Set in 1980s Omaha, this novel captures the essence of first love between two misfits. Eleanor, with her fiery red hair and chaotic family life, and Park, a quiet boy who finds solace in comic books and music, form an unlikely bond on the school bus.
Their romance blossoms gently to the rhythm of shared mixtapes and late-night conversations, providing a refuge from the alienation and struggles of their teenage lives. Rowell tells a story that is tender, honest, and heartbreakingly real.
Lara Jean Song Covey's love life is purely imaginary—until the secret letters she wrote to her five crushes are mysteriously mailed. Suddenly, her quiet high school existence is thrown into chaos. To manage the fallout, she enters into a fake relationship with one of the letter recipients, Peter Kavinsky.
Han’s novel is a warm-hearted story that combines humor and charm to explore how high school romance can evolve from fantasy to a complicated and beautiful reality.
Sixteen-year-old Simon Spier isn't openly gay, but he has been secretly corresponding with an anonymous classmate online. When his emails are discovered and used as blackmail, Simon finds his world turned upside down.
He must navigate the threat of being outed while trying to protect his friends and uncover the identity of the boy he's falling for. Albertalli balances humor and sincerity to create a powerful story about identity, friendship, and the messy, exciting thrill of a first crush.
On a single, fateful day in New York City, two high school seniors cross paths. Natasha is a pragmatist who believes in science and facts, and her family is facing deportation in twelve hours. Daniel is a poet on his way to a college interview he doesn’t want.
A chance encounter sparks an instant connection, and Daniel bets he can make Natasha fall in love with him in just one day. This novel explores fate, love, and the monumental impact one person can have on another’s life.
Anna Oliphant is furious when her father ships her off to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. However, her anger subsides when she meets the charming and worldly Étienne St. Clair. The only problem? He’s already taken.
Set against the magical backdrop of Paris, this novel captures the excitement, confusion, and breathtaking joy of falling in love for the first time while navigating new friendships and finding your place in the world.
Charlie is a freshman navigating the treacherous waters of high school alone until he is taken under the wing of two captivating seniors, Sam and Patrick. Through a series of letters to an anonymous recipient, Charlie chronicles his journey of emotional growth, which is deeply marked by his heartfelt and complicated crush on Sam.
The story authentically captures the intensity of teenage relationships and the profound impact first love can have on personal discovery.
Pepper and Jack find themselves in the middle of a viral Twitter war between their families’ competing restaurants. While they exchange witty barbs online as anonymous corporate accounts, they are simultaneously getting closer in real life, unaware of each other's secret digital identities.
Filled with humor and modern charm, the novel portrays how high school romance can blossom in the most unexpected ways, even amid the chaos of rivalries and social media mishaps.
Liz Buxbaum is a hopeless romantic obsessed with rom-coms, and she is determined to secure a prom date with her longtime crush, Michael. To get his attention, she makes a deal with her annoying but popular neighbor, Wes Bennet, to fake a relationship.
As they stage classic movie moments, Liz realizes her feelings might not be as straightforward as she thought. This novel is a witty, heartfelt ode to classic romance tropes and the surprising nature of high school love.
Miles “Pudge” Halter leaves his boring life behind for Culver Creek Preparatory High School, seeking what the poet François Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps.” There, he is drawn into the orbit of the beautiful, clever, and self-destructive Alaska Young.
At boarding school, Miles navigates intense friendships, rule-breaking, and his all-consuming crush on Alaska, leading to a single event that will change his life forever. The novel is a poignant look at how one powerful connection can redefine a person's entire world.
After a fender bender, high school basketball star Scottie Zajac is forced to carpool with her nemesis, the infuriatingly perfect cheerleader Irene Abraham. What begins as a begrudging arrangement turns into a fake-dating scheme to make their exes jealous.
Packed with witty banter and enemies-to-lovers tension, Quindlen’s novel emphasizes how rivalry can spark unexpected attraction, capturing the emotional rollercoaster of navigating jealousy, vulnerability, and genuine connection.
Willowdean Dickson, a self-proclaimed fat girl, is confident in her own skin. But her confidence is shaken when she starts a relationship with Bo, a handsome former jock from a private school. To prove a point to everyone, including herself, she enters her small town’s famous beauty pageant.
This novel authentically explores body positivity and self-acceptance, illustrating how a high school romance can inspire doubt, growth, and ultimately, the courage to celebrate who you are.
Brittany Ellis is the perfect, popular cheer captain with a seemingly perfect life. Alex Fuentes is a tough gang member from the other side of town. When they are forced to be lab partners in their senior year chemistry class, they ignite a connection that defies their expectations and social circles.
This classic story of opposites attract delves into the pressures of high school cliques and family expectations, showing how love can break down barriers.
Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters meet at a cancer patient support group. Despite being teenagers faced with terminal illness, they forge an immediate and profound connection, sharing jokes, books, and deep conversations. Their love story unfolds with humor and intelligence, blending tragedy with heartfelt optimism.
This novel examines how, even in the most difficult circumstances, high school-aged romance can create meaningful connections powerful enough to last a lifetime.
Told from the perspectives of twins Jude and Noah, this novel masterfully weaves together two timelines. At thirteen, Noah is introverted and falling in love with the boy next door, while his sister Jude is a daredevil. Three years later, they are estranged high schoolers, and their roles have reversed.
The story unfolds as they each navigate grief, art, and their own complicated high school romances, revealing the secrets that tore them apart and what it might take to bring them back together.
While primarily a novel about racial injustice and activism, the story also features a powerful high school romance. After Starr Carter witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood friend, her life is split between her poor, mostly Black neighborhood and her wealthy, mostly white prep school.
Her relationship with her boyfriend, Chris, who is white, becomes a source of both comfort and complication as she navigates these two worlds. Their romance illustrates the challenges teenagers face when love intersects with social and cultural pressures.