Whenever the weather (or your mood) is persistent in keeping you inside, there is nothing more comforting than a comfy blanket and a sweet rom-com to make you feel warm. Whether you’re into the clever banter, comedic timing, or a love story to make you kick and swing your feet, these ten books are the perfect reads for a day inside!
Eloise and the Grump Next Door by Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor
This sweet story follows the optimistic Eloise as she moves to Oakly Island to renovate her late grandmother’s beach house. Her plans for a fresh start are immediately halted upon meeting Jake, her grumpy yet charming next-door neighbor. As time goes on, their back-and-forth banter turns into something more.
Eloise must now decide between her dreams of securing her long-awaited academic future or embracing her newfound home and possible romance. This book is perfect for those who enjoy the grumpy X sunshine dynamic!
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Luc O’Donnell is quite famous by association. His rockstar father and a pattern of messy relationships ensure his name will forever be in the tabloids. In order to fix up his public image, he decides to recruit Oliver Blackwood, an uptight and almost too perfect man, to enter a fake dating arrangement. Oliver has an infuriatingly clean record, no scandals, instability, and is completely principled.
But as their staged romance continues, their awkward photo ops and staged meals together become something softer and real. Luc finds himself drawn to Oliver in unexpected ways. What starts as a contract relationship evolves into a messy and romantic web.
Lucie Yi is Not a Romantic by Lauren Ho
Lucie Yi is a management consultant who has practically given up on love; however, she is desperate to have a baby. After a messy heartbreak and a total breakdown in the middle of a baby store, she decides to sign up for a co-parenting website, hoping to match with someone who has a similar goal to enter a platonic and practical relationship. She then connects with Collin Read, the ideal man who checks off all her boxes. He’s dependable, honest, and most importantly, ready to be a father.
When Lucie gets pregnant and the couple travels back to Singapore, her family is not too thrilled or open to the arrangement, especially with the return of her ex-fiancé, who is hoping to rekindle the past. As each new problem arises, she has to confront what kind of life and love she is willing to pursue.
The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest
This book follows Violet Greene, a renowned celebrity stylist, whose personal life is collapsing in real-time after a public breakup, and Xavier Wright, a high school teacher and basketball coach, and coincidentally her high school sweetheart. Fate brings them together through a birthday trip in Las Vegas, and after a passionate and wild night, they wake up married. Faced with the media, they figured this marriage might be more beneficial than they initially thought. As they continue posing as happy newlyweds, old sparks light up. This story is fit for those who enjoy a good lighthearted second-chance romance.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
This bookish rom-com centers around a hardworking literary agent, Nora Stephans, who reluctantly spends the entire month of August in Sunshine Falls with her younger sister, Libby. Her vacation, however, is nothing like the books she reads. There, she continuously bumps into Charlie Lastra, a crabby book editor, whom she knows a little too well.
When they decide to collaborate on a book project together, they navigate their personality clashes, resulting in the formation of a deeper connection. Nora has to now choose between returning to her life in the city or remaining in this small town with Charlie.
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Hannah Brooks, while she may not look like it, is an elite executive protection agent. She’s strong, meticulous, and definitely not looking for love. But when she is assigned to guard Jack Stapleton, a former Hollywood actor, whose complicated past with a stalker-fan has led him to live off the grid. To keep the entire mess under wraps, they both pretend to be in a relationship.
After spending multiple days on Jack’s family ranch, the line between the fake and real begins to blur. Initially, Hannah saw this as a job to protect him, but what she didn’t expect was to fall deeply in love with her client.
I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
To Poppy Wyatt, life couldn’t be any better. Marriage to her perfect fiancé is on the horizon, until it is not. That one-way trip to happiness is immediately destroyed when she loses her heirloom engagement ring along with her phone during a hotel fire drill. In a panic, she grabs an abandoned phone she found inside a trash bin and leaves that phone number with the hotel to contact her when the ring is found.
The problem? The owner of the phone, Sam Roxton, is a businessman not fond of someone possibly going through his work and personal business. But after convincing him to let her borrow the phone for longer, their back-and-forth on email and messages led to their lives becoming entangled, resulting in many misunderstandings and a possible romance!
Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid
This book follows Janie Morris, whose life had just hit rock bottom. Between losing her boyfriend, apartment, and job all within the same day, there was no way it could get worse, right? Wrong. She finds out soon after that her new boss, Quinn Sullivan, is the insanely attractive man she has been secretly obsessed with for some time. Quinn’s intimidating personality is exactly what Janie believes she cannot attract, but as fate has it, he ends up offering her something she cannot refuse, leading to some undeniable sparks.
Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie
Kate Svenson is a calculated and savvy businesswoman who finally decides to take her love life into her own hands. Mr. Right will show up whether he wants to or not. She decides to use her skills to her advantage by creating a strategic business plan. She ventures to a cabin resort full of singles, aiming to find the ideal, perfect, and successful man.
What she finds instead is a load of humorous disasters. Jake Templeton is a charming and laid-back man, the total opposite of what she is looking for. But as they continuously bump into each other, her well-curated list begins to crumble, and Kate discovers that love cannot follow a plan.
The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot
Unlike the previous books, this romcom is told entirely through emails! When gossip columnist Mel Fuller finds her neighbor attacked by an unknown assailant, she ends up taking care of the woman’s pets and accidentally falls for the handsome “nephew” who keeps showing up to help out. Little does Mel know that he is not at all who he claims to be. With clever banter and a shocking secret identity, this romcom offers charm, love, and plenty of laughs.
If staying in means embarking on swoonworthy adventures with mistaken identities, unexpected love interests, and slow-burns, then consider your day fully booked!
Craving a magical romcom? Check out these 12 witchy romcoms here.
For books like this and more, check out our Bookshop Bookshelf, Rom-Coms To Make You Laugh, Cry, and Fall In Love.
