The Best Teenage Romance Books to Make Your Heart Pound

You’ve never heard Beauty and the Beast like this before. Yeva lives a life of luxury with her aristocratic father and sisters, safe from the surrounding woods and the Beast that lurks within them. Yeva’s father has spent his life hunting the Beast, and knows the secrets of his woods better than anyone. Deep down, Yeva does too. When her father loses his fortune, Yeva and her family move to the outskirts of town, away from the shallow ladies of the court and the wealthy suitors who try to court her. Yeva is relieved, but that relief quickly turns to dread when her father disappears in the Beast’s woods. 

Yeva is determined to find her father, no matter how much her sisters protest. Armed with her bow and arrow and her father’s knowledge of the Beast, she hunts the creature into his own territory: one of cursed valleys, ruined castles, and magical beings beyond Yeva’s wildest dreams—or nightmares. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

Summer may be over, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to read this sun-soaked teen spin on nineties rom-comYou’ve Got Mail (which was actually a spin on the romance classic The Shop Around the Corner). While high school junior and classic film buff Bailey “Mink” Rydell lives with her mother on the East Coast, her mind is on the West—more specifically, on her crush, Alex, a sensitive film geek and the boy of her dreams. The catch? She only knows him online. And he lives on the other side of the country, in California. 

What seems like an impossible distance between them soon disappears when Bailey goes to live with her dad in the same California surfing town as Alex. So why can’t she bring herself to reach out to him? And why does she find herself drawn to her pesky, frustratingly hot coworker, Porter Roth? Bailey is forced to choose between her dream boy and the one she can actually bring herself to talk to. Turns out, they just might be one and the same…

Childhood best friends Emmy and Oliver were inseparable—at least, that’s how it was supposed to be. When Oliver suddenly disappears, Emmy not only loses her soulmate, but her freedom, too, as her anxious parents strive to protect her from the same fate. Ten years later, Oliver returns to their small town as suddenly as he disappeared, with the shocking revelation that his own father had kidnapped him, and his mother never abandoned him after all. 

With Oliver back, Emmy hopes her life might return to normal, picking up right where they left off. Oliver, however, doesn’t know if he’ll ever find normal again. Will love prevail as Emmy and Oliver weather the storm set in motion by his father’s crime? In this touching coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, the characters navigate love and loss under the most difficult of circumstances—with the most moving of results. 

They say opposites attract. Steffi and Rhys are about to find out just how true that statement is. All her life, Steffi has been a selective mute, though it really doesn’t feel like much of a choice. She wants to speak up, but her crippling anxiety stops her words dead in her throat. For the new kid, Rhys, who was born deaf, that’s not much of a problem. When Steffi is appointed to help Rhys acclimate using her basic knowledge of American Sign Language, she finds that for the first time in her life, someone sees her. 

As the two find their own ways to communicate, Steffi realizes she does have a voice, and she’s falling in love with the person who gave her the strength to use it. But she’s about to discover that finding a voice, like finding love, is only the first step. In this heartfelt story about the power two people have to change each others lives, Steffi and Rhys help each other understand what it means to know another person—and be known oneself. 

High school senior Lucy Larson is a driven and accomplished ballerina with her sights set firmly on Julliard—that is, until Jude Ryder catches her eye. Jude is a notorious troublemaker and heartbreaker, with the rap sheet and trail of scorned ex-lovers to prove it. Jude’s mysterious and moody; Lucy’s wide-eyed and even-keeled. Jude stays at the local boys' home, where disturbed is par for the course; the worst thing Lucy’s parents have done is embarrass her before ballet practice. 

Jude is the last thing Lucy needs. So why is she hopelessly, fatally drawn to him? Lucy has a choice to make: focus on her future, or risk it all for Jude. Her greatest love just might be her worst mistake. 

Fans of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe will love Evan Panos, a seventeen-year-old misfit who can’t seem to find his place in the world. His strict Greek immigrant mother isn’t afraid to let him know he’s a disappointment, and his workaholic father is as conflict-avoidant as they come. At least there’s his best friend, Henry…who seems to have gotten suddenly, distractingly attractive over the summer. Who seems to be taking an interest in Evan in a new way. Who makes him feel like maybe he’s worth more than his mother’s harsh words, after all. 

As things with Henry heat up, and his mother’s abuse escalates, Evan has to decide how to find his voice in a world where he has survived so long by being silent. This powerful coming-of-age love story based on the author’s own childhood is so much more than a romance. It’s a testament to the tumult of growing up and into ourselves, and the power of love to alter the course of our lives. 

Los Angeles senior Charlotte’s main priority has always been her studies. She has sworn off boys until at least after college—Stanford, to be more precise—determined not to end up like her mother and sister, whose lives were derailed by guys before they even finished high school. With her razor-sharp focus and early acceptance letter, Charlotte seems sure to accomplish her goal. Then she meets Tate, the world’s biggest pop-star and a certified bad-boy. 

Charlotte finds herself thrust into a world of private planes, clandestine dates, and passion she didn’t know she had in her. She knows Tate, with his reckless nature and dark past, will throw her off course. But the more she gets to know him, the less sure she is that that’s a bad thing. 

Ever since her sister passed away three years ago, Beth’s worried parents have smothered her with rules and restrictions to keep her safe from harm. But where’s the fun in that?

Determined to enjoy her senior year, Beth sneaks out to a party one night, where she meets Chase, the mysterious new guy in town and a social pariah. The stakes of their secret friendship are raised when she finds out Chase was with her sister the night she died—and he may have even played a part. Beth believes in second chances, but she’s not sure can convince her friends, let alone her parents, to feel the same. As the couple’s feelings for each other deepen, Beth will find out just how far she’ll go to protect her first love—and just how far others will go to stop it. 

Not all teenage love stories are romantic, though New York Times bestseller I Hate Everyone But You certainly touches upon romantic relationships, just one of the many tricky subjects the main characters must navigate as they embark on the tumultuous transition from adolescence to adulthood. 

Ava and Gen have been friends for years, and going away to college on opposite sides of the country isn’t going to change that. After all, the other is always only one text away. But as they settle into their separate new lives, they discover growing up together might not be enough to keep them from growing apart. This heartfelt story of friendship and finding oneself, which draws upon the authors’ own experiences, unfolds through the texts and emails exchanged between the duo as they wade through new experiences, weird roomates, first loves and heartbreaks, sexuality, mental health, and self-discovery. It is as heartwarming and funny as it is powerful, perfect for fans of Robin Talley’s What We Left Behind or Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl (School Library Journal, Starred Review). 

Some high school seniors are determined to have the best year ever. Pony just wants to make it through the year. In that, he’s not alone. Popular cheerleader Georgia is tired of playing the part. She dreams of life after graduation, away from petty cheerleaders and persistent jocks. In fact, she’s sworn off dating altogether this year. At least, that was before she met Pony. 

What she doesn’t know is that Pony was harassed out of his old school for coming out as transgender. He’s decided to go stealth this year—in a small town like his, he’s worlds away from the out-and-proud college experience of his best friend, Max. But maybe, just maybe, Georgia’s about to change all that. In this heartfelt teen coming-of-age romance that nevertheless confronts serious issues head-on, Pony and Georgia learn to celebrate their truths—and each other—even when it feels hard.