Hi everyone! Yesterday, I shared my favorite YA books of 2020 and now it’s time to talk about my favorite romances. I decided to have a separate list for romance because it’s my most read genre, I read 84 romance books in 2020 out of 198 books that I have read so far this year, which means about 42% of books I read were romance.
I only chose one book per author, which was really hard, and I changed the order of these books a thousand times, so just know that I recommend all of them very strongly. Without further ado, here are my top romance books of 2020 organized from my “least” favorite to my favorite:
8. Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
This book includes both fake dating and opposites attract, which are two of my favorite tropes. The main characters are both so different, Ellie is a very messy dreamer and Darcy is very serious and organized, but each of them is great in their own way and they complement each other so well, they have so much chemistry and they are sweet together. I loved the complicated family dynamics in the book and seeing Elle stick up for herself at the end was amazing. I think the astrology aspect of this book adds a cool and unique element to the story and I really enjoyed it.
7. A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert
I loved the dynamic between the main characters in this book, the heroine is the grumpy one and the hero is soft and nice. They have so much chemistry and the sex scenes are really steamy. My two favorite things about this book are the hero, who is caring, patient, and understanding, he takes the time to get involved with the heroine’s interests, he cooks for her and he looks after not only the heroine but his friends as well. The other thing I really loved was seeing the character development of the heroine, seeing her confront her fears and stand up for herself at the end was wonderful. I also loved that this book is very diverse, the heroine is Black and Autistic and the representation is Own Voices for both of those things.
6. Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon
This book revolves around a marriage of convenience, which is a trope I really enjoy. The hero is a bisexual fat Scotsman and the heroine is a bisexual Black woman. They are both adorable. Xeni has a tendency of blurting out everything she likes about Mason when he’s around her and Mason is so understanding and caring with Xeni. Their relationship is so well developed throughout the book, they meet and there’s an instant attraction between them but it doesn’t become insta-love. They have so much chemistry and they open up to each other and are vulnerable with each other in a way that was very sweet to read about. Also, this book is really steamy.
5. You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria
It’s so rare for me to like both of the main characters in a book equally, but Jasmine and Ashton are both amazing. Jasmine is ambitious, kind, and charismatic, but she is afraid of being alone and she has a track record of dating men who don’t treat her well. Ashton is kind of awkward and shy and he deals with a lot of anxiety, but he’s also adorable and sweet. Their romance is fantastic because they have so much chemistry, but they also have a really strong emotional connection. I appreciated that the conflict in this story feels realistic because it is easy to understand where both characters are coming from. Also, Jasmine and Ashton’s work is a big part of the story, there’s a lot of behind the scenes from the show they are filming and it adds a cool element to the story.
4. The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel
This is a hate to love, slow-burn romance with so much banter. The main character Liya doesn’t make the best first impression not to the love interest Jay and not to the reader, but after a while, it’s easy to see beyond that first impression to how amazing she is. Liya is so strong, smart, and independent, and Jay is so patient and kind. They are both Indo-American and the representation is Own Voices. I think the reason I love this book so much is that it elicits all kinds of emotions, some characters are easy to hate, there are gossiping, cruel people that are so frustrating, Jay is swoon-worthy and Liya’s past awakens so much sympathy. This book gives all the feels.
3. Headliners by Lucy Parker
This is a fantastic hate to love romance that has so many hilarious scenes. Honestly, I laughed out loud so many times while reading this. This book does an amazing job showing how the relationship between the main characters slowly evolves and changes from hate to friendship to love. Sabrina and Nick are adorable together and the best part about this book is that they both act like adults, who TALK to their significant other, don’t assume the worst, and actually trust each other. There is no miscommunication in this book and Lucy Parker steps away from the “romance formula” in the third act of the book, both of those things made this book feel very refreshing.
2. Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean
I really love both of the main characters in this book, but especially Hattie. She is witty, she is charming, she is smart and her fight to be in control of her own life is so impressive and captivating. Whit is great too, he is quiet, caring and smart, and the two of them together are perfection. Their bantering and flirting are so entertaining, they have so much chemistry and Sarah MacLean does a great job of building the tension between them in a way that it’s enthralling. Also, this book is the steamiest historical romance that I have read so far.
1. Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese
The main characters in this book have a frenemies to lovers, slow burn, angsty and emotional romance. The pranks, the bickering, the fighting, the trust, how caring they are, made their relationship fascinating. This book is so emotional since both of the main characters are dealing with difficult situations; the heroine’s mom is gravely ill and the hero is dealing with the lasting consequences of an illness that left him with a disability and that changed his life completely. Those storylines gave so much depth to the story and made this book even more captivating, they even ended up making me cry, which rarely happens. Also, I loved the secondary characters so much, especially Ryder’s family, that I read the next two books about his siblings, loved them both and this series has quickly become one of my all-time favorites.
I’ve heard so many good things about Written in the Stars, I need to try it! I really enjoyed Take a Hint, Dani Brown and Beach Read this year. 😀
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I also enjoyed Beach Read a lot this year and it was so hard picking which Talia Hibbert I was going to include on this list, I almost chose Dani Brown but A Girl Like Her ended up winning. I hope you enjoy Written in the Stars!
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I need to read more of Talia Hibbert’s romances!
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You should definitely do that, all their books are amazing!
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I still haven’t read You Had Me at Hola, but hopefully soon. I don’t read a lot of romance, but like Jess, Take a Hint, Dani Brown was such a delight.
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Take a Hint, Dani Brown is amazing! I had such a hard time choosing which Talia Hibbert book I was going to include on this list. I hope you enjoy You Had Me at Hola!
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I loved Just another silly love song by Rich Amooi x
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I haven’t heard about that book before, but I’ll check it out!
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I’ve heard so many good things about Written in the stars and I cannot wait to read it, it sounds amazing
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I hope you enjoy it!
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Oooh, I much check out Xeni – I love Rebekah Weatherspoon’s stuff. Top romances for me this year were The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite, Kevin by Marilize Roos, and Scandalous Passions by Nicola Davidson.
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I haven’t read The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows yet, but I read The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics this year and I loved it, so I can’t wait to read the next book.
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I really enjoyed Only When It’s Us as well! I haven’t heard anyone else talk about this book, I feel like it’s vastly underrated.
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I also think it’s underrated, but in the last couple of weeks I have seen two popular booktubers talk about it, so I don’t think it’s going to be underrated for long
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