More Teen Romances For Readers Who Hate Romance Novels

Most of the time, if you ask me if I want to read a romance novel, my answer will be absolutely not. But if there’s something extra-special about it, like an awesome blending of genres or some plot developments that surprise me, I just might change my mind.

Here is my latest list of teen romances that I consider standout titles. If you’d like to see more like these, check out my previous list!

Crush by Svetlana Chmakova 

Jorge is used to being one of the biggest kids in his grade at Berrybrook Middle School. Lots of kids are afraid of him, but his friends know that inside that big scary dude is a sweet and quiet guy. Jorge can’t help but notice Jazmine, because she always says hello to him. She doesn’t see him as a big scary dude. Jorge doesn’t usually have trouble talking to anyone, but whenever Jazmine comes by, he doesn’t know what to say. It’s going to take Jorge a while to admit to himself that he has a crush on her. But how long will it take him to find the words to tell her how he feels?

Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi 

Penny and Sam don’t have a “meet cute.” The first time they meet, it’s just okay, no big deal. But the second time they meet, Sam is at one of the worst and most embarassing moments of his life. Penny finds him, and Penny saves him. After that, they become each other’s emergency contacts, and both of their lives begin to change in ways they never expected.

Chaotic Good by Whitney Gardner 

Cameron feels like she belongs in the fandom world, but sometimes she feels like she’s an outsider. Her cosplay creations attract a lot of attention and even win prizes, but all that attention has created a lot of hate from trolls on the internet. When she goes to her local comic shop to get costume ideas, she’s immediately steered to a special display of comics just for girls, and she’s not taken seriously at all. That’s when she takes her twin brother’s suggestion to borrow some of his clothes and go back to the comic shop undercover as a boy. But she never imagines how posing as a boy is going to change the way people see her and think about her, and how it’s going to make her life a LOT more complicated.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo 

Clara has big plans for how she’s going to spend her summer. But when she pulls one prank too many and wrecks the prom, those big plans fall apart. Being sentenced by her dad to work in his food truck all summer means no hanging out at the pool with her friends, and no exotic vacation with her mom. And the fact that she’s sentenced to work with her nemesis Rose Carver makes everything even worse. But as time passes, Rose starts to grow on her. And so does Hamlet, a cute boy who visits their food truck every day. She even starts to care about the future of her father’s food truck. Will spending a totally different kind of summer have the power to change Clara’s life?

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Dimple wishes that her parents valued her brain more than they valued her looks. She definitely wishes they weren’t so focused on the idea of an IIH—an Ideal Indian Husband.  Rishi is a teenage boy who feels like he’s much older. He values traditions, and he hopes that the marriage his parents are arranging for him will be as happy and successful as their own marriage. When both teenagers are interested in attending the same summer program, their parents are eager to let them go. The difference is that Rishi’s parents are honest with him about how he’s going to meet his future bride. But Dimple’s parents know how much she hates the way they keep meddling in her love life, so they don’t tell her the real reason they said yes to the summer program. What this means is that when Dimple and Rishi finally meet face-to-face, the first thing he does is to greet her as his future wife. And the first thing SHE does is throw her iced coffee at him and run away.

Heartstopper vol 1 by Alice Oseman

At first it seems like Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson are so different that they could never be friends. But when they’re seated next to each other in class, the shy skinny boy and the strong rugby player form an emotional connection, which has the potential to grow into something more. But Charlie is gay, and stuck in a bad relationship, while Nick is straight and single, and struggling with his own feelings. 

Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau 

Ari has big dreams for his future, but his dreams conflict with his parents. His parents want him to stay at home and work at the family bakery, but Ari wants to quit his job and move to the city so he can keep playing music with his band. Ari creates an ad to find a baker to replace him, and that’s how he meets Hector. Hector is much different from the rest of Ari’s friends, not just because he loves baking, but also because he’s sweet and easygoing. As Ari and Hector grow closer, Ari is going to have to reconsider a lot of things he thought he knew—about baking, about friendship, about love, and about himself.

Keep Me in Mind by Jaime Reed

When Ellia fell and hit her head, she lost her memory. Everything that had happened over the last two years was gone. That meant that Liam lost his girlfriend, because they had been dating for two years. Liam saved her life, but she didn’t even remember him at all. This is the story of a girl who wants to get her life back, and a boy who wants to get his girlfriend back. But it’s also about two teens who are rediscovering themselves and unravelling their history together to see if their future can be saved.  

By the Book: A Novel of Prose and Cons by Amanda Sellet 

Mary is obsessed with 19th century literature, but she doesn’t know as much about real-life friendship and romance. When she changes to a new high school for her sophomore year, she is ready to try out new experiences. When she studies people to figure out if they could be good friends or romantic partners, she imagines them as characters from the classic books she loves so much. Mary and her new friends start the Scoundrel Survival Guide, using classic characters to help people see the red flags before getting dangerously entangled with the wrong person. But when Mary starts falling for one of the biggest scoundrels around, she finds it hard to take her own advice!

The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding

Abby is a big girl who’s a big fan of fashion. She hopes that her plus-size fashion blog will help her get an internship with her favorite designer, and that the internship will turn into a paying job. What she never expects is that her summer will go in several unexpected directions. She’s going to be working with another girl named Jordi, and they’ll both be competing for that paying job. She’s going to become friends with a boy named Jax, who invites her on a quest to find the best burger in Los Angeles. And she’s also going to fall in love with Jordi, which is going to make that whole “competing for the same job” thing even harder.

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Frank Li comes from a strict and traditional Korean family, which is why he can never tell his parents that he’s dating a white girl. They already cut his sister Hanna out of their lives for falling in love with a Black boy. This is why Frank Li and his friend Joy Song begin an unusual arrangement: they pretend to date each other to keep their parents happy. But neither of them expect that they’ll start to develop feelings for each other.

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!