Top Romance Novels of 2020

Well, this year has meant a lot of time inside reading. In between reading some truly nasty horror novels (a post for another day), I wanted something light and fun to distract me from my general sense of impending doom.

This year also saw me get deep into the underbelly of what is known as Booktube- Youtube’s book vlogger community. Sometimes, I find myself thinking that if I spent all the time I watched Booktube reading books instead, I would get a lot more reading done. That being said, I’m just shy of having read 50 books this year! Amongst my favourites are Noelle Gallagher, Kat of Paperback Dreams, and Emily of BookswithEmilyFox.

The latter, Emily, is not a romance fan, but thanks to Kat, Noelle and many others, including the hilarious Cindy of readwithcindy, I have read some great romance books this year. Enough preamble, here are my top romance reads that I read in 2020.

5. Don’t You Forget About Me, Mhairi Mcfarlane (2008)

I have read two books by Mhairi Mcfarlane (I’ll save you the google search, it’s pronounced Vah-ree) this year and in my opinion, Don’t You Forget About Me is far superior to If I Never Met You (2020). I think it’s because the former story relies on our characters reconnecting after years apart, which is my absolute favourite romance trope. Georgina is an over-the-top big kid who has recently been unfairly fired from the worst restaurant in town.

Her dismissal is all in good fortune because Georgina lands a temp job in a cool new bar that has recently changed management. The bar is now owned by two Irish Brothers, one of them thinks Georgina is great and angles to hire her fulltime. The other is *shock horror* her first love Lucas, who now wants to pretend her can’t remember Georgina at all. Georgina understandably feels on edge about this development, but she plays along with Lucas’ game. Until the tension between them becomes too much and things take a turn for the dramatic.

Don’t You Forget About Me has a cast of interesting support characters, including an awful comedian ex, who does unforgivable things to seek his revenge on Georgina. The journey in this book is decent and worthy of its destination. The teenage misunderstanding that drove Georgina and Lucas apart in the first place rang true and captured the messiness of adolescence. It’s also refreshing to read about a 30-year-old still trying to find her feet.

Steamy? Other than a nipple grab, nope not really. Safe to read around ya mum!

Soppy? Not especially, the romantic leads aren’t particularly sentimental, and there’s a lot of dry wits and character development to enjoy in this novel.

4. Beach Read, Emily Henry (2020)

This novel caused a buzz this year, and I too was somewhat captivated by Emily Henry’s fun genre-twisting story. January Andrews is a romance writer who has recently lost her father and moved into his secret second home in a remote town. It’s a secret because it’s the home he once shared with his mistress.

Coincidentally, January has moved in next door to Gus, or Augustus Everett, who is also a successful writer. Pointedly, Gus writes literary fiction and went to the same writers’ school as January. At that time, he was a real thorn in her side, often ridiculing her love for a happy ending.

January and Gus eventually develop a bond and discover that both are struggling with writer’s block. January is especially suffering because her father’s death and the reveal of his affair has caused her to question her previously unshakable belief in true love. January and Gus make a wager to switch genres as a way to encourage inspiration for writing again, Gus will attempt a happy ending and January will take on gloomy literary fiction. Whoever sells their manuscript first is the winner. 

Beach Read is a romance novel that questions its own genre. It reflects on the nature of human relationships and the messiness of long term commitment. January feels jaded with her chosen genre, as she questions the nature of love and the contrived happy endings of her most successful works. 

January is in her late twenties and throughout the trajectory of the novel, she is moving away from her naive view of love, and her determination to be in a relationship that looks good on paper. This is all for the better and it seems that Gus has entered her life at the perfect time for her to see him as an ideal partner for her.

Steamy? More like the steam from a hot shower, but it’s hardly a house fire.

Soppy? The nature of Beach Read, a book that questions its own existence, moves away from the trite sentimentality of superficial love affairs. Rather, the text gives us two fully formed characters, burdened with their respective baggage. This book is just the right amount of sentimental. A lot of the book is used to explore January’s world view and her relationship with her parents, not just the actual love affair of Gus and January.

3. The Flat Share, Beth O'Leary (2019)

So this story follows Tiffy and Leon. Tiffy works in a craft book publishing company and has recently left a toxic relationship. Leon is a palliative care nurse working night shifts. After leaving her toxic ex, Tiffy is unfortunate enough to have few choices for a roof over her head. She ends up living in Leon’s flat, but with a strange twist. There is no spare room, in fact, Tiffy and Leon will be sharing the same bed. They will also never meet in theory, as Leon works nights, and Tiffy is out during the day. On weekends Leon will stay with his girlfriend, Kay. These boundaries are strictly enforced by Kay. What could go wrong?

Well, the two begin compulsively writing one another notes, making each other comfort food and before we know it, a bond is formed. Through a series of unseen events, the two finally meet, and of course, sparks fly.

The Flat Share is a dual narrative going between Tiffy and Leon in alternating chapters. It’s a fun gimmick that’s also used in the next book on my list, Get a Life, Chloe Brown. I like being able to see the two sides of the story as our romantic leads grow closer.

Tiffy is a great romantic lead in various ways. She is genuinely likeable and described as very tall and voluptuous, which isn’t typical of most romance characters but is true of real life. Her discomfort with her body gave Tiffy more weight as a character. Whenever the author establishes endearing characters, the broader romance gains a lot more investment for the reader.

Both characters have well-constructed backstories, Leon is concerned for his innocent brother currently stuck in jail. Tiffy remains infatuated with her abusive ex. In each other, they find the support they need to get through their current predicaments.

Something that I haven’t mentioned previously, but it’s true of all of these books, is that the women characters are given lush backstories, which assumes a high level of empathy and intelligence on the part of the reader. 

Unlike some well-known YA fiction where the women leads are thinly sketched so that readers may project onto them, a good romance heroine is given life on the page. You can trust, as a reader, that this character has a past and future beyond the text.

This is true of Tiffy in The Flat Share. I loved the idea of our leads strengthening their bond through notes they left around the house. This is not unlike making friends in distant lands online, which many readers will have experienced. It’s a fun trope to sink your teeth into. I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Steamy? Other than an awkward bathroom plot development, not very steamy! Our leads experience many false starts as Tiffy experiences over- hanging trauma from her recent abusive relationship. Her trauma is treated with great sensitivity by Leon. 

Soppy? Very soppy, but I was here for it. The epilogue was very sweet. 

2. Get a Life Chloe Brown, Talia Hibbert (2019)

Get a Life, Chloe Brown has caused quite a buzz this year. It’s a romance novel that has even won over non-romance readers. 

Chloe Brown has written a list, a type of bucket list, to make up for all the experiences she feels she has missed in her life so far. Chloe is in her 30s, and as is typical for many at this stage in their lives, she feels she has wasted precious time. Unfortunately, she has a chronic illness, which means that she often doesn’t have enough energy to do everything she wants to.

Red Morgan is Chloe’s brooding (read hot) superintendent in her new apartment building. At first, sparks fly between the two in all the wrong ways. Red (or Redford as Chloe insists on calling him) thinks Chloe is a massive snob. Chloe thinks Red to be equally infuriating. Despite herself, Chloe often finds herself guiltily spying on Red as he paints at night. 

Chloe becomes stuck in a tree in a failed attempt to capture a cat. Red rescues her and finds out about her ‘get a life list’ that got her trapped in the tree in the first place, and agrees to help her complete the tasks on the list.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown was simply a joy to read. I can tell that Talia Hibbert has really honed her craft and has recently started gaining the attention she deserves. She just writes the best characters. They are always likeable and bold. The romance is simply exquisite, the writing is lyrical and extremely intimate. The characters seem to be lost in one another. Hibbert has a real skill of immersing you in her characters' psyches as they fall into an all-consuming passion for one another. It helps that Hibbert’s men can’t get enough of the heroines.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown is part of a trilogy, following Chloe and her two sisters, Danika and Eve. I find that this trio of characters adds to the appeal. We can check in with the characters from previous books as we continue the series. At the time of writing, I am reading the second book in the series, Take a Hint, Dani Brown (2020), and it’s just as good as its predecessor. One added advantage of reading Get a Life, Chloe Brown is that if you like it, there is more to enjoy with the complete series.

Steamy? Extremely. I listened to this as an audiobook and I was grateful for my mask because I was most likely blushing.

Soppy? Yes, but in a very enjoyable way. Red and Chloe seem to have a delicious connection, and it is fun to live vicariously through them.

1. One to Watch, Kate Stayman-London (2020)

I get emotional just thinking about One to Watch. I have never read an interpretation of a fat character that was so poignant and true to the lived experience of a fat woman. Yes, this is a romance novel, but it really does make itself known by being authentically different from most other entries in the genre. One to Watch daringly moves away from the slim protagonists typical of the genre.

Bea Schumacher is a fashion blogger and a plus-sized woman. Bea has found her confidence through her love of fashion but is still dragged down by the pile-on of systematic abuse that is inflicted on many plus-sized women in the public eye.

I think in the rare occurrences that the lead protagonist is fat in any media, or in any way plus-sized, there is only one character type. She must be fat and happy about it. I’m talking about Tracy Turnblad from Highspray (2007), for example, who remains unaffected by her differences and above any pain inflicted on her by constant bullying. 

Most fat protagonists are above it all, but that is rarely the case in real life. I probably don’t need to elaborate on the burden of body image for women. Women of all sizes suffer from insecurity about their bodies, which the beauty, diet and fashion industries are built on. Our struggles are turned to profit.

I often feel frustrated that my real-life insecurities about my body are rarely being portrayed in fiction. It was refreshing to see a plus-sized protagonist struggle with her body image. Bea doesn’t have to be stoic in the face of abuse, she is given permission to be sensitive, to be affected, to take that cruelty to heart. 

All this praise and I haven’t even gotten into the story yet, and it’s a doozy! Bea is a big fan of a fictional reality dating show called Main Squeeze. After Bea gets noticed for a viral tweet criticising the show for only airing slim romantic leads, she is approached to join the show. This means we not only have one or two potential romances, but we have many. 

The drama that ensues is truly compelling. Bea’s weight is often used and abused for the purposes of entertainment on Main Squeeze, with some of the contestants taunting her on camera. One contestant even walks off the set at the sight of her after a surprise reveal to the bachelors. The story is at its most interesting when we see what goes on behind the camera as the narrative leans into the long-suspected inauthenticity of so-called reality TV.

Steamy? A little bit! There’s a particularly surprising sex-related twist, which I enjoyed. The details aren’t explicit, so you can still enjoy this book if steaminess isn’t for you.

Soppy? I’m beginning to think that soppy romances aren’t my jam. Unlike the Bachelor, a show the story is based on, One to Watch is less focused on soppy romantic moments and is more focused on Bea and her journey. 

If you have read these books and enjoyed them please let me know! I hope you find an enjoyable read in amongst my recommendations.