9 Diverse YA Romance Books to Enjoy for Valentine's Day, and Year-Round
Quick: close your eyes and imagine your favorite rom-com plot, any rom-com. Okay, now open your eyes. What did you picture? Witty banter? Tearful declarations of love? A high-stakes almost-breakup? Those are practically a given in any romantic comedy. But who did you see?
As Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s important to think about whose love stories get told — but these questions also remain year-round. Often, it’s the same homogenous, heterosexual, able-bodied couple popping up on book jackets and receiving film adaptations. Teen boys of color are rarely the heroes of their own love stories, and neither are queer or disabled teens of color.
But those diverse YA books and narratives are out there, and hopefully even more will be coming soon. If you find your Valentine’s Day plans lacking, or just want to immerse yourself in a good read, here’s a list of nine young adult love stories starring hopeless romantics that have been pushed to the margins — all of these diverse tales showcase the many different bodies, shades, and faces of love.
Set in the fictional South Florida town of Port Coral, this multi-generational love story will fill the Jane the Virgin-sized hole in your heart. Cuban-American Rosa Santos is cursed. According to legend, if the women in her family fall in love with a sailor, he will die at sea. While Rosa swims through the chaos of college decisions and a strained relationship with her mother, mysterious Alex Aquino returns to town. Alex is a sailor, which means Rosa must stay away… but she can’t. Who says you can’t break a curse and define your own destiny all in one summer?
Nathan Bird is an aspiring screenwriter and a strong opponent of happy endings. After witnessing enough heartbreak in his life, Nate swears love isn’t in the cards for him. That all changes when Nate’s childhood best friend Oliver moves back to town, challenging everything Nate thought he knew about love, friendship, and himself. Ollie is hard-of-hearing, but his abilities are never a central plot point of this novel. In this inclusive, insightful rom-com, Nate and Ollie’s blossoming romance takes center stage, spotlighting two Black and Latino protagonists that strive to defy the odds.
Sarah Kuhn’s sweet debut follows Kimi Nakamura, a first-gen fashionista stuck between her mother’s dreams and her own. Kimi’s mom thinks painting is her daughter’s passion — but Kimi finds herself at the sewing machine more than the canvas. When Kimi is invited to visit her estranged grandparents in Kyoto for spring break, she jumps at the chance to escape the pressure. In Japan, she embarks on a soul-seeking journey rich with culture, hoping to decipher her problems and discover her purpose… and maybe love? Enter Akira, the ambitious city-native who stumbles into her life wearing a giant mochi costume.
Photo: Courtesy of Dutton Books for Young ReadersTold from two perspectives, this fearless story follows two young Black girls struggling to find their place in the world. Audre is going through a lot. Originally from Trinidad, she’s sent to live with her father in Minneapolis after her mother catches her with a secret girlfriend. In Minneapolis she’ll meet Mabel, who happens to be going through a lot, too. Mabel has been ill for most of the summer and thinks... she might like girls. When their worlds collide, love hits hard and fast — but adding to the momentum is a grim diagnosis that thrusts their romance into an uncertain future.
Jack meets Kate at a party. Jack and Kate fall in love. Kate is sick. Kate dies — and suddenly, Jack finds himself back at the party, returned to the moment they first met. Grateful for a second chance, Jack is determined to save Kate’s life. But will he get a third chance? Or a fourth? He must tread through time carefully, as each choice he makes could drastically alter not only Kate’s future, but everyone closest to him. In a battle against time, death, and fate, Jack learns that it’s the little moments that make up a life.
The companion to When Dimple Met Rishi begins with Rishi’s jock brother Ashish reeling from a breakup. Ashish lets his parents choose his next match, and they insist on an Indian-American girl. Their choice? Sweetie Nair, who is confident, loyal, vivacious — and fat. But Sweetie’s parents believe her size makes her an unworthy partner and refuse the match. Stung, Sweetie decides that she’ll secretly date Ashish. She will prove that being fat doesn’t mean she is undeserving of affection, and Ashish will prove to everyone at school that he’s not a playboy. Strictly business… until true love inevitably interferes.
On September 5 in a near-future New York City, total strangers Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio both receive a dreaded call from an organization called Death-Cast, which has predicted that they are going to die today. Thanks to the app Last Friend, the doomed can spend their ‘End Day’ in good company. When Mateo and Rufus connect on Last Friend, neither of them know what the next — and last — 24 hours of their lives will hold. All they know is that they want an adventure. Adam Silvera writes a sprawling love story that stretches across NYC, beyond time, and out of Death’s reach.
Photo: Courtesy of Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young ReadersZayneb Malik has just been suspended from school for confronting her Islamophobic teacher. Adam Chen has recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the same disease his mother had, and hasn’t told his father yet. While traveling to Qatar, the two Muslim teens meet on the plane and form an instant connection. But as they share more and more of their lives with each other, the differences in their experiences and how they navigate the world put them at odds. Extraordinary love is rare — but will Zayneb and Adam learn enough from each other to choose love at all?
Chloe Pierce’s dream school, a prestigious ballet conservatory, currently has an open spot. Yet her mother forbids her to apply, so Chloe takes the next logical step: she will drive 200 miles to the nearest audition without telling her mom. Before she can get away with it, her bothersome neighbor Eli threatens to snitch if she doesn’t let him and his dog tag along. And just like that, Chloe finds herself a couple (hundred) miles closer to her dreams with a sorta cute boy and his adorable pup in tow. This lighthearted road trip rom-com will make your heart smile.
