Do you need to laugh, or at least smile, more when reading these days, especially when reading a romcom? Well, here you go–13 romcom books guaranteed to incite some chuckles or maybe even a solid belly laugh!
Good Boy is SUCH a good time! It’s a lighthearted, hilarious, and spicy romcom with two semi-opposites who have blazing chemistry and hearts of gold.
Jess is pivoting careers once again, much to the chagrin of her family, this time going from party planner to nursing student, and holding onto lots of insecurities. Blake’s a professional hockey player and gregarious jokester who’s masking some deep pain. He doesn’t trust easily, but figures out pretty quickly Jess is not a gold-digging groupie.
From the get-go, the banter and spicy references in this romcom are there, so you KNOW the steamy scenes are going to be hot (and they are). The conversations and quotes cracked me up—even if Blake was a little over the top, I loved how he would say anything and light up a room.
This romcom is hilarious from the start! Has anyone else accidentally sent the wrong attachment to an email? I know I have, though luckily it wasn’t a sexy romance book about my boss…
In Accidental Attachment, Brooke’s successful book trilogy is turning into a Netflix series, and she has to keep the momentum going with her next book. But, she refers to her draft—due now—as a heaping pile of garbage. So she gets a little drunk working up the courage to send this pile of garbage to Chase, her dreamy editor. She quickly hits send before she can rethink it (again), and two weeks later, she finds out she sent him the steamy fantasy she wrote about him.
And he loves it. And he’s betting his job that it’ll be a best-seller. And it needs to get edited in a few short weeks. So Chase joins her on the Netflix tour as her RV driver and off they go…
The banter between Brooke and Chase make this romcom so much fun, and the buildup to when they finally give in really works. Chase was the absolute best—he might have actually needed a few more flaws to make him a real person. There was some hate about this romcom taking too long to get going, but that didn’t really bother me (and I’m good with a slow burn when done well), but there is some repetition and it could have been shorter. Maybe I just liked Chase so much that I didn’t care!
I’ve really grown to love Camilla Isley’s characters and stories, especially her STEM women. In The Love Algorithm, brilliant Reese worked her tail off to become head of research and development for the robotics department of a huge company. She’s immersed in hard-core science and making big-time discoveries, even coding and developing her own AI droid (who is hilarious if maybe a bit scary and the perfect addition to the book). Her latest assignment? Showing the ropes to the boss’s son, Thomas, so he can prepare to become head of the entire department. What?
But Thomas is so instantly endearing, and major sparks fly between them from the first meeting (which was also hilarious). He’s quickly (and unapologetically) smitten, but won’t make any moves beyond flirting, given he’s her future boss and there’s a strict policy in place. And Reese has worked so hard for a position, especially being a woman in STEM, that hooking up with the boss would quickly torpedo her career. But when has a policy/career-suicide ever stopped true love in a romcom???
Loved Reese and Thomas, getting to see glimpses of the characters from the first two books in the series, and how loving and respectful they were to each other. Loved the story, nothing too annoying happened, and it was a lot of fun. Perfect romcom material!
A romcom with two witty exes trapped on a road trip full of misadventure and hilarity? Yes, please! When Katherine suffers a concussion and a giant gash on her back from a taxi accident, the hospital calls her emergency contact. Who happens to be her ex-husband, Tom. Who’s trying to get out of NYC for Christmas so he can propose to his girlfriend.
Katherine can’t be left alone and has no one else, so the two reluctantly decide to head to Tom’s family’s Chicago home together. And what kind of road trip romcom would this be if there were no major mishaps (or catastrophes) along the way? Or if some real feelings started creeping in?
Of course, the more they learn about each other, the more they learn about what went wrong between them, and the more they actually try to communicate with each other, the better it gets. Emergency Contact is a great balance of fun banter, crazy obstacles, serious thoughts about where they’re heading, and self-reflection. Ideal romcom stuff! I enjoyed the book the entire way through, which is rare for me. I do wish there had been a few more legit conversations, but that may be part of what makes the HEA so perfect in this book.
One other thing: it was the perfect length! It was relatively short, which is how a road trip romcom should be. So often, it seems like authors try to drag out a book to make it an “appropriate” length. This romcom isn’t complex and didn’t need a complex length—so happy the authors recognized that.
It Happened One Summer is one of my all-time favorite romcoms. Spoiled L.A. influencer and party girl Piper goes too far in throwing a wild party, and her Hollywood royalty stepdad decides it’s time for some tough love. He sends Piper and her sister on a strict budget to the tiny fishing village in Washington where she was born and knows almost nothing about.
Gruff but all-around good guy and sea captain Brendan notices Piper instantly, and it doesn’t take long for sparks to fly. These polar opposites really connect where it matters in love, loyalty, and seeing the best in each other.
You find more depth to Piper and realize she’s more than an LA party influencer as she starts to build connections around town and bring some light to the residents; you see Brendan growing out of his shell; you feel the camaraderie among the village residents; and you get some hot scenes that’ll stick with you for a while. All the ingredients for a stellar romcom.
It Happened One Summer pulls their two worlds together masterfully, lets the characters exorcise some demons, and leaves room for some laughs too!
In this hilarious romcom, fun and exuberant Libby is in a tough spot—flooded apartment, little money, and an improv business that isn’t paying the bills. Sweet but shy Henry, future Duke of Foxbrooke, needs his wild and eccentric family to get off his back about finding love. He’s heading home for his thirtieth birthday and needs a girlfriend. It sets up perfectly—Libby needs money, Henry needs a fake girlfriend, and hilarity ensues.
Of course since this is a fake relationship romcom, we know it’ll take a while to admit their feelings. And the story was adorable with a ton of hilarious scenes, especially with Henry’s family. I did get annoyed with the repetitive miscommunication circles: they each like the other more and more but can’t let go of insecurities over and over again. And, a few actual adult conversations would have been nice. But otherwise I loved the characters—opposites in their external personalities but both genuinely loving and thoughtful people. Yay for this romcom.
Bitter enemies Zoe and Aiden team up in a hilarious bid to buy a summer camp in this LOL romcom from Kate Clayborn.
When Zoe was a cutthroat lawyer, she was part of a deal that royally harmed Aiden and his family. Now that she’s won the lottery and quit her hated job, she wants to make amends. It turns out Aiden is trying to buy a summer camp but needs to be a family guy to have a chance to sway the owners. So Zoe agrees to be his fake fiancée for a bunch of weekends where they’ll be pitted against other couples hoping for the property.
Everything about this romcom was well-crafted, thoughtful, and perfect. I loved how Zoe realized her mistakes and wanted to make up for them, how Aiden managed to see beyond those mistakes and see who Zoe really was, how they came to know and love each other. And, perfect for a romcom, the hilarity of their stunts and competitions (and the side characters). They tackle some serious subjects too, but it’s the quintessential romcom moments that make Luck of the Draw special.
Funny Feelings is set up to be the perfect romcom, with FMC Farley being a stand-up comedian trying to make it big. She’s in love with her older, single dad manager, Meyer, but trying to hide how she feels. They’ve been best friends and he and his daughter are everything to her. She can’t take a chance on ruining that. And she’s everything to Meyer too, even if he doesn’t yet realize what kind of everything she is.
Enter the fake dating trope! Farley gets an incredible opportunity, but circumstances push Farley and Meyer into a fake-relationship limelight. Yes please! He hates the spotlight but will do anything to help her. As they fake date, of course it gets real and they start to realize their feelings. The stand-up comedy was a unique plot feature perfect for a romcom, and the fun banter between the characters really made the book for me. As did Meyer’s adorable and hilarious daughter!
Every Duke Has His Day might be my favorite Suzanne Enoch book—loved Michael and Bitsy, but I think the dogs are what did it for me in this romcom! The season’s diamond, Bitsy, adores her ill-behaved poodle Galahad, much to the chagrin of her most ardent suitor (and slimeball), Peter.
Eccentric scientist and duke Michael—who has never fit in with society—reluctantly looks after his aunt’s poodle, Lancelot. After a mishap in the park, the dogs go home with the wrong owners but before they can switch back, there’s a dog-napping, throwing Michael and Bitsy together to solve the mystery. Hilarity ensues and they are each surprised at how much they enjoy the other’s company.
Every Duke Has His Day is a fun and original romcom in the crowded English historical romance category—there’s only so much anyone can do anymore with these, but Suzanne Enoch found a bit of uniqueness here. Bitsy is no shrinking violet, though I do wish she’d put Peter in his place from the beginning. Michael is quirky and direct, and slowly admits to Bitsy (and himself) how much he likes her.
I loved that they had an activity and a goal, rather than just the standard nonsense of balls and house parties, and that they worked together to solve it. Even the parts with the dog-napper were funny and added to the romcom.
Dragged to the Wedding is HILARIOUS. Even when a romcom is funny, I don’t usually laugh out loud while I’m reading it. This romcom is the exception. It broaches some serious topics, but really the book is all about fun while making sure we’re aware that people often go through not-so-fun experiences.
James—who’s gay—just wants to get through his sister’s wedding without causing waves in his conservative family. Particularly with his dictatorial and narrow-minded mother. So he lines up Daniel—aka Lala Traviata—a gorgeous drag queen to pose as Daniela, his lovely, straight girlfriend. He figures it’s easier to fake a girlfriend for a week than actually stand up to his mom and just tell her he’s gay.
Of course, it’s a fiasco from the start. Crazy things go wrong, and who solves most of the problems (some of which mommy dearest caused)? Daniel. There are so many funny storylines—the reverend, the family issues, the growing feelings and affection—that all culminate in a perfect ending for this romcom.
A few things would have been nice. More dimension to the side characters, for one. Stereotypes abound: James’ mom is the classic domineering conservative woman who thinks she can cure James being gay. James’ dad is the husband who lets his wife walk all over him and doesn’t say much of consequence. Weston is the complete jerk best man with absolutely zero redeeming qualities. James’ sisters are fine, but bland.
Dragged to the Wedding isn’t designed to be earth-shattering and deeply serious—it’s a romcom. There are some really meaningful moments and statements about gay kids coming out to their families, especially in non-accepting environments, but the book doesn’t dwell on it. But if you want a soul-searching and somber take on LGBTQIA+ issues, this isn’t the place.
The Danny Horst Rule—a hilarious but also painfully true theory that an average-looking man can get a hot woman but an average-looking woman will never get a hot man. When nice, average comedy-writer Danny gets engaged to gorgeous actress Annabel, his fellow writer Sally has the perfect idea for a late-night sketch in this romcom.
Sally’s not looking for love anymore and is willing to settle for decidedly unromantic hookups when she can fit them into her busy schedule. When superstar musician hottie Noah is the show’s host and musical guest, he and Sally hit it off when they’re collaborating on sketches. But of course Sally knows this couldn’t be an actual romance—what sexy superstar known for dating models would be with a writer like her? Danny Horst 101.
If you ever wanted a glimpse into what Saturday Night Live might be like behind the scenes or have any appreciation for 30 Rock, this romcom is for you. There’s also so much depth brought to the characters and really great relationships all around, social commentary that really hits the mark without going too far, and the perfect feminist themes running throughout. Sally’s insecurities do get annoying after a while and could have been toned down, but overall this book killed it.
I listened to the audio version of this romcom and loved it—narrator nailed the characters’ personalities.
Loved this romcom! Daphne moves her whole life to fiancé Peter’s small town, gets settled in, thinks she’s happy, then WHAM! Peter dumps her for his longtime BFF and now new fiancée Petra. And she has a week to move out. She has no idea where she’ll go when she remembers that, before Petra showed her scheming b***h colors, she lived with her boyfriend, Miles. So Daphne and Miles reluctantly become roommates. Then decide some fake dating is in order to show they’re just fine, thank you very much, and Peter and Petra are the ones missing out.
And of course, feelings grow in a fake dating romcom. But Emily Henry writes Funny Story SO WELL. The scenes are hot, the tension is there, you really feel all the feels. Both Daphne and Miles have their issues but help each other through them. There are some tense, unhappy moments, but overall this romcom made me laugh and brought the fun.