Romance is in the air – and in your local bookstores this summer.
In order to bring you the best and most buzz-worthy romance reads of the season, Southern California News Group spoke with a range of experts in the genre from The Ripped Bodice, Meet Cute Romance Bookshop, In Bloom Bookery, Smitten, The Fleuria book truck and Simon & Schuster.
Whether you’re into rockstar romances, dark academia, bookshop meet-cutes or AI boyfriends, this is the list for you.
Here are 10 books your local romance booksellers insist you cannot miss.
“Curvy Girl Summer” by Danielle Allen
Publication Date: June 11, 2024
“Curvy Girl Summer” dropped last year, but The Ripped Bodice co-owner Leah Koch said in a recent interview that it’s a favorite that can’t be missed. She described the bestseller as “joyful, sexy, and body-positive, this one’s perfect for reading poolside or beachside.” The story follows Aaliyah James — she’s done with casual hookups and ready to find The One, but her family scoffs at the idea and implies that her larger-than-life personality (and curves) might scare away potential suitors. She has seven weeks before the birthday bash to prove them wrong. With the help of a charming bartender, she navigates online dating apps, but can’t help but notice the perfect guy might be closer than she thinks.
“The River Has Roots” by Amal El-Mohtar
Publication Date: March 4, 2025
Among Meet Cute Romance Bookshop owner Becca Title’s recent favorites is “The River Has Roots,” by bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author Amal El-Mohtar. The fantasy novella follows the Hawthorn family, who tend to the enchanted willows in the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie. There, they sing to the trees as part of an ancient contract to honor their magic. The closest of the tight-knit clan are sisters Esther and Ysabel, but when Esther chooses a lover from the land of Faerie over an aggressive suitor, their lives and bond begin to unravel.
“Maine Characters” by Hannah Orenstein
Publication Date: May 13, 2025
Another of Koch’s favorite picks is “Maine Characters,” which she describes as “peak summer vibes, smart and heartfelt storytelling.” The story follows half-sisters Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster, who annually spend a month with their father at his lake house — separately. The two have never met and grew up in separate states. When Vivian arrives at the lake to spread her late father’s ashes and sell the cabin, Lucy is there expecting her father to return. Forced to spend the summer together, the two unearth the secrets of their parents’ pasts.
“Arcana Academy” by Elise Kova
Publication Date: July 22, 2025
In Bloom Bookery owner Katie Mullin told us that the girls at her shop were all excited for the dark academia romantasy “Arcana Academy.” The story follows Clara Graysword, a woman whose magic tarot cards helped her survive the underworld of Eclipse City. Sentenced to a lifetime in prison for using illegal magic reserved for practitioners of Arcana Academy, Clara is out of options. Enter Prince Kaelis, the academy’s headmaster, who offers her an escape in exchange for her help swindling the king. There’s just one catch: she has to pose as a new student and the prince’s bride-to-be.
“If Not for My Baby” by Kate Golden
Publication Date: Aug 5
Mae Tingstrom, who owns Smitten bookstore, Stephanie Pao, who owns The Fleuria mobile book truck and In Bloom Bookery’s Mullin all agreed “If Not for My Baby” is an essential romance read you won’t want to miss. “She’s kind of a shop favorite author of ours,” Mullin said of Golden, the author.
Tingstrom, however, is focused on the main male character, or “MMC,” as they call it in the romance community, who in this book is based on real-life rocker Hozier. “I only knew one song from him — the ‘Take Me To Church’ song that played repeatedly — I didn’t know anything else about him and then I started reading this book, and I was like, ‘Oh, this guy sounds hot!’ Then I started playing his music, and now I’m obsessed.”
The story follows Clementine Clark, who gets a gig as the backup singer to Irish megastar Thomas Patrick Halloran. The two embark on an eight-week tour together, and well, angsty tension and romance ensue.
“Fairydale” by Veronica Lancet
Publication Date: August 19, 2025
Emilia Rhodes, executive editor at Atria Books, said “Fairydale” is perfect for the spooky season that’s just around the corner, and describes the romantasy as “an epic and sweeping love story that’s really immersive and spellbinding and unlike anything else you’ve ever read.”
The gothic historical and paranormal romance follows Miss Darcy O’Sullivan, an orphaned English teacher, on a trek to Fairydail, a mysterious coastal town, to claim a surprisingly sizable inheritance from her biological father. There she encounters a forbidden romance and ancient evil as she is torn between two men — Caleb Hale, who is alive, and Amon d’Artan, a nobleman who lived two centuries ago.
“With Stars in Her Eyes” by Andie Burke
Publication Date: September 16, 2025
The Ripped Bodice’s co-owner, Koch, described this must-read as a “sapphic bookstore romance! We’re obsessed.”
In this queer romance, cellist Courtney Starling bombs a huge performance due to a migraine and heads to her friend’s bookshop to recover. Courtney begins working in the shop incognito and that’s when a quirky meet-cute unfolds: Thea Quinn is frightened by a pet lizard and lets out a blood-curdling scream. Thea moved to the small Kansas town to meet new people and start anew, and Courtney’s historical romance book club might just be the place to do it. What begins as an embarrassing encounter unfolds into steamy stolen moments behind bookshelves.
“How to Break My Heart” by Kat T. Masen
Publication date: September 23, 2025
Rhodes also recommended a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance. In this one, Eva Woods, a small-town café owner, is forced to team up with Aston, her best friend Maddy’s smokin’ hot billionaire brother, to plan a wedding. Aston broke Eva’s heart back in high school, so tension and sparks fly as the two try to claim their place as Maddy’s right-hand man.
“The Best Worst Thing” by Lauren Okie
Publication Date: October 14, 2025
The Fleuria’s Pao recommended the debut novel, “The Best Worst Thing” and praised first-time novelist Okie. “It’s so good! She lives in the South Bay, and it’s the first book I’ve ever read that is based in the South Bay, which I thought was just an extra bonus to the book. It’s a very emotional read.”
The story follows Nicole Speyer, who feels like she’s living the dream: She’s got a beautiful house, a popular fertility podcast, and Gabe, her perfect hubby. Her years-long struggle with infertility is the only downer, and the one thing that seems to be causing distance in her marriage. At an especially unopportune moment, Nicole discovers that Gabe isn’t so perfect after all. Suddenly jobless, childless, and walking away from her marriage, she walks back into her former colleague Logan Milgram’s life. Just as she’s feeling like no time has passed with Logan, she gets the big news: an embryo transfer was successful.
“Love Me, Stalk Me” by Laura Bishop
Publication Date: December 2, 2025
Atria Books’ Rhodes recommended this dark rom-com debut, “Love Me, Stalk Me,” which follows Izzy Russo, an overworked department store manager who confides her darkest fantasies to an AI boyfriend. The twist? The store’s head of security, Callahan Knight, hacked her phone, and while she thinks she’s talking dirty to the AI boyfriend she named “Caleb,” she’s actually spilling all her deepest desires to Knight.