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
1231 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
1934 Corelli's Mandolin Louis de Bernières 1994 British English
2010 The Notebook Nicholas Sparks 1996 American English
2108 The Shell Seekers Rosamunde Pilcher 1987 British English
2330 Whitney, My Love Judith McNaught 1985 American English
2594 Bid Time Return Richard Matheson 1975 American English
2682 Twilight Stephenie Meyer 2005 American English
2857 Jamila Chinghiz Aitmatov 1958 Kyrgyz Kyrgyz
2896 Indigo Beverly Jenkins 1996 American English
2985 Tipping The Velvet Sarah Waters 1998 British English
3051 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
3317 The Kiss Quotient Helen Hoang 2018 Vietnamese English
3324 The Sound of Waves Yukio Mishima 1954 Japanese Japanese
3405 Fifty Shades of Grey: E. L. James 2011 British English
3430 Get A Life, Chloe Brown Talia Hibbert 2019 British English
3581 Call Me By Your Name André Aciman 2007 Italian English
3599 The Wedding Date Jasmine Guillory 2018 American English
3600 Daisy Jones & The Six Taylor Jenkins Reid 2019 American English
3608 Virgin River Robyn Carr 2007 American English
3815 Dark Lover J. R. Ward 2005 American English
3843 An Extraordinary Union Alyssa Cole 2017 American English
3912 Salt On Our Skin Benoîte Groult 1988 French French
4066 The Princess Diaries Meg Cabot 2000 American English
4097 Boyfriend Material Alexis Hall 2020 British English
4124 A Very Long Engagement Sebastien Japrisot 1991 French French
4190 The Bridges Of Madison County Robert James Waller 1992 American English
4190 Flowers From The Storm Laura Kinsale 1992 American English
4305 A Court Of Thorns And Roses Sarah J. Maas 2015 American English
4307 It Ends With Us Colleen Hoover 2016 American English
4309 Moon Over Africa Pamela Kent 1955 British English
4548 Frederica Georgette Heyer 1965 British English
4548 Restoree Anne McCaffrey 1967 American English
4548 Bride Of The Mac Hugh Jan Cox Speas 1954 American English
4548 The Wolf And The Dove Kathleen E. Woodiwiss 1974 American English
4548 Mistress Of Mellyn Victoria Holt 1960 British English
4738 When A Scot Ties The Knot Tessa Dare 2015 American English
4833 Entwined Destinies Rosalind Welles 1979 American English
4928 Dreaming Of You Lisa Kleypas 1994 American English
4949 Sergeant Getúlio João Ubaldo Ribeiro 1971 Brazilian Portuguese
4996 The Sun Is Also A Star Nicola Yoon 2016 American English
5013 Slave To Sensation Nalini Singh 2006 New Zealand English
5018 Me Before You Jojo Moyes 2012 British English
5036 Highland Velvet Jude Deveraux 1982 American English
5097 A Hunger Like No Other Kresley Cole 2006 American English
5223 Riders Jilly Cooper 1985 British English
5241 The Life And Adventures Of Trobadora Beatrice Irmtraud Morgner 1974 German German
5310 The Unknown Ajax Georgette Heyer 1959 British English
5317 Eleanor And Park Rainbow Rowell 2012 American English
5331 Through A Glass Darkly Karleen Koen 1986 American English
5390 The Horse Whisperer Nicholas Evans 1995 British English
5463 Gift Of Gold Jayne Ann Krentz 1988 American English
5492 Royally Screwed Emma Chase 2016 American English
5506 Seven Days In June Tia Williams 2021 American English
5634 Book Lovers Emily Henry 2021 American English
5645 The Prize Julie Garwood 1991 American English
5665 The Passionate Heart Beatrix Beck 1955 French French
5703 Mondscheintarif Ildikò von Kürthy 1999 German German
5741 Can You Keep A Secret? Sophie Kinsella 2003 British English
5915 The Magic Toyshop Angela Carter 1967 British English
5932 A Promise Of Fire Amanda Bouchet 2016 American English
5963 A Princess In Theory Alyssa Cole 2018 American English
6002 The Sailor From Gibraltar Marguerite Duras 1952 French French
6074 A Knight In Shining Armor Jude Deveraux 1989 American English
6093 True Betrayals Nora Roberts 1995 American English
6093 Tonight And Forever Brenda Jackson 1995 American English
6137 Tear This Heart Out Ángeles Mastreta 1985 Mexican Spanish
6167 Mrs. Miracle Debbie Macomber 1996 American English
6242 A Discovery Of Witches Deborah Harkness 2011 American English
6262 The Other Boleyn Girl Philippa Gregory 2001 British English
6263 Burning Patience Antonio Skármeta 1985 Chilean Spanish
6373 The Priory Of The Orange Tree Samantha Shannon 2019 British English
6402 Dark Prince Christine Feehan 1999 American English
6528 The Hating Game Sally Thorne 2016 Australian English
6616 Redeeming Love Francine Rivers 1991 American English
6648 Nine Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake Sarah MacLean 2010 American English
6683 Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda Becky Albertalli 2015 American English
6706 The Mac Gregor Grooms Nora Roberts 1998 American English
6745 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
7164 Beijing Comrades Bei Tong 1998 Chinese English
7183 The Perils Of Pleasure Julie Anne Long 2008 American English
7183 The Winter Rose Jennifer Donnelly 2008 American English
7191 Heartstopper Alice Oseman 2018 British English
7580 The Midnight Hour Brenda Jackson 2004 American English