Star-crossed lovers is a classic trope in literature, and it always brings so much angst to a story. Two people in love can’t be together because of external forces, and it makes for a heartbreaking read. Sometimes, the pieces are put back together, but other times you’re left reeling until you find a new book to fill that gaping hole in your heart. If you’re a fan of star-crossed lovers, here are 10 recommendations to read ASAP!
My Goodbye Girl by Anna Gomez
Tessa and Simon are vastly different, but the connection between them is undeniable. He’s practical and pragmatic and she has her head in the clouds. While they live in different countries, they meet up in various places around the world. Their priorities remain the same, but as their feelings deepen and the goodbyes get harder, Tess wonders if her new-found fame as a romance author is truly what makes her happy. Right as she makes a decision to follow her heart, the unthinkable happens, and Tess has to move forward and let go of the past.
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
Lucy and Gabe met during their senior year of college, and meet again a year later. Is it fate? But then Gabe takes a photojournalist assignment in the Middle East, and Lucy pursues a career in New York. This novel takes place over 13 years as Lucy and Gabe navigate dreams, desires, betrayals, and love. Did fate push them together in the first place, and is it their choice now that’s keeping them apart?
Where We End and Begin by Jane Igharo
Twelve years ago, Dunni and Obinna’s relationship came to a devastating end. The two vowed to find their way back together, but that vow has long been forgotten. Now, Dunni lives in America but heads back to Nigeria for a wedding. When she runs into Obinna, Dunni questions if her carefully constructed life is what she really wants. He brings passion and desire back into her life, reminding her of the beautiful future they once planned. But when secrets from the past come to light, Dunni doesn’t know if the love she once shared with Obinna is worth holding on to.
The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
For over two hundred years, all second-born daughters of the Fontana family have been cursed to never find lasting love. Second-born Emilia just thinks its all coincidental. Her cousin Lucy truly believes in the curse. When their estranged great-aunt invites them to Italy with her, Emilia and Lucy are both confused. But Aunt Poppy swears that on her eightieth birthday, she will reunite with the love of her life on the steps of the Ravello Cathedral and break the second-born Fontana curse. Emilia and Lucy decide to say yes to this adventure, and as they travel all across Italy, they find love, destiny, and hidden family secrets.
Parallel by Elle O’Roark
Quinn has been having dreams about a man named Nick. She knows everything about him, remembers a lifetime with him, and loves him in a way she doesn’t love anyone else, not even her fiancé. Weeks before her wedding, Quinn finds herself in the hospital, and the neurologist who walks into the room is none other than the man who has taken over her dreams. And turns out, he’s been dreaming about her too. Now, Nick and Quinn have to figure out what destroyed their love in the first place, and what—or who—is trying to keep them apart.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This retelling of Homer’s The Iliad follows Achilles and Patroclus as they enter the Trojan War. While Achilles is viewed as the best fighter in all of Greece, Patroclus is awkward and not nearly as skilled. But out of love and fear for Achilles, Patroclus follows him. The two have an inseparable bond, but neither are prepared for what the cruel Fates have planned for them.
The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
It is 1900 and East London’s streets are full of danger. It is no place for a woman like India Selwyn Jones, but as a woman doctor, she wants to practice where she’s needed most. In those dangerous streets she meets and saves London’s most notorious gangster, Sid Malone. Malone is the complete opposite of India’s aristocratic fiancé, but she finds herself unwillingly enticed by him. Secret love and hidden passions take place in the middle ground between London’s wretched underworld and its privileged society.
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
Louisa has always lived an ordinary life. She has a steady boyfriend, she’s close to her family, and she’s hardly been outside of her tiny village. When she takes a job working for Will Traynor, her life changes forever. Will is wheelchair bound after a bad accident, but he’s always lived life to its fullest, and now he believes he no longer can. Despite Will being moody and bossy, Lou is determined to make him see that life is still worth living. She starts to realize how much his happiness means to her, but what happens when making him happy might mean breaking her own heart?
Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey
Thora and Santi meet in recurring lifetimes again and again. They always find each other, whether it’s as husband and wife, teacher and student, or caretaker and patient. They become friends, partners, lovers, and enemies. As their blurred memories rush back to them, they realize something’s been ripping them apart in every lifetime. Thora and Santi have to discover what this is before their many lifetimes together come to an end.
The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Death-cast is an app that can predict when someone will die. It’s set to send out its first calls, and everyone is waiting to see if it will be a hoax or the real thing. Orion has a heart condition and has been waiting for someone to tell him his life is coming to an end. Valentino has a promising future and signed up for death-cast after his sister nearly died. Orion and Valentino meet in Times Square and immediately feel a connection. But then one of them gets a call from death-cast, and the other doesn’t. Neither knows how the day will end, but they know they want to spend it together.
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