Purchase Autoboyography on Amazon
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
I just adore Fangirl. In this geektatic romance, Cath and her twin sister Wren are first years at the University of Nebraska. Just as Wren pulls away to start living a life of her own, Cath struggles to continue writing her Simon Snow (read: Harry Potter) fan fiction. At the same time, she finds a love interest of her own in Levi, the barista best friend to Cath’s assertive roommate. This is a romance for anyone who likes nerdy themes, “nice guy” heroes, writer characters, and quotable dialogue. In short… everyone?
How to read it: Purchase Fangirl on Amazon
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Reading The Fault in Our Stars changed me. It made me into someone who wanted to write young adult literature and even more so the experience of disability and illness. I’ve written about The Fault in Our Stars before on this blog, so it’s no shocker that I’m including this in the best romance books for teens. John Green just nails it in this swing-for-the-fences story that beats with the power of love to overcome even the most jaded among us. If you haven’t read The Fault in Our Stars yet, let me tell you that this story about the relationship between two teens, Gus and Hazel, two “cancer kids” who fall in love with each other, 100% lives up to the hype and is for sure one of the best romance books for young adults.
How to read it: Purchase The Fault in Our Stars on Amazon
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
This rollicking adventure story set in the 18th century follows wealthy Brit Henry “Monty” Montague, a bit of a dandy who is also in love with his best friend, Percy, the son of one of Monty’s father’s staff. Together with Percy and Monty’s little sister Felicity, Monty goes on his “Grand Tour” of Europe as a last call before he’s supposed to settle down, stop embarrassing his father, and, oh yeah, stifle his sexuality. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue reads well with breathless action, sizzling dialogue, and the emotionally tense bond between Monty and Percy that pulls at your heart.
How to read it: Purchase The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue on Amazon
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
This is the kind of book that saves lives. In I’ll Give You the Sun, Jandy Nelson has crafted a captivating story of two twins, Jude and Noah, whose relationship is tested after tragedy. Along the way, Noah falls for a boy and falls hard. There’s romance in this book, but there’s also a beating heart of the sibling bond that makes it a different kind of love story, too. For anyone who enjoys gorgeous language and sophisticated wordplay, this one is for you… I’ll Give You the Sun is told with artistry.
How to read it: Purchase I’ll Give You the Sun on Amazon
I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
This book wrecked me. I was ugly crying by the end. In a good way! Skylar can’t wait to go to college and get out of her small hometown that’s a dead end. Josh is a Marine from home who was injured in combat and is also finding himself back in the place he wanted to avoid. Thrown in the same path, Skylar and Josh’s chemistry is electric. But will it be enough to keep them together? I’ll Meet You There has managed to fly under the radar since its publication, and now I’m giving it the praise it deserves: it is definitely one of the best romance books for teens and an essential teenage romance book with happy endings.
How to read it: Purchase I’ll Meet You There on Amazon
My True Love Gave to Me – edited by Stephanie Perkins
I featured this short story anthology in my roundup of the best YA short story collections, and it gets another boost here in this roundup of the best romance books for teens. This holiday-themed collection comprises twelve short stories that match love with the most magical time of the year. With contributions from Holly Black, Jenny Han, and Rainbow Rowell as just a few of the all-star authors in this lineup, edited by Stephanie Perkins (author of Anna and the French Kiss, featured earlier in this list). You can’t go wrong with this little burst of literary mistletoe.
How to read it: Purchase My True Love Gave to Me on Amazon
The Nerdy and the Dirty by B.T. Gottfred
This raunchy rom-com high school romance book is unlike anything I’ve ever read. B.T. Gottfred’s hero and heroine Pen(elope) and Benedict are gloriously flawed, majestically complicated, and totally in love with each other after they cross paths at a winter vacation resort. Gottfred writes with a gritty realism that is all too lacking in YA that plays it “safe.” You won’t read another love story like this one.
How to read it: Purchase The Nerdy and the Dirty on Amazon
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Kohn and David Levithan
First published in 2006, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is the oldest book on this list of the best romance books for teens, but it definitely deserves a spot on this roundup. Now considered a classic YA contemporary romance, this book tells the story of two teens, Nick and Norah, who pretend to be a couple to mess with Nick’s ex’s head. But things are just getting started for them, and soon they embark on a music-fueled adventure of a night, a first date through the streets and shadows of New York City that readers won’t soon forget. This is absolutely one of the best romance books for young adults.
How to read it: Purchase Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist on Amazon
The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson
This enemies to lovers YA romance novel is a geeky reader’s treat. Trixie Watson is a Doctor Who-obsessed nerd who can’t stand her arch-rival, the mustachioed Ben West. Trixie’s goal in life is to one-up Ben and outrank him in their class standing. When their respective best friends fall for each other, these two sidekicks spend more time together. Suddenly their differences don’t seem so big, and their rivalry something silly… This novel is heart eyes and totally one of the best romance books for teens and among the must-read teenage romance books with happy endings.
How to read it: Purchase The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You on Amazon
Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz
I am big on disability representation, and Hannah Moskowitz’s Sick Kids in Love has exactly that. In this dreamy story, Isabel has rheumatoid arthritis and practically lives at the hospital where her father works. One day, she meets Sasha there. Sasha also has a chronic illness. It’s not long before Sasha is breaking down the fences Isabel has set up around her heart; she’s convinced sick kids shouldn’t fall in love with anyone, much less with each other. Sasha—and her feelings for him—challenge Isabel outside of her comfort zone… and into love.
How to read it: Purchase Sick Kids in Love on Amazon
Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee
I definitely wanted to include Tash Hearts Tolstoy in this list of the best romance books for teens because it brings visibility to the asexual spectrum. Tash has adapted Anna Karenina by her favorite author (Tolstoy) into a hit YouTube series. When it goes viral, Tash meets a fellow YouTube star who makes her question her heteroromantic asexual identity. Tash goes on a journey of self-discovery, but the answer might lie in the form of her best friend’s older brother, who wants nothing more than what Tash feels comfortable to give.
How to read it: Purchase Tash Hearts Tolstoy on Amazon
Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan
This story of sapphic love follows high-school junior Leila, who has managed so far to avoid having a crush on anyone. With her Persian background and her feeling for girls, Leila doesn’t need to have life get any more confusing and complicated. When she falls for a new girl, Saskia, who seems to return her attraction, Leila might have to confront her heart with honesty and courage.
How to read it: Purchase Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel on Amazon
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Definitely one of the best romance books for teens, Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a modern classic and was even adapted for a hit Netflix movie. If you don’t know the story already, here it is: Lara Jean has penned letters to all the boys she’s loved, but one day she realizes those letters have been mailed, and the guys have big-time reactions. Now she has to deal with the fallout while trying to decide which boy she really, truly loves. Flirty and fun, this delightful book is a series starter for readers who cannot get enough. Once you’re done with this opening novel, read the two that follow it. You’ll fall for this book, surely up there with the other best high school romance books with happy endings.
How to read it: Purchase To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before on Amazon
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
I know what you’re thinking… Twilight? Seriously? Yep, I’m serious. Twilight was one of the first YA novels I ever read, and I was so sucked into the central romance between Bella and vampire/love interest Edward with Jacob the friend who wants to be something more. I could not flip pages fast enough. Meyer knows how to write the thrilling feeling of first love and the conflict that stands in the way of getting what—and who—we really want. It’s for sure one of the best high school romance books.
How to read it: Purchase Twilight on Amazon
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
I love the cover of When Dimple Met Rishi, for sure one of the best romance books for teens. It just screams rom-com fun. And that’s exactly what you get in this enemies-to-lovers YA romance. Dimple has no interest in love; she’d rather become a badass coder. So when she meets Rishi, a total romantic who attends the same summer program in computer programming. Rishi falls for Dimple, but will Dimple get swept up in the big feels, too? You’ll have to read it to find out in this must-read book that belongs on any list of the best romance books for young adults.
How to read it: Purchase When Dimple Met Rishi on Amazon
And there you have it! 20 of the best romance books for teens. Which one will you read first?
If you liked this list of the best romance books for teens, check out other great books for teens in our series on the best books for young adults:
