Romances for Older Teens
FICTION
Peaches / by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Three teenaged girls from very different backgrounds, thrown together to pick peaches in a Georgia orchard, spend a summer in pursuit of the right boy, the truest of friends, and the perfect peach. SEQUELS: The Secrets of Peaches; Love and Peaches.
Weetzie Bat / by Francesca Lia Block
Bleach-blond L.A. girl Weetzie Bat encounters a genie who grants her three wishes–a Hollywood cottage, a dream man for her, and a surfer guy for her gay friend, Dirk–but Weetzie’s wishes soon begin to backfire. SEQUELS: Witch Baby; Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys; Missing Angel Juan; Baby Be-Bop; Necklace of Kisses.
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist / by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
High school student Nick O’Leary, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart.
Along for the Ride / by Sarah Dessen
Dealing with insomnia since her parents’ divorce and an overly demanding mother, Auden is excited to be staying with her father in a beautiful beach town for the summer, but when she develops a crush on a fellow insomniac named Eli, powerful feelings emerge as they begin to share their deepest secrets while the rest of the world sleeps.
Perfect Chemistry / by Simone Elkeles
While working as lab partners, sparks fly between studious Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes, but as she struggles with having feelings for someone she knows is totally wrong for her, he reconsiders a bet he made with his friends after emotions become more real.
First Kiss (Then Tell): A Collection of True Lip-Locked Moments
Today’s hottest young-adult authors, including Francine Pascal, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle, share their memorable first kiss experiences through anecdotes, poems, cartoons, and stories, in a unique collection that features kissing advice, trivia, and favorite quotes.
Beastly / by Alex Flinn
A modern retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” from the point of view of the Beast. A vain Manhattan private school student is turned into a monster and must find true love before he can return to his human form.
Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty / by Jody Gehrman
While working at the Triple Shot Betty during summer break, Geena’s great plans are ruined when her best friend and cousin meet and instantly hate one another. But all is not what it seems, and in a story of mistaken identities, crazy summer high jinks, and enough romance to make Shakespeare proud, Geena and her friends learn that when Bettys unite, they can take on the most powerful force in their world: a hot guy. SEQUEL: Triple Shot Bettys in Love.
The Luxe / by Anna Godbersen
The revelation of a dark family secret exposes a great scandal that soon sends the lives of the beautiful Holland sisters into a tailspin with lies and betrayal jeopardizing their high-ranking positions in Manhattan society. SEQUELS: Rumors; Envy.
Evernight / by Claudia Gray
Sixteen-year-old Bianca, a new girl at the sinister Evernight boarding school, finds herself drawn to another outsider, Jared, but dark forces threaten to tear them apart and destroy Bianca’s entire world. SEQUEL: Stargazer.
An Abundance of Katherines / by John Green
Always being dumped by girls named Katherine, Colin Singleton, a washed-up child prodigy with a Judge-Judy obsessed best friend, embarks on a quest to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which will impact all of his future relationships and change his life.
Hail Caesar / by Thu-Huong Ha
As the most popular boy in school who is used to being admired by his peers and loved by the ladies, Caesar gets a harsh dose of reality when Eva doesn’t fall for his charms—forcing him to see himself as he truly is for the first time in his life.
The Juliet Club / by Suzanne Harper
When high school junior Kate wins an essay contest that sends her to Verona, Italy, to study Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” over the summer, she meets both American and Italian students and learns not just about Shakespeare, but also about star-crossed lovers–and herself.
North of Beautiful / by Justina Chen Headley
Living with a dark birthmark that covers half of her beautiful face, Terra dreams of leaving her small Washington town in the hopes of finding acceptance elsewhere. But when her controlling father stands in her way, a new friendship with a handsome goth boy pushes her life on a surprising new path.
A Company of Swans / by Eva Ibbotson
In early-twentieth-century England, Harriet Morton escapes her father’s stifling household to pursue her dream of joining a ballet company. She soon finds herself on a journey up the Amazon to perform in Brazil’s famous opera house in Manaus, where she meets a handsome and mysterious British exile–but her outraged father is determined to bring her home.
Undercover / by Beth Kephart
Elisa is a gifted poet who remains anonymous when the boys come to her for help in wooing their loves, yet when a jealous girl plots to do her harm, Elisa must find out why before her entire world starts to unravel.
Ophelia / by Lisa Klein
In a story based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia tells of her life in the court at Elsinore, her love for Prince Hamlet, and her escape from the violence in Denmark. If you thought you knew the story of Hamlet and Ophelia, think again!
My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park / by Steve Kluger
Meet T.C., who is valiantly attempting to get Aléjandra to fall in love with him; Aléjandra, who is playing hard to get and is busy trying to sashay out from under the responsibilities of being a diplomat’s daughter; and T.C.’s unofficial brother Augie, who is gay and in love and everyone knows it but him.
Keturah and Lord Death / by Martine Leavitt
When Lord Death comes to claim 16-year-old Keturah while she is lost in the King’s Forest, she charms him with her story and is granted a 24-hour reprieve in which to seek her one true love.
Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances
In these three intertwining short stories, written by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle, several high school couples experience the trials and tribulations along with the joys of romance during a Christmas Eve snowstorm in a small town.
Boy Meets Boy / by David Levithan
When Paul falls hard for Noah, he thinks he has found his one true love, but when Noah walks out of his life, Paul has to find a way to get him back and make everything right once more.
The Boyfriend List: (15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs, and me, Ruby Oliver) / by E. Lockhart
Seattle fifteen-year-old Ruby Oliver explains some of the reasons for her recent panic attacks, including breaking up with her boyfriend, losing all her girlfriends, and tensions between her performance-artist mother and her father. SEQUELS: The Boy Book: A study of habits and behaviors, plus techniques for taming them; The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon–and me, Ruby Oliver.
Love is Hell
Sure, love is hell. But it’s totally worth it. In these supernatural stories by five of today’s hottest writers (Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfeld, Justine Larbalestier, Gabrielle Zevin, and Laurie Faria Stolarz), love may be twisted and turned around, but it’s more potent than ever on its quest to conquer all.
Diary of a Crush series / by Sarra Manning
When Edie first spots Dylan in class, she immediately begins a mission to get him to notice her and keeps track of their love story in a diary, but Edie soon discovers that love never runs smoothly. Books in the series: French Kiss, Kiss and Make Up, Sealed With a Kiss.
Wicked Lovely / by Melissa Marr
Seventeen-year-old Aislinn, who has the ability to see faeries, is drawn against her will into a centuries-old battle between the Summer King and Winter Queen, and the survival of her life, her love, and summer itself all hang in the balance. SEQUELS: Ink Exchange; Fragile Eternity.
Twilight / by Stephenie Meyer
Isabella Swan’s move to Forks, a perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But when she meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen–a vampire–her life takes a thrilling and terrifying romantic turn. SEQUELS: New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn.
Mistletoe: Four Holiday Stories
Glittering white snowflakes. The handsome blond ski instructor. The sparkle on a cashmere skirt. Hot cocoa and kisses in front of a crackling fire. The holiday season is the essence of magic…and romance. Best-selling authors Melissa de la Cruz, Aimee Friedman, Hailey Abbott, and Nina Malkin bring us delectable tales of love and lust and holiday cheers (and tears) in this one-of-a-kind collection.
Street Love / by Walter Dean Myers
Set against a background of street gangs and poverty in Harlem, this powerful novel follows Damien as he takes a bold step to ensure that he and his new love will be together—forever.
What They Found: Love on 145th Street / by Walter Dean Myers
Fifteen interrelated stories explore different aspects of love, such as a dying father’s determination to help start a family business and the relationship of two teens who plan to remain celibate until they marry.
Evermore / by Alison Noël
Since the car accident that claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras and hear people’s thoughts, and she goes out of her way to hide from other people until she meets Damen, another psychic teenager who is hiding even more mysteries. SEQUEL: Blue Moon.
One Hot Second: Stories About Desire
A collection of 11 stories by award-winning authors explores the many varieties of teenage desire, including first crushes, first kisses, and first times.
M or F? / by Lisa Papademetriou & Chris Tebbetts
Marcus helps his friend Frannie chat up her crush online, but then becomes convinced that the crush is falling for him instead.
Cures for Heartbreak / by Margo Rabb
As she navigates adolescence, ninth-grader Mia must deal with her mother’s recent death and her father’s illness while she searches for friendship and love in the world around her.
Empress of the World / by Sara Ryan
While away for the summer at a school for the gifted, Nicola Lancaster finds a special friend in a girl from North Carolina, Battle Hall Davies, yet when her feelings for Battle takes an unexpected turn into the area of love, Nic begins to question what she is feeling. SEQUEL: The Rules for Hearts.
Bloom / by Elizabeth Scott
Lauren’s feelings on her relationship with her boyfriend and her moral beliefs become even more complicated with the arrival of a new boy.
A Tale of Two Summers / by Brian Sloan
Even though Hal is gay and Chuck is straight, the two 15-year-olds are best friends and set up a blog where Hal records his budding romance with a young Frenchman and Chuck falls for a summer theater camp diva.
Confessions of a Serial Kisser / by Wendelin Van Draanen
After reading her mother’s secret collection of romance novels during her parent’s difficult separation, seventeen-year-old Evangeline Logan begins a quest for the perfect kiss.
Impossible / by Nancy Werlin
Lucy is seventeen–and pregnant–when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child’s birth. But Lucy has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?
MANGA
Absolute Boyfriend / by Yuu Watase
Rejected way too many times by good-looking (and unattainable) guys, shy Riiko Izawa goes online and signs up for a free trial of a mysterious Nightly Lover “figure.” The very next day, a cute naked guy is delivered to her door! 6-volume series.
Antique Bakery / by Fumi Yoshinaga
A high school crush; a world-class pastry chef; a former middle-weight boxing champion… and a whole lot of cake! 4-volume series.
Crossroad / by Shioko Mizuki
When her grandmother passes away, high school student Kajitsu Toda suddenly finds two hot stepbrothers and an adorable little stepsister dropped in her lap! Kajitsu and her step-siblings have only one thing in common: they were all abandoned by their parents. Against the odds, they’ve pulled together to form a family without grown-ups. 7-volume series.
First Love Sisters / by Mizuo Shinonome
During a fateful visit to Tsunojo Girls’ School, Chika Matsusato meets the girl of her dreams–cool upperclassman Haruna Kanzaki. Even though they spent only one short day together, Chika will never forget Haruna’s kindness, and has made it her life’s goal to study hard and get accepted into Tsunojo Girls’ School so that they can be together. But will Haruna share Chika’s feelings…? Ongoing series.
Miki Falls / by Mark Crilley
Miki Yoshida has decided that her final year of high school is going to be her best. Then Hiro Sakurai shows up, with a secret that Miki desperately wants to know. Then she starts to fall for him and nothing, even Hiro himself, can stop her. 4-volume series.
Kare Kano / by Masami Tsuda
Yukino Miyazawa is the top student in her class, and a model citizen too–until Soichiro Arima enters her life, and she is forced to admit her imperfections. As their rivalry heats up, and Soichiro shares his own dark secrets, will Yukino overcome her anger and let him into her heart? 21-volume series.
Ouran High School Host Club / by Bisco Hatori
Haruhi, a poor girl at a rich kids’ school, is forced to repay an $80,000 debt by working for the school’s swankiest, all-male club—as a boy! There, she discovers just how wealthy the six members are and how different the rich are from everybody else. Ongoing series.
Same Cell Organism / by Sumomo Yumeka
Nakagawa and Yokota are two boys very much in love with each other. Yokota is more open with his feelings, but Nakagawa is easily embarrassed by public displays of affection. Though they may be outwardly different, their feelings for each other are the same – their connection is such that they liken themselves to Do-Seibutu (Same-Cell Organisms). Single volume.