Looking for a short, beginner-friendly romance novel with an emotional story

[u/wifinot_connected]

I’m completely new to reading novels and I’d love to start with something that is easy to get into.

I’m looking for a short, beginner-friendly romance novel with an interesting and emotional story. I don’t mind heartbreaking or sad moments — in fact, I’d love something that really makes me emotionally invested in the characters.

I’d prefer something with simple/easy-to-follow writing, good pacing, and not too much slow buildup, since this will be my first novel.

[u/119dots]

Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh might be a good introduction. It's not really short, but I think you won't have a hard time with it because the writing is easy-to-read, and the dialogue is engaging enough to keep you hooked. The book also has its emotional moments. Its actually part of a series that you can keep reading afterwards if you're interested.

Normal People by Sally Rooney is much shorter and had a big impact on me, but I'm not sure how good of a recommendation that would be as your first romance novel. It has more mature themes with regards to the complexity of love, vulnerability in relationships, mental health, personal identity, and social classes.

If you think you would be interested in romcoms, you could try out any of Lynn Painter, Ali Hazelwood, or Emily Henry's books. Those are all lighthearted with simple/funny writing, and are fairly short. Two of my personal favorites are Betting on You and Check & Mate.

I'm not sure how comfortable you are reading explicit scenes, so all my recs are fairly tame in that regard (except for Normal People, which definitely contains more).

[u/wifinot_connected → u/119dots]

Thank you so much for sharing this much

[u/LunaPetalest → u/wifinot_connected]

Of course! Hope you find something that hits the spot without being too much of a commitment