Published Sep 9, 2026, 6:22 PM EDT
Luc Haasbroek is a writer and videographer from Durban, South Africa. He has been writing professionally about pop culture for eight years. Luc’s areas of interest are broad: he’s just as passionate about psychology and history as he is about movies and TV. He’s especially drawn to the places where these topics overlap.
Luc is also an avid producer of video essays and looks forward to expanding his writing career. When not writing, he can be found hiking, playing Dungeons & Dragons, hanging out with his cats, and doing deep dives on whatever topic happens to have captured his interest that week.
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Romance is one of the eternal genres, taking on new forms for every generation. The last-quarter century has seen love stories dominate the bestseller lists while also bringing in elements from other genres, like fantasy, historical fiction, literary drama, and even mythology.
Without further ado, here are some of the finest romance books of the 21st century so far, from the angsty realism of Sally Rooney to the sweeping, mythic heartbreak of Madeline Miller.
“Love wasn’t about possession. It was about appreciation.” Lover Awakened is the third installment in J.R. Ward’s immensely popular* Black Dagger Brotherhood* series. It centers on Zsadist, a traumatized vampire warrior and former slave, and Bella, an aristocratic vampire who develops feelings for him despite his troubled past. Although that setup may sound like pure post-Twilight pulp, Ward actually handles it with a lot of emotion and nuance, ensuring that Zsadist is more interesting than your typical “tortured” alpha love interest.
Indeed, he is genuinely broken, hostile, and considers himself completely unworthy of love, and, when we first meet him, he does not have the mental capacity for much beyond vengeance. His character development over the course of the story is thus surprisingly satisfying. In other words,** this is the kind of solidly crafted paranormal romance that will please the subgenre’s fans**.
“I never understood why Clark Kent was so hell-bent on keeping Lois Lane in the dark.” The Time Traveler’s Wife boasts a killer premise that it mostly pulls off: protagonist Clare Abshire falls in love with Henry DeTamble, a man afflicted with a rare condition that causes him to involuntarily travel through time. He experiences their relationship out of chronological order, forcing them both to grapple with uncertainty and the strange consequences of time travel.
The story that follows is a fun, gripping cross-pollination of romance and time-travel tropes, with intricate plotting and well-realized main characters. The book’s non-linear structure mirrors Henry’s experience, allowing readers to piece together the relationship from different points in time, and making for some enjoyable ‘aha’ moments in the third act as certain details eventually come together. Not to mention, the time travel begins to be a kind of metaphor for randomness and sheer bad luck.
“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.” Yes, yes, Twilight. While many people love to hate it (and the movies were admittedly pretty bad for the most part), the original books are solid and undeniably influential. Indeed, books like Fifty Shades of Grey wouldn’t exist without its blueprint. The first book weaves an archetypal love story about teenager Bella Swan and centuries-old vampire Edward Cullen, fusing Mills & Boon with Dracula.
This recipe captivated millions of readers, inspired countless imitators, launched one of the largest literary franchises of the 2000s, and helped popularize supernatural romance on an unprecedented scale. The wave of writing *Twilight *kicked off has not subsided yet, with romantasy continuing to dominate the bestseller lists. Though far from perfect, the novel does serve up a juicy plot, and, if you dig a little deeper, it does touch on relatable feelings of young adult sexual tension and rebellion.
“Sometimes the future is dictated by what you are, rather than what you want.” This is one of the defining books by Irish novelist Colm Tóibín, and it was adapted into a strong movie starring Saoirse Ronan. Brooklyn tells the story of Eilis Lacey, a young Irish woman who emigrates to New York in the 1950s in search of opportunity. But as she gradually builds a new life and falls in love with Italian-American Tony Fiorello, unexpected circumstances force her to return to Ireland, where she faces a difficult choice between two futures.
Psychological realism and subtle storytelling are at a premium here. Unlike many love stories driven by dramatic twists or grand gestures, Brooklyn focuses on everyday decisions and quiet emotional conflicts, and it unfolds in a relatable slow-burn. It all feels organic and authentic, elevated further by Tóibín’s masterful, understated prose.
“He is half of my soul, as the poets say.” The Song of Achilles was the debut novel by Circe author Madeline Miller, who excels at retelling Greek mythology. It recounts the story of Patroclus and Achilles from Patroclus’s perspective, adding a fresh dimension to the legend. Beginning with their childhood friendship and continuing through the events of the Trojan War, the novel explores a relationship that grows into a profound and tragic romance.
Miller’s writing is intensely lyrical, befitting the subject matter, yet she also focuses on the emotional stakes, not just those of prophecy and destiny. For instance, while the rest of the world views Achilles as a weapon or a god, Patroclus loves him simply as a man. This creates a brilliant, agonizing tension, and portrays the iconic hero in a wholly new light. What a gem of a book.
“People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth.” The title character of this historical romance-drama is an aging Hollywood icon who recounts her extraordinary life story to journalist Monique Grant. Through Evelyn’s memories, we learn about her rise to stardom, her seven marriages, and the secret love that shaped her life more than any of her husbands ever did. The result is both a glamorous Hollywood saga and a moving love story.
Indeed, the title is a total misdirection. The core romantic arc is a decades-long, forbidden relationship between Evelyn and her Hollywood rival-turned-lover, Celia St. Set between the 1950s and the 1980s, their romance is forced into the shadows due to the rampant homophobia of the era. Taken together, the book makes for a symphonic picture of various kinds of relationships, whether platonic, pragmatic, or passionate.
“I will love you forever; whatever happens. Till I die and after I die.” The capstone of the brilliant, philosophically rich fantasy saga His Dark Materials, The Amber Spyglass is an epic story involving parallel universes, religion, and destiny, but its emotional heart is the relationship between Lyra and Will. Over the course of the trilogy, their friendship evolves into something deeper, culminating in a beautiful, bittersweet romance.
In the third act, the characters realize their love for each other, and they share an idyllic time together. It’s a pure, intense depiction of young romance, and, in the context of the plot, it’s literally the most important thing in the universe. However, it’s also doomed. Lyra and Will come from different worlds, meaning that they can never truly be together, not in the long-term. Author Philip Pullman fills our hearts only to break them.
“Call me by your name and I’ll call you by mine.” The film version is iconic, but even many of its fans may not know that Call Me By Your Name actually started out as a novel. Set during a summer in 1980s Italy, it centers on seventeen-year-old Elio Perlman, whose life changes when Oliver, an older graduate student, arrives to stay with Elio’s family. What begins as curiosity and attraction slowly develops into an intense and transformative romance.
Most romance stories derive their tension from external obstacles. However, **Call Me By Your Name is more about vulnerability and self-discovery. **Elio’s struggle to understand his own feelings becomes just as compelling as the relationship itself. He’s a rich, three-dimensional character, and the book gives us privileged access to his thoughts. Elio’s narration perfectly captures the overthinking, the constant second-guessing, and the sheer desperation of teenage desire.
“My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.” While Looking for Alaska is the stronger book overall, The Fault in Our Stars struck the culture like a thunderbolt, going on to sell over 23 million copies worldwide. Their relationship develops against a backdrop of illness, uncertainty, and mortality, yet the book repeatedly defies ‘cancer book’ tropes. Rather than a dour drama or contrived feel-good statement,** it’s a witty, intelligent, entertaining, and refreshingly honest portrait of young love**.
Both of the protagonists are smart and well-read people and, through them, author** John Green** engages with genuinely difficult questions around meaning and suffering. The core of the book’s philosophy is captured in Hazel’s famous eulogy: “You gave me a forever within the numbered days.” It is better to be loved deeply than to be loved widely, *The Fault in Our Stars *tells us.
“Life offers up these moments of joy despite everything.” This book made a literary star out of author Sally Rooney, while also laying the foundation for the terrific TV series starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal. Normal People introduces us to Connell Waldron and Marianne Sheridan, two young people from a small Irish town whose lives become intertwined throughout their teenage years and early adulthood. Their relationship evolves through friendship, romance, separation, and reunion as they struggle to understand themselves and one another.
In particular, Normal People is very incisive about the subtle emotional dynamics that shape relationships. Miscommunication, insecurity, social pressure, and personal growth all influence the connection between Connell and Marianne. Their bond is messy and complex, defined by pain as much as joy. This authenticity resonated with readers, making Normal People perhaps the defining romance book of the 2010s.
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.