While every romance reader will roll their eyes at the idea that these books set unrealistic expectations for women (trust me, we’ve swiped on Hinge—we know these men are fictional), that doesn’t stop us from swooning. Just because the chances of finding a hunky fae IRL are slim to none doesn’t mean we can’t dream. Whether your ideal man lives within the pages of an Emily Henry novel or a Sarah J. Maas fantasy, we all have that one book boyfriend we compare the rest to. So, I’m taking on the daunting task of ranking those book boyfriends to find the ultimate dream man. After polling our team and conducting extensive research (read: scrolling TikTok), here are the internet’s favorite book boyfriends, ranked.
12. Luke Brooks from Done and Dusted
After an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, Emmy Ryder has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape. Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s bad boy and Emmy’s older brother’s best friend. Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance, and Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back?
Okay, I know the Luke girls are ready to curse me out right now, but let me remind you: even making this list is an incredible feat—and someone had to come last. It’s not that Luke isn’t the perfect man; it’s just that in a world full of hot cowboy romances, he’s a little… forgettable. Don’t get me wrong, if he showed up at my door tomorrow and confessed his love, I’d still ride off into the sunset with him. But some of these other book boyfriends are so iconic they’ve created entire archetypes, and Luke just can’t compete with that.
11. Brendan Taggart from It Happened One Summer
A Hollywood “It Girl” is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town… where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong.
Our sexy sea captain Brendan—listen, it feels criminal to have you this low, but alas, this is how the cards have fallen (or, more accurately, how I’ve strategically placed them). I adore a man who’s completely obsessed with his girlfriend, and Tessa Bailey really did her big one with Brendan, but the dangers and logistics of being a king crab fisherman complicate things. Like… I get seasick. The idea of being trapped on a boat with a bunch of men sounds more like a horror movie than a romance novel, so unfortunately, it has landed Brendan on the lower end of this list.
10. Atlas Corrigan from It Ends With Us
When Lily feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle, everything in Lily’s life seems too good to be true. Ryle is assertive, stubborn, sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.
It’s not Atlas’s fault he’s this far down the list, but his once-stellar reputation has been slightly tainted by the whole Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni feud. Is it fair to let real-life drama affect my judgment of a fictional man? Probably not. But I can’t help projecting it onto him, and suddenly his perfect boyfriend traits feel just a little less perfect. Sorry, CoHo, we still love Atlas.
9. Conrad Fisher from The Summer I Turned Pretty
Belly measures her life in summers. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.
Recency bias might have you thinking Conrad deserves the top spot, but as much as I love our favorite black-cat boyfriend, he’s far from perfect. The wedding confession? Ditching Belly at prom? The total inability to talk about his emotions? It all has to count against him a little. By the end, he gets it together and becomes the dream boyfriend, but I just can’t look past how messy the road was to get there. Still, I could never rank him any lower than eight.
8. Xaden Riorson from Fourth Wing
Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.
Put your swords down! I know seeing Xaden outside of the top five might be shocking, but hear me out—there are just too many perfect men out there (a sentence I never thought I would write). Well, at least completely fictional ones written by women! It’s not that there’s anything wrong with Xaden; it’s just that we’ve seen the “shadow daddy” archetype before, and his version doesn’t stand out as much as it used to. Plus, his communication issues get old fast as the Empyrean series goes on.
7. Aiden Valentine from First Time Caller
A hopeless romantic meets a jaded radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle–inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.
Aiden Valentine, you will always be famous. I’m a sucker for a good grumpy-sunshine trope, and no one does it better than First-Time Caller. Aiden could easily be the lead in a cozy Nora Ephron movie, and that alone makes him irresistible. His emotional growth and maturity throughout the story take his swoon factor to a whole new level. There’s nothing holding him back; it’s just that a few other book boyfriends outshine him.
6. Sam Florek from Every Summer After
Instead of summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, Persephone spends them in an apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart. Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.
Sam and Percy might be one of my all-time favorite fictional couples. Watching them grow up and fall in love was so sweet—and sure, the whole decade of not speaking probably keeps Sam from the number-one spot. But when they reconnect and fall for each other again, all is forgiven. Seeing glimpses of their relationship in One Golden Summer only confirms that Sam is, without a doubt, an incredible book boyfriend.
5. Adam Carlsen from The Love Hypothesis
When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman’s carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.
The second I hear “sexy, brooding STEM professor,” I’m already in—and that’s exactly what we get with Adam Carlsen. I love all of Ali Hazelwood’s MMCs, but Adam from her debut will always have my heart. Sure, the height and abs don’t hurt, but it’s his unwavering support of Olive that makes him truly swoon-worthy.
4. James Iwan Ashton from The Seven Year Slip
Clementine has a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard and find someone decent to love. For the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, and Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.
If you somehow haven’t picked up The Seven Year Slip yet, I hope hearing about the gift that is the fictional dreamboat Iwan will convince you to bump it to the top of your TBR. He’s endearing, mature, and—did I mention?—a literal chef. What more could a girl want? The yearning between the two main characters is also next level. I mean, they’re literally separated by seven years, so of course there’s some serious pining involved. The girls love Iwan, and for good reason, so he’s absolutely top-five material.
3. Justin Dahl from Just for the Summer
Justin has a curse; every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected—including catching real feelings for each other.
I don’t think there’s a more selfless, grounded partner than Justin from Just for the Summer. His love for Emma is heart-melting, but it’s his devotion to his family and sense of responsibility that really seals the deal. Justin has it all: banter, vulnerability, and genuine emotional intelligence. Abby Jimenez has created a nearly perfect man, and for that, we owe her everything.
2. Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses
When huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
ACOTAR girlies, I know you’ve been anxiously awaiting Rhysand’s placement, and I’m happy to report he’s earned the number-two spot. Ranking the blueprint for fantasy love interests everywhere below that would feel like a crime. Is Rhys perfect? Of course not. But once you break through his arrogant exterior, he’ll do anything for Feyre—and that hits different. His impact on the fantasy genre may be slightly boosting his spot, but I have to give credit where credit is due.
1. Miles Nowak from Funny Story
Daphne is stranded in Michigan, without friends or family after her fiancé dumps her for his childhood best friend, Petra. She proposes to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles. They form a plan to post deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, but it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?
There was simply no world where the number-one spot didn’t go to an Emily Henry character. Several could’ve made the list, but according to our team, the one who truly stole our hearts is Miles from Funny Story. Much like everyone in the book, we can’t help but fall for him. The way he helps Daphne rebuild her life and find herself again is one of the most romantic things ever written. Miles, The Everygirls love you.
Lauren Blue, Assistant Editor
As an Assistant Editor for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content for every facet of our readers’ lives. Her articles span the topics of must-read books, movies, home tours, travel itineraries—and everything in between. When she isn’t testing the latest TikTok trend, she can be found scouring Goodreads for new releases to feature on the site.
