Romance books come with a lot of different tropes, and it can be a challenge to find the ones you enjoy reading the most. From enemies to lovers to forced proximity, grumpy X sunshine to found family, there’s a romance trope out there for every reader. In this article, we’ll be exploring books with the friends to lovers trope, and I have 6 amazing recommendations for you, with a few that have even been adapted into movies!
What Is The Friends to Lovers Trope In Romance Books?
Friends to lovers is a popular trope found across multiple romance genres and can be combined with other tropes in romance books. The trope involves characters who start as friends, having met during their childhood or as adults, and throughout the book, they grow into lovers as they form deeper feelings and a deeper connection with each other.
Friends To Lovers Romance Books That Have Been Adapted Into Movies
Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
OwlCrate Spice Scale - Extra Mild (🌶️)
Content Warnings (may contain spoilers):
Homophobia, Outing, Bullying, Toxic Friendship, and Gaslighting
“The way I feel about him is like a heartbeat—soft and persistent, underlying everything.”
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a Young Adult LGBTQIA+ novel and the first in a series of novels following Simon Spier. Simon has been emailing back and forth with someone named Blue, and over the course of the novel, they fall in love after starting off as friends.
Simon uses everything he can to find out who Blue is, and he even has a few guesses before their identity is revealed. Bram, AKA Blue, has been friends with Simon for a year and developed feelings for him during that time, but because of Bram’s religious family, they need to keep things a secret.
This was one of the first queer YA novels I read, and it still holds a special place in my heart. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda deals with some very real issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community today and is told with a lot of heart and passion for both the characters and the story.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
OwlCrate Spice Sale - Extra Mild (🌶️)
Content Warnings (may contain spoilers):
Death of a Parent, Bullying, Grief, Sexism, Car Accident, Toxic Friendship
“I don’t have to be so afraid of good-bye, because good-bye doesn’t have to be forever.”
This young adult novel is the first in a trilogy and follows Lara Jean Song, a teen who writes letters (which she keeps hidden in a box) to the boys she has crushes on—the boy she had her first kiss with, the boy from summer camp, and even her sister’s ex-boyfriend Josh.
One day, Lara Jean discovers that her box of letters is missing, and all the boys find out about her feelings. Peter K is one of the boys, and after reading the love letter addressed to him, romance between the two begins to blossom.
I love how with the letters, you not only find out more about the boys and their relationship with Lara Jean, but you see the transition from friends to lovers in real time . Lara Jean goes on a personal journey over the course of this story and comes out better than ever on the other side. This story has a combination of lighter and heavier moments, which is my preferred way of reading a romance novel.
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
OwlCrate Spice Scale - Mild (🌶️🌶️)
Content Warnings (may contain spoilers):
Classism, Bullying, Animal Cruelty, Racism, Toxic Relationship, Racial Slurs
“She wasn’t a rebel, because to call her one would imply that she was breaking the rules.”
Crazy Rich Asians is the first in a three-book series following Rachel and Nick as they spend a summer in Singapore. Before going on the trip, Nick reveals that he comes from money and that he is one of Singapore’s most eligible bachelors.
Rachel, however, is different, and she doesn’t fit into Nick’s family's world, which makes them dislike her. Over the course of the summer, Rachel has one goal—to prove to Nick and his family that she is worthy of his love.
The commentary on Asian culture and class differences in this book is wonderful, and I loved learning more about other cultures while reading it. I also really enjoyed seeing how Nick and Rachel fall in love and defy expectations as they go from friends to lovers.
Childhood Friends To Lovers Books That I Recommend
The Getaway List by Emma Lord
OwlCrate Spice Scale - Extra Mild (🌶️)
Content Warnings (may contain spoilers):
Abandonment, Cursing, Mental Illness, Bullying, and Outing
“It’s right here next to Tom, in the warmth of his hand in mine. It’s anywhere I want it to be. It’s in the family I know, and the ones that I found, and ones I don’t even know yet. It’s in the power to choose, one that I love testing the boundaries of every day.”
On the day of her high school graduation, Riley packs her bags and moves to New York City for the summer to be with her childhood best friend, Tom.
Once she sees him for the first time in forever, her feelings make her realize that she wants to be more than friends with him. With her getaway list and the help of Tom and her new friends, Riley has the best summer ever while exploring her feelings along the way.
Emma Lord writes great young adult novels, and this one was super cute. Riley and Tom reconnecting had the vibes of finding your first love after being away from them for years. I loved the found family trope in this book because not only did Riley find love with Tom, but she also gained a group of friends who cared about her.
Make The Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake
OwlCrate Spice Scale - Medium (🌶️🌶️🌶️)
Content Warnings (may contain spoilers):
Sexual Content, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cursing, Toxic Relationship, Grief, Panic Attacks, Vomit, Toxic Friendship, Child Abuse, Confinement, Mental Illness, Gaslighting, and Emotional Abuse
“Charlotte hadn’t heard her voice in five years.
Not like this, not with their song on her lips. It was breathtaking, pure magic, sultry and soft, her tone like a swirl of dark chocolate.”
This is a holiday-themed romance, but you could read it at any point in the year.
Charlotte and Brighton are not only childhood friends to lovers, but they were once engaged to be married. After five years, Charlotte and Brighton are thrown together when their friends, who are sisters, invite them to Colorado for the holidays.
Like in The Getaway List, Charlotte and Brighton reconnect, and after spending time together, they find what they've been missing during their time apart.
This book had multiple queer reps, and it’s just a fun, good time, with a mixture of lighter and more emotional, heartwarming scenes. I loved the second-chance element of this story because we get to see two characters fall in love all over again.
Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood
OwlCrate Spice Scale - Hot (🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️)
Content Warnings (may contain spoilers):
Sexual Content, Abandonment, Panic Attacks, Alcohol, Cursing, Bullying, Mental Illness, Medical Content, Emotional Abuse, Medical Trauma, Death
“The thing is, you’re perfect, Jamie. Absolutely fantastic—always have been. I’ve never been anything but amazed by you. And I don’t think I’m there yet. I want to deserve you.”
Cruel Winter With You is the first book in the Under the Mistletoe Collection from Amazon, in which a range of romance authors each wrote a novella.
Jamie and Marc were friends during their childhood because Jamie was best friends with Marc’s sister. Jamie is considered the one that got away, and Marc has had feelings for her for a long time. When they get stranded together because of a snowstorm, the two of them end up rekindling their feelings for each other.
I don’t usually read the siblings' best friend trope often, but I found this romance so cute because the characters had a history with each other, and they were able to reconnect throughout the book.
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