The Greatest Romance Books Since 1950

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
166 Love in the Time of Cholera Gabriel García Márquez 1985 Colombian Spanish
176 The End of the Affair Graham Greene 1951 British English
504 Her Lover Albert Cohen 1968 Swiss French
641 Bridget Jones's Diary Helen Fielding 1996 British English
717 A Sport and a Pastime James Salter 1967 American English
765 The Thorn Birds Colleen McCullough 1977 Australian English
786 The Far Pavilions Mary Margaret Kaye 1978 British English
842 Outlander Diana Gabaldon 1991 American English
947 Bel Canto Ann Patchett 2001 American English
1009 Love Story Eric Segal 1970 American English
1056 Maurice E. M. Forster 1971 British English
1128 The Price Of Salt Patricia Highsmith 1952 American English
1203 Nine Coaches Waiting Mary Stewart 1958 British English
1232 Patience And Sarah Isabel Miller 1969 American English
1330 The Song of Achilles Madeline Miller 2011 American English
1367 Like Water For Chocolate Laura Esquivel 1989 Mexican Spanish
1561 Oscar and Lucinda Peter Carey 1988 Australian English
1675 The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger 2003 American English
1791 Confessions Of Felix Krull, Confidence Man Thomas Mann 1954 German German
1863 Katherine Anya Seton 1954 American English
1935 Corelli's Mandolin Louis de Bernières 1994 British English
2011 The Notebook Nicholas Sparks 1996 American English
2109 The Shell Seekers Rosamunde Pilcher 1987 British English
2331 Whitney, My Love Judith McNaught 1985 American English
2595 Bid Time Return Richard Matheson 1975 American English
2683 Twilight Stephenie Meyer 2005 American English
2859 Jamila Chinghiz Aitmatov 1958 Kyrgyz Kyrgyz
2897 Indigo Beverly Jenkins 1996 American English
2986 Tipping The Velvet Sarah Waters 1998 British English
3052 Red, White & Royal Blue Casey McQuiston 2019 American English
3104 Foreign Affairs Alison Lurie 1984 American English
3251 Endless Love Scott Spencer 1979 American English
3316 The Kiss Quotient Helen Hoang 2018 Vietnamese English
3323 The Sound of Waves Yukio Mishima 1954 Japanese Japanese
3404 Fifty Shades of Grey: E. L. James 2011 British English
3429 Get A Life, Chloe Brown Talia Hibbert 2019 British English
3580 Call Me By Your Name André Aciman 2007 Italian English
3598 The Wedding Date Jasmine Guillory 2018 American English
3599 Daisy Jones & The Six Taylor Jenkins Reid 2019 American English
3607 Virgin River Robyn Carr 2007 American English
3814 Dark Lover J. R. Ward 2005 American English
3842 An Extraordinary Union Alyssa Cole 2017 American English
3911 Salt On Our Skin Benoîte Groult 1988 French French
4067 The Princess Diaries Meg Cabot 2000 American English
4098 Boyfriend Material Alexis Hall 2020 British English
4125 A Very Long Engagement Sebastien Japrisot 1991 French French
4191 The Bridges Of Madison County Robert James Waller 1992 American English
4191 Flowers From The Storm Laura Kinsale 1992 American English
4306 A Court Of Thorns And Roses Sarah J. Maas 2015 American English
4308 It Ends With Us Colleen Hoover 2016 American English
4310 Moon Over Africa Pamela Kent 1955 British English
4549 Frederica Georgette Heyer 1965 British English
4549 Restoree Anne McCaffrey 1967 American English
4549 Bride Of The Mac Hugh Jan Cox Speas 1954 American English
4549 The Wolf And The Dove Kathleen E. Woodiwiss 1974 American English
4549 Mistress Of Mellyn Victoria Holt 1960 British English
4739 When A Scot Ties The Knot Tessa Dare 2015 American English
4834 Entwined Destinies Rosalind Welles 1979 American English
4930 Dreaming Of You Lisa Kleypas 1994 American English
4951 Sergeant Getúlio João Ubaldo Ribeiro 1971 Brazilian Portuguese
4999 The Sun Is Also A Star Nicola Yoon 2016 American English
5016 Slave To Sensation Nalini Singh 2006 New Zealand English
5021 Me Before You Jojo Moyes 2012 British English
5039 Highland Velvet Jude Deveraux 1982 American English
5099 A Hunger Like No Other Kresley Cole 2006 American English
5225 Riders Jilly Cooper 1985 British English
5242 The Life And Adventures Of Trobadora Beatrice Irmtraud Morgner 1974 German German
5311 The Unknown Ajax Georgette Heyer 1959 British English
5318 Eleanor And Park Rainbow Rowell 2012 American English
5332 Through A Glass Darkly Karleen Koen 1986 American English
5392 The Horse Whisperer Nicholas Evans 1995 British English
5465 Gift Of Gold Jayne Ann Krentz 1988 American English
5494 Royally Screwed Emma Chase 2016 American English
5508 Seven Days In June Tia Williams 2021 American English
5637 Book Lovers Emily Henry 2021 American English
5648 The Prize Julie Garwood 1991 American English
5668 The Passionate Heart Beatrix Beck 1955 French French
5706 Mondscheintarif Ildikò von Kürthy 1999 German German
5744 Can You Keep A Secret? Sophie Kinsella 2003 British English
5918 The Magic Toyshop Angela Carter 1967 British English
5935 A Promise Of Fire Amanda Bouchet 2016 American English
5966 A Princess In Theory Alyssa Cole 2018 American English
6005 The Sailor From Gibraltar Marguerite Duras 1952 French French
6077 A Knight In Shining Armor Jude Deveraux 1989 American English
6096 True Betrayals Nora Roberts 1995 American English
6096 Tonight And Forever Brenda Jackson 1995 American English
6140 Tear This Heart Out Ángeles Mastreta 1985 Mexican Spanish
6170 Mrs. Miracle Debbie Macomber 1996 American English
6246 A Discovery Of Witches Deborah Harkness 2011 American English
6265 The Other Boleyn Girl Philippa Gregory 2001 British English
6266 Burning Patience Antonio Skármeta 1985 Chilean Spanish
6376 The Priory Of The Orange Tree Samantha Shannon 2019 British English
6405 Dark Prince Christine Feehan 1999 American English
6530 The Hating Game Sally Thorne 2016 Australian English
6618 Redeeming Love Francine Rivers 1991 American English
6650 Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake Sarah MacLean 2010 American English
6684 Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda Becky Albertalli 2015 American English
6707 The Mac Gregor Grooms Nora Roberts 1998 American English
6746 A Matter Of Feeling Janine Boissard 1985 French French
6817 Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins Reid 2017 American English
6850 A Little Sun In Cold Water Francoise Sagan 1969 French French
6891 Bared To You Sylvia Day 2012 American English
6897 The Winter Sea Susanna Kearsley 2008 Canadian English
6901 Raymond And Hannah Stephen Marche 2005 Canadian English
6909 The Chatelaine Claire Lorrimer 1978 British English
6968 The Duchess Bertrice Small 2001 American English
6987 Lord Perfect Loretta Chase 2006 American English
7052 A Summer To Remember Mary Balogh 2002 British English
7079 A Court Of Mist And Fury Sarah J. Maas 2016 American English
7086 The Virtuoso Margriet de Moor 1993 Dutch Dutch
7122 Why We Love Helen Fisher 2004 American English
7135 To All The Boys I've Loved Before Jenny Han 2014 American English
7149 Magic In The Wind Christine Feehan 2003 American English
7149 Tempting The Beast Lora Leigh 2003 American English
7154 The Loneliness Of Sonia And Sunny Kiran Desai 2025 Unknown English
7165 Beijing Comrades Bei Tong 1998 Chinese English
7184 The Perils Of Pleasure Julie Anne Long 2008 American English
7184 The Winter Rose Jennifer Donnelly 2008 American English
7192 Heartstopper Alice Oseman 2018 British English
7581 The Midnight Hour Brenda Jackson 2004 American English