Article contributed by Marta Paraschiv
I read Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before five years ago and since then I’ve been trying to find something in the same vein – a light and entertaining coming-of-age story with a relatable protagonist that you can’t help but love even when they mess up horribly. The amazing family dynamics, the fake dating trope that will make you swoon non-stop, and the characters that you will fall in love with because of how easy it is to identify with them—these are all characteristics that made this series a hit for me and the books that I will recommend next have some of those aspects as well which hopefully means that you will like them as much as you liked To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.
Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen
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I think this one might be the most similar in terms of plot—Mia and Jake start ‘fake dating’ because they want to get away from their mothers who are constantly pushing them to be together and even though they can’t stand each other, they believe pretending to date and then staging a very dramatic break-up is the best solution to get their parents off their backs. Of course, the plan backfires as they discover they have more in common than they might have realised and as they get to know each other better, the idea of belonging together doesn’t seem as strange.
P.S. I Like You by Kasie West
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This one combines two of my favourite romance tropes (pen pals and enemies-to-lovers) with a protagonist that is very passionate about song writing and determined to make her dreams come true. There is a lot of tension between the two protagonists due to past misunderstandings and because they have to work through their misconceptions and deal with their pride, the romance progresses very slowly which I enjoyed tremendously. There is nothing better than a slow-burn romance! I believe this book is great if you’re looking for a summer read.
Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
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I adored every bit of this book because the friendships were wonderful, the family dynamics were very similar to Han’s book and the romance was indeed swoon-worthy. The chemistry between the two protagonists was very believable, their dynamics seemingly effortless. The story made me smile so many times and I adored how nerdy it was—the main character is a gamer and she shares this passion with her sister, one of the plot-line revolves around a class production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream which means we see a lot of what happens behind the scenes in theatre.
Well Met by Jen DeLuca
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This is a sweet adult romance that reminds me of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before because the main character is very smart and empathetic, family is very important to her (the connection between the sisters was great and they were very supportive of each other), the romance is well-written, and there is a local Renaissance Faire that every character is very dedicated to and you will become as invested in it as well—it’s impossible not to. There’s a huge amount of banter in this book that I wholeheartedly appreciated and the romance will please even those who aren’t easily impressed.
Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
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This is a modern love story as most of the interactions between the protagonists happen via text, but that doesn’t undermine in any way their connection. I believe the romance is similar to Lara Jean and Peter’s because Penny is a huge nerd, while Sam is the cool kid who has some unresolved drama in his romantic life. I adored the concept of an emergency contact—having someone that can listen to your deepest fears and comfort you, be there for you during your darkest times—and the amazing execution made me root for those two to be together despite the obstacles.
