I wasn’t always a romance girl. While I didn’t have anything against the genre, cracking open an honest-to-god romance novel—with all its swoons and sighs and NSFW expressions of ardor—made me feel vaguely shy. That is, until I discovered the romantic-fiction publishing company 831 Stories.

Founded in 2023 by Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur, 831 Stories is dedicated to putting out 200-ish-page novellas that are spine-tinglingly sexy without sacrificing creativity, character development, or genuinely propulsive storylines. “Romance novels are the only form of mainstream entertainment that centers women’s joy, pleasure, and desire,” Mazur tells me. “The fact that they’re experiencing a massive spike in popularity feels meaningful in any context, but it’s especially poignant in light of ongoing efforts to restrict women’s rights and reduce our sexuality to a reproductive function.”

But what is it, exactly, that make a romance book truly great? For guidance, I turned to Catie Disabato, a writer currently at work on Rooting Interest, a “sapphic sports romance between a WNBA player and a female NFL reporter” (yes, please) for 831 Stories. “For me, the most important element in a romance is character and voice. The characters don’t have to be likeable—in fact, I love prickly characters in romance—but they need to be fully fleshed out, and ultimately you need to root for them to fall in love with each other,” Disabato advises.

In that spirit, browse our roundup of the 13 best romance books to pick up now:

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

In my opinion, there aren’t enough campus rom-coms out there (college is the perfect place for romance! I mean, I didn’t experience any when I was there, but in theory!), which makes Bolu Babalola’s novel about a relationship advice expert and a fuckboy—excuse me, wasteman, in British parlance—who engage in a fake relationship that starts to become more real than either of them bargained for a particular delight.

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey

A professional hockey player and a manic pixie dream girl (don’t worry, the novel is self-referential enough to know the trope it’s playing off of) fall for each other in this wildly romantic, Hallmark-adjacent novel, only to find that…their parents are engaged and they’re about to be stepsiblings? It’s sort of giving Cher Horowitz dating her stepbrother in Clueless, but more than that, it’s giving “I want and need a sequel.”

Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath

If big bisexual energy had an official book mascot, it most definitely would be this one. In Barath’s novella, protagonist Naina breaks up with her longtime girlfriend and moves to New York, only to find herself falling for…a guy. The scenes between Naina and her new crush David crackle with heat, but Naina’s meditations on the meaning of queerness, grief, and the ever-evolving definition of identity make this a romance with genuine heart and intellect behind it.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake

I don’t care how many queer romances come out, I will always want more, and Ashley Herring Blake can be counted on to write a lesbian courtship that makes my heart rate rise. In this one, New York-based photographer Delilah goes home for her stepsister’s wedding and reconnects with Claire, an ex who’s clearly still got an emotional hold on her. Despite the chaos of a family wedding in the background, Delilah and Claire’s story is the stuff romance novels are (ideally) made of.

Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory

Jasmine Guillory is the queen of the romance novel for a reason, and her first story to feature queer protagonists only proves why she’s earned that title. in Flirting Lessons, buttoned-up Avery learns to let go (somewhat, anyway) as she embarks on a kind of dating program with sexy, devil-may-care Taylor—only to find that her feelings are anything but casual.

“I want to see more stories about women of color, stories about Black women in particular, stories about fat people,” Guillory told Vogue in April. “All of those people and all of those stories have always been out there, but publishers haven’t given them a push or haven’t really wanted to publish them. I’ve seen a lot more of them over the past few years, which has been really wonderful, and I just want even more.”

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

I absolutely love a fake-dating narrative (there’s a reason that Easy A is one of my all-time favorite rom-coms), which makes Just for the Summer another go-to of mine. In the book, two friends decide to date for the summer in order to break the “curse” of their not-so-successful romantic lives, only to have their respective familial situations become increasingly complicated by the arrival of a toxic mother and a set of younger siblings. If you like a side of family drama with your romance, this one’s for you.

Friends With Benefits by Marisa Kanter

In Friends With Benefits, an aspiring Hollywood Foley artist and an elementary school teacher who have known each other since childhood decide to get married for health-insurance and rent reasons. Before long, however, they find that their overwhelming feelings for one another are making their “business arrangement” a little more complex that they bargained for. Romance novel, but make it a veiled commentary on late-capitalist hell? Sign me up!

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

If you’re a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, you’ll most definitely be drawn in by Yulin Kuang’s 2024 novel about an author and screenwriter connected by an early tragedy who meet again while working together on a TV series. This isn’t the most lighthearted fare (there’s plenty of discussion about grief and trauma), but the book’s emotional stakes only heighten the intensity of the romance that Kuang carefully weaves together.

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

Foodies (or whatever we’re calling ourselves now that “foodie” is played out), rejoice; Red, White & Royal Blue bestselling author Casey McQuiston’s most recent novel is a tribute to all that’s delectable about life: In it, exes Theo and Kit eat, drink, and flirt their way around Europe—and, eventually, back into each other’s hearts. “So much of the process of writing this book was about healing my relationship with pleasure and indulgence; so much of life, and American life in particular, teaches you to focus on work, and make the best use of your time, and be economical, and make yourself smaller, and take up less space, and deny yourself pleasure in favor of focusing on something else, and I think this book is 1,000% the antithesis of that,” McQuiston told Vogue last year.

Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff

This gem from 831 Stories, about a political strategist who falls for her teenage boy band crush, manages to be as sexy as it is smart. “I understand the instinct that we all have about politics and romance feeling opposite from one another, but I really don’t think that they are… People have all kinds of experiences, and it’s not antithetical to have an intellect and also a heart, and whatever body parts are involved in a romance novel,” Romanoff told Vogue.

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Real Saturday Night Live heads will appreciate the marriage of late-night comedy and romance in this typically charming novel from Curtis Sittenfeld, which revolves around TV writer Sally falling (somewhat unwillingly) for pop star Noah when he guest-hosts the show she works on. Sittenfeld’s understated, naturalistic voice only makes the tension between Sally and Noah—and its ultimate payoff—feel richer and more true.

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

If you, like me, are sick and tired of seeing only thin or straight-size characters find their happy endings, you’ll thrill at the story of Bea, a plus-size fashion blogger whose critique of a popular reality dating show leads to her…becoming its star? Every fat woman should have her pick of options, and that’s exactly what Bea is given on the set of Main Squeeze, even if some of them are just movie magic. (Plus, there’s a very hot and problematic ex lurking in the background. Isn’t there always?)

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

Two writers and childhood flames meet again and instantly pick up where they left off, chemistry-wise, in this bestselling novel from The Perfect Find author Tia Williams. “As a kid, I always gravitated to big, juicy, dramatic love stories by writers like Judith Krantz, Jackie Collins, and Harold Robbins. I never saw myself in any of the characters, so I’d recast them in my head as Black people, which is lame. We exist in all spaces, and we deserve to find love and excellent sex in a fun, delicious story, just like everyone else!” Williams told Vogue in 2021.