25 Binge-Worthy Romance and Smut Books

By ASTROGLIDE Team

Whether you’re relaxing on a beach or by the pool, looking for a distraction on a long flight, or need to disassociate after a busy work day, chances are you’ll be in need of a good book this summer. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. We scoured Booktok and Goodreads for the hottest, steamiest, spiciest books out there for our summer reading list. We’ve categorized them based on five of the most popular literary tropes: enemies to lovers, love triangles, friends to lovers, forbidden love and slow burns. And before you ask, of course there is smut.

Enemies to Lovers

One of the most infamous literary tropes – particularly in books that are sexual in nature – is the enemies to lovers trope. It’s when two characters start off as enemies and, over the course of the book or series, end up in a romantic relationship. Be sure to add these enemies to lovers books to your reading lists this summer:

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sara J. Maas: Perhaps the most infamous book on BookTok, the A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series has taken the world by storm. The first book in the series follows a Beauty and the Beast-esque storyline, during which the female main character Feyre is kidnapped and dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends and soon discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world. As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros: Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant at Basgiath War College, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant (wink wink). Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey: When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands influential socialite Piper Bellinger in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. He cuts Piper off and sends her to Washington to run their late father’s dive bar. Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart.

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas: Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiraled out of control. Now, everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him. Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man. But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.

Beach Read by Emily Henry: Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. They’re polar opposites. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block. Until they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love…

Love Triangle

The love triangle is another popular trope that depicts a scenario in which a central character is romantically involved with two other characters at the same time, and drama unfolds as they decide who they ultimately want to be with. Some of our favorite love triangles exist in the following novels:

Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer: Despite it being YA (young adult) and lacking in serious spice, you can’t talk about love triangles without mentioning the Twilight series, which features the most notorious love triangle in literary history (team Jacob for life!). In this series, main character Bella Swan moves to the small, rainy town of Forks, Washington, to live with her father. There, she meets Edward Cullen, a mysterious and captivating teenager who turns out to be a vampire. Despite the dangers and challenges involved in their relationship, Bella and Edward fall deeply in love with each other. However, their love is not without complications, one being Jacob Black, Bella’s childhood friend, who develops strong feelings for her and becomes a key figure in her life. Cue the drama!

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sara J Maas: The second book in the ACOTAR series evolves when Feyre finds herself split into two different people: one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin, and one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. This sexy, action-packed sequel takes the series to new heights and new levels of spice (chapter 55, IYKYK).

Black Lies by Alessandra Torre: Layana (Lana) Fairmont has been groomed to be the epitome of class and elegance. She was raised to be the perfect wife. She meets reclusive billionaire Brant Sharp, a genius of a man famous for his innovations as well as his relationship status. He was wealthy, gorgeous, mysterious, intelligent and no onehad landed him. Then there’s Lee: undeniably sexy, arrogant, confident, with a magnetism impossible to deny. He represented everything Brant wasn’t and she can’t let him go… “If you think you’ve heard this story before, trust me – you haven’t.”

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover: Lily hasn’t always had it easy, so when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place. As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

The Summer We Fell by Elizabeth O’Roark: Juliet Cantrell thought her days of interacting with Luke Taylor – her boyfriend’s best friend and the bane of her existence – were over. Ten years later, tragedy brings them back to where it all began, and together they must confront the ghosts of the past.

Friends to Lovers

The Friends to Lovers trope is characterized by a slow-burn romance, where characters experience a gradual realization of their feelings. It is categorized as such because it mirrors real-life relationships’ complexities, showcasing the evolution of emotions and the depth of a bond that can lead to love.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sara J. Maas: Yes of course there is more SJM on this list. The fifth installment of the ACOTAR series focuses on Feyre’s sister Nesta, who has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert: When a plumbing disaster leaves Jasmine Allen homeless, she turns to her best friend Rahul. Now, Rahul is living with the friend he can’t have, and it’s decimating his control. He knows their shared dinners aren’t dates, their late-night kisses are a mistake, and the tenderness in Jasmine’s gaze is only temporary. One wrong word could send his skittish best friend running. So why is he tempted to risk it all?

The Change Up by Meghan Quinn: Maddox Paige, otherwise known as the Bad Boy of Baseball, is totally and utterly whipped for his best friend Kinsley, who got new job in his city and needed a place to stay. Maddox has known her since they were five, so what harm would it be to have her stay at his place for a while? Now, instead of going out every night with teammates, Maddox is rapidly falling head over cleats in love with his best friend, roommate, and number one fan. And she has no idea . . .

Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne: When Parker meets Ben during her freshman year of college, the connection is immediate—and platonic. When Parker’s boyfriend dumps her out of the blue, she starts to wonder about Ben’s no-strings-attached approach to dating. However, Parker can’t seem to get the hang of casual sex—until she tries it with Ben. The arrangement works perfectly: the sex is mind-blowing, and their friendship remains as solid as ever, without any of the usual messy romantic entanglements… at first. But when ex’s and new flings start to enter the picture, Parker and Ben must face an alarming truth: maybe they can’t go back. And maybe, deep down, they never want to.

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren: Josh has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. Now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air. Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them…right?

Forbidden Love

The forbidden love trope is a common theme in romance literature that depicts a romantic relationship between two characters that is considered unacceptable or inappropriate by society, family, or other external circumstances. The taboo nature of the relationship creates conflict and tension in the story as the characters deal with the challenges and consequences of their love.

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas: An age gap forbidden romance that centers around Jordan Hadley, a 19-year-old woman who, after an unfortunate circumstance, moves in with her boyfriend into his dad’s house. Jordan befriends his father Pike, and they find common interests and priorities. However, Pike finds it difficult to have Jordan living in his house, especially as he develops feelings for her.

Hawke by Jescie Hall: Nicole never imagined anyone other than her seemingly perfect boyfriend, Patrick, grabbing her attention. That is, until ex-convict Cameron Hawke unexpectedly becomes their roommate, turning her entire, calculated little world upside down. Temptations become overwhelming as lines get crossed, feelings get blurry and the truth to a horrific past is unearthed, changing the lives of the three of them forever.

Mile High by Liz Tomforde: Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good. He’s everyone’s favorite NHL player to hate. He begins to butt heads with Stevie, the new flight attendant on his team’s private plane, who has made a promise to herself to never hook up with an athlete again, not matter how annoying tempting he may be. But every road trip blurs the lines, and Zanders can’t quite figure out if he keeps pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons, or if it’s more than that.

Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. But international socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. Soon, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations.

The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen: A contemporary romance novel about a senator who steals a princess’s first kiss and then tries to steal her heart. The book follows 19-year-old Francesca Rossi, who was raised in a sheltered Italian household and is set to be arranged married. Senator Wolfe Keaton steals her kiss while she’s at a ball, and she ends up having to marry him instead.

Slow Burn

The “Slow Burn Romance” trope is simply a romance that develops gradually over a long period. The characters’ feelings for each other often (but not always!) start as friendship or with mutual respect and then grow over time.

From Blood and Ash series by Jennifer Armentrout: Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary: never to be touched, looked upon, spoken to, or experience pleasure. The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. When Hawke, a golden-eyed guard, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

House of Earth and Blood by Sara J. Maas: If you thought we were done with SJM, think again. The first book in her Crescent City series centers around Bryce Quinlan, who had the perfect life – working hard all day and partying all night – until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. He’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach. As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

Blind Side by Kandi Steiner: There’s hardly a day Clay Johnson is not making headlines during football season, and never a day he isn’t a bullseye target for every girl on campus. He used to be the easiest of all the players for Giana to wrangle as the Public Relations Coordinator, but after a nasty breakup with his high school sweetheart, he’s a mess. When Clay witnesses how Giana falls to pieces in front of her crush, he cooks up an absurd plan. He helps Giana get noticed, and she helps him make his ex jealous. All by pretending to be in a relationship. They set the rules, but they say rules are meant to be broken. They probably should have added that hearts are, too…

Twisted Love by Ana Huang: Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape. Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart. But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, Ava Chen, things begin to change. Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

Credence by Penelope Douglas: When Tiernan de Haas’s parents suddenly pass away, Jake Van der Berg, her father’s stepbrother and her only living relative, becomes her guardian. Sent to live with him and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado, Tiernan soon learns how to work and survive in the remote woods far away from the rest of the world, and she slowly finds her place among the three men. She also realizes that lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching. One of them has her. The other one wants her. But he… He’s going to keep her.

Which of these spicy reads will you be adding to your summer reading list? Any favorites that we missed? Let us know in the comments to tell us on social @ASTROGLIDEOfficial.