If your YA romance shelves emptied out over the past few summers, Belly Conklin is the reason. The third and final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty wrapped on Prime Video in September 2025, and the franchise is not finished. Jenny Han is writing and directing a feature film to send Belly’s story off, which means demand for this kind of read has a long runway ahead.
The show built a phenomenon out of deceptively simple ingredients, the same ones that power Han’s bestselling trilogy. From a readers’ advisory standpoint, The Summer I Turned Pretty is not just a beach romance. Its appeal factors are a love triangle, a sun-soaked summer setting, childhood friendships that deepen into something more, the pull of family and grief, and the bittersweet ache of first love and first heartbreak, all wrapped in nostalgia and pitched to readers across generations.
The titles below deliver that same mix. They span first-love classics, current BookTok favorites, and several books that, like the show itself, have made the leap to screen. The selection skews young adult to match the source, with a couple of crossover titles for older readers, and it includes a graphic novel and stories with queer and diverse leads so you can match each request to the right reader.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Category: YA contemporary romance Grade level: Grades 7 and up Best for: Readers who want more Jenny Han and gentle, high-circulation YA romance
The first stop is obvious: more Jenny Han. Before Cousins Beach, there were Lara Jean Covey’s love letters, five of them, written to every boy she ever had a crush on and never meant to send, until they all get mailed at once. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before launches a trilogy built on the same foundation as Belly’s story: tender first romance, close-knit sisters, a warm and lived-in family at the center, and the emotional confusion of realizing that a pretend relationship might not feel pretend for long.
For librarians, this is the cleanest readalike because it keeps the same author and the same broad multigenerational appeal. Netflix’s beloved film franchise also means the books already have strong screen-to-page recognition. Hand readers the full set, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, P.S. I Still Love You, and Always and Forever, Lara Jean, and expect them back for Han’s other titles too.
▶ Click here to get your copy of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han.
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther
Category: YA contemporary romance Grade level: Grades 8 and up Best for: Patrons who want the closest aesthetic match to The Summer I Turned Pretty
If one title on this list is the natural next read, it is The Summer of Broken Rules. Meredith Fox arrives at a sprawling family wedding on Martha’s Vineyard still grieving her sister, then throws herself into the Fox family’s beloved tradition: a days-long game of assassin. Complicating matters is a charming groomsman who keeps getting in her way and slowly becomes the kind of distraction she may actually need.
The island setting, the big warm family, the thread of loss running under the romance, and the unmistakable summer atmosphere make this the closest aesthetic match to The Summer I Turned Pretty. It has the same sense of a season that feels suspended outside normal life, where old pain and new love can exist side by side. For librarians, this is an easy hand-sell to teens, nostalgic adult readers, and anyone asking for something beachy, emotional, and clean.
▶ Click here to get your copy of The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther.
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Category: YA contemporary romance Grade level: Grades 7 and up Best for: Readers who want the emotional template behind modern summer romance
No coming-of-age summer-romance shelf is complete without Sarah Dessen, the author who arguably helped create the template that later YA hits expanded. The Truth About Forever follows Macy during the summer after her father’s death, as a job with a chaotic catering crew and a quiet, artistic boy named Wes teach her that a messy life may be better than a perfect one. It is romantic, but it is just as much about grief, self-discovery, and learning to let people in.
For The Summer I Turned Pretty readers, the match is not a love triangle or a beach house. It is the emotional register: summer as a turning point, grief as something threaded through ordinary days, and first love as part of growing up rather than the whole story. Dessen’s deep backlist, including Along for the Ride and The Rest of the Story, also gives librarians a ready-made path for patrons who want more.
▶ Click here to get your copy of The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Category: YA psychological mystery with romantic elements Grade level: Grades 9 and up Best for: Readers who want the moody, darker side of summer nostalgia
For the reader drawn to the moody, old-money, private-island side of Belly’s world, point them to We Were Liars. E. Lockhart’s modern YA classic strands the wealthy Sinclair family on their own island near Martha’s Vineyard, where teenage Cadence pieces together the summer that left her with memory loss and a tragedy no one will discuss. The setting is sun-drenched, privileged, and full of secrets, but the emotional center is much darker than a traditional summer romance.
This is a strong readers’ advisory match for patrons who want atmosphere, complicated families, forbidden feelings, and a twist that lands hard. It is not a sweet romance, so position it carefully. The love story matters, but the book is really a psychological mystery about memory, denial, and family mythology. Prime Video’s adaptation also makes it a strong “read it before you stream it” display title.
▶ Click here to get your copy of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.
Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
Category: Adult contemporary romance Grade level: Adult crossover Best for: Older readers ready to age up from YA summer romance
This is the crossover pick for readers ready to age up. Christina Lauren tells the second-chance story of Macy and Elliot, childhood best friends who fell in love over books in a quiet reading nook, were torn apart by one devastating night, and meet again as adults. The dual then-and-now timeline gives the novel the ache of a first love that never quite disappeared, which makes it especially appealing to readers who responded to the nostalgia in Belly’s story.
For librarians, this is useful because many The Summer I Turned Pretty viewers are adults, and some teen readers age out of YA quickly once they want more mature emotional stakes. Love and Other Words keeps the tenderness and longing of a coming-of-age romance, but frames it through adult regret, memory, and reconciliation. It reads adult, so shelve and recommend accordingly, but it is on the sweeter end for Christina Lauren.
▶ Click here to get your copy of Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren.
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
Category: YA contemporary romance Grade level: Grades 7 and up Best for: Patrons who want the fun without the heartbreak
When a patron wants the swoon without the heavier grief, reach for Better Than the Movies. Perpetual romantic Liz Buxbaum enlists her infuriating next-door neighbor Wes to help her land her returning childhood crush, only to discover that real life and real love rarely follow the script. It is bright, funny, and self-aware, with the kind of romantic-comedy structure that makes it easy to recommend to teens who want something satisfying and low-stress.
The Summer I Turned Pretty connection is the childhood-crush dynamic and the emotional charge of realizing the person who annoys you most might actually know you best. For librarians, it is also a strong display anchor because it is a BookTok favorite with broad teen appeal and very little content concern. A sequel, Nothing Like the Movies, continues the story and keeps readers in the same romantic world.
▶ Click here to get your copy of Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter.
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Category: YA contemporary romance Grade level: Grades 8 and up Best for: Readers who want swoon with real-world stakes
To broaden the shelf beyond the beach, Nicola Yoon delivers a love story that unfolds over a single day in New York City between Natasha, a Jamaican American girl hours from deportation, and Daniel, a Korean American boy caught between his own dreams and his parents’ expectations. The romance has the same fated-pull quality that The Summer I Turned Pretty fans love, but the setting and stakes are very different.
For readers’ advisory, this is the title to recommend when patrons want first love that feels sweeping without losing touch with real life. Immigration, family obligation, ambition, and the question of destiny versus chance give the story added weight, while the short time frame keeps the pacing immediate and accessible. The feature film adaptation also makes it useful for screen-to-page displays. Clean content and strong crossover appeal make it a dependable YA collection title.
▶ Click here to get your copy of The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Category: YA graphic novel romance Grade level: Grades 7 and up Best for: Younger teens, reluctant readers, graphic novel fans, and patrons seeking sweet queer romance
Every list like this needs an all-ages, screen-to-page crossover, and Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper is the perfect one. The graphic novel series follows Charlie and Nick, two British schoolboys whose friendship grows gently and joyfully into first love. Like The Summer I Turned Pretty, it understands how enormous small moments can feel when you are young: a text, a glance, a hand held a little longer than expected, or the terrifying hope that someone might like you back.
For librarians, this is a high-value recommendation because it works for multiple patron needs at once. It is sweet, clean, accessible, queer, and supported by a wildly popular Netflix adaptation that continues to drive readers to the books. It is a natural pick for the parent who wants something age-appropriate, the teen who wants romance without explicit content, and the reluctant reader drawn to graphic formats.
▶ Click here to get your copy of Heartstopper by Alice Oseman.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Category: YA contemporary romance Grade level: Grades 8 and up Best for: Readers who want swoony, classic YA romance with a travel element
A fitting choice given where the show’s finale lands: Paris. Stephanie Perkins’s Anna and the French Kiss sends Anna Oliphant to a Parisian boarding school for her senior year, where a slow-burning almost-romance with the charming Étienne St. Clair plays out against a backdrop of cafés, cinemas, dorm rooms, and city lights. It is first love at its most escapist and butterfly-inducing, with just enough emotional complication to keep the romance from feeling too easy.
This is a strong pick for patrons who want the transportive quality of The Summer I Turned Pretty, but are ready to swap the beach house for a European boarding school. It also has staying power as a YA romance favorite, and its companion novels, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After, give readers more to move through after the first book. Mild heat and comfortably YA.
▶ Click here to get your copy of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Category: YA contemporary fiction with romance Grade level: Grades 8 and up Best for: Readers who were most moved by Susannah’s storyline and the grief threaded through the series
Close with the title that meets the show’s most tender register: its reckoning with illness and loss. John Green’s modern YA landmark follows Hazel and Augustus, two teenagers who meet in a cancer support group and fall in love knowing their time together is uncertain. It does not offer the beachy escapism of The Summer I Turned Pretty, but it speaks directly to the same readers who were most moved by Susannah’s illness, the boys’ grief, and Belly’s growing awareness that love and loss often arrive together.
For librarians, this remains a reliable book-club, classroom, and display title because it circulates across generations and needs little introduction at the desk. It is emotional rather than spicy, accessible for teens and up, and still one of the clearest recommendations for patrons who want romance with a serious gut-punch. Keep tissues nearby and know the reader before handing it over.
▶ Click here to get your copy of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
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