From the unrequited to the fated: 11 romance novels that explore love in all its forms

Love Stories – Trent Dalton

Trent spent two months in 2021 asking people, “can you please tell me a love story?” and from those observations and reflections comes a warm, funny and moving book that pays tribute to the feeling we don’t always understand but definitely need.

$24.75, Booktopia.

The Stationery Shop of Tehran – Marjan Kamali

Set in Iran in the 50s, Roya falls in love with the handsome Bahman at her favourite stationery shop run by Mr Fakhri. However, Iran is changing around them and on the night before their wedding, the couple plans to meet in the town square, but when violence erupts, Bhaman never arrives. 60 years later, Roya finds herself at a college in California, but fate intervenes.

$17.95, Booktopia.

Red, White & Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston

Alex Claremont-Diaz is the first son who has a great marketing strategy for his mum, President Ellen Claremont. But when photos of a fight between him and his nemesis Prince Henry at a wedding leak, they stage a fake friendship between the men for damage control. However, the first son and prince find themselves in a secret relationship that could cause a major scandal.

$22.95, Booktopia.

How We Love: Clementine Ford

Australia’s feminist icon wrote this memoir to understand love in all its forms, which is a nice break from stories about pure romance. She details her experience of losing her mum, her first love, and motherhood.

$22.50, Booktopia.

Seven Days In June – Tia Williams

Eva Mercy is a single mum and erotica writer. Shane Hall is a reclusive award-winning author. When they meet a literary event, their chemistry is insane, but people don’t realise they already shared a week-long love affair years earlier and wrote about each other in their books. However, they’re pretending they don’t know each other, but how long can they deny their chemistry?

$48.25, Booktopia.

Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

This work of magical realism is about Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza, who fell deeply in love in their youth. However, Fermina chooses to marry a wealthy doctor, and Florentino is distraught. Over decades, he becomes a successful businessman and has 622 affairs until Fermina’s husband dies, and he plans to declare his love again.

$33.75, Booktopia.

Everything I Know About Love – Dolly Alderton

The High Low‘s Dolly loves love, and this memoir about her experiences in early adulthood is a beautiful ode to many of life’s purest moments but none more than friendship. However, it also dives deep into the painful heartaches and losses we must overcome to grow. It’s also getting made into a television show, so it’s best to get your hands on a copy ASAP.

$20.35, Booktopia.

Like Water For Chocolate – Laura Esquivel

This worldwide bestseller translated from Spanish is magical realism at its best. It follows the unusual history of the all-female De La Garza family and Tita, the youngest girl, who is forbidden to marry her one true love, Pedro after her mother dies as per Mexican traditions. But over the next 22 years, freak tragedies, bad luck, and fate will bring them back to one another.

$17.95, Booktopia.

The Course of Love – Alain de Botton

Modern philosopher Alain de Botton wrote this novel to discover how to survive, endure and flourish in a relationship after the honeymoon period. Characters Rabih and Kristen find their love is complicated when they settle down, start a family and build a home – it’s a more realistic view on relationships that isn’t bleak.

$17.25, Booktopia.

Less – Sean Greer

A failed novelist is about to enter his 50s when a wedding invitation from his former boyfriend of nine years who is engaged to someone else. Unsure how to accept or decline the invitation, he accepts every literary invitation from events around the world. But can our novelist escape the past on his 80-day journey? Less is a touching novel filled with passages worth underlying with pen, for it speaks to the flaws and beauty of the human heart.

$22.75, Booktopia.

People We Meet on Vacation – Emily Henry

Alex and Poppy may have nothing in common, but they became best friends after sharing a car home during college until one fateful vacation ruined everything. However, two years later, Poppy realises that the last time she was happy was when they were friends, so she convinces Alex to take one more holiday with her – but what could go wrong?

$33.25, Booktopia.