Bustle had 13 romance writers recommend their favourite love stories, and they’ve picked everything from literary classics to brand-new releases.

For some, their favourite love stories came from non-romance novels. Casey McQuiston loved Evelyn and Celia’s relationship in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Soniah Kamal can’t get enough of Lata’s romances with Kabir and Haresh in A Suitable Boy.

I was asked to share my choice and I chose Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin.

“My favorite love story is Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin, which is a fresh yet faithful spin on the Elizabeth and Darcy’s classic hate-to-love romance in Pride and Prejudice. Ayesha and Khalid are both fun, complex and completely loveable characters, which makes their romantic tension and blossoming love all the more satisfying.”

See what other romance writers recommended as their favourite love stories and what they had to say about these great reads.

2019 was a great year for books and now that the year is over, many book lovers are looking back at what they read through the year. Bustle reached out to 38 of 2019’s debut authors to see what they chose as their favourite books of the year.

I was asked to share my choice and I recommended My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite.

“My Sister, the Serial Killer was the best book of 2019 because it literally has it all: a complex protagonist; a vibrant setting; a thrill-filled, intriguing pace; and, if that weren’t enough, a problematic love triangle… But what really makes My Sister, the Serial Killer the best book of 2019 is the relationship between Korede, the heroine, [and] her younger sister Ayoola, the serial killer. The bond of sisterhood demonstrated by author Oyinkan Braithwaite transcends the circumstances of these characters, and it will resonate with anyone who’s ever had a complicated relationship full of love and resentment, loyalty and betrayal.”

To see the full 2019 list, click here to visit Bustle.

“Lalli depicts Anu as a strong and complex character—a woman who loves her family but still wants more out of her life. Although her relationship with her husband is what spurs Anu to change, her relationship with her parents is at the heart of the book. They’re sweet, loving, funny, and, as Anu learns, they’re more open to change (and more complicated) than she originally thought. Anu’s struggle to find herself is wrought with obstacles and sometimes frustrating, but the resolution of her story is both satisfying and realistic.

A moving look at one woman’s journey between her family and her desire for independence.”

To read the full review on Kirkus, click here.

If you’re shopping for someone who loves to read romance novels, check out this list of 10 recommendations from the CBC, including The Matchmaker’s List.

“The Matchmaker’s List  is a romantic comedy. Caving to family pressure, Raina Anand has reluctantly consented to let her grandmother play matchmaker. Raina endures a series of terrible blind dates with “suitable” bachelors, all the while hatching a plan to thwart her tight-knit family’s plans.”

See the full list here.

If you have a lover of all things comedic, satirical and silly on your holiday shopping list this year, check out this collection of 14 books, including The Matchmaker’s List.

“The Matchmaker’s List  is a romantic comedy. Caving to family pressure, Raina Anand has reluctantly consented to let her grandmother play matchmaker. Raina endures a series of terrible blind dates with “suitable” bachelors, all the while hatching a plan to thwart her tight-knit family’s plans.”

See the full list of hilarious books here.

There are many hallmarks of a good romance novel. Meet-cutes, fiery chemistry, strong heroines, sex. But one thing that’s a must-have? Happy endings. It’s a genre mandate.

IRL, readers know that “happily ever after” doesn’t necessarily mean forever. But in books—from Jane Austen’s to Nora Roberts’s—the marriage plot has been part of the allure: picture-perfect ending, roll the credits, no fights over who does the dishes. Which is why it might come as a surprise that in the past few years there’s been a rise in romance novels that focus solely on couples in the post–”happily ever after” stage of their lives. A marriage or relationship is in trouble, leaving couples attempting to overcome these real-life issues and fall back in love.

In Grown-Up Pose, out March 2020, Lalli, who also wrote The Matchmaker’s List, doubles down on these issues by looking at it through the lens of a South Asian woman pressured by society to settle down—only to later realize that she’s not happy and wants a divorce.

Read the full article on Glamour’s website here.

“Lalli explores the generational divide with sensitivity and humor, and Anu’s parents are a particular delight. Readers will root for Anu all the way up through the sweet and satisfying conclusion.”

To read the full review of Grown-Up Pose, please visit the Publisher’s Weekly website.

I’m so excited to share this event with you!

On Tuesday, September 24, 2019, Uzma Jalaluddin and I will be in conversation at the Toronto Reference Library.

Uzma Jalaluddin writes a culture and parenting column for The Toronto Star. Her debut novel, Ayesha at Last, has earned starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal and Kirkus, was a Globe and Mail Favourite Book of 2018, and named Cosmopolitan UK Book of the Year. It was also longlisted for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, the Toronto Book Awards, and was a finalist for the Digital Book World Awards.

I personally loved Ayesha at Last and it is one of my favourite books of the year, so I’m really looking forward to sitting down and chatting with Uzma. I hope to see you there!

Event details:

Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. 
Location: Discussion Room, Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St, Toronto

Click here for more details about the event.

Oprah Magazine has collected some of the best romance novels of 2019 so far, from witty contemporary love stories to steamy (and we do mean steamy!) series you won’t want to put down and The Matchmaker’s List was included!

Looking for your next summer read? Check out one of these heartwarming love stories, including Sonya Lalli’s The Matchmaker’s List.