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From Austen to Brontë to all of our contemporary writers, there’s a love story for everyone out there. Narrowing down our favorites wasn’t easy but these are the 20 love stories we think everyone needs on their must-read list.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Noah and Allie had the perfect whirlwind romance but when family and expectations got in the way, they were forced apart. As their story is told in both the past and present, their heartbreaking journey to love will surely leave you teary-eyed.
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One Day by David Nicholls
It didn’t take more than a single look for Dexter and Emma to know that they were supposed to be together. Visiting their life on the same monumental day over a 20-year period, this love story ends in a tragic accident, signifying the importance of July 15.
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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
In this literary classic, Elizabeth Bennet passes quick judgment on the man she’ll later come to love. Through rumors, snobbery of the middle-class and eligible bachelors, Elizabeth and Darcy will find a true love that’s worth fighting for.
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Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Louisa Clark begins working for Will Traynor who’s wheelchair-bound, and she can’t get past how moody and bossy he is. She is determined to not let him get the best of her and they eventually fall in love. When Will shares his future plans with Louisa, will she love him enough to honor his wishes?
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Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
When Claire Randall is sent back in time to 1743, she must rely on a strong Scots warrior if she wants to make it out alive. Facing her current dilemma in a different century, she’ll be forced to choose between the new warrior who has vowed to keep her safe and her husband from her life in 1945.
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The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Hazel has known since her diagnosis that her cancer will be the death of her. But, due to a tumor-shrinking miracle, she is not in the last moments of life. She meets Augustus, another cancer survivor, and together they embark on a beautiful and tragic love story that will leave you in tears.
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Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez
Determined to live life to the fullest, Vanessa Price quits her job and travels the globe, gaining millions of YouTube followers along the way. When her half-sister suddenly leaves Vanessa custody of her baby daughter, Vanessa’s life is turned upside down. Then the hot lawyer next door offers to help with the baby, and Vanessa finds herself on the brink of a romance and a future she never thought she’d have.
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The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Trying to prove to her best friend that she’s in a romantic relationship, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. This turns out to be the young new professor, Adam Carlsen, who has a reputation for being a tyrant in the lab. Surprisingly, Adam agrees to maintain Olive’s charade and pretend to be her boyfriend. The two scientists soon find that beneath their differences, an undeniable chemistry is brewing.
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Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins
Spring Lee is resolved to avoid men. An independent woman with her own ranch in Wyoming that she works on by herself, she is unlike any other woman Garrett McCray has ever met. A connection between them grows stronger the longer Garrett stays in Paradise, Wyoming, and can’t be ignored for long.
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Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
Fleeing Moscow during the Russian Revolution, Doctor Zhivago takes his family to the Ural Mountains. However, instead of shelter, he finds himself in the middle of the battle between the Whites and Reds. Amidst all this turmoil, his rising love for Lara stands above all else.
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Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Alex is the son of the American President and Henry is a British prince. When the feud between them reaches a very public breaking point, both their PR teams insist that a fake friendship is the best way to do damage control. But as the two finally get to know each other, their fake friendship turns into a secret romance that could harm both their families politically.
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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Growing up as an orphan, Jane learns to be strong and independent. When she moves on to become a governess, she falls in love with her employer and a passionate romance takes place. But when Jane learns a terrible secret about her beloved, she faces a difficult choice to choose between her honor and her love.
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Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
Macy and Elliot were once best friends as teenagers. But when Elliot broke Macy’s heart the two separated. Now adults, the two reconnect after a chance run-in. Are they destined for love? Or will their painful past be too much to overcome?
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It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
Lily is the only woman Ryle, a handsome neurosurgeon, will break his no-dating rule for. Although a little arrogant, Ryle is the perfect man and Lily’s new relationship with him is too good to be true. Though, for some reason, Lily can’t stop thinking about the first man she ever loved, Atlas Corrigan. When Atlas makes a sudden reappearance, Lily’s relationship with Ryle is threatened. Lily must decide what she really wants.
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People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Alex and Poppy were best friends, until an incident two years ago, after which they haven’t spoken. They used to go on annual summer vacations together. Now, Poppy is feeling a little lost in her life, and she pitches to Alex that they go on one last trip together. Can the two rekindle their friendship before the end of their vacation? Or will something bigger than friendship get in the way?
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The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
A brilliant mathematician who spent her twenties creating an algorithm that made her rich, Stella lacks experience in the dating department than her fellow thirty year old. Determined to tackle this learning curve, she does the logical thing and hires an escort to teach her about sex and dating. Before long, their strictly academic relationship begins to heat up.
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The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Lucy and Jake are executive assistants to co-CEO’s at a publishing company. They work across from each other, and daily work to sabotage the other. Why? They hate each other, completely and unequivocally. When they are up for the same promotion, their antagonistic behavior worsens and threatens to reach a breaking point. As things escalate, they both begin to wonder if hate is the right four-letter word to describe what they feel.
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On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
Jocelyn’s past has made her cynical about relationships. Braden Carmichael has a proposal that will allow them satisfy their desire for each other with no strings attached. When Jocelyn accepts, Braden makes it his mission to do more than give her passion – he wants to find out who she truly is.
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Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
After almost dying, Chloe Brown is determined to “get a life.” So, she makes a list and sets out to accomplish everything. But she soon realizes she needs help — taking on a whole new life is hard work, and she has little experience breaking the rules. She enlists the help of bad boy Redford “Red” Morgan to teach her how to live life according to her new rules. She becomes more intrigued in Red than she’d like to admit, though, and beings to wonder if he feels anything for her more than friendship.
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Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Eva is a single mom and bestselling erotica writer. Shane is an award-winning novelist. When the two run into each other at a literary events, sparks fly. No one knows that as teenagers, Eva and Shane had a passionate love affair for one week in June. Secretly, they have always thought about each other and wrote to each other through their books. Now, with another seven days in June together before Shane has to leave, the two have a second-chance at a love that passed them by.
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