It’s time for May: the month of flowers, warming temperatures, and almost summer! The best romance books of May 2025 are perfect for those spring-into-summer vibes. Beloved authors like Rachel Lynn Solomon, Kennedy Ryan, Alexia Daria, and Mimi Matthews are back with their signature swooning styles. Or, check out one of the newer authors on the block, like Cynthia Timoti or Madge Maril.
Start your summer right with our recommendations below for the best romance books of May 2025!
What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Release date: May 6
Read it if: You’re craving a marriage of convenience among the best romance books of May 2025. A woman runs into an ex in Amsterdam, where they realize they could help each other out.
Publisher’s synopsis: Dani Dorfman has somehow made it to her thirties without knowing what she wants to do with her life. So when an office romance ends poorly and gets her fired, she applies for a job in Amsterdam, idly dreaming of escaping the mess she’s created, but never imagining she’ll actually get it.
Except she does. By the end of her first week in Amsterdam, she’s never felt more adrift or alone. Then she crashes her bike into her high school ex-boyfriend. And suddenly life is blooming with new opportunities.
Wouter van Leeuwen was a Dutch exchange student Dani’s family hosted, a forbidden love that ended in a painful breakup. Years later, there’s still sizzling chemistry between them, and okay, maybe a little animosity. More importantly, Wouter needs to be married to inherit a gorgeous family home on a canal. And when Dani’s job falls apart, she needs a visa. As the marriage of convenience pushes them together in unexpected ways, Dani must decide whether her new life is yet another mistake—or if it’s worth taking a risk on a second chance.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Drop Dead by Lily Chu
Release date: May 6
Read it if: You love rivals-to-lovers romance. Two journalists battle it out over the true story of a mysterious recluse.
Publisher’s synopsis: Obituary writer Nadine Barbault doesn’t mind being called “Lady Death.” It suits the ice queen persona she’s cultivated to survive the fast-paced Toronto Herald. So when Nadine learns that famous (and reclusive) author Dot Voline has died, she doesn’t hesitate to run the obituary…only to discover that Dot is very much alive.
Nadine’s screw-up has brought Wesley Chen of the rival Spear no end of joy. She’s been a thorn in his extremely ambitious side for years. But the renewed interest in Dot also surfaced chatter about a mysterious past scandal. Intrigued, Wes goes to the source to learn more―only to discover Nadine had the exact same idea. And the infuriating woman isn’t willing to respect dibs. Typical.
At first, Dot refuses to speak to either of the squabbling pair, but then they receive an unusual request. Work together, and Dot will share everything. The offer seems too good to be true…and of course, it is. In a bitter twist of irony, Dot dies for real before she can finish recounting her story. Not all is lost, however. The estate’s executor allows Wes and Nadine access to Dot’s sprawling wonderland of a mansion for three weeks to find their answer. That’s three weeks of working together. Three weeks of endless sweltering in tight spaces. Three weeks of learning there could be something more between them than a desire to win at any cost.
And maybe, just maybe, under the rubble of all those could-have-beens, they’ll uncover more than the secret of Dot Voline’s long-ago scandal―and Lady Death will finally embrace what she’s wanted from life all along.
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Friends with Benefits by Marisa Kanter
Release date: May 6
Read it if: You want a modern marriage-of-convenience trope in the best romance books of May 2025. Two longtime BFFs marry for insurance, then fall for each other for real.
Publisher’s synopsis: Evie Bloom pays attention to the details. Her very job depends on it―as an aspiring Foley artist, she’s responsible for every crisp footstep, smacking kiss, and distinct sound in film and television. So when she’s selected for a fellowship opportunity that would make all her career dreams come true, she’s quick to spot the catch: there are no health benefits, and for someone with a chronic illness, that’s a non-starter.
Theo Cohen is an elementary school teacher who can’t afford to live on his own in LA, and is facing eviction after his roommates couple up and move out of their rent-controlled apartment. But there is one loophole in his lease: each tenant must meet an income threshold, unless the tenants are married.
For Theo, the answer is obvious. Marry Evie, his best friend since forever. It’s not as if they don’t spend all their free time together anyways. Not only will Theo be able to keep his apartment, but Evie can be added to his insurance plan so she can accept her dream fellowship. It’s such a logical, practical solution. Never mind that Evie doesn’t really want to be married―not to Theo, not to anyone―ever. Or the small, complicating fact that Theo has always been a little bit in love with Evie.
But it doesn’t have to be a big deal. Marriage. It will just give them space to breathe, and much-needed relief from the daily financial stress. It won’t change anything.
It’s . . . going to change everything.
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Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice by Cynthia Timoti
Release date: May 6
Read it if: You love baked goods as much as you love HEAs. A diabetic baker turns to her brother’s best friend for her bakery’s much-needed repairs.
Publisher’s synopsis: Ellie Pang has had enough of her controlling family who has been micromanaging her life since her type 1 diabetes diagnosis. When her parents orchestrate a public proposal from their business partner’s son, a proposal that goes humiliatingly viral, Ellie escapes to the other side of the country to put her dream of opening a sugar-free bakery into action. After all, she’d done her research. How hard can it be?
She hits a snag when her storefront turns out to be a dump and in need of major renovations. Worse, the only person who can help her turn things around is Alec Mackenzie, her brother’s best friend and the man responsible for crushing her teenage heart ten years ago.
But Alec has a proposal of his own: he needs a pretend girlfriend in order to cement a business deal. All they need to do is feign love and affection, while trying not to maim each other. As the thin line between hate and fake-madly-in-love starts to blur, buried secrets resurface, and Ellie must learn to trust her heart.
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Give Me a Shot by Gia de Cadenet
Release date: May 6
Read it if: You’d like the best romance books of May 2025 to include some quirky hobbies. An archery-loving professor must work with a grumpy blacksmith to save their beloved Folk School.
Publisher’s synopsis: Mo Sarda carefully guards his peaceful life from other people’s messy feelings. He co-parents his daughter with no drama, sits quietly at family gatherings, tends to his beloved plants, and volunteers to teach blacksmith skills at the local Folk School. No one seems to get him, except for his family, and that’s completely fine with Mo—there’s no one else he needs. Then along comes Jessica Anderson and her damn crossbow.
After the unexpected death of her sister, Jess has made new roots in Michigan to move forward with her life. Her grief still stings, but she’s excited to start her professorship job and continue pursuing her passion for archery. Luckily, her new town has a Folk School with ample practice space. Then Jess has a combative run-in with Mo and all her plans to avoid complicated feelings start to crumble. No one should look that hot banging an anvil.
Before long, the two are drawn to work together to save the beloved Folk School from closing its doors. The heat is on them to plan a Renaissance Faire to raise the much-needed funds, but the more worthy pursuit could be the fire growing between them—if only they would be willing to give each other a shot.
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The Last Sunrise by Anna Todd
Release date: May 6
Read it if: You’ve daydreamed of falling in love with a charming stranger on vacation. A young American woman falls for a Spaniard who pulls her out of her shell.
Publisher’s synopsis: When twenty-two-year-old Oriah (Ry) Pera learns that her mother’s job is relocating them to Majorca, she knows this summer could be the start of her very own coming-of-age story. Between chronic health issues and her mother’s overprotective tendencies, Ry feels like she’s stuck waiting for her life to begin.
In her first small act of rebellion, she heads off to the beach alone and meets an infuriatingly charming Spaniard. Julián makes Ry feel even more naive and inexperienced than she normally does, but she can’t tamp down her growing attraction.
As the summer continues, Julián pulls Ry out of her shell and into the adventures she’s always craved. But with her return to America looming, Ry must decide if she’s brave enough to finally follow her heart and live for herself.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Dream On, Ramona Riley by Ashley Herring Blake
Release date: May 13
Read it if: You want a cozy celeb romance in the best romance books of May 2025. A waitress reconnects with her first love, now a Hollywood star.
Publisher’s synopsis: Once upon a time, Ramona Riley was a student at a prestigious art school, with dreams of landing in Hollywood as a costume designer to the stars. But after her father’s car accident, she had to quit and return to her small New Hampshire town, Clover Lake, to help take care of her younger sister. Twelve years later, Ramona is still working at the town’s café, all but given up on her dream. But when a big-budget romantic comedy comes to Clover Lake to film, she wonders if this could be her chance. There’s only one problem—Dylan Monroe, her first kiss and Hollywood’s favorite wild child—is the star.
Dylan Monroe has always lived an unconventional life, having famous rock icons for parents. But she wants to prove that she’s not some chaotic, talentless nepo baby, that she has actual skills, that she’s just a normal person. To do that, Dylan takes on a project at a charming lake town. She even works at the town’s café (very quaint), shadowing a local waitress there (very cute), and asks her to take Dylan around to do Normal People Things.
But Dylan soon realizes it’s not just some small-town waitress she’s getting to know. Ramona Riley is someone she’s met before, someone who remembers her even more vividly. Before long, however, reality hits them. Both women must decide if the spark between them can fan the flames of their individual dreams, or if it will extinguish their light.
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A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love by Alice Murphy
Release date: May 13
Read it if: You’d like a sparkling, body-positive historical romance. A showbiz tycoon recruits a proudly plus-size vaudeville star. Decades later, a historian tells their story… or at least a version of it.
Publisher’s synopsis: It’s 1897, and a new fashion for thin threatens to end the career of proudly fat vaudeville performer Evelyn Cross. Enter Thomas Gallier, the man behind the new palace of entertainment promising to be the apex of New York City’s theatrical scene. He’s in search of a star for his vaudeville spectacular. When he hears Evelyn sing, he knows exactly who he needs to grace his stage.
In a grand finale, present-day narrator Phoebe steps in to reveal secrets and show readers what it really means to claim self-love.
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Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez
Release date: May 13
Read it if: You’d love the best romance books of May 2025 to romanticize late bloomers. A librarian goes viral and launches a scavenger hunt with the help of her longtime crush.
Publisher’s synopsis: Librarian Angela Gutierrez has never been kissed. But after posting a video about her late bloomer status and ace identity, she’s finally ready to get some firsts out of the way. Using her new influencer status to come up with a scavenger hunt idea in which the winner earns her first kiss, Angela realizes she may need some help to pull off the event.
Enter Krystal Ramirez, hot bartender and Angela’s unrequited crush of five years. Despite vowing that romantic love isn’t for her, Krystal seems awfully determined to help Angela pull off the scavenger hunt and find true love.
There’s just one problem. The connection between Angela and Krystal is getting stronger and stronger the more they hang out, until Angela isn’t sure she wants to go through with the scavenger hunt after all. But Krystal is convinced that she isn’t capable of love. Before long, Angela realizes she’s falling head over heels for a woman who may never love her back.
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Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
Release date: May 13
Read it if: You want the best romance books of May 2025 to come with big emotions. As she juggles career and caretaking, a businesswoman meets a tech mogul who shatters her expectations.
Publisher’s synopsis: Hendrix Barry lives a fabulous life. She has phenomenal friends, a loving family, and a thriving business that places her in the entertainment industry’s rarefied air. Your vision board? She’s probably living it.
She’s a woman with goals, dreams, ambitions—always striving upward. And in the midst of everything, she’s facing her toughest challenge yet: caring for an aging parent. Who has time for romance? From her experience, there’s a low ROI on relationships. Anyway, she hasn’t met the man who can keep up with her. Until…him.
Tech mogul Maverick Bell is a dilemma wrapped in an exquisitely tailored suit and knee-melting charm. From their first charged glance at the summer’s hottest party, Hendrix feels like she’s met her match. Only he can’t be. Mav may be the first to make her feel this seen and desired, but he’s the last one she can have. Forbidden fruit is the juiciest, and this man is off limits if she plans to stay the course she’s set for herself.
But when Maverick gives chase—pursuing her, spoiling her, understanding her—is it time to let herself have something more?
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Courtroom Drama by Neely Tubati Alexander
Release date: May 20
Read it if: You wish the legal system was as glam as Legally Blonde. Stuck on jury duty with her childhood friend, a woman tries to untangle a high-profile case.
Publisher’s synopsis: Sydney Parks thinks she might be the first person in the world to look forward to serving jury duty. When Margot Kitsch, an OG cast member of the hit reality show Authentic Moms of Malibu is arrested after the untimely death of her cast member husband, Joe, Sydney knows being selected for the jury is the most interesting thing that ever happened to her.
However, it doesn’t take long for Sydney to realize that being part of a sequestered jury in a high-profile case is not at all what legal dramas had led her to expect—especially when she learns that her childhood best friend, Damon, whom she hasn’t seen in ten years, is also a jury member.
As the trial wears on, Sydney realizes there’s a lot more to the case than she first thought. And there’s also a lot more to Damon—she soon finds herself falling under his spell despite the court’s instructions not to fraternize. His tendency to break the rules and find adventure is hard to resist in their otherwise dull juror’s world. But getting close to Damon also means having to face the complicated reasons their friendship abruptly ended just when they were on the precipice of something more.
With all the drama in and out of the courtroom, how is Sydney supposed to ignore the fraught history between them? How is she supposed to avoid him when he’s sitting next to her in the jury box every day with his broad shoulders and intoxicating smell? And how is she supposed to ensure Margot gets a fair trial if her unfinished business with Damon causes the mistrial of the century?
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Slipstream by Madge Maril
Release date: May 20
Read it if: You want the best romance books of May 2025 to include a little revenge. A documentarian teams with a F1 driver after they both need a redemption arc.
Publisher’s synopsis: Lilah Graywood never imagined she’d be spending her summer amidst the roaring engines and adrenaline-fueled world of Formula 1 racing. As a serious documentarian, her passion lies in capturing the raw, unfiltered truth. But when her best friend, business co-owner, and secret boyfriend Max decides to pivot their documentary company to film the Ignition Energy Drink Racing team, Lilah is thrust into a world she despises. Her disdain turns to fury when Max blindsides her, not only ending their relationship but also threatening the company she painstakingly built.
Enter Arthur Bianco, the charismatic and enigmatic F1 reserve driver whose career is as tumultuous as the races he dreams of winning. Initially, Lilah is supposed to document Arthur’s relegation to backup driver. But together, they concoct a plan to take control of Max’s documentary, each with their own motives—Lilah’s revenge and Arthur’s redemption. Their secret alliance promises to change the narrative, both on and off the track.
As they navigate the glamorous circuits and behind-the-scenes secrets of Formula 1, an unexpected speedbump forces Lilah and Arthur’s partnership to evolve into a fake relationship that feels all too real. The chemistry between them is off-limits and undeniable. As Arthur’s cinematic comeback plays out over the hot globe-trotting summer, Lilah finds herself drawn to his true charm and hidden vulnerability. But as the cameras roll and the world watches, Lilah must confront her own feelings and the reality that no script can dictate the course of true love.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli
Release date: May 20
Read it if: You’re already dreaming of a summer vacation. After getting passed over, an engineer heads to a corporate retreat, only to be stuck with her nemesis.
Publisher’s synopsis: Engineer Trishara Malik once dreamed of being the first woman of color to smash the glass ceiling at WMC Purcell. But after years of dealing with white male privilege and blatant nepotism, she watches her hard-earned promotion go to her nemesis, Rafe Gallagher—the boss’s son. Teetering on the edge of burnout, Tris is stunned when she’s picked to attend WMC’s corporate leadership retreat in Hawaii. It’s a chance to revive her stalled career and compete for a coveted spot in an executive training program. Plus, three weeks in paradise! The only downside? Rafe is her co-attendee.
Tris plans to avoid Rafe entirely. But when she arrives in Maui, a booking error has them stuck sharing the honeymoon suite. Sure, it’s not all torture. Rafe is a smoldering ten—okay fine, an eleven. But after years of competition, they can barely stand being in the same time zone. As they vie against each other during aptitude tests and team-building exercises, Tris begins to realize Rafe might not be the villain after all. With her dreams at stake, can she learn to trust the man who might have been standing in her corner all along?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Ride With Me by Simone Soltani
Release date: May 20
Read it if: You’re into Vegas marriage meets racecar romance for the best romance books of May 2025. A sudden, drunken “I do” might be the best thing that happened to a very unexpected couple.
Publisher’s synopsis: Stella Baldwin thought her life couldn’t get worse. Being left at the altar was bad enough. The drunken rant she posted to her social media followers in the aftermath was the cherry on top. But having to show up at her cousin’s bachelorette party in Las Vegas barely two weeks later feels like a cruel joke.
Thomas Maxwell-Brown is just looking for a good time. With his family’s expectations pressing down, his career as a Formula 1 driver threatened by fresh talent, and a new reputation making him the most hated man on the grid, he needs a break to clear his head. And what better way to decompress than with a stag party in Vegas?
Stella isn’t the woman Thomas expects to meet that night. And Thomas isn’t the man Stella expects to wake up next to in the morning—with a ring on her finger. Staying married might be the perfect solution to all their problems, even if it is a little wild. Sometimes, what happens in Vegas doesn’t need to stay there. . .
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews
Release date: May 20
Read it if: You like your historical romance with a dismantle-the-patriarchy bent. A secret operative and an underworld kingpin clash when they both target a corrupt aristocrat.
Publisher’s synopsis: On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim—train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. Outraged by a powerful lord’s systematic attack on women’s rights in Parliament, the Academy summons its brightest—and most bitter—pupil to infiltrate the odious man’s inner circle. A deal is struck. Bring down the viscount, and Miss Euphemia Flite will finally earn her freedom.
But betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has other plans. The viscount is the perfect pawn to insulate Gabriel’s underworld empire from government interference. He’s not about to let some crinoline-clad miss destroy his carefully constructed enterprise—no matter how captivating he finds her threats.
From the rookeries of St. Giles to the ballrooms of Mayfair, Euphemia and Gabriel engage in a battle of wits and wills that’s complicated by a blossoming desire. Soon Euphemia realizes it’s not the broken promises to her Academy sisters she should fear. It’s the danger to her heart.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria
Release date: May 27
Read it if: You’re craving steamy romance and self-discovery in the best romance books of May 2025. A divorced teacher is surprised to catch feelings for her supposed one-night stand.
Publisher’s synopsis: No strings. After Ava Rodriguez’s now-ex-husband declares he wants to “follow his dreams”—which no longer include her—she’s left questioning everything she thought she wanted. So when a handsome hotelier flirts with her, Ava vows to stop overthinking and embrace the opportunity for an epic one-night-stand.
No feelings. Roman Vázquez’s sole focus is the empire he built from the ground up. He lives and dies by his schedule, but the gorgeous stranger grimacing into her cocktail inspires him to change his plans for the evening. At first, it’s easy for Roman to agree to Ava’s rules. No strings, no feelings. But one night isn’t enough, and the more they meet, the more he wants.
No falling in love. Roman is the perfect fling, until Ava sees him at her cousin’s engagement party—as the groom’s best man, no less! Maintaining her boundaries becomes a lot more complicated as she tries to hide their relationship from her family, but Roman isn’t content being her dirty little secret. With her future uncertain and her family pressuring her from all sides, Ava will have to decide if love is worth the risk—again.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Love in Focus by Lyla Lee
Release date: May 27
Read it if: You love when rom-coms romanticize jobs in the media. A newly-single columnist teams up with her photographer ex on a buzzy project.
Publisher’s synopsis: When her boyfriend of seven years suddenly breaks up with her, relationship advice columnist Gemma Cho is convinced that real love doesn’t exist. As a bisexual woman who’s had zero luck with both men and women, she’s ready to give up on her own romantic prospects. That is, until she’s paired up with world-renowned photographer Celeste Min on a potentially career-saving piece on modern love.
Celeste is extremely talented and sexy, and would be the perfect collaborator and rebound for Gemma. If it weren’t for the fact that she’s Gemma’s ex, the one that broke her heart in college and moved to a whole other country before Gemma could even make sense of what went wrong between them. Heightened by the unmistakable sparks that still fly between them, Gemma and Celeste struggle to keep their relationship strictly professional. For the sake of her career, Gemma needs this piece to do well. And for the sake of what’s left of her beaten up hopeless romantic heart, she wants to fall head over heels for Celeste again.
But can she trust Celeste to feel the same this time around?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
