Consider Yourself Kissed
Jessica Stanley (Hutchinson Heinmann)
Clever and contemporary, this modern romance between short king single dad Adam and magazine writer Coralie accrues depth as it jumps from initial meet-cute to a decade-long romance, all the while embracing stepmotherhood, work and politics. (You didn’t think you could get Brexit into a romance?) The writing is wonderful, and the book has genuine heft – which might dial back the escapist fun, but it’s no less enjoyable for that.
Problematic Summer Romance
Ali Hazelwood (Sphere)
Hazelwood, a behemoth of current romantic fiction, specialises in funny and sharp hot-nerd affairs. Despite highlighting its own issues in the title, this novel got a rather mixed reception from the more judgmental corners of the internet on account of the age difference between the lovers. The gap between Maya and Conor, her big brother’s best friend, is 15 years – she is 23 to his 38. Depending on your generation and point of view, this is either completely and absolutely fine, or intensely concerning, despite the heroine insisting valiantly on her own agency and a reluctant romantic hero who resists the affair for this very reason. The book itself is typically charming and incredibly enjoyable, full of one-liners and cheek. (Far less controversially, she has followed it up with Mate, about a vampire bride falling in love with a werewolf. Sex with an actual animal is notably less problematic than an age gap in 2025.)
Sweet Heat
Bolu Babalola (Headline)
Previously a Reese Witherspoon book club pick for her 2022 novel Honey & Spice, Babalola continues to show why with this gorgeous, lush new book featuring the same characters. Kiki is now running a romance podcast while her own love life is the traditional disaster area, when suddenly her handsome ex Malakai turns up as the best man at a wedding where she is maid of honour … It’s witty, obviously, but there’s a warmth and real depth to the characterisation and the issues affecting the young Londoners it portrays. Will you see what’s coming a mile off? Definitely. Will you enjoy the journey? Every bit of it.
Cover Story
Mhairi McFarlane (HarperColins)
McFarlane is so funny she was drafted in to the writers’ room for Slow Horses, the wittiest show on television. Fortunately she’s also still working as a novelist, which is excellent news for her avid fans. Cover Story is about two journalists who hate each other having to pretend to be a couple, but really it’s just an excuse for her sharp observations and deep, fundamental sweetness. The world is always a better place with McFarlane’s stories in it.
Heart the Lover
Lily King (Canongate)
“You knew I’d write a book about you one day,” begins this intensely brainy, tightly observed love story. From the cover, a homage to the classic Great Gatsby cover image of weeping eyes on a blue background, to the narrator’s adopted name – Jordan – and the two other sides of the triangle, Sam and Yash, calling their dates “Daisies”, you know you’re in proper, wallowing, literary-allusion territory. This is a book that explores youthful passion and its consequences down the decades with charm and precision: a perfect, no-brainer gift for the romantically minded English lit student in your life.
• To browse all romance books included in the Guardian’s best books of 2025, visit guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
