Teen Romance Novels that Won’t Make you Blush
By: Jackie Humphrey
Happy Valentine’s Day! There are many legends that surround St. Valentine. My favorite story of him is that he was a priest who secretly married couples against the wishes of Emperor Claudius II. The emperor thought that single men made better soldiers. Valentine felt this was unfair to keep young people apart so he married them in secret. Unfortunately, he was caught and the Emperor had him beheaded. Regardless of how this holiday came into being, it is now a time for cards, candy, flowers and if you’re a book lover like me, romance novels. But sometimes I want something that’s dreamy but not necessarily steamy. There’s something very sweet about slowly falling in love for the first time!
Some of the books listed below are flirty and fun and some have a little more depth to them. None of them are extremely steamy or graphic but it’s always best to check them out yourself since everyone’s tolerance and taste is different. A couple of my own personal favorites are Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. Happy Love Day!
Waterfall by Lisa Bergren:
American teenager Gabi Betarrini accidently finds herself in sixteenth-century Italy . . . Knights. Swords. Horses. Armor. And Italian hotties.
Born Confused by Tanuja Desaid Hidier
A story about finding yourself, finding your friends, finding love, and finding your culture — sometimes where you least expect it.
My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Lara Jean writes love letters to all the boys she has loved and then hides them in a hatbox until one day those letters are accidentally sent.
Wait for Me by Caroline Leech
In 1945, Lorna risks everything for love when she begins to fall for Paul, the German POW sent to work on her father’s farm.
Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Amy has to drive cross country with Roger, the son of a friend of her mother’s. Amy barely knows Roger but being stuck in a car with someone for days, it’s easy to develop a crush.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
A sweet story of romantic near misses and the delicious anticipation of “will they or won’t they.”
Geekerella by Ashley Poston
Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom.
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
…this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.
The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
…shows that the center of the world isn’t necessarily a place. Sometimes, it can be a person.