The Best of 2021’s Contemporary Romance Books to Read in the New Year
Down for a good read to lead you into the new year? Consider this year’s best selection of contemporary romance novels, courtesy of Goodreads and #BookTok.
We’re counting down the days till 2022 and wrapping up the best highlights of the year. And just like fashion, beauty, and entertainment, books have also had a great year – with the popularity of platforms like Goodreads and #BookTok (on TikTok) prompting the demand for more contemporary romance volumes in 2021.
Celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, Emma Roberts, and more have also gotten into the art of reading this year, and you should too. If you’ve yet to pick up one of Goodreads’ must-read books, now is the perfect time to sit back and enjoy the company of a comforting paperback.
Here, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite novels for your consideration.
‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’ by Sally Rooney
3.75/5 on Goodreads
Winning the Best Fiction Award for this year’s Goodreads Choice Awards, ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’ takes the complexities of romance, sex, and friendship to greater heights, capturing the attention of readers everywhere. The book follows four protagonists – a novelist named Alice, a warehouse worker, Felix, Alice’s best friend, Eileen, and Eileen’s childhood friend, Simon, as they struggle and cope with the conflicts of youth through desire, delusion, hook ups, and breakups.
‘The Love Hypothesis’ by Ali Hazelwood
4.44/5 on Goodreads
A fan favourite of Goodreads, #BookTok, and this particular writer. ‘The Love Hypothesis’ dabbles with the ever-so-popular fake dating trope in fiction and runs with it well. The novel follows a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith, as she deals with the delightful repercussions of faking a relationship with a young professor in her faculty named Adam Carlsen, for the sake of her best friend’s happiness. Smith adapts to the situation the best way she knows how – by creating a hypothesis for her feelings.
‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4.46/5 on Goodreads
If you’re one for feel-good tearjerkers, this book is for you. ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ focuses on the life of a legendary movie icon named Evelyn Hugo, as she spills the truth about her scandalous past as a hotshot in Hollywood to an unknown magazine reporter, Monique Grant, for a biography. As simple as its summary may sound, the book deals with many topics – old Hollywood, scandals, cut-throat ambition, friendships, found family, and forbidden and tragic love. A must-read for sure.
‘The Ex Hex’ by Erin Sterling
3.6/5 on Goodreads
The amalgamation of romance, witchcraft, and heroics make up the plot of Erin Sterling’s ‘The Ex Hex’. Think Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Practical Magic. The book follows a young witch named Vivienne Jones, who once cast what she thought was a harmless spell on her ex-boyfriend, Rhys Penhallow. Now, years later, Penhallow is back in town and carrying a load of misfortune with him. Together, the exes must work together to save the town and break the curse before it’s too late.
‘People We Meet on Vacation’ by Emily Henry
4.08/5 on Goodreads
Another popular read on #BookTok, and for good reason. ‘People We Meet on Vacation’ follows polar opposites and ex-best friends Alex and Poppy as they deal with the fallout of their friendship two years ago on their annual college road trip. Not having spoken to each other since then, Poppy manages to convince Alex to give their friendship another shot and make the trip again to try in an attempt to right their wrongs.
‘The Spanish Love Deception’ by Elena Armas
4.19/5 on Goodreads
‘The Spanish Love Deception’ has everything – enemies to lovers, fake dating, intense chemistry, and more; all well-loved tropes within the contemporary fiction community on #BookTok. The story focuses on Catalina Martín as she desperately tries to find a date for her sister's wedding in Spain. With no other viable option, she settles for her gorgeous, but annoying colleague, Aaron Blackford, as they play up a fake relationship for the sake of Martín’s family. Cue: uncomfortable scenarios and feelings.
‘The Heart Principle’ by Helen Hoang
4.08/5 on Goodreads
You can’t go wrong with a Helen Hoang book. ‘The Heart Principle’ follows a successful, but burnt out violinist named Anna Sun who is hurt by her boyfriend’s request for an open relationship. Eager to get back at him, Sun sets out for a string of meaningless one night stands with typically unacceptable men, where she then meets Quan Diep – a man with whom she finds real chemistry and love.
