Romance
Best Romantic Comedy Books
Romances that are actually funny, not just described that way.
Updated September 2026 · By Sawyer V.
The short version
A good rom-com is funny first and romantic second. The Flatshare and The Unhoneymooners are the easiest starts, Red, White & Royal Blue is the one everyone passes on, and Bet Me is the older classic the modern wave grew from. Heat varies, so check the notes before gifting.
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How we picked
We chose romances where the comedy is real — situations and dialogue that make readers laugh, not just an illustrated cover — and noted heat where it matters. We have not read all eight.
What we do on every list: read the publisher’s own description rather than a summary of it, check print length and first publication year against library catalog data (last refreshed September 11, 2026), confirm the book is still sold in the format we suggest, and write the match line before the blurb. What we do not do is claim to have read every book here cover to cover. The full method is published, and it is written so anyone can check it.
The short answer
Who each book is for, at a glance. Select a row for the full write-up.
| # | Book | Give this if | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The FlatshareBeth O'Leary · 344 pagesThe easiest start | they want warm and funny with low heat | |
| 2 |  The UnhoneymoonersChristina Lauren · 424 pagesThe setup | they like a premise that does the work | |
| 3 |  Red, White & Royal BlueCasey McQuiston · 440 pagesThe one everyone passes on | they want big, joyful and political | |
| 4 |  Get a Life, Chloe BrownTalia Hibbert · 377 pagesThe list | they like a heroine who plans everything | |
| 5 |  Funny StoryEmily Henry · 400 pagesThe fake relationship | they love Emily Henry | |
| 6 |  Just for the SummerAbby JimenezThe curse | they like a quirky premise | |
| 7 |  First Time CallerB. K. Borison · 448 pagesThe radio romance | they have read the big names and want something newer | |
| 8 |  Bet MeJennifer Crusie · 384 pagesThe classic | they want the rom-com the modern wave grew from |
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Eight rom-coms that are actually funny
1. The easiest start
The Flatshare
Beth O'Leary
Give this ifthey want warm and funny with low heat
Two strangers share a one-bedroom apartment in shifts — one works nights, one days — and communicate only by notes left around the place. Charming, gentle and very funny about small domestic things.
- Print length
- 344 pages
- First published
- 2019
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
2. The setup
The Unhoneymooners
Christina Lauren
Give this ifthey like a premise that does the work
After food poisoning takes out an entire wedding party, the bride's unlucky sister and the groom's surly brother take the free honeymoon. Pure comic setup, and very fast.
- Print length
- 424 pages
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
3. The one everyone passes on
Red, White & Royal Blue
Casey McQuiston
Give this ifthey want big, joyful and political
The son of the American president and a British prince go from a public feud to a secret romance. Funny, warm and hopeful, with a lot of heart under the banter.
One caveat: Open door.
- Print length
- 440 pages
- First published
- 2019
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
4. The list
Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Talia Hibbert
Give this ifthey like a heroine who plans everything
A woman with chronic pain writes a list for getting a life, and recruits her building's grumpy superintendent to help. Funny, tender and good on disability without making it the whole story.
One caveat: Open door.
- Print length
- 377 pages
- First published
- 2019
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
5. The fake relationship
Funny Story
Emily Henry
Give this ifthey love Emily Henry
Two people dumped by partners who ran off together end up sharing an apartment, and pretend to be dating to get back at their exes. Emily Henry at her funniest, with real feeling underneath.
- Print length
- 400 pages
- First published
- 2024
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
6. The curse
Just for the Summer
Abby Jimenez
Give this ifthey like a quirky premise
Two people whose exes always find love immediately afterward decide to date each other on purpose, to break the pattern. Funny and sweet, and built on a premise that does half the work.
- First published
- 2024
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
7. The radio romance
First Time Caller
B. K. Borison
Give this ifthey have read the big names and want something newer
A romance that begins with a call to a late-night radio show and grows from there. Cozy, current and very warm — a good pick for someone who has already read everything by the usual authors.
- Print length
- 448 pages
- First published
- 2025
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
8. The classic
Bet Me
Jennifer Crusie
Give this ifthey want the rom-com the modern wave grew from
A man bets he can seduce a woman within a month; she overhears the bet, and they both keep dating anyway. Written two decades ago and still laugh-out-loud, especially the supporting cast.
- Print length
- 384 pages
- First published
- 2004
- Formats
- print, Kindle and audio where the publisher offers them
Funny first
The difference between a rom-com and a romance is that the comedy is structural: the situation is ridiculous, the dialogue sparks, and the laughs come from the characters rather than from pratfalls. The best are also moving, which is harder than it looks.
Almost all of them end happily — that is the genre's promise — so the pleasure is in how they get there, not whether.
A note on heat
Rom-coms range from closed door to explicit, and the cover rarely says which. The Flatshare is the gentlest here; Red, White & Royal Blue and Get a Life, Chloe Brown include open-door scenes. If you are buying for someone whose taste you do not know, the gentler end is the safer gift.
Romance for beginners states the heat on every pick, and is the place to start for someone new to the genre.
Related lists
Beach reads overlaps heavily with this shelf, enemies-to-lovers romance covers the trope many rom-coms use, and books for a friend has more light, warm picks. Rom-com readers often read several books a month, which is exactly who the subscription panel on this page is for.
Two ways to read this list for less
If several books here appeal, a subscription usually beats buying them one at a time — but only for the right kind of reader. Here is who each one actually suits.
Audible Premium Plus
For anyone whose hands are busy
Driving, walking, cooking, cleaning. It converts hours that were never available for reading, which is a bigger effect than any discount. Books bought with a credit stay yours after you cancel — titles from the included catalog do not, and confusing the two is the most common complaint about the service.
See Audible plans and current pricingHow Audible actually works — credits, gifting and what happens when you cancel.
Kindle Unlimited
For fast readers who browse
It pays off from about three ebooks a month, in the genres the catalog covers well — romance, romantasy, cozy mystery, thriller, progression fantasy. It does not pay off if you are waiting on a specific new hardcover, because those are usually not included. Everything is borrowed, not owned.
See Kindle Unlimited terms and pricingIs Kindle Unlimited worth it? — the arithmetic, done on your own reading.
#ad — how we are funded. We print no subscription prices anywhere on this site, because they change and a stale figure sends you to a checkout expecting something that is not there. And if you read in silence in a chair, neither of these is for you — buy the book, or borrow it from your library.
What we would skip
A rom-com chosen by its illustrated cover
Illustrated covers now appear on romances of every kind, including heavy and explicit ones, so the cover no longer tells you a book is a light comedy. Read the description, or use the notes above, before assuming a bright cover means a gentle book.
Questions people ask
What is a good romantic comedy book?
The Flatshare for something gentle, The Unhoneymooners for a great premise, and Red, White & Royal Blue for the one everyone passes on.
What is the funniest romance novel?
Humor is personal, but Bet Me, Funny Story and The Unhoneymooners are the most openly comic books on this list.
Are rom-coms explicit?
Some are. The Flatshare is gentle; several others include open-door scenes. Check before gifting.
What should I read after Emily Henry?
Just for the Summer and The Unhoneymooners have the same mix of comedy and feeling.
Sources
- Open Library Search API — First publication year, median print length and cover art for every book on this page. Queried 8 September 2026.
- Kindle Unlimited signup page — The only authoritative source for current Kindle Unlimited pricing and catalog terms.
- Audible Premium Plus membership page — The only authoritative source for current Audible plans, prices and terms.
Read next
- Best Romance Books
Ten romances labeled by trope and heat level, the two things covers never tell you.
- Best Romance Books for Beginners
Six romances for a first attempt, with the heat level stated on every one.
- Best Beach Reads
Nine beach reads chosen for glare, sand and interruption, sorted by attention required.
- Best Enemies to Lovers Books
Eight enemies-to-lovers books where the hostility has a real cause, heat level stated on each.
- Best Books to Give a Friend
Eight books for a friend, matched to what the friendship runs on rather than to their shelves.
- Best Romance Audiobooks
Eight romance audiobooks told from both sides, from rom-com to Regency, with open-door books flagged.