My Top Romantic Comedy Books of The Year So Far (that are actually well written...)

Most if not all of these were published earlier than 2024, so if you're looking for recency bias you may not find it here. These books are listed in no particular order.

As I approach reading my 100th book of the year, I’d like to reflect on some of the books I read that didn’t quite get as much attention from me. For every complex literary novel I read I match it with around 2-3 fluffy romances to keep my reading cadence moving and not have another repeat of 2022 (I read maybe…3 books?) So I thought I would share some of the best ones I’ve read this year and why I felt that way.

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

This was (actually) one of my favorite romcoms of the year, and I emphasize actually only because Hazelwood has been pretty lackluster for me so far. Even aside from the really out there wolf book.

Chess plays center stage in this enemies to lovers tension built romance surrounding their shared profession, family trauma, and different ways they approach love and relationships. Our FL Mallory is a bit of a Debbie Downer, but she has the trauma to match. She does in fact find her match in incredibly stable and secure chess wunderkin Nolan and chaos ensues. This is a book about chess, but its also a book about becoming an adult and finding yourself in the world.

I found this novel so endearing, and chess is so incredibly interesting even when our FL is being annoying and self-effacing. I think my love for this novel was largely driven by my love for activity obsession media (Chihayafuru, March Comes in Like a Lion, Challengers, The Houseguest…) I’m extremely interested in this paradigm of not being able to discern where your affection for a person and your shared interest begins and ends. 

It is kind of crazy to me the sheer volume of content that Hazelwood pumps out, she has a good work ethic for certain. To also put out so much media and not have any of it have a particular drop in quality is pretty cool. 

Anyway, don’t go into this novel thinking she’s going to cure your depression or write some inalienable truth to the human experience but I do think this is a somewhat deeper than surface level romantic comedy for people who are too into their hobbies. 

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kang

This is a fluffy romance but I feel like it’s some of the best of the genre right now. This is the bar, and over the last decade contemporary romance has fallen further and further into Wattpad level fanfic so to read a book this well written came off as a surprise. I want complex characters with complex dynamics who cause each other hurt but also know how to get closer and communicate, not stock character stand in for publishing tropes. That said, this book has tropes! Still, it uses them to set a stage and not be subsumed by it.

This novel is about two characters who share a traumatic event together trying to decide if their passion is circumstance or “real.” I really enjoyed the chemistry, the smut was well written and actually erotic, and the characters themselves were well rounded and dynamic. I generally find that enemies to lovers trope is a watered down cesspool of romance with guy that is mean but this was very much the opposite of that, where their circumstance created the environment that made them enemies but that both characters were sympathetic. This was a really good example of a writer using a trope to further engage with a reader rather than allowing the trope to dictate the novel. My only hesitance in giving it a perfect rating/best stars was that, in spite of the name of the novel, I found the ending rather tepid.

Still, it certainly made my top 5!

Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

This is the book that propelled me to read so many Mhairi McFarlane books she’s become my most read author of the year. Maybe calling this book a rom com is a tad unfair, I mean most of the book is tragic. It’s about losing someone you love and its difficult to come to terms with. Still-McFarlane’s writing style is steeped in observational humor and there is a distinct romance in the book even if it plays second fiddle to the larger story about grief. This is one of those books that rips your heart out and hands it back to you.

This book is an entangled web of characters experiencing the messiest and most convoluted aspects of life. Beautifully written, poignant but frank. The romance feels more like a subplot throughout, so if that’s what you’re here for maybe not your best choice, for me I found the novel had much more interesting things to say about grief and betrayal.

The final moments of them getting together seemed a bit rushed for a tie it all together and the author chose to sacrifice more time in that decision to a moment of them all in the future, but this was my only complaint because for 98% of reading I was completely locked in.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

If you’d have told me I’d have an Emily Henry story on this list a month ago I would have told you you’re crazy but here we are. Emily Henry is one of those authors I keep coming back to because I need a quick fix- a fun and brainless romance to read on the beach or the train. This book landed at something a little more.

As I said, certainly not my first Emily Henry read, so I went in expecting a cute fluffy romance with driving plot and characters that felt a little trope-y. So imagine my surprise when she finally cracked the formula! I found this novel a joy, the premise was fun but the characters were dynamic and complex and had flaws that endeared them to me rather than annoying me. The setting was wonderful as well, I felt the community and relationships and their role in this story- which was a gripping story of love, disappointment, family, and expectations. 

I should have known how much I would love it based on premise alone, a relationship based on revenge at cheating exes? The drama!

Occasionally I find Henry's narrative voice too relaxed or "millennial" but that never seeped through in this novel, which wasn't to say that it didn't feel timely but just not forced. It might be too early to tell but I think this might end up being one of my favorites of the year (especially in contemporary fic/rom.)

The Flatshare by Beth O’ Leary

Now this one was not a perfect book for me- but wow! The chemistry between these two characters was so palpable. They really filled a hole in each other’s lives they had been searching to fill and seeing that play out was too adorable.

I would have given them 4.5 if they handled the ending a tad differently, I felt like it really took away from all the complex character work the author laid out in the rest of the novel. All the time spent delineating that Leon needed to listen to her and not others about how she wasn’t ready for a huge commitment and the author ultimately wrapped a “pretty bow” on it in the end but alas that’s the genre.

The rest of the novel was fantastic however. The narrative devices of the post it’s and the search for Johnny. The fact that they have other complex relationships and don’t just exist immediately for each other. The way their connection was grown took great care and it was very successful for me. Also the prose was very funny and very tender and clearly took its audience seriously. Really worth a read! Skip the TV show!