The first book in Jenny Han's bestselling trilogy To All the Boys I've Loved Before [1] is being adapted by Netflix [2], and we can barely contain our excitement. If you haven't read the book yet — which follows the story of Lara Jean Song Covey, a high-schooler whose secret love letters to former crushes accidentally get circulated to those boys — then you have until August to get on it. But if you've already read it and loved it, we can recommend 10 other YA romances that will sweep you off your feet.
From secret notes to secret flings, here's plenty of reading to keep you distracted until To All the Boys I've Loved Before [3] premieres!
The Boyfriend List
E. Lockhart's first novel in the Ruby Oliver Quartet, The Boyfriend List [5], tells the story of how 15-year-old Ruby decides to seek the help of a therapist after the ten worst days of her life, during which she lost her boyfriend, lost her best friend, and lost all of her other friends because of rumours circulating about her promiscuity. Things only go from bad to worse when a list Ruby's therapist assigns her to make gets circulated around the school, giving her a reputation that she'll never be able to live down, even if very few of the rumours are actually true.
Tell Me Three Things
In Julie Buxbaum's Tell Me Three Things [6], Jessie is forced to move across the country to Los Angeles and spend her junior year at an intimidating prep school where she knows no one. Just when it seems that Jessie will never fit in, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), and when SN offers to help her navigate Wood Valley High School, Jessie takes a leap of faith and allows SN to become her lifeline.
Anna and the French Kiss
Anna and the French Kiss [7] by Stephanie Perkins is about a high school senior who is unexpectedly shipped off to boarding school in Paris right before her the school year is supposed to begin, forcing her to leave behind her job, her best friend, and the crush who was on the verge of becoming something more. Things start looking up when Anna meets Etienne St. Clair, who is perfect — besides the fact that he is taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything happens with the boy she left behind in Atlanta.
Since You've Been Gone
In Morgan Matson's Since You've Been Gone [8], wild child Sloane — Emily's best friend and bad influence — disappears right before Summer begins, leaving behind nothing but a to-do list with thirteen dares for Emily to complete. With the unexpected help of a new guy, Emily works her way through the list, as well as several firsts, taking on challenges she never expected herself to try.
13 Little Blue Envelopes
In 13 Little Blue Envelopes [9] by Maureen Johnson, Ginny Blackstone is receives a letter from her recently deceased aunt, containing $1,000 and a set of instructions. Ginny is sent on an adventure backpacking across Europe, collecting clues that lead her to each new envelope and learning more about her aunt (and herself) than she could have ever imagined.
Words in Deep Blue
Cath Crowley's Words in Deep Blue [10] tells the story of Rachel, who left a love letter for her crush, Henry Jones, tucked in his favourite book in his family's bookshop the day before she moved out of the city, but never received a reply. When Rachel returns, she tries to avoid Henry, but in need of distraction from the death of her brother, Rachel finds herself working side by side with Henry in the bookshop, where they are soon exchanging letters between the pages.
99 Days
In Katie Cotugno's 99 Days [11], Molly Barlow must wait out her last summer at home before she leaves for college, stuck in the same town as Patrick Donnelly, the boy whose heart she broke, and Gabe Donnelly, the boy she broke Patrick's heart for (and who is also Patrick's brother). Tortured by nasty notes and pranks, Molly serves her remaining 99 days in her hometown like a jail sentence, waiting to be forget what she did — or maybe even forgive her.
Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn
Sarah Miller's Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn [12] is narrated by an unnamed student at Midvale Academy who can inexplicably hear the every thought of adorably clueless Gideon, the new kid at their posh boarding school. Gid is more than a little out of his league at Midvale, and terrorized by his roommates over the ambiguous status of his virginity, Gid debates whether to pursue feisty Molly or beautiful Pilar — an internal debate that is savored word for word by a mystery girl.
Last Year's Mistake
In Last Year's Mistake [13] by Gina Ciocca, a misunderstanding that happens the summer before Kelsey's freshman year of high school turns her into a school joke and ruins her relationship with Dave, her longtime best friend. When Kelsey's parents decide to move away, she leaves the past behind and begins a perfect new life for herself — that is, until David's family also moves to her new town, bringing back old feelings that threaten to destroy Kelsey's fresh start.
Twenty Boy Summer
In Twenty Boy Summer [14], Sarah Ockler tells the story of Anna, who embarks with her best friend Frankie on a twenty-day trip to Zanzibar Bay, where Frankie decides that should meet a new boy every day and find their first summer romances. What Anna doesn't tell Frankie is that she already has had a summer fling, and that it was with Frankie's brother, Matt, who tragically died one year before.