Genre Mash: RTW x Romance

Participating in Read the World this year? Hear are some of our most romantic picks.

Updated April 14, 2026
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The map of love
Soueif, Ahdaf
Ebook
Booker Prize Finalist Here is an extraordinary cross-cultural love story that unfurls across Egypt, England, and the United States over the course of a century. Isabel Parkman, a divorced American journalist, has fallen in love with a gifted and difficult Egyptian-American...

RTW Africa (Egypt)

The secret sky : a novel of forbidden love in Afghanistan
Abawi, Atia
Ebook
An eye-opening, heart-rending tale of love, honor and betrayal from veteran foreign news correspodent Atia Abawi Fatima is a Hazara girl, raised to be obedient and dutiful. Samiullah is a Pashtun boy raised to defend the traditions of his tribe. They were not meant to fall...

RTW Asia (Afghanistan)

The book of everlasting things
Malhotra, Aanchal
Paper Book
FOR FANS OF ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, A LUSH, SWEEPING LOVE STORY ABOUT A HINDU PERFUMER AND A MUSLIM CALLIGRAPHER, SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF PARTITION "Monumental...A far-reaching love story." --NPR (A Best Book of the Year) "Mesmerizing." -...

RTW Asia (India)

Well, that was unexpected
Sutanto, Jesse Q.
Audiobook
"A delightful, hilarious, captivating love letter to Indonesia, and coming of age in a large meddlesome family, and the thrill of finding your person where you least expect it!"--Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis ...

RTW Asia (Indonesia)

Unmarriageable
Soniah Kamal
Paper Book
"This inventive retelling of Pride and Prejudice charms."--People   "A fun, page-turning romp and a thought-provoking look at the class-obsessed strata of Pakistani society."--NPR Alys Binat has sworn never to marry--until an encounter...

RTW Asia (Pakistan)

Crazy rich Asians
Kwan, Kevin
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The international sensation and blockbuster Hollywood rom com. * "A Pride and Prejudice-like send-up about an heir bringing his Chinese-American girlfriend home to meet his ancestor-obsessed family." --People   ...

RTW Asia (Singapore)

Pardalita
Estrela, Joana
Paper Book
MILDRED L. BATCHELDER HONOR WINNER School Library Journal Best of the Year BCCB Best of the Year (Blue Ribbon Selection) A beautiful slice-of-life story that is This One Summer meets Ursula K. Le Guin's Very Far...

RTW Europe (Portugal)

Heartstopper Vol. 1
Oseman, Alice
Paper Book
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. This edition features beautiful two-color artwork. Now streaming on Netflix! Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Highly suspicious and unfairly cute
Hibbert, Talia
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A pair of ex-best friends turned high school rivals must work together to survive the great outdoors--and each other--in this cozy enemies-to-lovers romance from the beloved author of the Brown Sisters trilogy. "A pure delight. This book...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Sense and sensibility
Austen, Jane
Paper Book
Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Anne of the island
Montgomery, L.M
Paper Book
Anne Shirley is off to college in this artfully packaged edition of the third book in the Anne of Green Gables series. Anne is finally off to Redmond College! While she's sad to be leaving Marilla and the twins, she's excited to finally become a full-fledged BA, and to embark on...

RTW North America (Canada)

The dating plan
Desai, Sara
Paper Book
Ever the obedient daughter, Daisy Patel always follows the rules, but the one thing she can't give her family is the marriage they expect. With few options left to her, and desperate to escape a parade of unwanted suitors, she asks her childhood crush to be her decoy fiance. When Liam learns that...

RTW North America (Canada)

The matchmaker's list
Lalli, Sonya
Paper Book
One devoted modern girl + a meddlesome, traditional grandmother = a heartwarming multicultural romantic comedy about finding love where you least expect it. Raina Anand may have finally given in to family pressure and agreed to let her grandmother play matchmaker, but that doesn...

RTW North America (Canada)

Like water for chocolate : a novel in monthly installments, with recipes, romances, and home remedies
Esquivel, Laura
Paper Book
Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit. The classic love story takes place on the De la Garza ranch, as the tyrannical owner, Mama Elena, chops...

RTW North America (Mexico)

Love and other perishable items
Buzo, Laura
Paper Book
Love is awkward, as fans of Rainbow Rowell and E. Lockhart well know. Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, this grocery store romance was a Morris Award Finalist for Best YA debut. "Smart, honest and full of achingly real characters. And it made me laugh. What else would...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Stars in their eyes
Walton, Jessica; As?ka, (Illustrator); Graphix (Firm)
Ebook

RTW Oceania (Australia)

The thorn birds
McCullough, Colleen
Paper Book
"Beautiful....Compelling entertainment." --New York Times "A heart-rending epic...truly marvelous." --Chicago Tribune One of the most beloved novels of all time, The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough's sweeping family saga of...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

Furia
Maendez, Yamile Saied
Paper Book
A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB YA PICK Recipient of the 2021 Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Medal One of BuzzFeed's Must-Read YA Books of 2020 A Best Book of the Year: Cosmopolitan * Kirkus...

RTW South America (Argentina)

Daughter of fortune : a novel
Allende, Isabel
Paper Book
An Oprah Book Club selection! "Allende has created a masterpiece of historical fiction that is passionate, adventurous, and brilliantly insightful. . . . suspenseful and surprising." --Denver Post From the revered New York Times bestselling author of The...

RTW South America (Chile)

The house of the spirits
Allende, Isabel
Paper Book
Chilean writer Isabel Allende's classic novel is both a richly symbolic family saga and the riveting story of an unnamed Latin American country's turbulent history. In a triumph of magic realism, Allende constructs a spirit-ridden world and fills it with colorful and all-too...

RTW South America (Chile)

Love in the time of cholera
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel
Paper Book
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER * "A love story of astonishing power" (Newsweek), the acclaimed modern literary classic by the beloved Nobel Prize-winning author. In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry...

RTW South America (Colombia)

Atmosphere : a love story
Reid, Taylor Jenkins
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * From the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go...

RTW Outer Space


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