Are you looking for a love story that will make you laugh? There’s a book for that. Many, in fact. Romances comes in all kinds of emotional flavors—from light-hearted to angsty to downright dark—and sometimes you’re just in the mood for the kind of book that will draw stares on the subway because you can’t help but laugh out loud. When that mood strikes, check out any of the 12 books below to start giggling your way to a happily-ever-after.
Game of Hearts
Cathy Yardley’s Fandom Hearts series is perfect romantic comedy: breezy, geeky, hilarious, and fun. In this fourth one in the series, Kyla is trying to build her cosplay business, but she’s also responsible for an auto shop. When she asks her older brother’s biker friend Jericho to lend a hand, he comes home for the first time in years … and finds himself seriously tempted by his buddy’s sister. Like the other heroines in this series, Kyla is talented, and as a plus-sized character, she’s also a breath of fresh air. Plus, did I mention the delightfully geeky cosplay aspect of this story?
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Hidden Hearts
Nothing warms a romantic book nerd’s heart like a librarian love story. Olivia Dade’s Lovestruck Librarians series features our favorite people getting the ends they so richly deserve. Here we have quiet, rule-following Mary falling for Miles, an actor with anxiety from a painful past. They’ve been writing to each other online, but once they meet, you’ll fall for these characters, too. In the meantime, Dade’s sharp and warm-hearted humor will keep you smiling.
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The Wedding Date
One of the most buzzed-about romances of 2018, Jasmine Guillory’s debut is the fake date story you need in your life. When Alexa gets stuck in an elevator with Drew, whose ex is about to get married, she somehow agrees to be his date—and winds up having a blast. But how can two professionals with busy lives—who live in different cities—make it work? This story of a pretend relationship with real passion even got a rave review from Bad Feminist author Roxane Gay, who called it “a charming, warm, sweet gem of a novel.”
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Great Bones
If you love the humor that arises from big, noisy, meddling families, you’ll have so much fun with the recently published Great Bones. Rachel is a greeting card writer. Julia runs an online dating service. Both shouldn’t be single, right? And yet still they are—until a dog and their matchmaking Jewish grandmothers work some magic into their lives in this charmer from two-time Lambda Award-winning author Lynn Ames.
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How to Fall in Love with a Man Who Lives in a Bush
Another newer book on this list, Abrahamson’s debut is also one of the quirkier love stories you’ll read. Julia, a Swedish writer living in Vienna, is living a ho-hum life … but then she meets Ben, an attractive man she connects with. The trouble is, he also lives in a public park. Can Julia tame the heart of such a nomad? In their review, Booklist called this story a “heartwarming tale of self-discovery ... filled with many laugh-out-loud moments.”
East in Paradise
Fake relationships are a fine fit for romantic comedies because of the potential for awkwardness, misunderstanding, and unexpected emotion, which Tif Marcelo’s delightful East in Paradise shows in such a fun way. This time it’s a fake relationship played out on TV as former restaurant manager Bryn must enter a faux romance with Mitchell, a former Army reservist home from Afghanistan, to please the audience of a show about her journey to having her own culinary retreat. Readers who love military or food-centric romance would be wise to eat this one up.
The Unlikeable Demon Hunter
It’s impossible not to bust out laughing while reading this raunchy, sexy, and hilarious paranormal series about Nava, a hot mess prone to bad decisions who becomes a demon hunter. Nava’s twin brother is destined for the Brotherhood of David, a demon-hunting league with roots in Judaism, but at his induction, it’s Nava who shows all the signs. Nava is the first female among an all-male demon-hunting crew, and this premise is ripe for humor—and steamy romance, as sexy fellow hunter (and former rock star) Rohan must keep a close watch on Nava.
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Man Hands
This romantic comedy co-written by bestselling author Sarina Bowen and romance author and narrator Tanya Eby will make you laugh until you cry. When 34-year-old professor and divorcee Brynn’s friends take her out and instruct her to jump on the first guy she sees, she does—and lands in the arms of Tom, a guy who works on a home renovation show. What happens next is sexy and funny and 100% guaranteed to keep you smiling.
By the Book
In this delicious retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, English professor Anne discovers her ex Adam is now the president of her college—a.k.a. her boss. She’s got a new romance with a writer on campus, but much like the Anne of Austen’s classic, this Anne realizes her feelings for her former flame burn as bright as ever. Between workplace awkwardness and the love triangle, By the Book is like drinking a glass of fizzy champagne: perfectly classic and indulgent.
Act Like It
Full of British wit, the first in Lucy Parker’s London Celebrities series is another hilarious pretend relationship—this time between grouchy stage actor Richard Troy and sweet fellow actress Lainie Graham, who Richard needs to turn his reputation around. If you like grumpy heroes (and many of us do; thanks, Mr. Darcy) and heroines with sharp, funny internal ponderings, Act Like It will give you a rollicking good time. It also got much love from Sarah Wendell of major romance reviewer site Smart Bitches Trashy Books, who said in her review, “I laughed so hard I was asked by everyone in my family what was wrong with me.”
Accidental Tryst
Referred to in its description as an “edgier You’ve Got Mail,” Accidental Tryst is the perfect book to take on your next plane ride. Free-spirited Emmy and buttoned-up Trystan meet not-so-cute at an airport and wind up accidentally exchanging phones. As they handle each other’s messages, they wind up connecting—and even more. The fun premise and hilarious pairing of opposites will keep you laughing here … and maybe even make you forget to constantly check your own texts?
The Hating Game
This enemies-to-lovers romp centers on Lucy and Joshua, both assistants to CEOs at a publishing company who hate each other. Or do they? As the workplace rivalry between these opposites reaches a boiling point—and keeps us laughing—Lucy and Joshua find that thin line between love and hate that we romance readers all love. For those of you planning for summer, this debut is also what Kirkus Reviews called in a starred review "a breezy tale perfect for a day at the beach.”
