As we all reflect on a year of dazzling debuts and literary darling returns, it’s time to remember the romance reads that melted our heart in 2023. The She Reads audience voted on their favorite of the year and here’s what they chose:

Happy Place by Emily Henry

Harriet and Wyn are the golden couple in their friend group since college. Well, not so much now. Harriet and Wyn have broken up and haven’t yet been able to tell their friend’s because everyone is going on their annual trip to Maine. Now, Harriet and Wyn must try to hide their breakup from their friends just until the trip comes to an end.

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Congrats Emily! And here are some more enemies-to-lovers, fake daters, and sporty love makers to round out the rest of your reading year.

The Gay Best Friend by Nicolas DiDomizio

Domenic Marino has always been able to switch between hypermasculine and ultrafeminine for his very different best friends. After his own failed engagement, Domenic is being asked to attend both the bachelor and bachelorette parties of his engaged BFFs. When the rambunctious groomsmen show up at the beach house for a party, PGA star Bucky Graham brings chaos with him. By the time Domenic gets to the bachelorette party, he has enough secrets and information to destroy not only the wedding and Bucky’s career, but his future as well.

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The Long Game by Elena Armas

Adalyn Reyes has spent years perfecting her daily routine, but now it’s being interrupted by a viral video of her having an altercation with the Miami Flames team mascot. The team’s owner – also her father – sends Adalyn to a remote location in North Carolina to turn around a struggling local soccer team, the Green Warriors. Now Adalyn must redeem herself with her father. Also in town is Cameron Caldani, a prodigy goalkeeper who can’t wait to get Adalyn out of town after an unfortunate first encounter. But Adalyn doesn’t give up easily and now, she’s more than determined to turn the Green Warriors around, with or without Cam’s help.

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Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

Anastasia is on a full scholarship to the University of California which includes a place on the competitive figure skating team. Nothing can take this away from Anastasia, especially Nate Hawkins, the captain of the hockey team. After an incident with the figure skating team, Nate is doing all he can to keep his team on the ice. Now, Anastasia and Nate must put their differences aside when Anastasia’s skating partner’s future looks uncertain.

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The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead

Alexis Stone is the shy school librarian who has just been dumped for being too meek in bed, of all things. To prove her ex wrong, Alexis decides to embark on her first one-night stand. Alexis then meets the handsome and foul-mouthed stranger, Logan, in a bar and the two couldn’t be more different from one another. Just as Alexis is about to heat things up with Logan, the hotel catches on fire and the paparazzi catch Logan carrying Alexis into the street. Alexis then finds out Logan is none other than the hotshot who is looking to be the next Texas governor and now, he’s asking Alexis to be his faux-girlfriend for a couple of months to avoid scandal.

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The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley

Claire Harper is an ER nurse who has a pact with her firefighter roommate, Graham Scott. If Claire and Graham are still single at the age of forty, they will form a new relationship as friends with benefits. Although the deadline is way off, things between the two start to heat up right as Graham is injured in a rock-climbing accident. With Graham on the mend, Claire swears to do anything she can to help him heal, including moving into his bed.

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True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is a romance novelist who is beginning to question her career when she’s asked to give a big speech. Fizzy isn’t practicing the optimism she preaches in her books and now she wonders if she’s ever even been in love. Meanwhile, filmmaker Connor Prince’s job is on the line and his boss is forcing him to make a reality TV show. Connor has a lightbulb moment when he meets Fizzy and decides to center a reality TV show around Fizzy finding love. As the cameras start rolling, Connor begins to wonder if he’s on the wrong side of the camera.

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Accidentally in Love by Danielle Jackson

Samantha Sawyer is the office manager of a luxury boudoir photography studio and getting the Buxom Boudoir “Photobus” ready for the summer festival season in Chicago. Hoping that the hectic schedule and all she has to do to prepare for festival season will help Samantha keep a distance from Russell Montgomery. That is until Russell is charged with the launch of a new food truck and things really start to heat up.

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A Long Time Coming by Meghan Quinn

Breaker is Lia’s man-in-waiting AKA her man-of-honor and best friend. As Breaker helps Lia with all of the wedding planning and helps her battle her future mother-in-law, Breaker starts to see Lia in a different light. As fingertips linger longer than they should and Breaker sees Lia as more than just a friend, he soon realizes he is completely in love with her and now must prove to Lia that he should be the groom, not the man-in-waiting.

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Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Dr. Briana Ortiz has her hands full. She’s finalizing her divorce, her brother needs a kidney transplant, and to top it all off, she’s sure that Dr. Jacob Maddox is going to get the promotion she’s been working so hard toward. When Dr. Maddox starts to write her letters, she finds that maybe he’s not as bad as he seems. While things start to come together for Briana, the last thing she wonders is if she’s ready for Jacob’s offer, one she can’t refuse.

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