Book Lovers in Love

10 Romantic Reads with Bookish Characters

It's satisfying to read about characters we can relate to. We love stories that reflect our own values and dreams back to us. For readers, this often means we enjoy a book-loving protagonist. What can make it even better? If our literary hero also gets to find love. Here are ten novels that put the "lover" in "book lover."

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

We could have chosen several of Henry's titles, including Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. All three feature book-obsessed characters. This one is about a literary agent who, while on vacation, keeps running into Charlie, a moody editor who just rubs her the wrong way.

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

This depression-era novel tells the story of five extraordinary women serving in the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky, part of Eleanor Roosevelt's traveling library project. Facing all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is both beautiful and brutal, they're committed to bringing books to people who have never had any.

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Florence Day is the ghostwriter for a famous romance author. But a terrible breakup has left her lost for words. When her handsome new editor refuses to extend her deadline, she figures her career is kaput. But things start getting strange when said editor turns up as a ghost at her father's funeral.

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

When authors Shane and Eva meet unexpectedly at a literary event, sparks fly, raising eyebrows. What no one knows is that fifteen years earlier as teenagers, the two spent one crazy, steamy week madly in love and they've been secretly writing each other into their books ever since.

The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery

When fate brings three strangers to a charming space for lease on the California coast, the Boardwalk Bookshop is born. Part bookstore, part gift shop, part bakery, it's a dream come true for Bree, Mikki and Ashley. But while their business is thriving, their personal lives are . . . not.

Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey

In this homage to You've Got Mail, Rosie, a Manhattan bookseller strikes up a flirty online chat with Brie, her fave romance author. IRL, Brie, aka Jane, manages her family's property development business. When Rosie's bookstore's lease gets terminated by Jane's family business, can their budding romance survive?

Prose Before Bros by Cathy Yardley

Nothing about being a small-town librarian prepared Thuy for becoming a farmer. But when her catastrophe-prone BFF begs her for help saving the family farm, she has to try. All she has to do is learn everything about farming ASAP. Oh, and avoid falling in love with Maddy's sexy biker brother. Easy, right?

The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak

Eighteen months ago, Autumn's husband went missing and she can't imagine moving forward without him. But for the sake of their two teenage children, she has to try. Returning to the charming beachside town where she was raised, Autumn seeks comfort working at her family's bookshop.

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

The first rule of book club: You don't talk about book club. Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

It's time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn't convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. There are so many things to love about this charming novel: an eccentric bookworm of a protagonist, the dramatic reveal of a secret family, and an enemies-to-lovers romance. Irresistible!

This is what we call literary comfort food. Books about love and books. What could be better! Do you have any favorites to add to the list?

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon