11 Swoon-Worthy Love Stories for Non-Romance Readers

August 1 2019
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Summer is my favorite time of year to read all the contemporary romance books that I’ve been hoarding since winter. When the weather finally turns nice and warm, a light-hearted romance is ideal when I’m relaxing outside or on vacation at the beach. These 11 contemporary romances are sure to help you get through that summer heat and bring a heat of their own!

The Rosie Project
by Graeme Simsion

In this romantic comedy, Don Tillman is in the market for a wife. As a professor of genetics, Don decides to find a wife in a way that makes sense to him as a scientist. But love is never an exact science, and when he meets Rosie Jarman, who is definitely not wife material, his whole take on “The Wife Project” begins to change in this laugh-out-loud funny, offbeat story.

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The Rosie Project
Graeme Simsion

The protagonist of Graeme Simsion’s romantic comedy THE ROSIE PROJECT is the most refreshingly unique, honest, and hilarious character I have read in a long time. I don’t generally read romantic comedies, but this one stole my heart right from the first paragraph.

Read Sarah Jane Abbott’s review here.

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The Wedding Date
by Jasmine Guillory

As we enter wedding season, what better way to get in the spirit of love than with this endearing romance novel? On the eve of his ex’s wedding festivities, Drew ends up stranded in an elevator with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend. Alexa Monroe isn’t normally the type of person to go to a wedding with a guy she just met, but there is something about Drew that she finds hard to resist.

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The Wedding Date
Jasmine Guillory

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Roomies
by Christina Lauren

When Irish musician Calvin McLoughlin saves Holland Bakker from a drunken attacker one night, she owes him big! Having long admired his music from afar, Holland gets Calvin an audition for her uncle’s Broadway show, but when she finds out he’s in the country illegally and can’t accept the offer, she does what any reasonable woman would do—and offers to marry him. And as their relationship evolves from a marriage of convenience to something more, ROOMIES is a hilarious start to your romantic summer.

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Roomies
Christina Lauren

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After
by Anna Todd

When good girl Tessa Young moves into her dorm room for her freshman year of college, romance is the last thing on her mind. She’s already got a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home and is focused on her English degree. She’s isn’t going to let anyone or anything deter her from her goals—certainly, not bad boy Hardin Scott. Hardin is rude—to the point of cruelty—but when they are alone together he shows a side of himself that only draws her in deeper, causing her to fall even more in love with him. And the best part about this novel is after you finish the book, you can go see the movie!

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After
Anna Todd

Experience the internet's most talked-about book, now a major motion picture, from Anna Todd, the writer Cosmopolitan called “the biggest literary phenomenon of her generation.” Now with new exclusive material!

There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there’s everything AFTER... Life will never be the same. #Hessa

Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She’s got direction, ambition, and a mother who’s intent on keeping her that way.

But she’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, and tattoos, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to.

But he’s also rude—to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does—until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she’s never known before.

He'll call her beautiful, then insist he isn’t the one for her and disappear again and again. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper.

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin's prejudice about nice girls like her?

Unless...could this be love?

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The Hating Game
by Sally Thorne

Rival executive assistants Lucy and Joshua have always irritated each other. And when they are both up for the same promotion, their games are taken to a whole other level, causing their corporate battle to reach a boiling point. But when the tension becomes personal, Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. It may be this is just another game.

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The Hating Game
Sally Thorne

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The Kiss Quotient
by Helen Hoang

Stella Lane is a math person. Her job is to come up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her a lot of money, but very little free time for dating. Even if she did have the time, Stella’s Asperger’s certainly doesn’t make things any easier. After receiving pressure from her mom, Stella decides to hire escort Michael Phan to teach her how to date. Before long, Stella starts to crave all the things he’s making her feel—convincing her that love is the best kind of logic.

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The Kiss Quotient
Helen Hoang

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Slammed
by Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover’s romantic, emotion-packed story follows Layken and Will, who forge an unlikely bond before discovering that fate has other plans for them. When a shocking discovery halts their new relationship, they need to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together and the forces that tear them apart.

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Slammed
Colleen Hoover

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Wait for You
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten is just coming to terms with an event that changed her life five years ago. When she meets swoon-worthy Cameron Hamilton, she knows she needs to stay away from him—getting involved with him is dangerous. But when ignoring the simmering tension becomes too difficult, she discovers a side to herself that she never knew existed. Part self-discovery, part romance, this book is bound to leave you wanting to go through Jennifer L. Armentrout’s other books. Since it is the first in a series, there’s plenty more to read!

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Wait for You
Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Beautiful Disaster
by Jamie McGuire

Abby Abernathy is one of the few women ever to resist Travis Maddox’s charm. Lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, he is exactly what Abby tries to avoid. But her resistance only adds to her appeal in his eyes. When he tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet, they both have finally met their match.

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Beautiful Disaster
Jamie McGuire

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I've Got Your Number
by Sophie Kinsella

In this hilarious novel, Poppy Wyatt picks up a stranger’s abandoned phone hoping to leave her number with the staff of the hotel where she’s lost her engagement ring. She doesn’t expect phone owner and businessman Sam Roxton to want his phone back, especially after she’s read all his messages and has thoroughly waded into his personal life. Hilarious interactions occur as Poppy and Sam navigate the chaos that they bring to each other’s lives as Poppy starts to discover what—and who—she really wants.

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I've Got Your Number
Sophie Kinsella

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Maybe in Another Life
by Taylor Jenkins Reid

We see two possible scenarios play out when Hannah Martin, a twenty-nine-year-old still trying to figure out her life, bumps into an old flame in MAYBE ANOTHER LIFE. When faced with a decision, we see these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences, raising questions on fate and true love—and if soul mates even exist.

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Maybe in Another Life
Taylor Jenkins Reid

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