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The 10 Best Romance Novels of All Time
These romance novels are the love stories readers keep coming back to, from Jane Austen's witty classics to modern tearjerkers and romantic comedies. All ten are still selling today, often helped by new film and TV versions. They are romantic rather than explicit, so they suit almost any reader.
Apart from this list, see the books we love most, hand-picked by QuickOnlineTips.
How we chose these books
1. Still selling and read today
Every book shows current demand from roughly the last three years: Audible best-seller charts (Audible is owned by Amazon), US independent bookstore bestseller lists from the American Booksellers Association, Publishers Weekly and Circana BookScan sales figures, and similar charts. Old books that nobody buys any more do not make the cut.
2. Stood the test of time
Every book was first published at least five years ago and has a lasting credential: a major award (such as the Pulitzer, Booker, Newbery or Hugo), a place on a respected all-time list (such as the Modern Library 100, TIME 100 or the BBC Big Read), or very large total sales.
3. Suitable for most readers
We leave out books built around explicit sexual content or graphic abuse, and books best known for being banned. Some books on the list deal with hard themes such as war, crime or loss, and the summaries say so.
Within each genre, books are ranked with current popularity weighted most, then lasting reputation. We review the list about once a month and swap a book only when the evidence clearly changes.
Book covers: Open Library. Links to each book go to Amazon. Last reviewed: October 2026.
More of the best books of all time
See the full 200 best books of all time list, or explore more fiction genres: Classic Novels, Literary Fiction Books, Historical Fiction Books, Children's Books, Mystery and Thriller Books, Science Fiction Books, Fantasy Books, Horror Books, Young Adult Books.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, QuickOnlineTips earns from qualifying purchases.
