9 Amazing Best Friends To Lovers Books Perfect For Fans Of Romance

If your favorite genre of novel to read is romance, then there’s a good chance that you’re familiar with the best friends-to-lovers trope.

9 Amazing Best Friends To Lovers Books Perfect For Fans Of Romance

Essentially the opposite of the enemies-to-lovers theme, this trope is perfect for any fans of cheesy romance or slow-burn romance novels. There are tons of excellent best-friends-to-lovers romance novels out there to check out if you love this genre.

In this guide, I’ve compiled a list of 9 amazing best-friends-to-lovers books that are perfect for fans of romance novels. Read on to find out more.

9 Amazing Best Friends To Lovers Books To Check Out

If you love the best friends-to-lovers theme in a romance novel, then you may be looking for new romance novels with this theme to check out.

Below are 9 of the most amazing best friends-to-lovers books that I’d recommend checking out if you’re a fan of this theme.

People We Meet On Vacation – Emily Henry

People We Meet on Vacation

Emily Henry has quickly become one of the best romance novels in the world in recent years, and her novel People We Meet on Vacation is perfect for any fans of the best friends-to-lovers genre.

People We Meet on Vacation focuses on two characters – Poppy and Alex. Poppy and Alex couldn’t be more different if they tried. She’s a wild child, he’s very relaxed. She is endlessly traveling, he’s happier at home.

She lives a glam life, he wears khakis. They are total opposites, but ever since they shared a taxi back in college, they have also been best friends. The lives in New York, while he lives in his hometown, so for most of the year, they don’t see each other.

But for 10 years, the pair have been reuniting every summer for a vacation together. Until 2 years ago, when they ruined everything and stopped speaking to one another. 

Two years after that event, Poppy realizes she hasn’t been happy since that vacation with Alex, so she reaches out to him and asks him on another trip. Can this vacation make everything right, or is their relationship doomed forever?

Pros

  • Perfect summer read.
  • Includes the opposites attract trope.
  • Characters that you connect with instantly.

Cons

  • A longer novel at 400 pages in length.

The Cheat Sheet – Sarah Adams

The Cheat Sheet: A Novel

The rise of TikTok has been responsible for the boom of many novels, and The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams is one of them. This novel became a sensation on TikTok, and it is easy to see why.

Bree Camden is stuck in the friend zone. She’s been in love with her best friend and extremely attractive NFL legend, Nathan Doleson, for as long as she can remember.

But there’s nothing she can do about it – he clearly doesn’t see her as having relationship potential, and she won’t risk their friendship.

A car accident ruined Bree’s dream of becoming a professional Ballerina, so she opened her own dance studio instead. However, as the rental price increases again, she faces losing her studio forever.

As usual, Nathan steps in to save the day, and while Bree appreciates the gesture her conflicting romantic feelings leave her rebelling. 

After too many alcoholic beverages, Bree ends up spilling her true feelings to a TMZ reporter and the video ends up going viral.

Before she can speak to Nathan about it, his agent approaches her with an exciting opportunity – pretending to date Nathan for 3 weeks in return for financial security.

But is this too much for Bree who’s been pining over her best friend for years? And will this ruin their friendship forever?

Pros

Cons

  • Leaves you wanting more.

Blurred Lines – Lauren Layne

Blurred Lines (Love Unexpectedly)

If you love reading on your Kindle, or other e-readers, then you should check out Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne. This novel puts an interesting twist on the friends-to-lovers trope as it explores whether, or not, a man and a woman can actually be “just friends”.

When Parker and Ben meet in college, there is an instant connection between them. This isn’t an instant-love connection, instead, it is an instant platonic connection that they both know will make them friends for many years to come.

And that’s what happens. Six years later they find themselves living together – platonically – in Portland, and sharing adult life together. And everything is fine until Parker’s boyfriend breaks up with her.

Newly single, Parker is forced to re-evaluate Ben’s casual, no-strings approach to romance, and suddenly she finds it very appealing.  But it doesn’t seem to work for Parker until she tries it with Ben.

As the pair explore their new relationship together, will their friendship progress in ways they never could have anticipated it would? Or will they end up ruining their relationship forever?

Pros

  • Perfect for lovers of short books – less than 300 pages in length.
  • A unique spin on the friends-to-lovers trope.
  • Relatable characters.

Cons

  • Not available in paperback or hardback – only digital formats.

Addicted To You – Krista And Becca Ritchie

Addicted to You (ADDICTED SERIES)

Addicted to You is an interesting novel as it is co-written by Krista and Becca Ritchie. This novel takes a bit of a darker twist on the best friends-to-lovers trope as it focuses on characters with hidden secrets that make their friendship stronger.

Lily and Lowen both have their addictions, and their addictions are secrets to the whole world – except each other. Lily knows everything about Lowen, and Lowen knows everything about Lily.

That is what makes them best friends, and also what has led them to fake a relationship for the last 3 years.

But as they fall deeper beneath these secrets, they both end up questioning if it is really worth it. If it is actually their addictions that are pulling them together, or if it’s actually because their real vice is one another.

Is a real-life together worth giving everything else up? That is the main plot of this friends-to-lovers romance novel.

Pros

  • An edgy spin on the friends-to-lovers trope.
  • A well-developed plot and storyline throughout.
  • Characters that you instantly fall in love with.

Cons

  • Not your typical light-hearted romance novel.

Love And Other Words – Christina Lauren

Love and Other Words

Christina Lauren is incredibly talented when it comes to writing romance novels, and her book – Love and Other Words – really is one of the best friends-to-lovers romance novels out there.

Love and Other Words is a novel about a woman called Macy settling into her ambitious if a little dull, new life. By day, she works incredibly hard as a new pediatrics resident, by night she plans her wedding to an older, financial man.

She lives life with her head, rather than her heart, and always chases a sensible life, rather than the life of her dreams. All that changes, however, when she reconnects with her childhood best friend (and the only love of her life), Elliott.

When they were younger, Elliott went from being her best friend to something else. As they grew up alongside each other, Macy fell for Elliott as he coaxed her to open up after the loss of her mother.

But she opened her heart up, just for him to shatter it on the very night he declared his love for her.

With a then-and-now dual timeline, this novel allows the reader to really connect with Macy and Elliott, and by the end, you’ll be rooting for this pair in the same way you root for your best friends.

Can they fix their mistakes and reconnect? Or is Macy doomed to ignore her heart forever?

Pros

  • A dual timeline allows the reader to connect with the characters.
  • Well-developed storyline.
  • An excellent ending that wraps the novel up perfectly.

Cons

  • A longer novel – exceeding 400 pages in length.

Take A Hint, Dani Brown – Talia Hibbert

Take a Hint, Dani Brown: A Novel (The Brown Sisters, 2)

Take a Hint, Dani Brown is the second novel in Talia Hibbert’s series about the Brown sisters. While this novel is part of a series, you could read it as a standalone novel if you are simply looking for a friends-to-lovers romance novel.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown is all about Danika Brown (Dani to her friends) who knows exactly what she wants in life – a successful career and academic renown, with no room for romance.

Her previous experiences with romance have made her adamant that that is somewhere she never wants to go again, and she’s found that no matter the gender, romantic conquests aren’t worth her time or effort.

When a workplace fire drill goes wrong, Dani is saved from an accident by a security guard called Zafir. Dani is attracted to him instantly, and they quickly strike up a friendship.

But when a video of Zafir saving Dani goes viral, they quickly find themselves as more than friends. The internet is shipping them as a couple, and Zafir could do with the publicity to help his sports charity, so they agree to fake a relationship together.

As the relationship between these two grows more complex, will these friends become more? Or is their relationship doomed to be no more than a fake romance?

Pros

  • Excellent representation of a bi-sexual main character.
  • Equal parts funny and sad.
  • Well written with characters you instantly connect to.

Cons

  • Part of a series of novels.

Marriage On Madison Avenue – Lauren Layne

Marriage on Madison Avenue (3) (The Central Park Pact)

Another excellent friends-to-lovers romance novel by Lauren Layne is Marriage on Madison Avenue. This novel has very different vibes to her other novel, Blurred Lines, which I looked at earlier, so I would definitely recommend checking it out.

This novel focuses on another set of best friends – Audrey Tate and Clarke West. They’ve been best friends since childhood, and in that entire time, they’ve never had a single romantic entanglement.

So if you were to ask them if a man and woman can simply just be friends? Their answer would be yes. But all that changes when Clarke tells his mother that he and Audrey are engaged in order to avoid being set up with a stranger.

As this dynamic shifts in their relationship, a dangerous game develops between the two as just-for-show kisses stir up feelings they’d both buried so deep that they forgot entirely about.

As the date of their fake-wedding approaches, the pair realizes that they can never go back to the way that things were. What’s more alarming is that neither of them wants to.

Pros

  • A quick read – less than 300 pages in length.
  • The New York setting is perfect for a romance novel.
  • Extremely well-written.

Cons

  • Part of a series.

Josh And Hazel’s Guide To Not Dating – Christina Lauren

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

If you loved the sound of Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, I would recommend checking out Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating next. This novel focuses on best friends, Josh and Hazel.

Hazel is a lot and she tends to send men running pretty soon after she meets them. She has an army of pets, a thrill for the absurd, and absolutely no filter to what she says. So she understands that most men run in the opposite direction.

All except her best friend, Josh. From the time when they first met in college, Josh has been the person that Hazel always turns to in her hour of need.

From the nonsense email, she sent him in a post-surgical haze to that time she threw up on her shoes the first time they met, Josh has always found Hazel entertaining more so than anything else.

But when Josh finds himself newly single, things start to change. New out of a relationship, Josh finds Hazel to be a breath of fresh air. He enjoys spending time around her and finds going out with her to be exactly what he needs.

Except they don’t go out, instead they double-date because it allows them to go out together without addressing the feelings that are growing between them. But that can’t last forever.

Eventually, they’ll have to address what’s between them, but could it ruin their relationship forever?

Pros

  • Incredibly well-written.
  • Equal parts funny and sad.
  • Realistic characters that you’ll love.

Cons

  • Leaves you wanting more

The Friendship Contract – Mia Heintzelman

The Friendship Contract (Terms & Conditions Series)

Alternatively, you really need to check out The Friendship Contract by Mia Heintzelman. This interesting novel focuses on a friendship between Allegra and Damon, and how their relationship changes throughout the novel.

Allegra and Damon are so much more than just best friends. They are business partners at a law firm, and she is pretty much the only family that he has.

For that very reason, he’s kept his romantic feelings towards her a secret for the last 10 years, simply because he cannot risk losing what they have.

So, when Allegra finds an engagement ring in her boyfriend’s gym bag, Damon forces himself to be happy for her (no matter how much it pains him inside).

Likewise, when that engagement ring turns out to be for someone else, he becomes her shoulder to cry on. He’s doing a good job of keeping his feelings secret until they accidentally share a world-shattering kiss.

And so the friendship contract is formed. Through this novel, we see their friendship change and evolve as new challenges are thrown in their direction.

Through it all, will Damon be able to keep his feelings secret for the sake of his friendship? Or are his feelings just a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode?

Pros

  • Focuses on a man’s perspective rather than a woman’s for a different POV.
  • A page-turner that you won’t be able to put down.
  • Characters that you connect instantly with.

Cons

  • A fairly short novel, less than 300 pages in length.

Best Best Friends To Lovers Books Buyer’s Guide

If you are thinking of buying a best friends-to-lovers romance novel, here are some of the key things that you should bear in mind before you make a purchase.

Choose Either Slow-Burn Or Fast-Pace

A lot of friend-to-lovers romance novels are very slow-paced. Typically, the author will take a lot of time to establish the friendship between the two main characters as this will allow the reader to understand the internal conflict that both parties have over their feelings.

Friends to lovers romance novels are all about internal conflict over emotions and risk. Do the characters chase their hearts, and risk their friendship? Or sacrifice their true feelings to protect their friendship?

That is ultimately the plot line of most friends-to-lovers romance novels. While a lot of this genre tends to be very slow-burn romance novels, there are some fast-paced novels, and these tend to be books that are slightly shorter in length. So bear this in mind when choosing a book.

Consider Additional Plot Lines

Something else to consider is additional plot lines in your romance novel. Do you want a book that focuses solely on the romance of the main characters? Or do you want background characters to have a storyline too?

Typically, there will be multiple plots running alongside one another in a romance novel. Alongside the romance plot, characters will typically be having some sort of crisis either with their family, friends, or work.

Some novels – particularly ones that are part of a series – will also focus on the background character. Consider whether you want the focus to be entirely on the main characters, or if you would be open to a series before picking up a book.

Choose Your Preferred Length

Finally, you should consider the length of romance novels you are interested in. Most readers will have a preferred length of book, with some readers preferring shorter reads (less than 300 pages in length), and others preferring longer reads (exceeding 500 pages in length).

Longer reads may have a plot with more depth, while shorter reads might be snappier to read. Long books might focus on multiple characters, while shorter books may focus solely on the two main characters and their romance.

There are lots of factors that impact the length of a novel, which is why it is important to consider them before you buy. Choosing the length of a novel is easy, no matter whether you are buying in-store, or online.

So think about whether, or not, the length of the novel is important to you before you start reading.  

Conclusion

If you are looking for the perfect best friends-to-lovers romance novel to pick up next, then you’re in the right place. In this guide, I’ve told you all about 9 of the most amazing best friends-to-lovers books that are guaranteed to make you feel warm inside.

From Take a Hint, Dani Brown to Love and Other Words, and People We Meet on Vacation, there are so many great friends-to-lovers romance novels out there, and lots of authors that execute this theme incredibly well. So there are plenty of books for you to choose from.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Friends To Lovers Trope?

The friends-to-lovers trope is a trope commonly used in romance novels as it creates tension, drives the plot, and introduces lots of emotion to the novel.

In this trope, the main characters battle internally over whether it is worth risking their friendship to follow their heart.

Is Best Friends To Lovers A Common Theme?

In the romance genre, best friends to lovers is a fairly common theme – not only in books but in movies too. So, you will often find this trope in romance novels, especially young adult romance books.

Are There Any Best Friends To Lovers Books That Include Fake Dating?

Yes, there absolutely are best friends-to-lovers books that also include the fake dating trope. Some of the best options to choose from are Marriage on Madison Avenue and Addicted to You.

YouTube video
Noah Burton