5 Overrated Romance Books & The 5 Books To Read Instead

Published Sep 22, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

Carrie is a Senior Writer at ScreenRant who previously managed Geek to Geek Media and wrote for SwitchRPG. She is particularly knowledgeable when it comes to WoW, Diablo, and cozy games. She has a passion for supporting the indies and always enjoys sharing her passions with others through her writing.

Romance books are consistently the highest-selling genre in the literary world. Whether they are emotionally charged books that will make you cry or cheerful comedic stories of happily ever after, readers of romance simply love tales of love. These make up the vast majority of titles on Kindle Unlimited, and there are even some bookstores devoted entirely to the romance genre.

With the rise of BookTok, BookTube, and Bookstagram reading communities, it's easy for some romance books to get over-hyped, even if they don't really deserve it. It's rare that any truly bad books go viral as something that everyone needs to read because of these platforms, but it's easy to get caught up in wanting to read what "everyone is reading right now" and miss out on some other books that might be even better.

Overrated: The Pumpkin Spice Café

By Laurie Gilmore

The Pumpkin Spice Café is certainly not a bad book by any means. In fact, it is one of my favorites and a book that is re-read every fall season. That said, it did get an inordinate amount of hype. It's a wonderfully fluffy rom-com that brings all the good vibes and standard tropes, and the entire Dream Harbor series is a cute set of novels, but they aren't earth-shattering masterpieces.

It almost feels as though the beautifully serene, autumnal cover of the book blended with the pumpkin spice latte craze to make it the perfect fit for influencers to pitch. So, while I would recommend reading it, it's good to keep in mind that BookTok may have oversold this one.

Instead, Try: Bonfire & Bliss Bookstore

By Brittanee Nicole

If you want those autumn vibes that The Pumpkin Spice Café is selling, perhaps Bonfire & Bliss Bookstore is one to try. Of course, it still fits the rom-com status and has a silly fake dating trope, but its characters feel so much deeper and the story more nuanced.

The book shares with us the romance between bookstore owner Penny and her long-lost high school best friend, Monty. While struggling with writer's block, as well as some familial problems, Monty moves back to the small town of Hope Harbor and reconnects with Penny. Monty and Penny enter a fake relationship to help each other out of some troublesome situations, and it's filled with all the chaos and misunderstandings that trope always brings.

Overrated: The Paradise Problem

By Christina Lauren

Again, The Paradise Problem is not a bad book. It's a perfect fit for summer vacation vibes, with a cute story of a fake marriage turning into real love while stuck on a tropical vacation together for a destination wedding. However, that doesn't mean that this hasn't also fallen into the overrated category. The family drama in it can become very over the top, with an ending that feels a bit rushed and contrived.

It's a fast-paced summer read that toes the line between being lighthearted and entertaining and having some deep emotional stakes with toxic family dynamics. Fun to read, but there are numerous books that follow a similar plotline that could be considered even better.

Instead, Try: The Spanish Love Deception

By Elena Armas

Following a similar idea of traveling to another country for a destination wedding, The Spanish Love Deception features a fake dating trope rather than a fake marriage. After Catalina has been lying to her family about having an American boyfriend, when she has to travel to Spain for her sister's wedding, she needs to find someone to fill the role.

Surprisingly to Catalina, her handsome and condescending coworker Aaron offers to do it. She finds him insufferable, but forced proximity and a beautiful trip together might make him seem a little less repulsive.

Overrated: In A Jam

By Kate Canterbury

In A Jam was another BookTok sensation, quickly becoming the book that everyone had to read in 2022. Its story is achingly familiar, with our FMC, Shay, inheriting a tulip farm only on two conditions; that she moves to a certain small town, and gets married within a year. Of course, in that small town is Noah, a man who pined for Shay in high school but was never brave enough to share his feelings.

Full of small-town tropes, it's an adorable story. Yet, at 450 pages, it's also a long one that feels slow and drawn-out, and the chemistry between Shay and Noah was nothing special, certainly not enough to warrant the hype that the book received.

Instead, Try: Lucky Penny

By Katherine Bitner

Lucky Penny is a second chance romance with a deeply flawed leading man, but a sweet story of redemption. When Penny returns to her small hometown to help her little sister, she finds herself face to face with her high school sweetheart, Jesse. Just before Penny left for college, Jesse found himself heading to prison, effectively ending their relationship.

However, the spark that they had never really left, and they both end up being pulled towards each other again even as they work to heal themselves.

Overrated: The Night We Met

By Abby Jimenez

Abby Jimenez is one of those truly incredible romance writers whose novels almost always land. Unfortunately, that means that her books can easily become hyped up and overrated before anyone even has the chance to read them.

In the case of her most recent novel, The Night We Met, the story didn't quite live up to expectations. It's a wonderful and sweet story. However, featuring an MMC who is the best friend of our FMC's boyfriend didn't sit well with many readers. Particularly as protagonist Larissa and her boyfriend didn't really have that bad of a relationship either.

Instead, Try: Just For The Summer

By Abby Jimenez

Although The Night We Met struggled to make everyone fall in love, Abby Jimenez still has a vast catalog of books that are more than worth your time. Among these is Just For The Summer. If you haven't read this one yet, you absolutely should.

Main characters Justin and Emma both feel that they are cursed. Every date they go on leads to the other person finding their soulmate immediately after they break up. So, naturally, the best way to break the curse is for the two of them to date. They think it will just be a quick fling, but things get a lot more complicated very quickly.

Just For The Summer is the third book in a series, but you don't have to read the first two before starting it. The entire series can be read as interconnected standalones.

Overrated: Ugly Love

By Colleen Hoover

In the literary world, it's hard not to know the name Colleen Hoover. Not only does she have numerous popular books, but she also has a knack for writing emotional cliffhangers and dramatic twists. Unfortunately, her name is also well known because of the way her books have completely taken over social media.

Most of her books can become pretty repetitive, and often use toxic relationships and mental health struggles in a way that isn't always beneficial to the audience. Perhaps the most overrated of her books is Ugly Love, where the two main characters think they can just have a friends-with-benefits situation without any heartache, until things get ugly.

Instead, Try: Only For The Week

By Natasha Bishop

Only For The Week similarly features a couple looking to just let off some steam together, but with a sweeter story of love that builds between them. Janelle is the maid of honor at her sister's wedding, despite the fact that her sister is marrying Janelle's ex. With all the feelings and drama that it brings, she is happy to take her mind off things.

Meanwhile, the best man, Rome, has always had feelings for Janelle, but never acted on them because of her relationship with his best friend. Now that the best friend is getting married and Janelle needs some companionship, this wedding week is the perfect time for a quick fling. Although it may not just be a fling after all in this sweet romance book.