best friends to lovers romance novels

One great 'best friends turned lovers' romance novel is 'The Kiss Quotient' by Helen Hoang. It has a unique take on the trope. Stella, a woman on the autism spectrum, hires Michael, her friend, to be her sex tutor, and their relationship evolves from there into something more. It's a sweet and steamy read.

You might enjoy 'Love's Hidden Path.' In this story, the protagonists' friendship undergoes a transformation as they navigate life's challenges and discover love in each other.

Well, in these novels, there's usually a strong foundation of friendship. The characters know each other's quirks, likes, and dislikes really well. For example, in 'Fangirl', Cath and Levi are friends first, so they understand how the other ticks. This makes the transition to love more believable and often more intense.

It often involves a slow - burn. They don't just jump into love. In many novels like 'Well Met' by Jen DeLuca, the characters gradually realize their feelings over time. This slow realization of love while already having a friendship base makes for a very satisfying read. It's like watching a flower bloom slowly, and the anticipation builds up the tension in the story.

A wonderful 'friends turned lovers' romance novel is 'Roomies' by Christina Lauren. It's about a girl who needs to get married quickly for visa reasons and her friend who offers to marry her. As they go through the process, their friendship transforms into love. 'The Kiss Quotient' by Helen Hoang also has some elements of this. The main character hires a male escort, who becomes her friend first and then they fall in love. Additionally, 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen can be considered in this category. Elizabeth and Darcy start off as not really liking each other but they have a sort of underlying connection due to their social circles, and over time their relationship changes from a rather antagonistic one to a loving one which started from a form of friendship.

One popular 'friends to lovers' romance novel is 'The Hating Game' by Sally Thorne. It's about two coworkers who start off bickering but gradually fall in love. Another is 'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell, which has elements of a friends - to - lovers story within the college setting. And 'When Dimple Met Rishi' by Sandhya Menon also features a relationship that develops from friendship.

They're appealing because there's already a strong foundation of trust. In a normal relationship, building trust can take time, but in friends - to - lovers stories, it's already there. For example, in 'The Hating Game', Lucy and Josh were friends (sort of) before falling in love, so they knew they could rely on each other.

One common trope is the 'realization moment'. It's when one of the friends suddenly sees the other in a new, romantic light. Maybe it's during a special event like a wedding or a trip. Another is the 'jealousy factor'. When one friend starts dating someone else, the other realizes their true feelings because of the jealousy they feel. And then there's the 'near - miss kiss'. They get close to kissing but are interrupted, which builds up the sexual tension.

'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' by Jenny Han also fits this theme. Lara Jean writes love letters to all her past crushes which accidentally get sent out. Her relationship with her childhood friend Peter Kavinsky evolves into a romantic one. It's a sweet story about young love emerging from a long - standing friendship.

One common theme is the slow - burn. Since they start as friends, the transition to lovers doesn't happen overnight. There's often a lot of hesitation and 'will they or won't they' moments. Another theme is the discovery of new aspects of the friend. When the relationship shifts, they start to see each other in a different light, like noticing physical or emotional qualities they overlooked before. And there's also the theme of the fear of ruining the friendship. They worry that if the romantic relationship doesn't work out, they'll lose the precious friendship they had.