If you’ve torn through every Emily Henry book and now find yourself staring longingly at your bookshelf, willing another Beach Read or Book Lovers to appear, you’re not alone. Emily Henry has become the reigning queen of character-driven romance, the kind of books that balance laugh-out-loud banter with genuine emotional depth, complicated leads, and love stories that actually make you feel something. So if you’re searching for books like Emily Henry to fill the void until her next release, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ve rounded up 30 emotional, witty, swoon-worthy romance novels (organized by which Emily Henry book you loved most) to line up your next great read.
Books like Emily Henry that you’ll want to read immediately
Before we break things down by title, here are five can’t-miss reads that capture the overall Emily Henry magic: the humor, the heart, and the deeply human characters.
1. Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune
Why Emily Henry fans will love it: Carley Fortune is arguably the closest thing to Emily Henry working today, and Our Perfect Storm follows longtime best friends Frankie and George, who have one week to either fix their complicated relationship or lose it for good. With a nostalgic summer setting, a slow-burn best-friends-to-lovers arc, and a big emotional payoff, it’s everything you want in a beachy, heart-tugging romance.
2. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Why Emily Henry fans will love it: Abby Jimenez writes the kind of romance that makes you cackle on one page and cry on the next. This one follows two people who both have a curious problem (everyone they date goes on to find their soulmate immediately after), so they decide to date each other to break the cycle. It’s packed with witty dialogue, real emotional depth, and beautifully complicated characters.
3. The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
Why Emily Henry fans will love it: For readers who love a touch of magic with their romance, The Someday Garden follows a grieving horticulturist who takes a summer job at a crumbling seaside estate and discovers a magical garden hidden behind a door that shouldn’t exist, with a man trapped inside by an old enchantment. It blends magical realism, emotional healing, and a wholly unique premise into a tender, hopeful read.
4. Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan
Why Emily Henry fans will love it: Annabel Monaghan is the go-to for grown-up, feel-good romance with a Nora Ephron sensibility. Her latest delivers all the charming banter and rom-com energy of an Emily Henry read, centered on a hardworking single mom who returns to her seaside hometown and stumbles into a fake dating situationship with a wealthy, workaholic scion.
5. Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
Why Emily Henry fans will love it: Kennedy Ryan brings serious emotional firepower to the page, and this one is no exception. It follows an unapologetically ambitious businesswoman who finally finds a soft place to land with a soulmate who wants nothing more than to make all her dreams come true. It combines deep emotional stakes, genuine humor, and undeniable chemistry in a story about a driven woman who isn’t looking for love and the man who makes her reconsider. If you love an Emily Henry read that leaves you a little wrecked (in the best way), and want to fill your bookshelf with more black romance books, this is for you.
If you loved Beach Read, read these
Beach Read won us over with its writing-about-writers premise, forced proximity, and the kind of emotional conversations that sneak up on you. These picks deliver that same mix of vulnerability, wit, and slow-burn tension, and they’d all earn a spot on your list of the best beach reads this year.
Two competing meteorologists are forced to find common ground in this opposites attract, When Harry Met Sally inspired romance. It’s a second-chance romance from the beloved author of the Lovelight series, full of the cozy, emotional warmth her fans adore.
Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again. A tender, moving story about grief, friendship, and unexpected love that balances heartache with genuine hope.
This book is sharp, funny, and emotionally rich, with the kind of banter and slow-building connection Emily Henry readers crave. In this enemies-to-lovers romance, two journalists must fake a relationship in order to land a huge story.
Written by the screenwriter adapting Beach Read for the screen, this one follows two writers with a painful shared past who are forced to work together in a TV writers’ room. It’s the perfect blend of witty and devastating.
If you love People We Meet on Vacation, read these
People We Meet on Vacation is all about that aching “will they/won’t they” tension, a years-long friendship, and enough yearning to fill a suitcase. These books scratch the same itch.
A dual-timeline friends-to-lovers story about first love and second chances as two childhood sweethearts reconnecting by chance. It will absolutely wreck you (lovingly).
A queer, time-bending romance packed with longing, charm, and a truly swoon-worthy love story. August realizes her subway crush doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her.
A modern, banter-heavy take on the friends-to-lovers, enemies-adjacent slow burn, perfect for When Harry Met Sally fans. When Ari and Josh first meet, the wrong kind of sparks fly. They hate each other. Instantly. But years later, as they’re both reeling from ego-bruising breakups, a chance encounter leads to a surprising connection: friendship.
Talia Hibbert delivers sharp humor and real emotional depth in this roommates-to-lovers romance between a whirlwind party girl and her uptight best friend
If you love Book Lovers, read these
Book Lovers is catnip for anyone who loves a bookish heroine, a career-driven woman who refuses to apologize for it, and dialogue sharp enough to cut glass. These reads deliver, and they may even end up on your best romance books list.
A smart, funny novel about a sketch-comedy writer who falls for a pop star, with plenty of witty, self-aware charm.
A fake-dating romance with a female bodyguard and a movie star, equal parts hilarious and heartfelt.
A gorgeous, layered romance that follows a former actress turned successful audiobook narrator—who has lost sight of her dreams after a tragic accident—and her journey of self-discovery, love, and acceptance when she agrees to narrate one last romance novel.
A propulsive debut novella following Teddy and Marin, whose paths keep crossing over eight rocky years of chance encounters and high-octane yearning that eventually brings them right back to where it all started.
If you love Happy Place, read these
Happy Place blends romance with friendship, grief, healing, and the messy work of finding yourself again. These picks bring that same emotional richness.
A sweeping romance where star-crossed lovers get a second chance at romance when they’re reunited at a wedding in Nigeria, layered with emotion and longing.
A hilarious, sharp-witted romance about an engaged couple locked in a war of pranks who realize they might actually still be in love. When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated
An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate . . . only to discover he lives seven years in the past. It’s a magical, tender romance with a time-slip twist, perfect for readers who love a little wonder with their love story.
A steamy, summery romance where from the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, full of her signature banter and chemistry. It’s such a cliché: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind Maya, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.
If you love Funny Story, read these
Funny Story is all about roommates, unexpected friendships, and falling in love exactly when you least expect it. These reads capture that surprised-by-love magic.
A charming roommates-to-lovers romance that starts with real-estate and turns into something real. Sadie and Jack are polar opposites, but as Sadie’s presence begins to turn the brownstone into a home, they both start to realize they may have just made the deal of a lifetime.
After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes, but falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea…especially if you’ve never met. The beloved flatmates-who-share-a-bed-but-never-meet premise, full of warmth, humor, and heart.
A quirky, funny romance between a shy, demisexual Irish mortician who must marry by his 35th birthday to keep his beloved family business, and the Texan widow escaping her past who moves in next door. It’s as heartfelt as it is unexpected.
Things get textual when a steamy message from a random wrong number turns into an anonymous relationship. A laugh-out-loud, steamy romance, perfect for banter lovers.
If you love Great Big Beautiful Life, read these
For readers drawn to Emily Henry’s more literary, reflective side, as explored in Great Big Beautiful Life, these books deliver rich storytelling, big emotions, and a little more depth. They’re perfect for readers who love their romances with a side of literary fiction.
A sweeping, emotional love story set against the backdrop of the 1980s space program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits from the author of Daisy Jones & The Six.
A tender, character-driven second-chance romance with plenty of emotional heft. Wren and Ellis Byrd fell in love as kids, had their son Sam when they were only teenagers, and built a life together in Oregon. . . until they fell apart. When Ellis and Wren move Sam into college, Ellis convinces Wren to take an extended road trip back to Spunes to see if they can give their relationship one last chance.
A warm, layered love story from the author of Seven Days in June about a woman searching for her handsome seatmate on a European flight―and the unexpected places her hunt for love leads her. It seamlessly blends romance with real emotional stakes.
Travel back in time to 1997 in this cozy, slow-burn romance set in the autumn glow of small-town Vermont about finding happiness (and love) on your own terms.
Authors like Emily Henry to add to your TBR
If you’re looking to stock your shelves with more emotional, witty romance, these are the authors to know (and great picks for your next book club selection):
- Abby Jimenez: for that signature blend of humor and gut-punch emotional depth
- Kennedy Ryan: for rich, deeply felt love stories with real stakes
- Carley Fortune: for nostalgic, summery, second-chance romance
- Christina Lauren: for sparkling banter and irresistible chemistry
- Ashley Poston: for romance with a touch of magic and wonder
- Talia Hibbert: for sharp, funny, emotionally honest love stories
FAQs
What should I read if I love Emily Henry? Start with Carley Fortune’s Our Perfect Storm for that nostalgic summer-romance feeling, Abby Jimenez’s Just for the Summer for the perfect balance of humor and emotional depth, and Kennedy Ryan’s Can’t Get Enough for a love story with real stakes. All three capture the character-driven, witty-but-emotional magic that makes Emily Henry so beloved.
What author is most similar to Emily Henry? It depends on what you love most about her books. For emotional depth and the ability to make you laugh and cry in the same chapter, Abby Jimenez is your best bet. For nostalgic, summery, second-chance romance, Carley Fortune is the closest match. And for that sparkling, banter-heavy chemistry, Christina Lauren delivers every time.
What books are like Beach Read? If you loved the writers-in-forced-proximity setup and emotional depth of Beach Read, try Yulin Kuang’s How to End a Love Story (written by the screenwriter adapting Beach Read itself), B.K. Borison’s And Now Back to You, or Cara Bastone’s Promise Me Sunshine.
What romance books have the same vibe as Emily Henry? The books that best capture the Emily Henry vibe are character-driven romances that mix genuine humor with emotional weight: think Carley Fortune, Abby Jimenez, Christina Lauren, and Ashley Poston. Look for emotional romance, witty dialogue, friends-to-lovers and second-chance tropes, and summery settings, all hallmarks of the stories Emily Henry fans love most.
Andrea is a writer and editor with 10+ years of experience in women’s lifestyle and commerce content. She is based in Los Angeles, California, and her work appears in Vogue, Glamour, The Zoe Report, and many more.
