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Fake dating, grumpy/sunshine and small towns: romcoms and contemporary romance are among the most popular reads on BookTok. Here are seven popular titles, from light and funny to emotional, with what readers love and what they criticize.
How we chose: We analysed every book on this list in its own meta review, summarising what readers praise and criticize in reviews, blogs and rating sites. The order is not a ranking.
1. Funny Story by Emily Henry
A jilted bride, her rival’s ex as a roommate and fake holiday photos.
- What readers love: Sharp dialogue, a lovable hero and a heroine who finds herself again.
- Worth knowing: According to critics, the fake dating is barely played out, and the third-act breakup feels contrived.
Read the full Funny Story review
2. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
A PhD student, a feared professor and a fake relationship.
- What readers love: Banter, real academic life and well-executed tropes.
- Worth knowing: The power imbalance between professor and student and a lot of miscommunication.
Read the full The Love Hypothesis review
3. Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
A runaway bride, an unknown niece and a grumpy barber in a small town.
- What readers love: The town and its people, found family and leads over thirty.
- Worth knowing: Very long, a hero some find too controlling and a crime plot at the end.
Read the full Things We Never Got Over review
4. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
Figure skater meets hockey captain.
- What readers love: Witty banter, a caring hero and the team.
- Worth knowing: A thin plot and lots of explicit scenes.
Read the full Icebreaker review
5. Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
A diver and an Olympic swimmer in a no-strings relationship.
- What readers love: Chemistry, Hazelwood humour and kink with a clear focus on consent.
- Worth knowing: Pale side characters, and some miss the romantic development.
6. Twisted Love by Ana Huang
A cold billionaire and his best friend’s sister.
- What readers love: Lots of emotion and grumpy/sunshine in its purest form.
- Worth knowing: Predictable, and some find the hero manipulative.
Read the full Twisted Love review
7. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Marketed as a love story, but above all about domestic violence.
- What readers love: An honest portrayal that moved many readers deeply.
- Worth knowing: Critics see the abuse as played down and the marketing as misleading. Read the content notes first.
Read the full It Ends With Us review
Conclusion
For wit and dialogue, Funny Story and The Love Hypothesis are good choices. Small town feelings await in Things We Never Got Over, sport in Icebreaker and Deep End. Twisted Love is the most dramatic pick, and It Ends with Us is more a novel about domestic violence than a classic romance.
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