While watching a rom-com on Valentine’s Day is a great way to spend the day, reading a rom-com is even better! Here is a list of the top five best books to read for the month of February. 

• Better Than the Movies By Lynn Painter

To start this list off with a classic, this high school romance novel is probably one of the greatest rom-coms of the year. The plot starts out with Liz, a young girl who tries to get help from her neighbor, Wes, to make her crush notice her. While the presence of the plot being a little unusual to your typical romantic comedy, it gets the job done. Painter writes a fantastic comedic novel filled with perfect chemistry between Liz and Wes, as well as amazing romantic tension between the two of them. I loved how the book accurately depicted how teenagers behaved, talked, etc because it made the book very relatable to teens and while it may not be very realistic, it makes the experience of reading it so much more believable. Both Liz and Wes have so much character depth and personality that the book makes readers feel like they knew these characters in real life which in my opinion is the best thing a writer can achieve. Painter was very successful in that area. Overall, this is one of the best romance novels of the year and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a fun love story this February. 

• Heartstopper By: Alice Oseman

Next on our list is one of my favorite romances, specifically one of my favorite queer romances, Heartstopper. While this is considered a web comic or graphic novel, I think this is a perfect fit for Valentine’s Day. We follow Nick and Charlie as they slowly start to fall for one another while they navigate their new relationship through high school. This is personally one of my favorites on this list and probably being the most unique due to it being a comic. Netflix recently came out with a T.V show adaptation which is just as good as the comic. This graphic novel series is so heartwarming and has a wholesome love story that not only is relatable for queer youth, it is just relatable for teens in general. I found that I could relate to it very easily, specifically some of the conflicts within the book as well the interactions with the characters. Oseman creates a world that makes you feel like the reader is truly a part of it. Everything from the plot line to the characters was perfectly planned and thought out. I loved this book and think everyone should read it for Valentine’s Day. If you would like a more in depth review about the show be sure to check out my other article called, Heartstopper TV Show Review! 

• People We Meet On Vacation By: Emily Henry

Emily Henry is the mastermind behind the romance genre. She never fails to bring a smile to my face whenever I pick up a book by her. While her other books Beach Read, Book Lovers, and coming soon, Happy Place, are all amazing, but People We Meet On Vacation just stood out to me. The book follows Alex and Poppy as they try to rekindle their broken friendship by going on their, once annual, summer vacation trip. Henry’s books feel like poetry that sucks the reader into her writing, specifically how she writes her chapters. Henry uses the technique of “then and now” chapters to give us more insight on our two main characters’ relationship history as well as make the reader not be able to stop reading. When I was reading this book, I found that I couldn’t put the book down and I didn’t want it to end. I loved the chemistry between Alex and Poppy and learning about the ups and downs they face as friends and later as a couple. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good romance novel this upcoming holiday. 

• Love and Other Words By: Christina Lauren 

Just like Emily Henry, Christina Lauren is one of the most popular romance authors on this list. Also, maybe one of the more unique authors on this list since “Christina Lauren” is a pen name. Authors Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings co-write all of their books together and have had some on the New York Times Bestseller list. Love and Other Words definitely shows off their amazing writing skills, the plot follows Macy and Elliot as they reunite after having been apart for eleven years without contact. Similar to People We Meet On Vacation, the layout of the chapters are the same with ‘then and now’ chapters which make the reader really get to know the characters personality and see how strong their relationship is. I could not ask more out of a book, it had an epic plot twist as well as lovable characters. Both authors did a great job building up both Macy and Elliot’s character arcs throughout the story which made me feel like I knew the characters in real life. This is a great book to take a look at if you are interested in reading more rom-coms. 

• The Cheat Sheet By: Sarah Adams 

Finally, to finish off our list here is a short but sweet sports romance. Our story starts off with Bree who is helplessly in love with her best friend, Nathan, who is a famous quarterback. While on live television, Bree accidentally spills all her feelings to millions of people which results in Bree and Nathan having to start fake dating to help Nathan’s career.  At first, I was a little skeptical of this book, but after reading Adams’ book I was completely engrossed by her writing. While I am not a fan of the “fake dating” trope, I thought that it was done pretty well. The tension between both of the characters was so high, I couldn’t stop reading. Sarah Adams is probably one of the most underrated authors on this list, which is really a shame, since she is such a fantastic writer. This finishes off my top five romance books for Valentine’s Day and I hope that everyone has a great time reading!