"Friends-to-Lovers" Book Collection

A curated collection of romance novels celebrating the beautiful journey from friendship to love

Quintessential Friends-to-Lovers (Often Best Friends or Long-Established Friendships)
1
People We Meet on Vacation Classic!
by Emily Henry
Two best friends, yearly vacations, slowly realizing their feelings.
2
Love and Other Words
by Christina Lauren
Childhood best friends reunited, with a past heartbreak to overcome.
3
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
by Christina Lauren
Quirky best friends who are disastrously perfect for each other.
4
The Friend Zone
by Abby Jimenez
The hero is the heroine's best friend's fiancé's best man; they become incredibly close.
5
Hook, Line, and Sinker
by Tessa Bailey
Sequel to It Happened One Summer. He's firmly in the friend zone (and a player), she's his best friend's sister-in-law; they bond over texts and music. Explicitly "just friends" who fall hard.
6
My Favorite Half-Night Stand
by Christina Lauren
College friends try online dating, leading to secret identities and a whole lot of pining within the friend group.
7
Just Last Night
by Mhairi McFarlane
Set within a long-standing group of friends, two of them finally find their way to each other after years.
8
Attachments
by Rainbow Rowell
Two colleagues develop a friendship (and more) through reading each other's work emails, before they've properly met in person.
9
When Harry Met Sally...
by Nora Ephron (Screenplay/Book)
The archetypal friends-to-lovers story. Can men and women truly be just friends?
10
Every Summer After
by Carley Fortune
Childhood friends who spend summers together, a second chance at the love that grew from friendship.
11
The American Roommate Experiment
by Elena Armas
She's been online friends (and secretly crushing on) her best friend's cousin; circumstances make them roommates.
12
Funny Story
by Emily Henry
Two people jilted by their exes (who are now together) become unlikely friends and road trip companions.
Friendship Develops First (Then Love)
13
The Flatshare
by Beth O'Leary
Roommates who share a bed (at different times) and communicate via notes, becoming friends before meeting properly.
14
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me Classic slow burn!
by Mariana Zapata
Marriage of convenience where a deep, supportive friendship slowly, meticulously builds into love.
15
From Lukov with Love
by Mariana Zapata
Ice skating partners who initially clash but build respect, trust, and then a deep friendship before romance.
16
Kulti
by Mariana Zapata
Famous soccer player coaches his childhood idol's daughter; a slow-burn friendship and mentorship turns romantic.
17
Normal People
by Sally Rooney
A complex, on-again/off-again relationship rooted in a deep, if sometimes fraught, friendship and understanding.
18
One Last Stop
by Casey McQuiston
Strangers on a subway become friends as they try to solve a time-travel mystery, with love blossoming.
19
Act Your Age, Eve Brown
by Talia Hibbert
Grumpy B&B owner hires a chaotic sunshine woman; their working relationship and forced proximity leads to friendship and then love.
20
The Simple Wild
by K.A. Tucker
City girl meets grumpy bush pilot in Alaska; antagonism slowly gives way to understanding, friendship, and then love.
21
Archer's Voice
by Mia Sheridan
A woman escaping her past meets a reclusive, silent man; she befriends him and helps him find his voice.
22
Love Lettering
by Kate Clayborn
A calligrapher and her client connect after she hides a message in his wedding invites; their subsequent meetings lead to friendship and romance.
23
My Oxford Year
by Julia Whelan
American student and her seemingly aloof young professor develop a deep friendship before romantic feelings complicate things.
24
Things We Never Got Over
by Lucy Score
Grumpy barber and a runaway bride; forced proximity leads to a supportive friendship as they navigate chaos.
25
When Gracie Met the Grump
by Mariana Zapata
Neighbors who initially have an odd dynamic, but a slow, genuine friendship builds (he's a reclusive giant, she's sunshine).
26
Bet Me A classic!
by Jennifer Crusie
A bet leads to them spending time together, and against their initial judgments, a genuine friendship and attraction develops.
Fake Dating / Arrangement Leading to Real Friendship & Love
27
The Love Hypothesis
by Ali Hazelwood
Fake dating between a PhD student and a professor, but they genuinely become friends and confidantes during the charade.
28
The Unhoneymooners
by Christina Lauren
Enemies forced to go on a honeymoon together; they have to pretend to like each other, leading to an unexpected friendship and then love.
29
Red, White & Royal Blue
by Casey McQuiston
Starts as rivals forced into a PR "friendship," which becomes real and then escalates to romance.
30
Boyfriend Material
by Alexis Hall
Two very different men agree to fake date for social reasons, finding an unexpected but deep friendship along the way.
31
The Deal
by Elle Kennedy (Off-Campus series)
Fake dating (tutoring for dates) leads to genuine friendship and then a passionate romance.
32
If I Never Met You
by Mhairi McFarlane
Colleagues enter a fake relationship for work reasons, building a solid friendship as they navigate it.
33
The Soulmate Equation
by Christina Lauren
Two scientists matched by a DNA dating app agree to "date" for publicity, finding genuine friendship and connection despite initial skepticism.
Rivals/Acquaintances to Friends to Lovers
34
Beach Read
by Emily Henry
Rival authors with writer's block spend a summer as neighbors, becoming friends as they challenge each other, then lovers.
35
Book Lovers
by Emily Henry
Literary agent and editor, long-time professional rivals, find themselves in the same small town and develop an unexpected friendship.
36
It Happened One Summer
by Tessa Bailey
LA socialite and a grumpy local fisherman in a small town; initial clashes lead to a begrudging friendship and then fiery chemistry.
37
Shipped
by Angie Hockman
Workplace rivals up for the same promotion are sent on a work trip to the Galapagos, where they find common ground and friendship.
YA Friends-to-Lovers
38
Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins
New girl in Paris befriends a charming boy who already has a girlfriend; lots of pining and friendship.
39
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
by Becky Albertalli
Two boys fall in love via anonymous emails, becoming friends online before they know each other's identities.
40
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
by Jenny Han
Fake dating between Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky helps them build a real friendship, which blossoms into love.
41
P.S. I Like You
by Kasie West
Girl writes song lyrics on her desk, a mysterious boy writes back; they become anonymous pen pal friends before discovering who the other is.
42
The Distance Between Us
by Kasie West
Quirky girl and a wealthy boy, initial judgments give way to a sweet friendship built on shared secrets and humor.
43
Fangirl
by Rainbow Rowell
Cath makes a friend in her writing partner, Levi, who slowly coaxes her out of her shell.
44
Better Than the Movies
by Lynn Painter
Childhood neighbors/frenemies team up to help her get her dream guy, becoming close friends (and more) in the process.
45
Alex, Approximately
by Jenn Bennett
Two teens are anonymous online friends and movie buffs, unknowingly working together at a summer job where they initially clash.
Historical Friends-to-Lovers
46
Emma The classic of classics!
by Jane Austen
Emma and Mr. Knightley have a long-standing family friendship, with him often acting as her moral compass, before love dawns.
47
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton
by Julia Quinn (Bridgerton #4)
Penelope has loved Colin from afar for years; he sees her as a dear friend (his sister's best friend) until a shift occurs.
48
A Week to Be Wicked
by Tessa Dare (Spindle Cove #2)
A bluestocking and a charming rake embark on a journey; their witty banter and shared adventure forge a strong friendship before passion ignites.
Fantasy/Sci-Fi with Strong Friends-to-Lovers Arc
49
A Court of Mist and Fury Essential fantasy F2L
by Sarah J. Maas (ACOTAR #2)
Feyre and Rhysand build an incredibly deep, supportive friendship and partnership as they heal from trauma, which then evolves into an epic love.
Rekindling Friendship is Key (Often Second Chance)
50
The Bromance Book Club
by Lyssa Kay Adams
A struggling marriage where the husband realizes he needs to re-befriend his wife and win her back, with help from his romance-reading buddies.
51
You Deserve Each Other
by Sarah Hogle
Engaged couple on the brink of disaster rediscovers why they fell in love by, essentially, becoming friends again amidst their pranks and sabotage.
52
Twice in a Blue Moon
by Christina Lauren
Childhood sweethearts reconnect years later; they have to rebuild their friendship and trust before romance can fully bloom again.