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8 Books Every Rom-Com Fan Needs This Holiday Season

by  | December 12

This year seems to be the comeback year for all the rom-com adaptations—and I’m LOVING it! While I enjoy a dark and twisty mystery, sometimes you just need to lighten things up and read a funny romance.

If you/your friends are a fan/fans of movies like Set It Up, The Kissing Booth, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, add these 8 books to your gift list. A few of them will be coming to the big screen, so read them first!

Here are the #BooksILikeToGive!
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

by Christina Lauren

This is one of my favorite books of the year! I’m dying for some production company to snatch up the rights to this book because it would be soooooo amazing on the big screen and will get more people to love the writing duo of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings (aka Christina Lauren).

Josh + Hazel ran in the same circles in college—he was her TA and witness to many of Hazel’s embarrassing moments, but they lost touch after graduating. Seven years later they meet up again at a BBQ when both of their lives seem to be crumbling. They decide to help each other get back in the dating game by setting each other up on double dates, while denying that they really should be dating each other.

Another CLo book (Roomies) is being adapted by Jenna Dewan, and I’m hoping Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating gets the Hollywood treatment as well.

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To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Media Tie-In Edition)

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Media Tie-In Edition)

by Jenny Han

If you/your friends haven’t read this adorable YA rom-com…what are you waiting for? Before you watch the movie (which has the same title) on Netflix, read this book. An adorable look at high school romances with all the teenage angst. It’s not just a book for the YA crowd—as an adult you’ll appreciate that you won’t have to live through those mortifying high school moments again.  

via GIPHY

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The Royal Runaway

The Royal Runaway

by Lindsay Emory

Left at the altar, Princes Thea is desperate to escape the media’s scrutiny. She heads off to a remote island owned by the royal family. But after some time away from the spotlight she returns back to her country to find the palace a bit suffocating. Princess Thea decides to go undercover to have a drink at the local bar to unwind, but while she’s out, she runs into a handsome stranger…who just happens to be her former fiancé's brother, Nick!

Thea soon discovers that her fiancé's disappearance wasn’t just cold feet, but that he may have actually been kidnapped. Together, Nick and Thea try to track down his whereabouts, but the more time they spend together, they can’t seem to fight their chemistry.

✨Bonus: This book is being adapted as a movie! The director of Netflix’s hit film The Kissing Booth will be directing this one as well.

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One Day in December

One Day in December

by Josie Silver

This lovely rom-com has Reese Witherspoon’s seal of approval…she selected it as her December book club pick! Perhaps Hello Sunshine, Reese’s production company, will decide to option this one so we can see it on the screen too? Fans of the movie Serendipity will fall in love with this story as well.

Laurie doesn’t believe in love at first sight (except in movies). But then, through a misty bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instinctively is “The One.” Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic…and then her bus drives away. Over the next year she keeps hoping that she will run into him again, but will fate bring them together a second time? Only by reading the book will you find out the answer!

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Save the Date

Save the Date

by Morgan Matson

Charlie Grant's older sister is getting married at their family home, and for the first time in years all four of her older siblings will be under the same roof. (As the baby of the family with four older siblings myself I know that as great as it is to be around all my sibs…we love each other better from afar.) Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before their childhood home is sold, but of course—like any good rom-com—everything turns into a chaotic mess.

Fans of Save the Date are eager for this one to be adapted too…can someone in the movie biz get on it??

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The Kiss Quotient

The Kiss Quotient

by Helen Hoang

This book won Goodreads Choice Award in the Romance category, so you know it has to be good!

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases (but worry not, she is not tracking your purchases from this gift guide). Her job has given her more money than she knows what to do with, but she is way less experienced in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. She decides to put her money to use and hires a professional to help teach her how to French kiss (and more).

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The Wedding Date

The Wedding Date

by Jasmine Guillory

There is a movie starring Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, and Amy Adams by the same name, but it’s not the same story.

On the eve of his ex's wedding festivities, Drew doesn’t have a date…until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend. Alexa normally would never agree to go to a wedding with a guy she just met in an elevator, but something about Drew makes her say yes. After spending a whirlwind weekend together celebrating the ex’s wedding, they head back to their lives—but they can’t stop thinking about each other. Should they try for the long-distance thing or just hold on to their memories of that one amazing weekend?

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A Princess in Theory

A Princess in Theory

by Alyssa Cole

You know the spammy emails that you always hear about…some prince who seems to have lost his fortune and needs your help…. You’ve been taught for years to just hit delete because it's a scam. But what happens when you get bombarded with emails claiming you are betrothed to an African prince—do you hit delete or open that bad boy up not caring about the virus that might infect your computer?

Naledi Smith faces that dilemma in A Princess in Theory. As a former foster kid she’s learned the tough way that she can only depend on herself. Meanwhile across the ocean, Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, but he’s missing his betrothed so he decides to track her down.

This book has been optioned as well (see the deets from the author):

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Categories // Holiday

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Saimah works on the Corporate Digital Marketing team at Simon & Schuster. She is a fan of dystopian fiction, celeb memoirs, contemporary rom-coms and murder mysteries. When she's not reading, she is binge-watching her favorite shows, exploring the best rooftop bars in the city and watching sports. Follow her on Instagram at @fire.escape.reads!
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