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After being dumped by their partners at the same restaurant on the same night, Bri and Liem bond over cocktails, bad luck, and the kind of chemistry they definitely weren’t expecting. What starts as a pact to help each other move on quickly turns into late-night conversations, undeniable attraction, and feelings neither of them saw coming. But as their connection deepens, they’ll have to decide if they’re ready to risk their hearts again—or if one more heartbreak is a chance they’re not willing to take.
Raise your hand if you love a meet cute in romance novels! The adorable trope where two characters have a cute, unexpected encounter is a classic of the genre, and it has been going on for a long time. (“So there I was, rolled up in a rug.”—Cleopatra.) For example, one character goes to adopt a puppy and falls for another character who is there to also choose a puppy. Awwwww.
But sometimes, meet cutes can get a little chaotic, with unexpected sparks arising from unlikely situations. Love can be wild and messy, and these six great romance novels showcase some pretty wild and silly meet cutes. (Although none of them take place on a root vegetable farm, which would make it a beet cute, or are about cannibals, which would be an eat cute. Sorry, not sorry.)
The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
How do you get your family off your back about your love life? If you’re bookstore owner Tansy, you pretend you’re engaged to the beautiful cover model from a romance novel. She thinks a pretend fiancée will hold off all their questions for a while. But then Gemma, the actual model, walks into her store, with her own fake relationship proposition—what are the odds??—and the sparks start to fly. (But, like, a controlled burn, because they’re in a bookstore.)
A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley
Mariel Spark is a powerful witch who is not all that interested in using her magic, despite her mother’s protestations. She’d rather putter around a mixing bowl than a cauldron. But when Muriel attempts a spell to create flour, she accidentally summons a demon instead. (I hate it when that happens.) In order to hide the fact that her handsome flour bae, Ozroth, is from the underworld, Muriel tells her mother that he’s her boyfriend…which then starts to actually become a reality.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Eve Brown has been told she needs to straighten her life out for, well, pretty much her whole life. Chaos seems to follow everywhere she goes. But after an ultimatum from her parents, Eve decides to try to be an adult. Unfortunately, on her first day of trying, she hits handsome B&B owner Jacob Waynewith her car after a job interview. Whoops! To make up for breaking his arm, Eve tries to help around his establishment, where her best intentions soon melt his grumpy heart.
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming
Kimberly Lemming’s hilarious novels all have zany meetings between characters, but this is one of the funniest. Brie is a cheesemaker who feels like she only has bad luck. Case in point: while throwing a drink in frustration in a bar, it turns out to be a love potion, and it accidentally beans a werewolf. Now he thinks he’s in love with Brie. But having a lovesick, lactose-intolerant werewolf follow her around turns out to be the best luck she’s had in years.
Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne
In this entertaining Pride and Prejudice retelling, a DJ and a property developer clash over a neighborhood. Liza is furious about the new condos in her neighborhood and decides to protest at a corporate event. When she mistakes the CEO of the company, Dorsey, for a member of the waitstaff, the heat between them is palpable. But can two people on opposing sides of a fight, who love-hate each other, eventually make things work?
Role Playing by Cathy Yardley
Meet cutes are not just for the youngsters! This is a great romance featuring middle-aged love interests who meet through an online RPG. Maggie and Aiden are both playing a fantasy online game as Bogwitch and Otter, respectively. At first, she thinks he’s a college student, and he thinks she’s a senior citizen. But their connection online seems so real, they decide to meet. Will their IRL baggage get in the way?
For more fun romance reads, check out these lists of the best romance books of 2026 so far and new under-the-radar historical romances!
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