Forbidden romance and broken rules line the pages of any good teacher-student romance book. With chemistry that jumps off the pages and layers of emotional depth, the teacher-student romance trope makes for a moving reading experience like no other.
Whether you’re in the market for a heartwarming tale of love or a swoon-worthy tale of desire, these next twenty books are sure to have just what you need to fill the literary hole in your heart.
Need Me by Tessa Bailey
Certified rom-com queen Tessa Bailey shines in Need Me, a deliciously trope-driven reading experience that you won’t want to miss.
Meet Honey Perribow: she’s packed up her cowboy boots and left her Kentucky-based hometown for Columbia University, ready to focus all her energy on her studies. That is until she meets newly-minted Professor Ben Dawson — and ends up locked in a closet with him at an off-campus party. So much for focusing on her studies.
You can buy Need Me here, and check out the other two books in the Broke and Beautiful trilogy for more romantic reading.
Kissing Tolstoy by Penny Reid
If you’re looking for a short contemporary romance with the electrifying student-teacher trope at its core, then look no further than Penny Reid’s Kissing Tolstoy.
Anna Harris has sworn off dating after her unfairly horrifying history with men, but she’s finally ready to put herself back into the dating game. She signs up for blind dating and has a super-charged interaction with a super-hot mystery date, only to walk into her Russian lit class and find out that her date just so happens to be her professor.
Leigh Donnelly’s Once You Cross That Line is a fast-paced, steamy rom-com that makes for a perfect beach read or a cozy night in!
Kristi and Ethan have a long list of reasons they shouldn’t get together: they’re coworkers, they live in a small town that loves gossip, and the most important reason of all: Ethan is Kristi’s former student. No matter how many times they find themselves in close quarters with each other, they resist their undeniable chemistry, until one fateful night when everything changes… but is it for better or for worse?
Nobody writes modern romance quite like the wildly popular Colleen Hoover, and her debut novel Slammed is as gripping and moving as her later works.
Slammed introduces readers to eighteen-year-old Layken, who finds herself struggling through life after the unexpected death of her father. When she meets her new neighbor, Will, she feels a glimpse of hope inside her, as her handsome new companion whisks her away to magical dates at poetry slams.
Layken is finally letting herself experience happiness again, but everything comes to a grinding halt when she shows up for her first day at a new school and discovers that her third-period teacher is none other than Will himself.
You can purchase Slammed here, and make sure to check out the equally emotional sequels, Point of Retreat and This Girl.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood became an instant bestseller and BookTok phenomenon, and it’s clear to see why once you start reading!
Meet Olive Smith: she’s a graduate student with little to no faith in long-lasting romantic relationships, and her best friend Anh will not let up on Olive’s dating life. To put all the talk to rest, Olive does the first thing she can think of: she locks lips with the infamously arrogant and painfully handsome Adam Carlsen, a young professor. But no amount of science and experimenting could prepare Olive for what would happen next.
Jessica Alcott’s Even When You Lie to Me is a poignant coming-of-age story that’s as beautiful as it is heartbreaking.
The novel’s heroine, Charlie, has spent a year living in her best friend’s shadow, and she finally has someone who sees her for who she is. Tom Drummond is funny, caring, and an attentive listener, but as he and Charlie grow closer they’re both unable to look past an irrevocable boundary: Tom is Charlie’s teacher.
Brittainy Cherry pens angsty, breathtaking novels that are a stunningly subtle mix of romance and realism, and Loving Mr. Daniels is no exception.
Ashlyn and Daniel are connected by so much more than just physical attraction — ever since the two of them met in a bar and Daniel wooed her with his music, the two forged an emotional bond that couldn’t be broken. But life has different plans, and even the strongest bonds can be threatened by the unexpected — which is exactly what Ashlyn is faced with when she discovers that Daniel is none other than her senior-year English teacher.
If you’re looking for a read that’s as steamy as it is unputdownable, then look no further than Ivy Smoak’s Temptation, the first in her eight-book Hunted Series.
Temptation follows the story of Penny Taylor, a shy college student with one big secret: she’s fallen hard for her professor and she’s confident that he feels the same. Professor Hunter gave up his billionaire lifestyle to teach, and he keeps his secrets by remaining a recluse — until he finds the one girl who he can’t stay away from, no matter how hard he tries.
Jacqueline Wilson’s Love Lessons was written for younger readers, but it remains relevant as a short and sentimental love story that’s sure to keep readers of all ages hooked.
After a strict and controlling schooling at home by her father, Prue is entering public school for the first time in her life at the transformative age of fourteen. Prue has a hard time fitting in until she meets her young and handsome art teacher, Rax.
Rax understands Prue in ways that nobody ever has before, and the two begin to develop feelings for each other. But could anything ever come from their connection other than a legacy of hurt and heartbreak?
It doesn’t get better than sports romance with a spicy student-teacher twist, and Mariana Zapata’s Kulti is exactly that.
Sal Casillas has been looking up to, idolizing, and even fantasizing about Reiner Kulti for years — nobody in the world could have been more excited to learn that he was to become her soccer coach. Her heart drops when the Reiner Kulti she meets is nothing like the man she’s been dreaming about. But is it possible that he’s so much more?
You can purchase Kulti here, and you’re sure to fall for this fast-paced, flirtatious love story in no time.
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars kicks off an immersive sixteen-book series that makes for the perfect guilty pleasure read, from high school drama and forbidden romance to jaw-dropping suspense.
Three years before the novel’s start a young girl named Alison went missing, and four of her friends have gone separate ways since the tragedy. But each of the girls is keeping a dark and dangerous secret: they all know more than they’re letting on, and now our narrator is here to tell all. The good, the bad, and the very, very ugly.
You can buy Pretty Little Liars here, and be sure to check out the rest of the series for more of the shocking romance and mystery that made the first book such a hit.
Indecent by Corinne Sullivan
Indecent by Corrine Sullivan is an intelligent and thought-provoking read that takes a unique look at themes of class, gender, and sex.
Meet Imogene Abney: she’s a shy and introverted college graduate who has little experience with boys, yet when she’s offered a teaching position at an all-boys prep school she immediately accepts it. Imogene is drawn to Adam Kipling, a popular male student of hers, and they enter a relationship that’s forbidden in more ways than one — but will Imogene’s consequences catch up to her before she loses herself completely?
You can purchase Indecent here, and prepare for a read that you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve turned the last page.
When Summer Ends by Isabelle Rae
If you’re looking for a lighthearted forbidden romance that’s well-written and full of wit, then look no further than Isabelle Rae’s must-read love story When Summer Ends.
Chloe and Will meet during summer break: Chloe and her friends hit the clubs with their fake IDs in tow, and Will is one of the bartenders. The two of them hit it off immediately and begin hoping for a future together, but things get a lot more complicated when Chloe runs into Will on the first day of school — and he’s not a fellow student.
Ella Frank’s Veiled Innocence is a dark, seductive tale of romance and intrigue that you won’t want to miss.
This breathtaking story is told in both the past and the present, following the journey of star student Addison and her relationship with her strictly off-limits teacher. The less you know the better in this emotional, twisting tale of life, love, and where our choices take us.
On the Island by Tracy Garvis Graves is a bestselling, breathtaking work of contemporary fiction that’s teeming with unexpected romance and unforgettable characters.
Anna Emerson is a thirty-year-old English teacher who’s more than eager to board a private plane and head to a tropical island for a summer of tutoring. What she didn’t expect was getting stranded on a desert island with her student, T. J. Callahan, and spending the following years with him and nobody else — possibly forever.
Tammara Webber’s Easy is the start of a fascinating, heart-pounding series of love, loss, and second chances.
Easy follows the protagonist Jacqueline through a series of traumatic and heartbreaking experiences as a young and impressionable college student. She feels completely alone until she meets the mysterious Lucas, who rescues her from a tough situation at a college party — only to keep running into him around campus. Is it coincidence or is it fate that keeps bringing the two together?
You can purchase Easy here, and make sure to check out the next three installations in the Contours of the Heart series for more of Lucas and Jacqueline’s story.
A Different Blue by Amy Harmon
Sweet redemption and soft, sensual romance line the pages of Amy Harmon’s gripping stand-alone novel A Different Blue.
Meet Blue Echohawk: she’s been raised by a drifter her entire life and didn’t start her education until the age of ten. Now nineteen years old, she’s barely a senior in high school, and most staff and students at her school avoid her — labeling her a troublemaker, or too much work.
Enter Mr. Darcy Wilson: he’s patient when others are cruel, and he extends his friendship to Blue — something she’s never received before. But when feelings grow to be stronger than just friendship, it’s clear that Blue and Mr. Wilson are both in over their heads.
If you’re craving a student-teacher romance read that’s a little less contemporary and a lot more paranormal, then Jennifer L. Armemntrout’s Half-Blood is the book for you.
Set in a world where gods and mortals procreate, Half-Blood follows seventeen-year-old Alexandria, a half-blood who studies at the Covenant, learning to hunt and slay daimons. Relationships between half-bloods and pure-bloods are strictly forbidden, but Alexandria couldn’t stay away from pure-blood Aiden if she tried.
You can purchase Half-Blood here, and check out the next four books in the Covenant series for more of Armentrout’s thrillingly romantic writing.
Sweet Dandelion by Micaela Smeltzer
Emotions run high in Micaela Smeltzer’s Sweet Dandelion, a deeply moving love story about grief and finding yourself.
Dandelion Meadows was the victim of a school shooting, where she lost people she loved and learned to live with unspeakable pain and trauma. Held back a year in school after the shooting, she heads into her senior year hesitantly — until she meets with the school counselor, Lachlan Taylor, and he shows her the meaning of love and life after so much loss.
Contemporary romance novelist Kelsey Clayton delights once again with The Rebel, a deliciously written student-teacher romance that you won’t want to miss.
Asher and Tessa share one fateful night together — they didn’t think they’d see each other ever again, but they can’t stop thinking about one another. Tessa heads into her senior year at high school only to get a heart-stopping shock when she walks into class and sees none other than Asher teaching.
The student-teacher trope includes romantic pairings where one of the characters is a teacher, and the other is their student.
What are some good student-teacher romances?
The above twenty books are all excellent, sweet and spicy romances with the student-teacher trope at their center.
What are some books about forbidden love?
The student-teacher trope goes hand-in-hand with the forbidden romance trope. The twenty books listed above are all great examples of forbidden love in literature.
Why are forbidden love stories so popular?
People love reading about forbidden love because it makes for a dramatic, emotional, and page-turning story. Forbidden love stories also give readers a chance to temporarily escape from the real world, and experience emotions they might not have ever experienced before.
What is an example of forbidden love?
Forbidden love can take many different forms, such as a relationship that is forbidden by parents or a relationship that is prohibited by someone’s job. The student-teacher trope is one popular example of forbidden love in literature.
Layla Hughes is a professional writer who grew up on the Central Coast of California, and later studied English at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Her love for reading started when she was young, as she has been an avid reader ever since she mastered her ABC’s. She loves the classics, YA fiction, and loves keeping up with current reading and writing trends. She is currently traveling full-time in a converted camper van around the US, Mexico and Canada, enjoying living out a story of her own creation. find Layla on Instagram @laylabeth
