100 books like Austenland

I fell for Baroness Orczy’s dashing fictional hero—the Scarlet Pimpernel—after watching the 1982 film by the same name starring Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour. I then went on to read the entire book series he was based on! It wasn’t until I came across Lauren Willig’s charming Pink Carnation series, which pays homage to clever and elusive British spies like the Scarlet Pimpernel, that I found a new historical spy hero to delight in. I loved the modern-day protagonist Eloise Kelly, who’s in present-day England working on her dissertation, as well as her historical counterpart Amy Balcourt, who leads the fascinating and romantic parallel story in this very enjoyable dual narrative novel.

When I first came upon Sarah Shoemaker’s novel, I felt myself issuing a silent challenge: Can the author really inspire my sympathy for the gruff and tormented hero of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre? While I’d always loved the atmospheric moodiness of the novel and could empathize to a degree with Jane Eyre herself, Mr. Rochester’s dark, brooding, and secretive nature made me uneasy, and I wasn’t quick to find him as endearing as some other classic literary heroes. However, it was fascinating to be brought into the point of view of this particular Edward Fairfax Rochester! I appreciated experiencing the world of the novel as he might have perceived it and found the detailed background on his life to be an enjoyable addition.

Having been a huge fan of Kwan’s incredibly popular Crazy Rich Asians, I was already inclined to like this new book. Once I realized it was directly inspired by one of my longtime favorites, E.M. Forster’s A Room with a View (which I’d loved enough to write a modernization based on the original novel as well), I was immediately interested to see how Kwan would handle it. The comedy of manners and the exploration of cultural values and differences were the most intriguing aspects of the story to me. The focus on the ultra-wealthy—and all the toys and privileges that come with it—was less appealing, but it was still a thought-provoking element, given the context of the characters’ lives. Definitely worth checking out!

There simply aren’t enough romances that focus on older main characters, so I particularly loved that this funny, Shakespeare-inspired love story had a 60-year-old divorced heroine and an equally mature widower hero. The protagonists are rival florists in Boston, and their families have been embroiled in a feud that has spanned several generations. Watching the way this novel played out—especially with so many meddling family members!—was great fun. And if, like me, you always wished the original Romeo and Juliet could have, maybe, been transformed into a comedy with a happier ending, Jeanne Ray’s light, modern romance just might be for you.

At some point in life, every woman wanted to be a princess. The crown, the poofy dress, the loyal servants. (Now that I’m older, I’d be happy with just the servants.) This novel is pure wish fulfillment. It’s also a fun read—and as far as embarrassing moments go, getting glass splinters in your derriere in front of a hot guy definitely checks that box. Also, this book has lots of romantic tension. Always a plus.

The heroine was nice, funny, sweet, but also awkward at times—someone you’d want as a friend.

First of all this book has a hot cowboy in it. *Swoons* As far as wish-fulfillment goes, I think most women would like to date a cowboy. Cowboys love horses, have muscles, and wear cool hats. I’m not sure why women ever stopped making men wear hats (top hats especially—every man looks better in a top hat) so I especially appreciate a man in a cowboy hat. 

However, I wouldn’t like a cowgirl’s schedule of getting up at the crack of dawn to do ranch work, which is why it’s so nice to vicariously live through this book. You get to date the hot guy but you don’t have to clean stables. Win-win!

Oh, and mixing up a guy with his twin brother and making a fool of yourself—also fun to read about.

Kelly Oram writes great YA romances. You sort of feel like you’re back in high school, but without the pressure of finishing your homework and remembering your locker combination. Everything embarrasses teens, so of course, there are some embarrassing moments in her books too. 

I liked this one because the heroine loved sports but had a hard time getting her teammates to see her for who she was. Sometimes we all just want people to see who we are and not what we do.

The first installment of Michelle Pennington’s Shaped By Love series, A Man Worth Shaving For is a fantastic romantic comedy centering around Tessa and Logan. Tessa is the head of HR in a body-positive lingerie company, while Logan has been called in to analyse the business and give his opinion on where cuts should be made. They are not aware of their upcoming connection, however, until after Tessa is set up on a blind date with him through mutual friends… a date which did not go particularly well. 

Michelle Pennington has written a lot of romances, but with romcom she blows everything else out of the water. I had pre-order alerts set up on my phone for when the next release in the series came out because I loved them that much.

K-pop Confidential was so real, I felt like I was the trainee. Candace Park is a fierce character with raw talent who starts her K-pop trainee years not believing in herself. Not only does the reader feel like they’re overcoming the challenges along with Candace, but it goes deep into the K-pop world with an intense knowledge of the industry. Candance’s fun personality and the cute B-story romance had just the right amount of tension to keep me hooked. One of my favorite K-pop books for sure.

What if you were secretly sketching the cutest boy in school and he accidentally found your notebook? First: Get Caught, A Stalkers Guide to Love tackles this very question. Abigail doesn’t mean to be a stalker, but the whole situation places her in an adorably hilarious situation. I loved that when it came to the true romance of this book, Ben fell for her first. He wasn’t just attracted to her, he fell for her—as she was. I loved that Ben was Korean and we really got to see inside his head just as much as we got to see Abigail. Truly one of my favorite all-time reads.