As we are entering spring, the weather is getting warmer, the flowers are blooming, and it’s officially rom-com season. I always love to read light-hearted, romantic books in spring and summer, and there are some great YA novels that have either recently come out or are simply just the perfect companion for sitting outside on a nice spring day!
In this companion novel to XOXO, Axie Oh’s first K-pop romance, Sori finds herself thinking about her ex-boyfriend Nathaniel. Sori’s mother owns an entertainment company, and she’s always wanted Sori to be a K-pop idol. Now, Sori is realizing that’s not the life she wants for herself, and the pressure from her parents and their public image is growing. Sori’s ex, Nathaniel, is a member of a famous K-pop band, and he’s forbidden from dating. Despite this, Sori finds herself thinking about and helping him when he becomes involved in a scandal. As old feelings are reignited, Sori has to decide what her future will hold.
Both XOXO and ASAP are must-reads this spring. I’ve read Axie Oh’s fantasy book, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, and it proved to me that she knows how to write a beautiful romance. Take that skill and apply it to a teenage K-pop romance, and you’re almost guaranteed to be glued to the book. The setting is amazing, the plot sounds addictive, and it’s a new release; ASAP has everything you need in a book this spring.
Betting on You is the newest YA romcom from Lynn Painter, author of the popular n
ovel Better Than the Movies. Set at a hotel waterpark, the novel follows Bailey and she starts working there and realizes one of her coworkers is Charlie, a guy she met on a plane after her parent’s divorce. Although they didn’t get along at the time, Bailey now finds herself looking forward to spending time with him and gossiping. When Charlie insists that guys and girls can’t just be friends, Bailey tries to prove him wrong. Add in a fake dating situation, growing feelings, and a big secret, and you’ve got the recipe for a romance.
Almost all of my favorite rom-coms are Lynn Painter books, and each one is perfect for spring. Betting on You is her latest YA romance, and it’s on my spring TBR this year. The waterpark setting makes it such a warm-weather read, and you can’t go wrong with a bet and a fake relationship. Painter never fails to write a romance that you can’t put down and will never forget, and I know this will be no exception!
Heartstopper is a graphic novel series about two boys at a British all-boys school who fall in love. Charlie, an openly-gay Year 10 who used to be bullied, meets Nick, a wholesome Year 11 rugby player, in class one day. They instantly become friends, but Charlie is falling for Nick, even though it seems hopeless. As they spend more time together, he learns that he just might have a chance.
Heartstopper is one of my favorite series. There are currently five volumes, the last of which came out in December, and each one is amazing. Nick and Charlie are one of the cutest couples in YA, and Oseman creates the perfect balance between serious topics and light-hearted romance throughout the series. Because these are graphic novels, they’re the perfect books to read in one sitting, especially while sitting outside on a beautiful day in spring.
For more LGBTQ+ graphic novels, check out our LGBTQ+ Graphic Novels Reading List!
After realizing she has no idea who she really is on her high school graduation day, Riley decides to move to New York City for the summer to spend time with her childhood best friend Tom. They had created a Getaway List of adventures they’d wanted to go on since he moved, and Riley thinks it will help her find herself again. As Riley and Tom reconnect and start checking adventures off their list, Riley’s feelings start to become something more.
Emma Lord never fails to write a cute, light-hearted romance within a coming-of-age narrative, and those are the perfect books for a sunny spring day. I read Lord’s other novel, Tweet Cute, a few years ago, and it was one of my favorite rom-coms of the year. It genuinely made me so happy while reading it. The Getaway List just came out at the beginning of the year, so now’s the perfect time to dive into an Emma Lord novel and start spring off right!
Check out our full review of The Getaway List here!
Described as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before if Lara Jean wrote hate emails instead of love letters, Ann Liang’s new book is an academic rivals-to-lovers filled with the need for academic validation and the emotional turmoil that comes with. Sadie Wen is the perfect student, and her only way of letting loose is writing hate emails that she never sends. More than anyone else, she writes about Julius Gong, her infuriating school co-captain. When her emails are accidentally sent, her careful world has become a nightmare, yet Julius seems to like the real her.
I Hope This Doesn’t Find You is for the readers searching for a book with anger, snark, and rivals-to-lovers. I’ve been really excited about this novel for a while, and it just came out last month. It’s described by readers as being for the overachieving girls who crave academic validation, which means that this is the book to read towards the end of spring, when school is almost out and you’re stressed about finals. I have a feeling it will be simultaneously cathartic and romantic in the best way possible.
Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Writer