This is probably more lists than you bargained for, but I like to provide options! In honour of one of my favourite holidays, I thought I’d highlight my 5 favourite love stories that I read in 2024. I won’t say this is a strictly “romance” genre list, because some of the best love stories exist outside of the genre, and, to me, Valentine’s Day is about all love, not just romance.

1. Funny Story, by Emily Henry

Some of you may remember my mother mentioning this book in one of her newsletters near the end of 2024. She is not typically a fiction reader, and it took A LOT of convincing to get her to read it, but wouldn’t you know, she loved it. Funny Story is the best romance novel I have read in a long time. Emily Henry was not new to me, I had read and adored many of her books prior to picking up Funny Story. This book, however, felt special. Daphne, our main character, is reeling from a sudden break-up with her fiancé that left her without a place to live and isolated from their mutual friends. Miles finds himself with an apartment to himself after his long-term girlfriend suddenly leaves him… for Daphne’s fiancé. Left to pick up the broken pieces of their respective relationships, and finding a certain solidarity in each other, Daphne and Miles decide to change their relationship status. Going from acquaintances at best, to roommates, and then, after one night of vulnerable mutual wallowing and jealousy-fuelled grandiose notions of vengeance, a fake couple to make their exes jealous. Funny Story is about more than just love, it’s a story about confidence, growth, and independence, while also being hilarious, messy, and absolutely lovely.

https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/funny-story/9780593441282.html

2. The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich, by Deya Muniz

A fictional world where everything is named after a type of cheese sets the scene for a Twelfth Night-esque tale of calamity and romance. Lady Camembert is struggling to keep hold of her independence and adamantly refusing any possibilities of marriage. When her father dies and, by law, his estate can only be passed on to a male relative, Lady Camembert is left with no choice but to change her name, move far away to the capital city of the Kingdom of Fromage, and transform herself into the handsome Lord Camembert. Keeping her true identity a secret won’t be a walk in the park, especially as she develops a close friendship with the kind, fashionable, and beautiful, Princess Brie. This graphic novel romantic comedy is whimsical, heartwarming, and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. What really made it stand out to me, and, indeed, made this book impossibly more romantic, is the author information at the back of the book, revealing the story of Camembert and Brie was, in some ways, inspired by Deya Muniz’s own love story.

https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-princess-and-the-grilled-cheese-sandwich-a-graphic-novel/9780316538725.html

3. Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell

I warned you that there would be books on this list that don’t necessarily seem like they’d be Valentine’s Day material. Impossible Creatures is a young readers title that came out in 2023 and has been referred to by some as “this generation’s Harry Potter.” I wouldn’t necessarily choose to describe it that way because, to me, Impossible Creatures and Harry Potter occupy completely different sub-genres within fantasy. That said, Harry Potter and Impossible Creatures are both adventure stories about young people who find themselves dealing with big problems, and, most importantly, they both feature cool mythical creatures. When Christopher discovers that his family comes from a long line of guardians, tasked with defending a hidden archipelago filled with all the world’s supposedly “mythical” creatures, he is thrown into an adventure beyond his imagination. Inside the borders of the archipelago, Christopher meets Mal, a girl on the run in desperate need of an ally, discovers that the archipelago’s magic is in jeopardy, and is confronted with the horrifying reality that all the archipelago’s magical creatures are dying, and no one knows why. Together, Christopher and Mal take on the impossible task of rescuing the archipelago and all its inhabitants, forming a very real bond along the way. Impossible Creatures is about the love we have for our family, our friends, and the love and care we should have for all the wonderful creatures that inhabit this planet with us.

https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/impossible-creatures/9780593809860.html

4. The Third Gilmore Girl, by Kelly Bishop

This is another book that one might not necessarily associate with Valentine’s Day. If you’ve ever watched Gilmore Girls, you’ll know that Kelly Bishop played the role of the stony, hilarious, complicated, and, ultimately, loving, Emily Gilmore. What you may not know is that her career in showbiz started with dance, then stage musicals, and, eventually, film and television. Told in her own witty, sharp, and completely honest voice, Kelly Bishop insightfully details the story of her life. The good, the bad, and the chances taken, are all laid out in this memoir. There are so many ways that this book explores love that it’s impossible to categorize. Having meaningfully represented familial, romantic, and friendship love, as well as the strong thread throughout the memoir that boldly portrays a love and passion for one’s work and art, how could this not have made our love story list. I listened to this as an audiobook, which I would absolutely recommend because hearing it all in Kelly Bishop’s own voice makes it all the more impactful.

https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-third-gilmore-girl-a-memoir/9781668023778.html

5. Better Than The Movies, by Lynn Painter

If you think young adult books are no longer for you because you’re an adult, you’re wrong. Better Than The Movies is the epitome of romance, and something I wish I could read for the first time all over again. This is for all those die-hard romantics out there who like to believe, as I always have, that if someone can dream it up and put it in a romcom, then something like it must really exist in real life somewhere and for someone. Better Than The Movies is just what it looks like it will be, but done so much better than you would think it could be. Liz Buxbaum, certified love lover, and head-in-the-clouds daydreamer, has found the one. The only problem is, Liz needs an in, and her obnoxious next-door neighbour, Wes, might just be it. Wes’s friendship with Liz’s dream boy is just the ticket for a truce between these perpetually feuding neighbours, and so a peace treaty is brokered. Things grow complicated, however, as this truce grows into reluctant friendship, and maybe, something more. This is a book about romance, and yet, I picked it not necessarily for the obvious romantic plotline, but, rather, because it is so obviously a love letter to the entire romance genre. The tropes, Lynn Painter’s romantic playlist that accompanies the scenes of Liz Buxbaum’s love life, and even the cover design, pay homage to a genre that has everything to do with Valentine’s Day. For those of you who might need some background on the cover design for this book, the animated scenes on the cover depict Liz living out scenes from iconic romance movies such as Crazy, Stupid, Love, Dirty Dancing, Say Anything, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and The Notebook.

https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/better-than-the-movies-tiktok-made-me-buy-it/9781534467637.html

I hope you find something that resonates with you in one of my lists this Valentine’s Day. Enjoy the day of love everyone!