17 Swoonworthy Indian Romance Books

Liya is a biochemical engineer and happily single, which her parents want to rectify. Their scheme is a dinner party with an eligible bachelor, who Liya takes one look at and then promptly escapes out the back door. But fate has other plans when that same man ends up being the lawyer hired to help Liya’s struggling company.

Despite being the perfect overachiever, Dr. Trisha Raje is still the black sheep in her family. DJ Caine is an aspiring chef who desperately needs the job offered to him by Trisha’s family. Despite his misgivings about Trisha and her family’s snobbery, he realizes that Trisha might be the only person who can save his sister’s life. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that DJ makes killer desserts that capture Trisha’s stomach (and heart).

Layla’s life has fallen apart, and she decides to move back home to San Francisco. Her father hates seeing her so down and offers her an office space above his Michelin-starred restaurant. Layla doesn’t realize that her father has actually set her up on a series of blind dates until the first one knocks on the door. Sam didn’t know he was on a blind date either, only that he also wanted the office space, which means he now has to share with Layla.

Tara really isn’t one for romance, especially after a college fling gone awry. Then during a rainy evening, Sameen comes into her life and changes everything. A future for a same-sex couple in urban India is challenging, to say the least. But Tara is determined to make things work.

Rita and Milan were high school sweethearts until he broke her heart. It’s six years later, and Rita has built a flourishing career for herself as well as an almost-perfect relationship. She really doesn’t need Milan back in her life, but she grudgingly agrees to help him flip a house for his real estate agency. But maybe Milan might be able to flip her heart in the process.

Kiran was always the good daughter, which becomes even more important after her sister stepped out of line and shamed the family. Nash doesn’t have a family and works as a psychologist, where he sees his patients living similar patterns of abandonment. The question is, will these two follow the same patterns designated to them at birth, or will they follow their hearts?

Leila’s traditional Muslim American family has given her an ultimatum: find an eligible Muslim man to marry or they’ll find one for her. But what they don’t realize is that doing so goes against Leila’s ultimate dream of living out the perfect Bollywood romance, in which she finds love before her marriage. She just has three months to make this a reality.

Niki has always been practical…and a little type A, which suits her career as a data analyst but maybe not for her love life. Having always done the right things, her life is suddenly turned sideways when she’s laid off. Now seems like the perfect time to fully enjoy her life, so Niki decides to book a last-minute flight to a friend’s wedding. There, she meets Sameer, a free-spirited musician who she can’t help but feel attracted to.

Ayesha has always wanted to be a poet, but is now a teacher so she can pay off a debt. Her family keeps reminding her that she needs to get married, but Ayesha really doesn’t want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid, who she can’t help but be attracted to…until he ends up engaged to Ayesha’s cousin.

Niharika has entered college feeling pretty confident about herself and has even made some friends. It seems like everything is falling into place…until it’s not. She’s met and started dating the perfect Akshat. But that perfection starts to wither, and Niharika realizes that he’s hiding something.

Zoya has pretty much everything: an excellent education, a great job, and a loving family. But she’s far from the perfect Indian girl in a society that doesn’t like dark-skinned, fat, and outspoken girls. Just as her family is getting ready to arrange a match for her, she gets an offer for a job in New York City, leaving her with a choice to pursue an accidental romance or not.

This one is a short but sweet novella about a fairytale romance between Imelda and Ambrose. The two must venture through magical lands and brave enchanted creatures so they can claim their heart desire…if only they can remember what that is…

This one’s a bit of a classic now, but I’d be remiss to not include it. Dimple has her life figured out: she’s going to a summer program for aspiring web developers to foil her mother’s plan of finding her the perfect Indian husband. Rishi is a romantic who’s excited to hear that his future wife will be at said summer program. The two think that they’ve got each other figured out, until they don’t.

I also want to shout out this unapologetic book cover with a brown girl looking like she’s enjoying that iced coffee. It was a revelation for me after years of only seeing light-skinned girls on the covers of YA novels.

Simi comes from a family of matchmakers, who are delighted when she successfully sets up a cousin. But Simi is an artist and wants nothing to do with the family business until she realizes that it can help her and her friend Noah’s social standing. Unfortunately, using an ancient guide for love ends up upturning her entire school’s social ecosystem.

Winnie never believed that Raj was her soulmate, but a pundit literally predicted their match and of course Raj checks all of her family’s boxes. All this makes the fact that he cheated on her even more shocking. To add insult to injury, Raj is now the chair of the student film festival. Then there’s Dev, a fellow film nerd who shows her that there’s more to romance than predictions from the stars.

Noreen is still mourning the loss of her aunt and is now with her mom in New Delhi for a gap year. In this loud, polluted, magical city, she meets Kabir. Thanks to him, Noreen learns about the city’s history, Sufi saints, and some pretty awesome karaoke parties. But then a family scandal upends everything.

Jazz has always been a great student and obedient to a fault, despite being a wise cracker. But it’s now her junior year of high school, and her mother learns that Jazz was seen hugging a boy. Immediately, she decides to set up Jazz with suitable Indian boys. But what happens when the only boy Jazz wants is really unsuitable?