**Red and pink hearts decorate the shops. The bookstore has a table of love stories and I try to peek through the window as I decorate the shop that I work at. I hang hearts and wreathes and beautiful garland inside and out. I even made sure to dress in all red and pink today, as I will for the rest of the week. Love is in the air, they say. I finish hanging my wreath and make up a little display of love potions, candles, and flowers.**

I initially wasn’t sure what to post yesterday since I had a few ideas which is why this is late, but I finally settled on my book recommendations for Valentine’s Day. I hope you find a great recommendation for the holiday.

• Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

I LOVED this book! I read it in February of 2023 and it ended up being my favorite book that year. It is a ya rom-com about a rom-com loving girl who is determined to create her own movie worthy love story. It is such a cute read with humorous moments and fun characters. This is my top recommendation for this list.

• The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

Really, you could probably pick up ANY Lynn Painter and it would be a great Valentine’s Day read. However, I recommended this as the only other one because this and BTTM are probably the best ones to read for the holiday. This is about a girl who has to relive a horrible Valentine’s Day over and over. This was another fun read, and even better because it takes place on Valentine’s Day.

• Funny Story by Emily Henry

I felt like I should recommend an adult book for this list instead of keeping it exclusively YA, so I went with an Emily Henry. This is probably her most romance-heavy book, since most of her other ones are more on the fiction side. This is about a librarian who has to move in with her ex’s new girlfriend’s ex after getting dumped. We watch as she navigates post breakup life and gets to know her new roommate. My favorite part of this book, or one of them at least, was seeing Daphne’s job as a librarian.

• A Kasie West book

Especially her older ones like On the Fence, The Fill-In Boyfriend, P.S. I Like You, and The Distance Between Us. It’s been a little while since I’ve read some of these, but I do remember liking them and thinking that they were some of the more romance focused stories compared to plot focused. Kasie West is a great author if you’re looking for a cute ya romance.

• The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

This is another ya romance that follows a girl who has to work at her dad’s food truck for the summer as punishment for some of her class clown antics at school. I read this a few years ago and was surprised at how much I liked it.

• Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

This is actually one of my favorite books, even though I haven’t read it since 2016/2017 and then again in 2018/2019. The beginning of this book actually takes place around Valentine’s Day which is why I wanted to recommend it. It follows a girl named Sam who has OCD and a toxic friend group. She eventually finds her way to a place called Poet’s Corner where she meets a small group of people who share their poetry. This is a such a great story about friendship and finding you place and I highly recommend giving it a read.

• You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston

Nothing says love and Valentine’s Day like a thriller set around the holiday with bodies with missing hearts and little letters left around campus from the killer. This is actually one of my favorite Natasha Preston books and the Valentine’s Day setting makes it a great read for the upcoming holiday.

• To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

The last one I want to recommend is To All the Boys. I read this years ago, back in 2017, and really enjoyed it when I read it. It follows a girl named Lara Jean who keeps a box of love letters she’s written to all of her crushes. One day, the letters get sent out and she has to deal with the aftermath. I really don’t remember much about this series, but I did like it when I read it, and it would make a great Valentine’s read with the love letters and romance.

There may be a few more books that I could recommend for the holiday, but I think that these would be my top options. Let me know if you have any recommendations and if you are someone that likes to read books based on the holidays.

xoxo,

Just another reader 💌