The Art of Romance Book Tiers: A Personal Ranking

As I sit down to write this article, I am excited to share with you my personal ranking of every single romance book I have read. Yes, you heard that right - every single one. I know what you're thinking, "How can one person possibly read so many books?" And believe me, it's not easy. But I've been doing this for a while now, and I feel like it's time to share my thoughts with the world.

The Top Tier: Where Tropes Meet Personal Connection

So, what sets the top tier apart from the second tier? For me, it's all about tropes. You see, some books just get certain tropes right, and that's when the magic happens. It's like they're speaking directly to my soul or something (okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but you get the idea). Those books are the ones that really stand out to me, that make me feel all the feels, and that's why I'm placing them in the top tier.

I remember reading Beach Read by Emily Henry, and it was like I had found my true love. The way the author wove together these different tropes - the fake relationship, the small-town setting, the swoony romance - was just pure genius. It was like she knew exactly what I wanted in a book, and that's why I fell head over heels for it. That's what I mean by those top-tier books being personal connections for me.

Now, I know some people might say, "But wait, isn't Beach Read just a beach read?" And to that, I say, "Well, yes...and no." You see, when I think of a book, I think of the ocean. I think of the sound of the waves, the smell of the salt air, and the feel of the sand between my toes. And that's what makes Beach Read so special - it takes place in Michigan, not some exotic beach destination.

So, while I was initially disappointed by this fact (I mean, who wants to read about a lake house instead of an oceanfront retreat?), it ultimately didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. The romance was still swoony, the characters were still lovable, and the writing was still beautiful. It just wasn't what I expected - and that's okay.

The Second Tier: Where Love is Found in Unexpected Places

Not every book will resonate with me on the same level as Beach Read, of course. Some books might be more hit-or-miss, or they might not quite speak to my personal tastes. That's why we have a second tier - a place for books that still deserve recognition but don't quite make it into the top tier.

One book that comes to mind is The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. I loved this book, don't get me wrong, but it just didn't speak to me on the same level as Beach Read. Maybe it was the fact that the romance was a bit more subtle (I like my romances big and bold), or maybe it was just the tone of the book - but whatever the reason, I felt like The Hating Game was missing something.

Another thing that sets me apart from some other readers is that I have a very specific idea of what a beach should be. For me, it's not about the oceanfront destination (although that's lovely too). It's about the sense of possibility and adventure that comes with being by the water. And sometimes, books just don't deliver on this.

So, while The Hating Game was still an enjoyable read, I wouldn't place it in my top tier. But that doesn't mean you should avoid it! If you're a fan of contemporary romance or enjoy books about office romances (I'm looking at you, Emily Henry!), then this is definitely worth checking out.

The Pointless Hill That I Choose to Die On: Lake Beaches

Okay, here's the thing. I have to be honest with you - lake beaches just aren't my thing. There's something about them that feels... wrong. For me, it's all about the oceanfront destination (sorry, Michigan!). But I know a lot of people love lake beaches, and that's okay too!

For the sake of those readers who do enjoy lake beaches, let me just say that The Hating Game has a lovely lake house setting. It's peaceful, serene, and beautifully written - but it's not my cup of tea.

The Importance of Representation

One thing I want to talk about is representation. As someone with a certain level of privilege (hello, California girl!), I know that representation matters. And in the romance genre, there's definitely room for improvement when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

I don't want to say that all popular romance books are problematic or lacking in diverse representation, but sometimes they just feel like...more of the same old thing. The same tropes, the same settings, the same characters. Don't get me wrong - I love a good rom-com as much as the next person! But when it comes to more serious themes and issues, we need books that speak to those realities.

That's why I want to highlight some of my favorite diverse romance novels. There are so many talented authors out there who are working hard to create stories that reflect our world in all its complexity. If you're looking for something new and exciting, I highly recommend checking out books like The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory or You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria.

Conclusion

So, there you have it - my personal ranking of every single romance book I've read. It's been a wild ride, let me tell you! But the most important thing to remember is that everyone has their own tastes and preferences when it comes to books. What one person loves, another person might not enjoy at all.

And that's what makes this exercise so fascinating for me - it forces me to confront my own biases and assumptions about what I like in a book. Who knows? Maybe next time around, I'll be pleasantly surprised by a book that didn't make the cut!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello everyone welcome Happy Valentine's Day if you're anything like me you're going to be  spending this Valentine's Day the way that you've spent every other Valentine's Day in your life  alone however this year I decided that I would do something fun for you all for anyone who's like  me who might be spending this day alone and want something entertaining to do want something to  watch so I thought it would be fun to combine two of my favorite things romance and judging  things so today we're going to be tier ranking every single romance book I've ever read I love  tier ranking videos I've made quite a few of them there are many more I would like to make and this  is one I've been wanting to make for some time so I thought today would be perfect so let's take a  look at my tears here we have my six tears I named them myself as per usual I like getting creative  with the tier names I think it's more fun than just writing them like s through F or whatever  so we start off with my top tier this is the god tier and this one is when will it be my turn  these are the best romance books I've ever read these are the ones where I wish I could live out  that romance in the book so they are my absolute favorite ones next we have this is why I'm single  these are books that I also really really loved I thought they were great they set the expectations  too high for Romance the standards are too high hence why I'm single you can argue that there are  other reasons why I'm single but I would like to argue that fictional romances are sometimes  better next we have kind of like my middle tier of books I still enjoyed but aren't necessarily  my favorite paper ones this one is Love Actually is all around obviously a reference to the movie  Love Actually and I think it's a tick tock sound now I really enjoyed some of these and I would  definitely recommend them they're just not my personal favorite books next we have expectation  versus reality these are books that I wish I liked a little bit more there are things about them I  enjoy I can understand why some people would like them but I personally didn't really love them and  I was expecting more than what we really got next we have this is why I'm single 2.0 note this is  very different from the original this is why I'm single tier hence the use of of the gridded teeth  Emoji these are books that remind me why I choose to stay single why I stay off the apps why I don't  want to talk to anybody the romance was not my cup of tea I wasn't into it this is why I would want  to stay single and finally we have the very last here right to jail again a reference to a tick  tock sound this tier speaks for itself right to jail it was so bad send it right to jail I  don't want it I'm not interested the worst of the worst romance I've read so those are the tears but  quickly before we get into ranking everything I do want to clarify something because I know it's  going to come up and I know people are going to ask me where are these books why aren't they on  the list I did not include five out of the six Colleen Hoover books I've read because I don't  consider her books romance and I'm not going to promote them as romance books I'm not going to  talk about them like their Romance Books because they're not Romance Books there are certain books  over others that I would definitely consider more along the lines of romance and ones that  are absolutely not romance like it ends with us but because I've talked about these books  already in recent videos and because I've said multiple times that her books just Center abusive  toxic relationships and romanticize them I don't consider the majority of her books romance books  so that's why they're not on this list I have one Colleen Hoover book on this list because  I do consider that one to be a romance book but I'm sure you can make a very well educated guess  where I would put every single one of the books on this tier list I think I think you know where  they would go so I don't need to reiterate it for you anyway I just wanted to make that clear  because I know people are going to be like where are they I don't consider them romance they don't  go on the romance list I also do want to say I didn't include any of Taylor Jenkins reads books  on this list I don't really consider like Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo to be romance they're more  like lit thick and also I didn't include her entire backlist either even though I've read  all of those because to be honest one I don't remember the majority of what happens in a lot  of them and two they are also more along the lines of litfic it's a little different I'm  kind of really mostly ranking rom-com's historical romance and like a couple books that are a little  bit more in the lit Vicky genre but still books that are more widely considered a part of just  the right romance genre so yeah that's why I didn't include those and again I don't remember  the majority of what happens in most of them so without those books I have a total of I believe  17 Romance Books I'm looking at this now and my entire list got rearranged somehow and I'd  ordered them all properly and now I have to go fix it okay that's a little better anyway  let's finally get into ranking all of these books I'm really excited I have no idea where I'm gonna  put most things I'm pretty sure I only know what will go in my very bottom tier and like one book  that will go in my top tier I don't know if there will be another one but we'll see okay first up we  have red white and royal blue this was the first or second true romance book I'd ever really read  up until this point I don't think I'd ever really read much of anything that was just a True Romance  a classic rom-com anything like that so this was my first experience kind of like diving into the  genre at all and I did not have high expectations even though this book was so so hyped I read it  like a year or so after it came out I think but I surprisingly really enjoyed it I really loved  this book yes it has its problems it's definitely got some issues We're Not Gonna ignore that every  time I think about the actual politics in this book yikes but they have so much chemistry the  characters have so much chemistry so in terms of the actual character work done in the book  The romance between the two characters and just the ridiculous high stakes of the book it's so  entertaining to read and I just had such a fun time with it I think I originally probably would  have put it higher and I might change this around because it's been a while since I've  read the book but I think I'm gonna put it in Love Actually is all around I might move it up  we'll see depends on what else I put in the same tier but for now this is where it's going to go  because I really did love this book and it's just so much fun okay next we have one last  stop by Casey mcquiston this one I'm gonna put in expectations versus reality because this did not  live up to my expectations first of all I did not understand that this book was kind of paranormal  like there's a ghost involved I didn't realize there'd be that element to this story which is  not a bad thing I actually like things like that but I think because it took me kind of by surprise  I just went into the book expecting a little something different and I was also ultimately  let down by the characters I didn't really find them memorable I didn't really care about the  relationship between the main two characters and I didn't care about any of the side characters  either so I was just really disappointed in this one I understand why people would enjoy  it I don't think it's a bad book necessarily I just don't really think it's for me okay next  up we have Josh and Hazel's guide to not dating by Christina Lauren this is actually I think the  first romance book I ever read technically and I remember not liking this I don't even remember  what I rated it either two or three stars but I don't remember a thing that happened in it I just  remember them going to some like rooftop party or something and maybe one of them is a dentist  don't ask me I have no clue I probably shouldn't have included this book on the list at all because  like I said I don't remember what happens I think I'm gonna put this in expectation versus reality  because again I really don't remember much of what happened in it but I do remember it not being very  memorable so that's why it's gonna go there okay next up we have the classic the love hypothesis  uh yeah I've said it many times I'm not a fan of raylo fan fiction I'm also not a fan of the she is  Tiny and he's gigantic Trope that's all there is in this book raylo fan fiction and the Tiny Giant  Trope that's it so that's why I'm single I was not into Adam as a character I didn't care I did not  like the main girl either I don't remember what her name is actually was his name Adam did she  literally name him after Adam Driver I'm pretty sure she did I'm pretty sure that his name was  actually Adam oh God okay next we have get a life Chloe Brown this one I did enjoy it just wasn't  my absolute favorite book I think I'm gonna put this in Love Actually is all around I think this  is genuinely a very good romance book I just read it last in my first romance video where I'd read a  ton of romance books that I didn't like at all so then I was burnt out from romance so I feel like  I'd need to read it again to know if I really really loved it or if it's just still more of  like a middle tier book for me but I definitely enjoyed it and I would recommend it if you're  really into romance I think that it's well written the characters were interesting I thought the  dialogue was funny and witty and I enjoyed that there was representation in the book for chronic  illness as well as a fat main character and yeah I just thought overall it was genuinely just a  fun romance so not my personal favorite favorite but for someone who's looking to read romance I  would recommend it hang on I need to move a couple of things around because I meant to order these  kind of based off of like genre a little bit and author as well and so they're out of order  okay anyway now that we're back in order we have Delilah green doesn't care this one is  another one that I feel like did not live up to my expectations I wanted a little bit more out of  it but I unfortunately just felt a bit let down the characters again I did not really connect  to I felt like they were a bit underdeveloped it was just like missing a little bit of something  but it's definitely not bad either um I think I'm gonna put this in expectation versus reality but  I'm gonna put it first actually if it lets me okay there we go because I do think it's  better than one last stop and it's better than Josh and Hazel's guide to not dating but it's  not quite on par with get a life Chloe brown or red white and royal blue which honestly  now that I'm looking at this I think I have to move red white and royal blue up to this  is why I'm single but I don't know because like no I think I do I I think I'm gonna put  it there we're gonna put it there for now we'll see again I might change things around I always  get really indecisive when I do these okay next we have the Spanish love deception yaymoving on I do think that that is the worst romance book I've read  um well there there's another one that is actually worse okay next  up we have my favorite romance book I have ever read the charm offensive oh  oh it's so good the only book I've ever read that has made me care about a billionaire I just love  this story this was such a refreshing rom-com it was so entertaining it was high stakes and fun it  was romantic there was so Much Chemistry Between the characters and it was really well written it  was funny and I cared about the side characters as well everything about this story I felt was pure  rom-com perfection I would love to see this as a movie but I feel like they probably destroy it but  if someone did it well if they adapted it well oh my God I'd eat that up truly just god tier romance  in my opinion if you want something cute heartfelt that's still emotional that also delves into more  serious topics like mental health highly recommend this one uh just truly the best I love it chef's  kiss I would do anything for the time offensive okay next we have kiss her once for me also by  the same authors the trauma offensive I read this at the end of last year and I don't think I talked  about in a video really but I loved this book this is going in this is why I'm single I thought it  was so good it wasn't on the same level as the charm offensive for me just because some of the  tropes were not my personal favorite tropes really the thing that sets like the second tier and the  top tier apart for me or what will make something more of like a favorite favorite for me is if it  has more of my favorite tropes in it but obviously like tropes are such personal things it's personal  preference in terms of romance so yeah someone might like kiss her once for me more than the  charm offensive because you like the tropes in it a bit more but still nonetheless it's a fantastic  book again super high stakes it was reminding me so much of like K dramas with how intense and kind  of ridiculous the stakes of the story were and it was so fun I had such a great time reading it it's  the perfect holiday read since it's set during the winter and the holidays so yeah I I can't  recommend it enough either if you're looking for a another Sapphic romance book to read  um definitely my favorite one I've read but also just one of my favorite romances I've  read so fun highly highly recommend okay next we have reminders of him by Colleen Hooveryeah this is truly the only Colleen Hoover book I've read that I consider to be an actual romance  book it is the only one with a True Romance plot and setup that is not just about trauma as like  the central theme of the story and romanticizing that trauma not that trauma can't have a place  in a romance novel it absolutely can but when you start to romanticize it as if it's the ideal and  if you start to exploit it which I would argue this book kind of does to some degree as well  that's just different than including those things in your novel depicting something is  not the same thing as endorsing it but endorsing it is endorsing it and I would argue that a lot  of her books just endorse horrible horrible relationship Dynamics that's why that one's  going there anyway I'm no longer in my ranting about calling Hoover era so we're moving on from  that okay next up we have seven days in June I wanted to put these two next to each other  so that I could compare a couple of things not that you could ever compare reminders of him to  anything written by Tia Williams Because truly the level of skill and writing is incomparable  but seven days in June is a romance book that has trauma as a very central theme and central point  of the story however this book does a beautiful job of handling that you don't leave the book  feeling like the whole thing was just using this trauma to get these two characters together as a  plot device it genuinely felt like a part of their characters because there's genuine character work  done there and it's just such a beautiful book truly one of the best written romance books I  think I've ever read I loved so many of the lines this easily goes in this is why I'm single I loved  this book so so good if you're looking for a more intense a little bit more along the lines of lip  thick kind of romance book that's more centered on these characters kind of healing through their  pain I think if you like Emily Henry too you would probably also like this book as well um definitely  look up content warnings but highly highly recommend that book was fantastic okay next we  have the historical romance books that I've read so first up we have a lady for a Duke I loved this  this is a historical romance novel with a trans main character that is Loosely somewhat inspired  by certain themes in Shakespeare's 12th night it was a fantastic book there were some times where  I found the book to be like a little bit too slow and that's the only thing that really kept me from  giving it a full five stars but it's it's just so so good so this one absolutely has to go into  this is why I'm single easily one of my favorite romance books I've read I would recommend it to  anyone who's into historical romance if you like Bridgerton you will love this it's so emotional  um I was gonna say look up content warnings but the very first page of the book has a Content  warning page so if you decide to read it make sure to read that content warning page because  there are some heavier subjects in the story but it's fantastic could not recommend it enough just  please more people should read it I feel like more people need to know about this book it's  not as popular of a romance book and I think it really should be okay next up we have another  book I read fairly recently and this is also a historical romance novel but it's also a little  bit magical realism so kind of like one last stop where there's just like this one element to the  story that's a little bit Fantastical a little bit magical uh the beautiful ones is also like  that this book was great I loved the writing but one of my favorite things about this was  the exploration of the characters because a lot of them were very morally gray and so we really got  to kind of get inside their heads and see why they think the way they do and I loved how no one in  the book except for maybe one character was really painted out to be just good all of the time they  were so messy and some of them were horrible but you could understand why they were the way they  were and I just loved the character work in this book and I loved the writing like I said there  were certain things about the romance that I wish had been done like maybe a little bit differently  or just wasn't my favorite tropes which is the only thing that has kept me from giving it five  stars I've read so many books this year that have been almost five stars but something just holds  me back from calling it an all-time favorite and this is another one that I really thought  would be an all-time favorite favorite even as I was reading it but there was just something like  a tiny little something missing but nonetheless still absolutely loved it so this is going in this  is why I'm single a beautiful book as the title says I would absolutely recommend it I think it  is so worth your time if you are into romance if you like historical romance if you like magical  realism could not recommend it enough it was such a good read okay then we have the last historical  romance book I've read which is Bridgeton the vi count who loved me this is the second Bridgerton  novel uh this is going in this is why I'm single 2.0 I did not like this we all know I've said it  many times I'm a huge fan of season two of the show I love it I've seen it so many times I  highly recommend the show over reading the book personally I just think it's so much better and  so much more entertaining and fun if this Anthony Bridgerton came into my life I would stay single  forever I don't want him anywhere near me show Anthony Bridgerton however that's a different  story okay and finally we have the final three books that I have on my list which are all of  Emily Henry's books excluding her new one that's supposed to come out later this year happy place  but I've now read all three of them I finally read Beach read for everybody who was telling me to  read the treat I read it in preparation for this video specifically so I just finished it the other  day so we'll talk about all three of them but I'm gonna go in order of how I read them not in the  order they were published so I first read people we meet on vacation and this one I'm going to put  in Love Actually is all around I think this was a very good book but it just personally did not  stick out to me that much there were things about it like halfway through maybe I really thought I  was going to love it like I thought I was going to give this minimum four stars and it could be  five if I really really liked the end but for some reason it went a bit downhill for me and  I just felt like there was something missing and there was a little bit more that I wanted out of  the book and we just never fully went there and that's ultimately how I felt once I finished it  I do think it was good but it's definitely not my favorite of her work then I read book lovers and  this one is gonna go in this is why I'm single I really loved this I truly think this is probably  one of the best romance books I've read too but again there was just something by the end where I  felt like something was missing or just didn't go far enough for me and I just wanted something else  out of it a little bit more of the characters a little bit more depth with the plot or the romance  or something but for some reason I just felt a bit unsatisfied after I finished it similarly to how I  felt with people meet on vacation however overall I still think it was better than people who meet  on vacation just objectively as a novel I think it was better constructed you can tell how much she's  grown as an author I think since people would meet on vacation but then I read Beach read and I  feel like this is gonna shock some of you and then some of you are going to be completely unsurprisedI loved Beach read I rated it similarly to how I rated Book Lovers because I think in my head they  are kind of on par with each other but as I've sat with it something about Beach read really  really touched me it really spoke to me for some reason I really connected with this story I really  connected with these characters I felt like there was just that thing that I felt was missing from  Book Lovers and people who meet on vacation I feel like Emily Henry put it all into Beach read I feel  like her heart and soul was in Beach read and I could feel that it was and I think that's why  it felt so much more emotional to me that's also in part because the story itself is a little bit  more emotional the stakes are a little bit higher so maybe that's why I enjoyed it more the stakes  just weren't high enough in the other two for me and some people might prefer that they might  prefer something a bit more lighthearted like Book Lovers or people meet on vacation but for  me beach read was it that is the Emily Henry book I don't like the book as much as I like the charm  offensive I don't think it's technically on the same level I would give it like 4.75 stars like  almost five stars almost but just not quite there yet maybe if I were to reread it or if I were to  sit with it for longer it could be up there but it is definitely one of my favorite romance books  I've read the thing like I said that sets the um top tier apart from the second tier is just that  it has more of my favorite tropes or something about it really personally spoke to me or stuck  out to me so uh that's why that one goes up there but I loved it I was shocked by how much I loved  Beach read my true like only complaint about this book which I feel like people are gonna fight me  on this I fully understand that this argument is coming from a place of privilege like my  California privilege but this book doesn't take place on a beach okay it takes place in Michigan  so the beaches we're talking about are the beaches of Lake Michigan like a lake beach to me that's  not a real beach when I think of a beach I think of the ocean or the sea like it needs to be a  salted body of water not an unseasoned Lake okay that's not a real beach so I thought the book was  going to take place along the west coast somewhere in the South somewhere or along the east coast  but no it's literally Lake Michigan they're basically at a lake house not a real beach  house so I I was disappointed by that I was misled okay I apologize to anybody  who lives by a lake beach or visits lake beaches regularly but those are lake beaches to me okay  I am a saltwater Ocean Beach girly and I'm used to those beaches so that's what I was expecting  but I still love the book it was still a lot of fun despite the fact that it doesn't take place  on a real beach I'm sorry this is the pointless Hill that I choose to die on but there you have  it this is my final tier ranking of every single romance book I have read I feel like people are  going to be surprised by how many of these I genuinely really love I feel like people assume  I don't like romance or maybe I assume that people assume I don't like romance just because I've read  a few that I really disliked and I'm very vocal about it but I do really love a lot of them too  I think there's so many great books in the genre there's so many more I would love to read as well  um I just think that some of the ones that are extremely popular that get hyped up don't deserve  of all of the attention but that's true of like almost anything that gets hyped up in any genre  any book even outside of books movies TV brands things like that so that's unsurprising but yeah  there are so many romance books that I really really love those top two tiers are definitely  my personal recommendations so if you're ever looking for a romance recommendation  and you want my recommendations just refer back to these top two tiers those were definitely be  the books I would recommend that you read if you're interested in Reading romance but yeah  there you all have it I hope that you enjoyed watching this video I hope this brightened up  your Valentine's Day whether you are spending it alone or spending it with somebody that you  love I hope it's a day full of love and joy and I hope that this video brought a smile to  your face please let me know in the comments what romance books are your favorite which ones would  you put in your top tier and which ones are the worst ones you've ever read and also which ones  should I read because I want to read some more romance books and I'm running low on my list now  if you'd like to follow me on any of my social media to keep up with what else I'm reading and  what else I'm doing all of my links are in the description box as always but thank you all so  much for watching this video I I hope you enjoyed and I will see you very soon in my next video bye\n"