February 14 is quickly approaching. Whether you are in a relationship, situation-ship, or protecting your peace (happily single), there is no better time than now to get lost in a good book and discover your latest book crush. Are you into slow and soft romance or something sizzling and spicy? Pick your favorite! We’ve rounded up our choices for steamiest YA books that have us wishing these characters existed IRL. So, before you make your own rankings for #BookTok—check out our top picks for steamy YA books with kiss scenes and romance to raise your heart rate.
French Kissing in New York by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau
Get ready to swoon over the romantic kiss scenes in this one! Margot hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Zach, the dreamy American boy she met one magical night in Paris. In an instant, they fell head over heels in love and spent the perfect evening ensemble—sealed with a kiss and a promise: if the universe wants them to be together, fate will find a way.
Flash forward one year later: Margot is in New York working in a restaurant and on a mission to reconnect with Zach. But a lot can happen in a year, and promises made in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower look different in the neon glow of the Big Apple. Margot enlists the help of Ben, the sweet line cook at her restaurant, to help her find Zach. She is convinced she found her soul mate that night in Paris . . . but what if the universe has a different plan?
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
Nothing makes two people fall in love like having to survive in the wilderness together—even if those two people are ex-best friends who seem to have nothing in common. Bradley is the star football player. Celine is a conspiracy-theory-obsessed content creator. These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her. Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?
Friday I’m in Love by Camryn Garrett
Get ready to celebrate young love in this joyful queer romance! Mahalia wants a big Sweet Sixteen like her best friend, Naomi, and she wants the super-cute new girl Siobhan to like her back. So, she comes up with a plan: it’s too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if she had a coming-out party? A singing, dancing, rainbow-cake-eating celebration of queerness on her own terms. But with all the responsibility on her shoulders, will Mahalia’s party be over before it’s even begun? Full of all the awkwardness and fun of a first love, this story will have you rooting for Mahalia’s first kiss!
Breathless by Jennifer Niven
If you like your romances on the steamy side, escape to a remote, mosquito-infested island off the coast of Georgia where sex-obsessed Claudine “Claude” Henry meets the enigmatic Jeremiah “Miah” Crew. Claude is trying to mend her broken heart after her parents’ divorce, so when she decides to sleep with Miah, she tells herself it’s just sex—exactly what she has planned. There isn’t enough time to fall in love, especially if it means putting her already broken heart at risk. But with Miah the only one who seems to see Claude for who she wants to be, avoiding love might be harder than Claude thinks. The kisses in this story are hot and sweet and the connection between Claude and Miah will have you rooting for them at every page.
Sinner’s Isle by Angela Montoya
A YA “romantasy” with an enemies-to-lovers romance and characters who have major chemistry?! Rosalinda is trapped on Sinner’s Isle, an island filled with young women like her—Majestics, beautiful witches loathed by society for their dangerous magic yet revered by powerful men who want to use them. Now eighteen, Rosa will be the prized commodity at this year’s Offering, a fiesta for the wealthy to engage in drink, damsels, and debauchery. That is why she must flee—before someone forces the vicious phantoms within her to destroy everything she touches.
Handsome, swashbuckling Mariano has long sailed the high seas as the Prince of Pirates. Then the king’s fleet attacks his father’s infamous ship, leaving him marooned on Sinner’s Isle with only an enchanted chain meant to lead him to his heart’s desire. Instead, he falls into the hands of a brazen (although) bewitching headache—Rosa. Together they must outwit each other and their enemies before the Offering ends and it’s too late to escape the perils of Sinner’s Isle.
Year on Fire by Julie Buxbaum
The love triangles in this story are hot! Like, literally. Things get set on fire. This story has it all: spontaneous kisses, forbidden love, friendship, lies, betrayal, family secrets, arson . . . if you’re looking for some drama to heat things up this Valentine’s Day, this is the book you’ll want to read for sure.
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
When the main characters meet while learning ballroom dances together, you know things are about to heat up! What makes this love story even riskier is that Evie has the ability to see how someone’s romantic story began . . . and how it will end. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it’s that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and an adventurous boy named X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love. Just wait until you read the kiss scenes in this story—they will set your heart dancing!
Nate Plus One by Kevin van Whye
There’s nothing like a wedding to make characters realize how they really feel about each other! Nate and Jai are best friends, but Nate has been secretly crushing on Jai. So when Nate needs a last-minute plus-one to his cousin’s wedding to act as a buffer between him and his ex, asking Jai seems like the most natural thing to do. Now that Nate’s crush is on board, maybe this summer will be epic after all. But will love crash the party? You’ll fall in love with this joyful, swoon-worthy rom-com!
