Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake

After a (failed) one night stand with an unlucky in love romance author leads Stevie’s friend group, including her ex who’s now dating within said friend group, to believe she’s finally moving on, Stevie will have to fake date the woman to save face. Luckily, Iris is in desperate need of inspiration for her next book, and what better way to beat her writers block than living out a beloved romance trope?

The Bright Falls series explores the joys and complexities of queer friendships in beautiful and fascinating ways. Stevie is put in an awkward position, but it’s made even worse when her ex’s jealousy comes out once Stevie and Iris start fake dating. I loved the way Iris helped Stevie through her anxiety, and it was so satisfying to watch Stevie break down Iris’s walls and convince her she’s worthy of love. And while the series overall is fever hot, this book is the hottest by far.

Only For The Week by Natasha Bishop

Janelle is completely over her ex. Is it a little weird that he’s now engaged to her sister? Completely, but she’s always known he was wrong for her on some level, despite all the pitying glances she now gets from her friend group. When her ex’s best friend and best man, Rome, joins everyone for the destination wedding, they can’t deny their attraction to each other. After all, he’s always had a thing for Janelle even when she was with his best friend. Their friends might think the worst of Janelle if they knew what was going on between her and Rome, but their fling will last only for the week leading up to the wedding, so it’s no problem…right?

Rome is the book boyfriend we all deserve. Renting a yacht all because Janelle’s one wish for the wedding getaway was to read in peace by the water? The definition of if he wanted to, he would. He stands firmly beside Janelle as she discovers the true reason her sister has become so cold with her recently as the wedding date creeps closer and closer.

My American Duchess by Eloisa James

Merry Pelford is infamous in English society for jilting two fiancés, which is why she intends to make it down the aisle with her third come hell or high water. Enter the aforementioned hell and highwater: The Duke of Trent, AKA her current fiancé’s older brother, who has his eye set on Merry after a chance encounter leaves him wanting more. But the consequences of their attraction might be even greater than they both realize…

Something I love about historical romances is that they’re always going to have the most delightfully unhinged plotlines. There is a point in this book where I audibly gasped, shouted “no way” and paced the length of my bedroom. Just when you think this book is going one direction, the rug gets pulled out from underneath you. Just trust me on this one, Eloisa James is a staple in hist-rom for a reason.

The Earl Takes All by Lorraine Heath

Edward has always held a torch for his twin brother’s wife, Julia. But when an expedition abroad goes terribly wrong, his brother’s dying wish is for Edward to take his place as the Earl of Greyling until Julia delivers her baby safely to term. As Edward is pretending to be the Earl and falling for his brother’s wife more and more every day, he knows he can’t keep up the ruse for much longer. But the deception may be too great for Julia to ever look past, no matter how conflicted her heart.

Speaking of unhinged plots? Lorraine Heath hasn’t met a line she’s not willing to cross for the sake of a really good romance. Not everyone will be able to get behind Edward’s actions, but this book was so expertly crafted that I could not put this book down until the conflict was resolved and he and Julia had their well-deserved HEA.  

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

What’s more humiliating than being left at the altar? Being a wedding planner and a jilted bride at the same time. So when Lina receives an opportunity to change the downward trajectory of her career, she’ll do anything for the chance to prove herself. Even if it means collaborating with Max, her ex fiancé’s brother, the man who encouraged him to leave her at the altar…

Packed with Mia Sosa’s sparkling brand of humor and hijinks, this is the perfect set up for an incredible forced-proximity, enemies-to-lovers rom-com that explores Lina’s long-held grudge as she begins to thaw and Max’s rocky sibling relationship as he reckons with the fact that he’s falling for his brother’s ex fiancé.

Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar

After Meghna’s best friend, writing partner, and object of her affection gets engaged, she knows it’s time for her to move on. After agreeing to let her parents introduce her to a potential match, she meets Karthik, who isn’t interested in forming anything real but is looking for a way to get out of his mom’s matchmaking schemes. Maybe fake dating someone else will make Meghna forget all about her crush and get Karthik’s mom off his back. That is, if they don’t accidentally fall for each other in the process.

A delightful twist on My Best Friend’s Wedding—Meghna and Karthik’s banter and sizzling chemistry won me over immediately. It was so lovely to watch Karthik convince Meghna that she deserves so much more for herself than the scraps she receives from her best friend/unrequited love.

The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

Joy has secretly been in love with her best friend, Malcolm, for forever, but when he announces that he’s found the love of his life, she’s crushed. Even worse, he wants Joy to go on a weekend getaway with his newfound love and a man named Fox, who has a complicated relationship with Malcolm’s girlfriend. After forming a tentative bond, Fox proposes they pretend to have a fling to get make Malcolm jealous, but surprise themselves when they realize they might actually be right for each other.

Joy knows her approach to relationships is different from others because of her asexual identity, which is partly why she clings to the idea of Malcolm because of their shared experiences and years of friendship. But it isn’t until she meets Fox that she realizes she’s been doing herself a disservice by holding herself back from other opportunities for love. The complicated dynamics between these four characters are explored with humor and self-reflection, and it was incredibly beautiful how the resolution between everyone was handled with so much care.

Vibe: When you find ‘the one’ but seemingly never at the right time…

Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan & Sylvie’s Love (Film, Dir. Eugene Ashe, 2020)

Read this contemporary romance that features a seering take on the childhood friends to lovers trope which brings us on an angst-filled journey of two soulmates with the worst timing–much like the gorgeously lyrical film Sylvie’s Love which, set in the 1960’s, highlights a “right person-wrong time” connection between a deeply conflicted woman who is soon to be wed and the jazz musician who swept her off her feet. 

 

Vibe: When the world is harsh but in each other, you find a soft place to land…

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams & Poetic Justice (Film, Dir. John Singleton, 1993)

Read this second-chance love story about two tortured novelists who reunite after spending years calling out their unresolved passions for each other through their art. Then watch this West Coast road trip flick which chronicles a romance marked by vulnerability between a talented poet and hairstylist played by the Janet Jackson and an aspiring musician played by Tupac Shakur in his prime.  

Vibe: When college provides a vivid backdrop for self-exploration with a test-run for the real world…

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola & A Different World (TV Show, Created by Bill Cosby, 1987-1993)

Read this contemporary romance which centers an outspoken college radio host who doles out dating advice to her Black women cohorts only to find herself embroiled in a very inconvenient situationship with her campus’ biggest f-boy. Then watch the canon television series that follows the exploits of students at Hillman College, a fictionalized HBCU, and produced one of the most pleasantly surprising and iconic “opposites attract” TV couples of all time.

 

Vibe: When a shared passion forges a connection you can’t shake…

The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest & Brown Sugar (Film, Dir. Rick Famuyiwa, 2002)

Read this dreamy epistolary romance between two New Yorkers who eventually learn they have more in common than a deep appreciation for books. Then watch this timeless romcom starring Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs whose mutual affinity for Hip Hop sealed their friendship in childhood, but eventually blossomed into something else entirely–which neither one of them could deny. 

Vibe: When the attraction burns brighter than all the reasons why this should never happen…

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black & Scandal (TV Show, Created by Shonda Rhimes, 20012-2018)

Read this sizzling contemporary romance about a woman who, fed up with her role as political trophy-wife to her philandering husband, finds an all-consuming connection with a younger artist who sees beyond the appearances she’s kept so well. Then watch (or binge, let’s be real) this gripping TV drama about brilliantly devious political fixers and the radioactively scandalous, yet wholly undeniable forbidden romance at its center.   

 

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert & Rye Lane (Film, Dir. Raine Allen-Miller, 2023)

Read this deliciously humorous and heartfelt romantic comedy between a jaded academic and a brooding ex-athlete who enter a fake relationship only to find something all too real. Then watch Raine Allen-Miller’s feature debut which puts a vivid and stylized spin on the timeless fake-dating trope, by following a down on his luck, just-dumped Dom and the vibrant Yas, who draws him out of his shell while nursing her own broken heart. 

 

Vibe: When getting away means finding yourself in the eyes of someone you didn’t know you were searching for…

Only for the Week by Natasha Bishop & How Stella Got Her Groove Back (Film, Dir. Kevin Rodney Sullivan, 1998)

Read this viscerally escapist sensation about finding love where you least expect it– at your sister’s tropical destination wedding– to your ex, and the life-affirming connections that can take you by surprise. Then watch the classic age-gap romance between the one and only Angela Bassett, and Taye Diggs, who meet on the beaches of Jamaica and spark a passionate, if unlikely, romance that tilts both their worlds on end.  

Vibe: When what sets you apart, actually makes you perfect for each other…

Pride & Protest by Nikki Payne & Something New (Film, Dir. Sanaa Hamri, 2006)

Read this brilliantly remixed Pride & Prejudice retelling about an activist DJ, fighting to save her neighborhood, and the well-intentioned billionaire who’s family business is primed to run afoul of everything she stands for. Then watch this nuanced interracial romance starring Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker, whose characters perform the delicate, sometimes awkward, and often vulnerable dance of falling in love, authentically, across differences.