21 books like The Friend Zone

This enemies-to-lovers story about a romance writer and a literary fiction writer who strike a bet to write their next book in each other’s genre blew me away with its hilarious dialogue and realistic emotional stakes.

January struggles to write another Happily Ever After upon learning her recently deceased father had a secret life with another woman. She goes to deal with his beach house, only to find that her college writing rival is her neighbor for the summer.

As part of Gus and January’s renewed rivalry, they go on a series of dates to teach each other about their genre, and they develop mutual professional respect that bleeds into attraction.

One highlight is when they write flirty notes and hold them up through their neighboring windows. This is a true rom-com, so hilarious and sexy, but it commits to realism and reaches for heavy, heart-wrenching emotional stakes and the… show more.

This is a book that you’ll love to read pool or beachside. Just bring lots of sunscreen as this story is hard to put down. I adore the characters; Jo and Micah were fun and interesting, but so were the secondary characters. I’m also a fan of books dealing with serious issues. This one touched on type 1 diabetes, multi-cultural upbringing, and transgender identity. Marlowe manages to keep it light and even funny while never losing sight of these important topics. Oh, and it had rock stars in it, always a treat for me!

There is so much to love about this book. Not only will it heat you up hotter than the summer sun, but it will make you laugh-out-loud! What I liked about this book besides the humor, steam, and compelling story was the sex-positive writing, the intimacy, and the sex-worker storyline. I love the message of women seeking, finding, and expecting pleasure from their lovers. This needs to be in more books! It is one that is overlooked and detrimental to relationships. Last, I adored the characters, especially Josh. He was so damn sweet and sexy but flawed enough to feel real. Another aspect I enjoyed was the opposites attract theme (it's another one of my favorites), and it doesn't get more opposite than an adult entertainer and blue blood under her parent's thumb.

When I think of the perfect, fun, poolside read, this book is the first to pop into my head.

The Unhoneymooners follows Olive, who ends up having to fake date a man she hates while on their fake honeymoon in Hawaii. I love those tropes (fake relationships, enemies to lovers, forced proximity) but on top of that, this book is laugh-out-loud hilarious.

I was giggling in the pool the entire time I read this, and the light, fast-paced, engaging vibe makes this book the perfect poolside read.

This book broke my heart and stitched it back together. Abby Jimenez's writing style is magnetic, and her characters make me laugh and cry in equal amounts. Every time I need a pick-me-up, I pull out this book.

There are few perfect romantic comedies out there. Some have third-act breakups that don’t make sense. Some are riddled with miscommunication or surprise baby tropes that have a person feeling all the ick. This is not that book. Does it have miscommunication? Yes, in a reasonable, wonderful kind of way. Does it have a surprise baby? Yes! In a way that deepens the two main character’s connection.

The fact that this writer can take my two most disliked tropes and make them entertaining shows just how incredible this author is at her craft. Most importantly, it made me giggle my ass off, and if that is a requirement for you, then this… show more.

I loved that this book’s inciting incident is the toppling of a many-tiered wedding cake of a British royal couple. The cause? The immature tussling of a prince and the U.S. president’s son? (Adults, mind you. They’re adults) And because of that, they have to pretend to be friends, pals, buddies.

And as with most fake-relationship-themed books, the fake friendship soon turns into real love. Even though both Alex and Henry are outrageously advantaged individuals, I saw them as people—people in love—and not as a representation of their class.

Perhaps the thing I love most about McQuiston’s writing is the idealism and hopefulness she brings to the story. The obstacles Alex and Henry must overcome are literally international and yet, she can boil their love down to the simplest of gestures—and make it seem realistic.

I was surprised I loved Just for the Summer so much. I’d never read Abby Jimenez before, but I was delightfully surprised. How could you not love that both Justin and Emma have a love curse hanging over their heads? The person they date goes on to find their one true love. So why not date each other and break the curse? The premise is not only original, but the situations she brings to this are hilarious. Like the Toilet King billboard. I now need a Toilet King T-shirt.

The characters are charming, loving people—people I wanted to see have their happily ever after. The secondary characters are just as lovable and realistic. I loved this book, though, because of the realism of their predicaments. They lived through problems that weren’t sugar-coated.

Okay, this book has a plot that you may find a bit difficult to believe, but that’s what I love about it. Daphne moved to her fiancé’s small hometown, where she knew no one to start a new life with him. Except, he dumps her for his childhood friend, Petra, who dumped her fiancé, Miles. And Daphne and Miles become roommates.

Emily Henry makes it work. I love how she defined the characters, especially Miles, who’s brooding and listens to sad music. But there’s another side of the man; he’s outgoing and knows everyone in town.

I do like a good forced proximity trope, and Henry has written a fine one. But this works for me because, like all of her work, the story is expansive. She tugged me into this universe, and I couldn’t let go. I was totally invested in Daphne and Miles’ relationship. 

This was the first book of Abby’s I read, and it was certainly not the last! I love how she creates worlds you just want to live in—I wished I could step into the pages and hang out in the quaint Minnesotan town of Wakan with Daniel and Alexis. And the banter is seriously next level—I don’t know how Abby writes dialogue so well, but this book had me cracking up and aww-ing from the first page to the last.

It’s a perfect summer read and a great small-town, age-gap romance with tons of heart! 

Cara Bastone is one of my auto-buy authors; any of her books would make this list. Her magnetic prose and fully realized characters always draw me in. In this book, Eve discovers she’s pregnant after a one-night stand.

I’m not usually a fan of pregnancy romance, but this story captured my heart and made me sob by the end. And the hero, Shep, is one of my favorite romance heroes ever! I love how Cara writes about men with big hearts who aren’t afraid to show their feelings, and Shep fits that description to a T.