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As one of the most popular and top-selling genres, romance has long transported readers into captivating love stories. These four swoon-worthy novels are perfect for anyone seeking an amorous, captivating read.
‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen (1813)
Scholars celebrate Austen’s “pioneering use of free indirect discourse,” but you don’t need to be an expert to appreciate that “she helped invent the romantic comedy as we know it,” said Time. A “drolly perceptive chronicle” of Elizabeth Bennet’s “bumpy courtship” with Fitzwilliam Darcy, Austen’s “second and most influential novel”, is the “ultimate slow burn.” ($25, Penguin Random House, Amazon)
‘Outlander’ by Diana Gabaldon (1991)
After World War II, British combat nurse Claire and her husband embark on a second honeymoon to reconnect. Instead, she somehow “winds up in 1743 Scottish highlands” and falls in love with warrior Jamie — a “very different and very passionate relationship,” said Forbes. The first in a beloved series, this novel is best for fans of “time travel, historical fiction and very long novels.” ($30, Penguin Random House, Amazon)
‘The Notebook’ by Nicholas Sparks (1996)
The bond between Noah and Allie, the star-crossed lovers at the center of both the novel and the classic 2004 film, has ensnared romantics for decades. Their love feels “both idealized and grounded,” spanning “years, obstacles and ultimately memory loss.” The result is “more powerful than a typical love story,” said Business Insider. ($25, Hachette Book Group, Amazon)
‘Before I Let Go’ by Kennedy Ryan (2022)
Yasmen and her ex-husband, Josiah, try their best to coparent and run a business together, but they keep being pulled back into each other’s arms. Kennedy Ryan’s “emotion-driven books” are “anything but fluff,” tackling deeper issues such as “mental health and neurodivergence, social injustices, and climate change,” said Marie Claire. ($40, Hachette Book Group, Amazon)