12 rom-com books to fall in love with this summer
CBC Books | | Posted: July 19, 2022 1:09 PM | Last Updated: July 19, 2022
Looking for a good summer read? Fall in love with these rom-com fiction titles by Canadian and international authors.
The Stand-In by Lily Chu
In The Stand-In, Gracie Reed's world is turned upside down when a mysterious vehicle pulls up beside her on the street, revealing its occupants to be Chinese cinema's famous couple, Wei Fangli and Sam Yao. Fangli asks Gracie to be her stand-in, due to how much they look alike, and attend public events with the incredibly attractive yet infuriating Sam. Gracie, who needs the money to get her mother into a new nursing home, agrees, and is thrown into a world of luxury, glitz and glamour.
The Stand-In is Lily Chu's debut rom-com novel. Chu writes romantic comedies set in Toronto with strong Asian characters. The audiobook of her second rom-com, The Comeback, will be out in summer 2022 and in print in spring 2023.
Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh
In Sari, Not Sari, Manny Dogra is the CEO of a highly successful company that helps people manage their breakups. She's planning her wedding to a handsome architect, while in the midst of grieving the deaths of her parents. Her parents, who were both born in India, wanted Manny to become an 'All-American girl,' so that's what she did. Knowing next to nothing about her South Asian heritage, Manny meets an irritating client who agrees to give her a crash course in being Indian at his brother's wedding.
Sonya Singh is a writer, producer and former entertainment reporter. Sari, Not Sari is her first novel. Singh lives in Toronto.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
In Book Lovers, Nora Stephens is a literary agent who loves books and works hard to get the best deals for her author clients. Charlie Lastra is a book editor who is a bit bookish and brooding at times. When the two meet up in North Carolina one summer, the pair realize that they just might be made for each other.
Emily Henry is a New York Times bestselling American author who is best known for her romance novels Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.
Made in Korea by Sarah Suk
Made in Korea is a YA rom-com about two teenagers who are running competing Korean beauty businesses at their high school. Valerie Kwon and her cousin Charlie run a successful student-run enterprise called V&C K-BEAUTY. Wes Jung is the new kid at their school — after seeing the enthusiasm from his new classmates for the K-pop-branded beauty products that his mother gave him to help him make new friends, he comes up with an entrepreneurial idea that could help him pay for the music school he hopes to attend after graduation. Valerie and Wes try and resist their growing attraction to one another, while competing to be the most successful business in school.
- Writers' Trust of Canada launches program to support books by BIPOC writers launched during pandemic
Sarah Suk is a YA writer living in Vancouver. Made in Korea is her debut novel. Suk's next book, The Space Between Here and Now, will be published in fall 2023.
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
In The Charm Offensive, Dev Deshpande is the producer of the long-running reality dating show Ever After. When the show decides to cast Charlie Winshaw, who has only agreed to be on Ever After to try and rehabilitate his image, Dev struggles to get him to connect with the contestants. As they embark on a worldwide tour, Charlie begins to realise he connects better with Dev than with any of his co-stars.
Alison Cochrun writes queer love stories and is a former high school English teacher. The Charm Offensive is her debut novel. She lives outside of Portland, Oregon with her giant dog and a vast collection of brightly coloured books.
Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
Yinka is a single, British-Nigerian woman in her early 30s whose mother and aunties are constantly asking her when she is going to find a husband. Her friends think she needs to get over her ex-boyfriend and her work friends think she's too traditional. After her cousin Rachel gets engaged, Yinka is determined to find a date for her wedding.
Lizzie Damilola Blackburn is a British-Nigerian writer who lives with her husband in Milton Keynes, England. Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? is her debut novel.
The Dachshund Wears Prada by Stefanie London
After social media consultant Isla Thomson accidentally becomes the most unemployable influencer in New York City, she decides to accept the first job she can get — looking after Camilla the dachshund — in order to ensure that she and her teenage sister, whose guardian she is, don't lose their home. Isla starts to get closer to Camilla's owner, the recluse Theo Garrison, and their bond begins to grow.
Stefanie London is a contemporary romance writer who lives in Toronto. The Dachshund Wears Prada is the first in a new series by London called Paws in the City. The second volume in the series, Pets of Park Avenue, will be published in December 2022.
The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett
In The Romance Recipe, restaurant owner Amy Chambers hires Sophie Brunet, a former reality-show finalist, to work as head chef in her restaurant. Sophie and Amy explore their feelings for one another, while trying to save the restaurant by signing up for a new foodie reality TV show.
Ruby Barrett is a writer based in Ottawa who writes romances about big feelings. Her previous novel, Hot Copy, was published in 2021.
Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron
Kamila has a nearly perfect life. While she keeps herself busy by throwing Bollywood movie parties, hanging out with her endless array of friends and running her dog's wildly successful Instagram account, her love life is lagging behind. So Kamila decides to start flirting with a handsome family friend named Rohan and eventually develops a crush. When Kamila's secret nemesis returns to town with an eye for Rohan, things start to unravel and Kamila's life gets turned upside down.
Farah Heron is a writer from Toronto. She is also the author of the rom-com novels The Chai Factor, Accidentally Engaged and the YA novel Tahira in Bloom.
Starry-Eyed Love by Helena Hunting
In Starry-Eyed Love, London Spark is the business administrator for Spark House, her family's event hotel. A large company is interested in a partnership, and London is determined to win them over until she discovers that the company's CEO, Jackson Holt, is the same person she turned down at a bar a few months prior. Jackson and London soon find themselves throwing an event together at Spark House and their working relationship begins to blossom into something more.
Helena Hunting is a writer who lives outside of Toronto with her family and two cats. Her previous books include Love Next Door and Meet Cute.
Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau
Donut Fall in Love follows actor Ryan Kwok, who is back in Toronto after promoting his latest movie, a rom-com that's being slammed by critics. The sudden death of his mother prompts Ryan to take his first break in years and spend more time with his family — though his father would rather troll him on Twitter than meet for dim sum. Ryan's fate takes a turn when he knocks over a bunch of specialty donuts by an innovative baker named Lindsay McLeod. When he signs up for a celebrity episode of a baking show, he enlists Lindsay to help him prepare.
Jackie Lau is a Toronto-based author of over a dozen romantic comedies, including the Holidays with the Wongs series and the There's Only One Bed at Christmas novella anthology. She went to school for engineering and worked as a geophysicist before writing romance novels.
She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick
In the YA rom-com She Gets the Girl, the night before their college classes begin, headstrong Alex Blackwood meets Molly Parker. Alex, who was recently dumped, offers to help Alex get her dream girl to fall for her, in the hope it will help Alex prove to her ex that she's not selfish and is ready for a committed relationship. The two embark on a plan to get their girls to fall in love with them, but start to wonder if they are falling for each other instead.
Rachael Lippincott is the co-author of Five Feet Apart and She Gets the Girl, and the author of The Lucky List. She lives in Pennsylvania with her wife Alyson and their dog, Hank.
Alyson Derrick is the co-author of She Gets the Girl and the author of Forget Me Not. She also lives in Pennsylvania with Rachael and Hank.