14 Best Romance Books of June 2026: ‘Tropesick’ & More
Summer is officially in full throttle, and what could be better than welcoming the season with a slate of new sexy reads? This month’s offerings are turning up the heat. From a spicy throuple Greek reimagining to a literary romance that will seduce even the intellectuals, these June books are the definition of hot.
And for those looking for something summery sweet, there’s a YA romance about falling for your crush’s brother, a hopeful redemption tale for a necromancer, and many more. For all the Tia Williams fans out there, the Seven Days in June author is back with her next romance, The Missed Connection. Tennis fans, Wimbledon’s on the horizon, and Edward Schmit’s debut novel, The Open Era, is the perfect summer beach read to get you into sports mode.
Whatever kind of romance you’re looking for this month can be found below with Swooon’s best picks of June 2026.
Scandal of the Summer
Alexandra Vasti
Release Date: June 23
Who says lies must always stand in the way of love? After finding herself at odds with a friend of her father’s and subsequently embarrassing him, Lady Ruby knows that if she doesn’t get out soon London society will be coming for her. She grabs her two closest friends and sets off to a country estate, owned by a princess that is never there, and has left the land effectively abandoned. Cosplaying as ladies-in-waiting, Ruby and her friends arrive at the house only to find it occupied by Malcolm and his alleged staff. But it turns out Ruby is the only one good at conniving, as Malcom and crew are actually sailors smuggling in illegal goods through the abandoned home. With their facades aside, cohabitation is no problem. The trouble arrives when the Princess actually arrives, sending everyone running to the nearest alibi and the bubbling romance growing between Ruby and Malcolm might be the first to fall.
The Missed Connection
Tia Williams
Release Date: June 9
Would you believe your fortune teller if they told you that you were about to set off a chain of events that could lead you to the love of your life? Sasha, the star of Tia Williams’ playful new romance, might. Despite the fact that Sasha has been a hermit ever since a stalking incident left her traumatized, she has renewed hope after this reading and a chance encounter at the airport with a smart and sexy stranger. However, Sasha never got his information and then accidentally sent her entire office a memo detailing the entire ordeal, and her coworkers pick up the mantle to help her find her love. But the detective Wes, the man who resolved her stalking incident and whom Sasha hires to find her mystery lover, is growing on her more than he should when he’s looking for the supposed love of her life. Is the love Sasha is searching for still out of her reach, or is he standing right beside her the whole time?
The Open Era
Edward Schmit
Release Date: June 2
Move over, hockey. Tennis romances are taking over readers’ hearts, and Edward Schmit’s charged debut is great evidence of why. The U.S. Open is approaching quickly, and gay tennis star Austin is focused on beating his biggest rival on the court, Diego. Just days before their match, Austin and Diego begin a tentative friendship that brings confusion on both ends: Is Diego flirting with him? When Diego confesses that their friendship has unveiled something new about his queer identity, their complicated relationship only grows more strained as the biggest match of their careers rapidly approaches. For anyone who wishes Art and Patrick would’ve just kissed already (we know you do!), this novel holds the same emotional heft and deep soul connection that makes for excellent summer reading.
Where You’ll Find Us
Jen St. Jude
Release Date: June 2
Prom night ends with trans teen Cal and their girlfriend, Ramona, racing away from their rigid small-town lives and out into the woods, where a heavy storm traps them. When the pair spots a light in a farmhouse, they enter, thinking they’ll stay the night for shelter, but learn they’ve been transported to Amaranth, a world in a new dimension that houses queer teens from different decades. Finally, in a safe space, Cal and Ramona can truly be themselves and confront the growing fractures in their relationship with graduation looming. But when the time comes to return home, the pair question if the new home they’ve built themselves can be found anywhere else.
Hopeless Necromantic
Shiloh Briar
Release Date: June 2
A down-on-his-luck necromancer finds hope in love and on his mission in this charming read that’s full of humor and hope. Necromancer Sikras has been called upon to stop an undead army that is creeping towards the kingdom. The only problem is he’s failed at this before, and not even his charges believe that a third attempt will render a different result. That is, until Helpsira, a sunny new recruit, is sent to escort Sikras on his mission. The odds are against this newcomer and this failed weidler of dark magic, but perhaps together, there is a chance that they can pull off surviving this mission, and their mounting feelings for each other.
Shattered Gods
Katee Robert
Release Date: June 2
It’s always difficult to say goodbye, but Katee Robert makes the farewell a worthy one in the final installment of the tantalizing Dark Olympus series. Many years ago, the reigning Zeus was a selfish ruler, one who didn’t care what it took to get Hecate (aka Hermes) at his side, including allegedly murdering Circe, her lover. In the present day, Hecate has watched as a new generation of heroes make up for the wounds she suffered to earn her place among them, but a secretly lurking Circe has not. Announcing her return and plan to seek revenge against Olympus, Circe struggles to finish the job when she reunites with Hecate, and her new lover, Atalanta. The past threatens to upend the possibility of a worthwhile future in this sexy and tense series conclusion.
You Won’t Forget Me
Mazey Eddings
Release Date: June 9
Singer Cubby Clark is used to attention, just not the kind she’s been getting lately. Ever since her ex-boyfriend and former bandmate released a snarky song subliminally embarrassing her, Cubby has decided that rather than hide from it, she can take the narrative into her own hands. When audiences suspect a growing romance between her and her pianist, Harry, the band fuels the rumors, but Cubby finds her attention turning toward bassist Darcy. Things are quickly becoming messy, with one public fake flirtationship taking place on stage and real private feelings growing backstage. Cubby will have to find her voice to finally say (and sing) exactly what she wants.
The Summer Girlfriend
Kristina Forest
Release Date: June 9
A bridesmaid-for-hire and a playboy entrepreneur find their fake relationship getting a little too real in Kristina Forest’s latest venture. Noelle Lewis might take some unconventional routes to make money outside of her bookstore job, including showing up to a wedding to pretend to be a perfect but just distant enough friend to a bride, for the right price, of course. She loses her bookstore gig, and when Jeremiah, a bookstore customer, heir to a bakery franchise, and bachelor, offers her a deal to pretend to be his girlfriend in exchange for financial help, Noelle is ready to put her set of skills to the test. Noelle is whisked into the inner circle of the rich Smith family, forced to find her way among a family suspicious of Jeremiah due to his past. What is meant to just be a summer of fake kisses and family soirees quickly turns real, but neither knows how to truly find their way to each other with their deal still on the table.
The Someday Garden
Ashley Poston
Release Date: June 16
Ashley Poston continues on her streak of touching romance with dashes of magical realism that make for truly unique stories. Lilymoor House and Gardens is a beautiful estate that means the world to horticulturist Sophie. It was meant to be the place she would reunite with Harrie, her best friend, for their 10-year friendship anniversary, but when Harrie dies suddenly, Sophie makes the trek on her own. There she encounters Oliver, a charming and warm architect who reminds Sophie that the future is bright, and lawyer Cyrus, whose broody demeanor gives way to a man who understands her grief. When Cyrus gets trapped in a magical secret garden that only Sophie can find, she enlists the help of the estate’s workers to bring him out, while also grappling with her growing feelings for Cyrus and Oliver.
Tropesick
Lauren Okie
Release Date: June 16
Lauren Okie is breaking the fourth wall with her newest romance novel, Tropesick. Ghostwriter Katie is under a tighter deadline than anticipated, and the only way she can get her latest project in on time is by working with an assigned partner. This partner is the first of many tropes to come: Tyler, her late brother’s best friend and Katie’s childhood crush, is now an author, and together the pair will work to get a new romance novel on the shelves. But the author (and its characters) can’t ignore the tropes that have befallen them, including but not limited to grumpy-sunshine and forced proximity. But just because they’re aware doesn’t make the feelings looming underneath any less real. Okie’s novel is evidence of the mechanics behind what makes a cliché work.
The Very Definition of Love
Sophia Benoit
Release Date: June 23
Sophia Benoit makes wordplay incredibly sexy in this Regency debut dripping in stimulating wordplay. Lady Harriet has found herself in quite the predicament. She’s been discovered alone in a library with Lord Alexander, a rake amongst men, and unless she weds him, her family’s reputation will be ruined. Alexander agrees to wed Harriet to protect her honor, but the two would never consider consummating their marriage (or he assumes) until he gets to know and see more of her. Harriet, working on a dictionary, is in need of help with defining slang and vulgar language, and she has just the right husband to explain (and maybe show) her what all of those words mean. An undeniable and explosive chemistry brings the convenience of this marriage crumbling to its knees in a story that is both a sexy romp and a touching tale of finding one’s perfect match.
Checking You Out
Jennifer Chen
Release Date: June 23
There is nothing more romantic to a book lover than falling in love via shared reading tastes, and that’s exactly the premise of Jennifer Chen’s heartwarming YA novel. When Lizzie, an avid reader, discovers a library checkout receipt in the back of her current read that includes several of her own favorite books, she’s immediately intrigued by who this mystery library patron could be. On a whim, she leaves her own note in a book, offers them a chance to respond by recommending a book in return, and is surprised when she receives a response. As Lizzie grows more fond of her mystery reader, she never thinks to suspect jock Dylan, who no one would ever imagine to be into the same books Lizzie is. Will the two ever take their romance out of the books, or is their love story destined to be shelved?
You Jump First
Myah Ariel
Release Date: June 30
A return to a childhood stomping ground offers two teens dealing with heartbreak an opportunity to find love in an unexpected place in Myah Ariel’s delightful summer rom-com. Andie Weaver’s return to Big Bear Lake couldn’t be more disastrous. Andie arrives on awkward terms with her crush, Patrick, and in hopes of rekindling their relationship, she sexts him, only to find out that Patrick has moved on with someone else. In a desperate attempt to erase the message before he can see it, Andie finds an ally in Tommy, Patrick’s older brother, who is secretly nursing his own broken heart. Over the course of the summer, the two promise to help each other get over their former crushes, only to wind up developing feelings for each other and garnering the attention of their former flames
Games: A Love Story
Anna Maria Volkova
Release Date: June 30
We’re calling it now: This is the literary romance of the summer that every cool girl you know will be reading. It’s summer in New York City, and grad student Lili is in need of an escape, both from a fracture in her relationship with her foster family and from the grief of her parents’ death. At a bar, Aleksandr buys Lili a drink, and the chemistry is undeniable and distinct. Lili, a voracious intellect, has finally found her match in a man two decades her senior, and the two dive into a heady and sensual relationship in the coming weeks. Despite their age gap and life differences, what the two are able to find within one another speaks to a deeper, truer intimacy and connection. But the cost of what they have could be Lili’s ambition, her future, and the risk of facing a new kind of grief that could upend her life anew.
