The most recommended books about love

Who picked these books? Meet our 373 experts.

373 authors created a book list connected to love, and here are their favorite love books.
Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

What type of love book?

Loading...
Loading...

Book cover of Only Love is Real: The Story of Soulmates Reunited

Claudia Amendola Alzraa Author Of Intuitive Tarot 101: A self-study journey through the tarot

From my list on past lives that will help you heal.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a clairaudient medium and I’ve been a professional tarot card reader for 23 years. Delving into past lives is not only something I’m fascinated with but something I do for my spiritual business, as well. The most important part for my clients is not only knowing about their past lives but understanding how the struggles and lessons learned in those lives are applicable to their present life on this planet. History repeats itself is not just a cliche; I’ve always known how important it is to process and release these karmic teachings.

Claudia's book list on past lives that will help you heal

Claudia Amendola Alzraa Why did Claudia love this book?

This is the book that sent me into the deep dive of past lives and past life regression therapy. It’s the one that kick-started my absolute passion for the subject matter and had me in tears through the pages. It was not the first book on past lives that I read but it was the most impactful.

It awakened a deep sense of interconnectedness within me. Through the captivating stories of past-life regression, Weiss beautifully demonstrates the power of love and its transformative potential. It fills my heart with hope, acceptance, and a profound understanding of the eternal nature of our souls - and how they always find their soul family members.

By Brian L. Weiss,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Only Love is Real as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A "beautiful and sensitive" tale of true love that transcends time, from the multi-million bestselling author of Many Lives, Many Masters (Gary Zukav, author of Seat of the Soul). Recommended by Kendall Jenner.

In Many Lives, Many Masters, a skeptical Dr. Brian Weiss found his life changed profoundly after curing a patient using past-life therapy. Now he takes his research into transcendental messages one breathtaking step further.

He portrays two strangers, Elizabeth and Pedro, who are unaware that they have been lovers throughout the long centuries -- until fate brings them together again. He shows how each and every one…


Book cover of In the Key of Us

Jas Hammonds Author Of We Deserve Monuments

From my list on stories by Black authors to give you all the feels.

Why am I passionate about this?

When people ask me what makes me fall in love with a book, good characters will always be my first answer. And by good, I don’t mean perfect individuals who make no mistakes. I mean characters who make me feel something, whether it’s rage or hope or longing or disgust. As an author, I like filling my stories with messy, desperate characters who aren’t afraid to show emotion. And as an introverted flight attendant, I spend a lot of time observing people and I’m often fascinated by what I discover. The best stories—like people—have layers and depth to their characters. I like finding out what’s underneath.

Jas' book list on stories by Black authors to give you all the feels

Jas Hammonds Why did Jas love this book?

I love books that make me feel like a teenager again. That makes me remember the swoon of first love and how vulnerable it can be figuring out who you are. In the Key of Us not only accomplishes this once, but twice through the dual-POV narration of Andi and Zora, two of the only Black girls at a summer music camp. This middle grade novel tackles topics such as death and anxiety and mental health with such delicacy and warmth. This book felt like a crackling bonfire, lighting up young aches that I’d forgotten were there.

By Mariama J. Lockington,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked In the Key of Us as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Andi is grappling with grief following the death of her mother. Zora is exhausted by trying to please her success-oriented parents. Both feel very much alone. Until a summer music camp brings them together.

The only two Black girls at camp in a sea of white children, Andi and Zora slowly begin to connect and reveal their deepest fears and dreams. While Andi is a natural on trumpet, Zora doesn't know if she wants to be a floutist since she also loves to dance.

As Andi and Zora struggle to figure out who they really are,…


Book cover of The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists

Hayley Quinn Author Of Do This, Not That: Dating

From my list on crushing it at dating and feel great being single.

Why am I passionate about this?

 I was the nerdy kid at school, so when I stumbled upon the world of pick-up artists, and the fact you could learn how to get better at dating, I was all over it! In time my coaching and my company grew with the ideology that we wanted to teach practical skills for dating in a way that was inclusive and ethical. 

Hayley's book list on crushing it at dating and feel great being single

Hayley Quinn Why did Hayley love this book?

Penetrating? Secret Society? Pick Up Artists? Okay you’re going to have to trust me, that despite its nebulous reputation Strauss’ voyage into the underworld of the “pua” community has some merits. Firstly, it’s a fantastically funny, twisted story. Secondly, whilst every “technique” the book advocates to hone your seduction skills is squarely on the side of skeezy, just the idea that you can learn skills for dating is cool. It gripped me 15 years ago, and started me on my quest in the dating industry. 

By Neil Strauss,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Game as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Neil Strauss a self-proclaimed AFC (average frustrated chump) withdraws $500 and signs-up for a workshop with notorious pick-up artist Mystery, he embarks upon a life-changing journey into the bizarre underworld of 'players'. Creating their own vernacular and codes of honour, these are men that have devoted their lives to perfecting techniques of seduction. In the course of the next two years, Neil transforms himself from a frustrated, insecure journalist into the quick thinking, smooth talking Style, a character irresistible to women. Then, as he is voted The World's Number One Pick-up Artist, he falls for a woman who could…


Let Evening Come

By Yvonne Osborne,

Book cover of Let Evening Come

Yvonne Osborne Author Of Let Evening Come

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up on a family farm surrounded by larger vegetable and dairy operations that used migrant labor. From an early age, my siblings and I were acquainted with the children of these workers, children whom we shared a school desk with one day and were gone the next. On summer vacations, our parents hauled us around in a station wagon with a popup camper, which they parked in out-of-the-way hayfields and on mountainous plateaus, shunning, much to our chagrin, normal campgrounds, and swimming pools. Thus, I grew up exposed to different cultures and environments. My writing reflects my parents’ curiosity, love of books and travel, and devotion to the natural world. 

Yvonne's book list on immersive coming-of-age fiction with characters struggling to find themselves amidst the isolation and bigotry in Indigenous, rural, and minority communities

What is my book about?

After her mother is killed in a rare Northern Michigan tornado, Sadie Wixom is left with only her father and grandfather to guide her through young adulthood. Miles away in western Saskatchewan, Stefan Montegrand and his Indigenous family are displaced from their land by multinational energy companies. They are taken in temporarily by Sadie’s aunt, a human rights activist who heads a cultural exchange program.

Stefan promptly runs afoul of local authority, but Sadie, intrigued by him and captivated by his story, has grown sympathetic to his cause and complicit in his pushback against prejudiced accusations. Their mutual attraction is stymied when Stefan’s older brother, Joachim, who stayed behind, becomes embroiled in the resistance, and Stefan is compelled to return to Canada. Sadie, concerned for his safety, impulsively follows on a trajectory doomed by cultural misunderstanding and oncoming winter.

Let Evening Come

By Yvonne Osborne,

What is this book about?

After her mother is killed in a rare Northern Michigan tornado, Sadie Wixom is left with only her father and grandfather to guide her through the pitfalls of young adulthood.
Hundreds of miles away in western Saskatchewan, Stefan Montegrand and his Indigenous family are forced off their land by multinational energy companies and flawed treaties. They are taken in temporarily by Sadie's aunt, a human rights activist who heads a cultural exchange program.
Stefan, whose own father died in prison while on a hunger strike, promptly runs afoul of local authority, but Sadie, intrigued by him and captivated by his…


Book cover of The Old Ducks' Club

Gillian Harvey Author Of One French Summer

From my list on kickass midlife women.

Why am I passionate about this?

What is it about women in their forties, fifties and beyond? What’s that you say? They feel invisible? A bit boring? Something about menopause? No, actually, I was going to say they’re absolutely bloody brilliant. That’s why (especially after entering my own fifth decade) I wondered where all the kickass midlife women were on TV and in literature. One editor admitted to me once that it was ‘safer’ to write about younger women, that people weren’t so drawn to the midlife heroine. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised how many great stories just weren’t being told.

Gillian's book list on kickass midlife women

Gillian Harvey Why did Gillian love this book?

Sixty-year-old Sophia Gregory feels that life has passed her by, until meeting three new friends who introduce her into the ‘Old Ducks’ Club’.

This book helps us realise that fun doesn’t have to stop when grey hair starts – and dancing til dawn isn’t just for the young ‘uns.

By Maddie Please,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Old Ducks' Club as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER - AS RECOMMENDED BY DEBBIE MACOMBER!

'Sea, sunshine, romance and fabulous characters; Maddie's light touch and sense of fun will lift your spirits!' Bestselling author Judy Leigh

Sophia Gregory has lost her sparkle...

Recently single and about to turn sixty, Sophia doesn't recognise the old woman staring back at her in the mirror. How has life passed her by? A quiet holiday in beautiful Rhodes is the perfect chance for her to find herself.

Until she meets the Old Ducks!

Juliette, Kim and Anita are three friends who are determined not to grow old gracefully! Bold…


Book cover of 100 Poems to Break Your Heart

Wendy BooydeGraaff Author Of Salad Pie

From Wendy's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Gardener Fair-weather biker Canadian-American Roadtripper

Wendy's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Wendy BooydeGraaff Why did Wendy love this book?

As someone who is trying to understand and read more poetry, this book gives background and insight into 100 poems that were written anywhere from 1815 to 2018.

It covers 100 different poems by 100 different poets—Lucille Clifton, Joy Harjo, Donald Justice, Louise Glück, Victoria Chang, and more. Although it’s a thick book, I love what I’m learning from it.

By Edward Hirsch,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked 100 Poems to Break Your Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

100 of the most moving and inspiring poems of the last 200 years from around the world, a collection that will comfort and enthrall anyone trapped by grief or loneliness, selected by the award-winning, best-selling, and beloved author of How to Read a Poem

Implicit in poetry is the idea that we are enriched by heartbreaks, by the recognition and understanding of suffering—not just our own suffering but also the pain of others. We are not so much diminished as enlarged by grief, by our refusal to vanish, or to let others vanish, without leaving a record. And poets are…


Book cover of Wild Hope: Healing Words to Find Light on Dark Days

Liz O'Riordan Author Of Under the Knife: Life Lessons from the Operating Theatre

From my list on to help you cope when life throws you a curve-ball.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a breast surgeon who’s had breast cancer three times, I’ve had my share of knocks along the way. A friend once asked me to speak to her nursing colleagues about how I had coped, and I immediately thought of my books. The ones I read on repeat at night to get me through the weekly wobbles. To remind me to have fun and that life is for living. They’re not too serious, some of them have a lot of swearing (sorry Dad), and everyone I’ve leant them to has thanked me for knowing exactly what was going on inside their head. I hope they do the same for you.

Liz's book list on to help you cope when life throws you a curve-ball

Liz O'Riordan Why did Liz love this book?

Have you ever been lost for words? You know what you want to say but it sounds silly when you say it out loud? That was me when my mum died. I was burning with grief and couldn’t find a way out.

And then a friend told me about Donna and her poems. Her book, Loss, sang to me as I cried myself to sleep, and her new book, Wild Hope, gives me daily inspiration. It literally creates magic.

Let the book open to a random page and I guarantee it will give you the boost you need to keep going, step by step, moment by moment, ever hopeful. 

By Donna Ashworth,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wild Hope as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Find Hope and Solace in Inspirational Poetry from Scotland’s Poet Sensation and Sunday Times Bestselling Author

“Beautiful and uplifting” —Davina McCall
“So inspiring, so heartfelt ... the way Donna writes is beyond beautiful.” —Lisa Snowdon

#1 Best Seller in Love Poetry, Poetry by Women, and Emotional Self Help

Wild Hope is Donna Ashworth’s powerful new collection of wisdom to help us find comfort, hope, peace, self-acceptance, and inspiration when we feel worn down, helpless, or sad.

Find solace in Ashworth's eloquent verse. Through contemporary poetry, Donna explores the human condition. This inspiring poetry collection brings comfort and guidance, offering a…


Book cover of Hey, Dollface

Sarah Terez Rosenblum Author Of Herself When She's Missing

From my list on people who should know better than to be obsessed.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m obsessed with obsession; with the nature of intimate relationships. If I could obsess about a topic as easily and naturally as I can about a human, I’d probably have five or six advanced degrees. As a writer I’m most frequently drawn to third-person limited because I love the marriage of intimacy and distance it can create. It's that marriage that confounds me; the dark inner spaces contained by the people we love. 

Sarah's book list on people who should know better than to be obsessed

Sarah Terez Rosenblum Why did Sarah love this book?

This book was ahead of its time. This YA novel was written in 1978 but I found it on a shelf in my local library in 1992 when I was a queer preteen. An elliptical narrative about the burgeoning romantic relationship between two teenage girls, the novel captures a nameless yearning I understood without knowing why. Though the narrative felt to me illicit, it wasn’t prurient but rather deeply felt and authentic to the experience of a teenager coming to understand her sexuality as it crystalizes around one compelling friend.

By Deborah Hautzig,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hey, Dollface as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Val and Chloe don't fit in at their fancy private school in Manhattan. Together, they ditch school, visit cemeteries and thrift shops and have sleepovers during which they confide all their secret thoughts. Lately, Val has all kinds of questions. Especially about sex. So Val turns to the two people who have always given her the most honest answers possible: her mother and Chloe. Unfortunately, not even Val's mother-an adult!-has all the answers. Val starts to think that maybe she's not "normal" at all. Because she has some other feelings for Chloe. Feelings that she never expected to have. Would…


Book cover of Not Here to Be Liked

Miel Moreland Author Of It Goes Like This

From my list on young adult about ambitious girls.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was an ambitious teen, and as I entered adulthood, my relationship with ambition has continually evolved. Those of us with marginalized genders sometimes have our ambition treated with suspicion or scorn—by peers, family, or would-be mentors. I wanted to share books that don’t necessarily come to the same conclusion about ambition’s role in our lives, but that all grapple with what it means to be ambitious in a culture where that is often seen as threatening or unladylike—or where any sign of ambition gets one automatically labeled as “unlikeable.” I love these books’ narrators, and I hope you will find something to love in them too. 

Miel's book list on young adult about ambitious girls

Miel Moreland Why did Miel love this book?

Eliza is passed over for editor-in-chief of her school paper in favor of a less experienced boy... then her private manifesto against the injustice is leaked, and the resulting school conflict becomes about more positions than just hers. It’s a layered, thoroughly feminist look into the complexities of ambition, against the broader backdrop of Asian diaspora communities. 

By Michelle Quach,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Not Here to Be Liked as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

"Will leave a mark on your heart." Stephanie Garber, author of the Caraval series

"A smart romance with heart and guts and all the intoxicating feelings in between." Maureen Johnson, author of 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Falling in love wasn't part of the plan.

Eliza Quan fully expects to be voted the next editor in chief of her school paper. She works hard, she respects the facts, and she has the most experience. Len DiMartile is an injured star baseball player who seems to have joined the paper just to have something to do. Naturally, the staff picks Len to…


Book cover of Avalon High

Kathryn Reiss Author Of Dreadful Sorry

From my list on reincarnation for kids and teens.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was a girl, my grandmother called me an ‘old soul’ and said she thought my fascination with the 19th century meant that I’d lived then in another life. Ever since, this notion that a person might have lived before has always fascinated me! I gravitate to books that bring the past and present together in all sorts of ways–through memory, ghosts, time travel…and reincarnation. Now my own books of suspense for kids and teens deal with many of those same themes. I always write books I would want to read myself!

Kathryn's book list on reincarnation for kids and teens

Kathryn Reiss Why did Kathryn love this book?

Who doesn’t love a new take on the Arthurian Legend of King Arthur? This fairly light-hearted story tells of King Arthur and his friends reincarnated in modern times. Age-old legends, it seems, never die… and now present-day teenagers Will and Elaine must fight the same battles for good to triumph over evil. It’s a modern twist on a classic love story, and a lot of fun.

By Meg Cabot,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Avalon High as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Avalon High, Ellie's new school, is pretty much what she'd expected. There's Lance, the hunky footballer. Jennifer, the cute cheerleader. Marco, the troublemaker. And then there's Will - the most gorgeous guy Ellie's ever met. She can hardly believe he likes HER.

When Will says he thinks he's met Ellie before, things start getting a little weird. A feeling that grows as Ellie discovers the strange bonds that entwine Will, Lance, Jen, Marco - and herself.

As darkness turns to danger, can Ellie stop the horrific chain of events that is about to engulf them all . . .

Prophecy,…


Book cover of The Tale of Birle

Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban Author Of The King in the Stone

From my list on romantic fantasy with a strong female protagonist.

Why am I passionate about this?

While growing up in Spain, history was not my favorite subject. As told at school, it was a dreadful, long list of kings and battles. But, from time to time, I discovered, among the dry facts, a legend, a romanticized story of an event long past that ignited my imagination. Among these legends, the defeat of the last Visigoth king by the Arabs and the Asturian chieftain Pelayo’s consequent victory over them were my favorites. I believe these two stories, that figure so predominantly in my writing, are behind my love for books full of romance and adventure that take place in ancient worlds, like the ones I recommend here.

Carmen's book list on romantic fantasy with a strong female protagonist

Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban Why did Carmen love this book?

When Birle finds Orien stealing a boat by the river that runs through her village, and tries to stop him, she ends up falling in love with the young lord and his disturbing blue eyes.

Despite her infatuation, Birle is no fool. She knows that, as an innkeeper’s daughter, she has no chance to win Orien’s affections, yet she joins him in his ill-planned adventure, for she doubts the pampered lord will survive without her practical skills.

Together they enter a world that’s more dangerous than any of them could have imagined, a world that will bring them together and apart, as the wheel of fortune turns, moving the story to an unexpected, yet satisfying conclusion.

The Tale of Birle is a heartbreaking story of love and courage, that stole my heart from the first page.

By Cynthia Voigt,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Tale of Birle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

There are some who say that the Lady Fortune
has a wheel, and all men are fixed upon it.
The wheel turns, and the men rise, or fall,
with the turning of the wheel.
Birle has agreed to be wed to the huntsman Muir as an escape from the drudgery of life at her father's inn -- but the moment she looks into the bellflower blue eyes of the man she comes upon stealing one of her father's boats, Birle knows she cannot marry Muir. Even after she discovers the mysterious stranger is Orien, a Lord and as unreachable to…