In February of this year, we launched a new Radical Romance book club as a place to read and celebrate romance books with representation. Seasoned romance readers and those new to the genre alike have dropped in on the second Monday of every month to talk about our selections.
We asked the group to talk about our favorite romance reads of all time – here are some highlights:
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
The entire Brown sister trilogy is fantastic, so it makes sense to start with the very first. Member Sarah H. says, “these characters burrow into your heart and make quite an impression.” We love that this series highlights the fact that women come in all shapes and sizes and are always loveable.
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
Member Bobbi picks up anything by Olivia Dade as her ultimate comfort read. Spoiler Alert was the April pick for the book club and we all enjoyed the way that size and age positivity are strong themes in Dade’s books.
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
Member Sarah V. adores anything by Alexis Hall, but Boyfriend Material is the book she will continue to re-read. Even more fun? The follow-up, Husband Material, just came out this month!
Everything for You by Chloe Liese
The Bergman Brother Series is top notch at neurodiverse representation and member Melissa of @mel.bell.reads loves the fifth book of the series. This book hits so many of our favorite tropes: grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, sports romance, age gap, queer love, and only one bed.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Member Maria of @the.book.dish says The Spanish Love deception is worth the BookTok hype. “I don’t know if I have felt any character’s feelings as viscerally as I did Lina’s in this book… (the) tension is one of the most delicious things about the book for me. Watching him (Aaron) fall harder every page, and her (Lina’s) slow realization was just fantastically done.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Member Lucy adores this Casey McQuiston title. A big queer found family, an elusive crush and great prose makes this one easy to love.
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
Historical bodice rippers are the bread and butter of founder Andrea’s reading repertoire and no historical romance shelf is complete without a pick from Sarah Maclean. Read through her entire catalog. Seriously. But since you have to start somewhere, start from the very beginning.
