Best Asian Romance Books 2024: BookTok Favorites From AAPI Authors
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If you grew up in a strict Asian-American household like me, dating was not an option till well after you entered the workforce. There’s no bringing the high school or college partner home to meet the family during summer vacation, or talking to your mom about the new match you went on a subpar date with from Hinge, until you’re grown and have a serious long-term significant other. I used to fulfill my youthful lovelorn fantasies through a good romance novel, particularly through AAPI romance authors with experiences similar to my own.
Related: 8 Must-Read Books by AAPI Authors
Now with the weather heating up, the itch to dive into a good love story is more prevalent than ever. For AAPI Heritage Month this May, the warmer seasons always beckon for some sexy stories, whether that’s a fun and flirty situationship to full-blown tantric love. Below, our round-up of our six favorite romance books to lose yourself in by AAPI authors.
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How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
If you’re a fan of zesty second-chance stories, How to End a Love Story is right up your alley. The narrative explores Helen Zhang and Grant Shepard, who are tied together in a tragedy thirteen years prior. Now that they’re adults, the two meet again in Los Angeles in a writer’s room, where Grant shows up to work on a TV adaptation of one of Helen’s novels. Although the two have intertwined dark secrets that should keep them apart, becoming colleagues years later evolves into a star-crossed romance that might just heal their past.
How to End A Love Story
$13.54
Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
A Taming of the Shrew re-telling with South Asian characters and auntie matchmakers, this rom-com read will keep you flipping page after page. Kareena Mann is the female protagonist, who on the morning of her thirtieth birthday places a bet with her widowed father – if she can find her soulmate in four months before her sister’s engagement party, she’ll win her childhood home from her dad. Meanwhile, Dr. Prem Verma of the “Dr. Dil Show” is looking for real love and ends up matching with Kareena, and their second date gone wrong becomes a public and viral disaster. Prem’s community center donor is threatening to pull out his money, and the only option for Prem to fix his image is for him and Kareena to kiss and make up.
Dating Dr. Dil
$10.99
King of Wrath (Kings of Sin) by Ana Huang
Billionaire CEO Dante Russo is a dominating tour de force who never wanted to marry. Yet when extortion threats arrive, he’s forced into an engagement with the daughter of his most recent arch nemesis, Vivian Lau. Vivian agrees as she sees this as a long-term business opportunity, opening doors for her and her family that they’ve been waiting for. Although he’s determined to disregard her and their wedding pact, the two quickly realize their overwhelming yearning for each other overcomes all familial ties and logic. A spicy read brimming with enemies-to-lovers, wealth and power, this novel is perfect for fans of steamy and tension-filled romance.
Kings Of Wrath by Ana Huang
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
A love story that highlights a neurodivergent female protagonist, The Kiss Quotient follows thirty-year-old Stella Lane, whose intrigue with math eclipses everything else. She realizes she needs some professional guidance in the flirtation and courtship department, so she contacts escort Michael Phan. Michael knows saying no to Stella doesn’t make financial sense, so he agrees to her request. Through the novel, the touching narrative follows Stella along as she learns everything from dates, romance, sex and unexpectedly, love.
The Kiss Quotient
$10.07
One Last Word by Suzanne Park
An exciting and witty read, the novel follows Sara Chae on her budding founder journey as she does her best to tackle tech stereotypes, build a company and entertain romance. Sara quits her job and decides to pour her heart and soul into her new app called One Last Word. The app’s function is to send messages to loved ones after you pass, but when another Sara Chae passes, the obituary triggers the app to send drunken messages to all the key people in her life, including her irresistible venture capital mentor, Harry Shim, whom she’s known from high school. What follows after are the shenanigan-filled consequences, as she works with Harry to launch her app while doing her best to suppress her own chemistry and desires.
One Last Word
$14.24
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Although the masses are familiar with the popular movie starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding, the first book of a trilogy series that the film is based on is even more playful. This sardonic romantic comedy deals with Rachel Chu and her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, who travel to Singapore to attend a fabulously ornate wedding. Rachel discovers her boyfriend has been hiding his affluent background from her, as their love is tested on class and cultural differences, familial bonds and wealth. The story is set against the fabulous backdrop of the Singaporean “wedding of the century”, creating a moving fictional affair filled with glitz and glam.
Crazy Rich Asians
$10.17
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