The 20 Best Books Like Me Before You (Romance & Family Life)

Since its publication, Me Before You has been adored by romance readers all over the world. And it’s no wonder. There is something about the young, directionless Louisa and the bitter, injured Will – and the idea that they can somehow save each other–that we as readers can’t get enough of.

This is, after all, why we read romance books to begin with. We want to let our imaginations run wild–fall in love with the perfect partner, or save a damaged one, or maybe just feel the unquenchable sadness that comes with a broken heart.

Even if we love novels like Me Before You–the ones that don’t end with two lovers skipping off into the sunset–on some level we know that romance novels will leave us tingling with feelings of love–and hope.

And that, my friends, is what it’s all about. So if you read and loved Me Before You and want to soak in all the feels for a while, here are twenty more books to keep you going.

Love a protagonist like Louise who is lost in life and then found in love? Try these:

The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels 

Robin Windsor is determined to put the past behind her by throwing all of her attention into her struggling used bookstore–even as journalists and reporters track her down on the day of her infamous father’s execution.

When Robin receives a mysterious package in the mail–a first edition copy of Catcher in the Rye–she knows it’s from a boy she knew 20 years ago: Peter Flynt. And as a new book arrives each day, Robin is caught between her curiosity–why is Peter reaching out now? And her ultimate fear–reopening the doors of the past she’s worked so hard to seal shut. Find The Words Between Us here.

Lease on Love by Falon Ballard 

When overachiever Sadie is passed over for a promotion at work, she loses her job and begins questioning all her life decisions. 

Sadie ends up moving in with Jack–a quiet, nerdy guy who offers her free rent in his New York brownstone. As the two roommates avoid the world together, they strike up a friendship that slowly blossoms into something much more. Find Lease on Love here.

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover 

When Kenna Rowan returns to her hometown after a drunk driving accident and a five-year prison sentence, she wants nothing more than to get to know her four-year-old daughter Diem.

Reeling from grief as everyone from her past pushes her away, Kenna meets Ledger Ward, a local bar owner who is willing to give her a chance. As Ledger helps Kenna try to reconnect with her daughter, the two grow closer–navigating grief, self-doubt, and finding a way forward–together. Find Reminders of Him here.

Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score 

Running away to small town Knockemout, Virginia to bail out her twin sister was the perfect way for Naomi Witt to escape her wedding. She never wanted to marry that guy anyway. When she gets there, however, she quickly realizes her sister’s cry for help is actually a ruse.

Stuck without a car and now in charge of an 11-year-old niece she never knew she had, Naomi finds work at a local bar. There she meets Knox Morgan, the handsome bar owner with a complicated past. When Knox agrees to help Naomi get on her feet again, each helps the other knock down their walls and find true connection–and love–once again. Find Things We Never Got Over here.

Want another romance that will make you ugly cry? Here you go:

The First Last Kiss by Ali Harris 

Molly and Ryan have been together for six years. Six years of kisses, of time spent together, of ups and downs. Of love. 

As their future is now shrouded in uncertainty, Molly worries about the thousands of kisses with Ryan she took for granted. The only thing she knows for sure is that from here on out she’s going to cherish each and every kiss. Find The First Last Kiss here.

Pack up the Moon by Kristan Higgins 

Josh has never needed to love anyone but Lauren. Newly married, deeply in love, and with thriving careers, they are the perfect couple. So when Lauren dies unexpectedly after a terminal disease, Josh is left lost and alone. 

But because she knew him better than anyone, Lauren left a series of letters for Josh to read after her death. Through her letters, Lauren leads Josh out of his grief and helps him fumble his way into experiences, relationships, and a new life–without her. Find Pack up the Moon here.

The Last Goodbye by Fiona Lucas 

On New Year’s Eve, Anna calls her husband Spencer’s phone. Anna’s whole world was shattered when he died in an accident three years ago, and listening to his voicemail is, at times, the only thing that gives her peace.

When a stranger picks up and strikes up a conversation with Anna, she realizes this man–Brody–really understands what she’s going through. The two strike up a friendship and slowly come to life again–but will Brody’s secret get in the way of their relationship blossoming into something more? Find The Last Goodbye here.

The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman 

Brett Bohlinger is 34 when her beloved mother dies, leaving Brett reeling. Even more shocking is the stipulation her mother made for Brett’s inheritance: before Brett takes over the multimillion-dollar family business, she must achieve a list of goals she made when she was fourteen–including falling in love and having a baby. 

While Brett struggles through her seemingly impossible list of goals and her grief, letters her mother left behind help her through. And the further along she gets down her list, the more Brett realizes how much her mother wanted her to find the life she deserves. Find The Life List here.

The Infinity Between Us by N.S. Perkins 

When Violet Mitchell returns to the beach house in Maine where she spent every summer of her childhood, it’s to finalize the sale of the property. After all, she just wants to put the past–and the awful memories of the summer five years ago–behind her.

But when she gets there, the man she’s loved all her life is there. Will has been waiting for Violet, and he’s so very sorry for what happened between them that fateful summer. And the more Violet lets herself reconnect with Will, the more she realizes that sometimes facing the past is the only way to happiness. Find The Infinity Between Us here.

Need another love story featuring a character navigating a disability? These are for you:

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion 

As someone who spends his days organizing his life to achieve maximum efficiency, Australian genetics professor Don Tillman doesn’t quite have the social spark to fall in love. So instead, he designs the Wife Project–a questionnaire designed to help him find the perfect mate.

When the Wife Project fails spectacularly, Don meets Rosie, a bartender who is also searching for someone–the biological father she’s never known. Rosie doesn’t meet any of Don’s Wife Project criteria, but he offers to help her anyway. As Don feels ever more attracted to Rosie, he begins to realize that maybe love isn’t a science after all. Find The Rosie Project here.

Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan 

After a brutal crime took her father’s life and left her struggling with flashbacks and panic attacks, Bree Prescott flees to the tiny town of Pelion, Maine, wanting only to live quietly and heal. 

When she meets the mute town hermit Archer, however–a man who is also struggling because of his dark past–Bree feels compelled to communicate with and help him. As the two strike up an unlikely friendship, they begin to learn the power of healing through love. Find Archer’s Voice here.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert 

Having been home-bound with fibromyalgia for so long, Chloe Brown knows that if she’s going to live her life to the fullest, she needs to start taking risks. So she makes a list of goals, including doing “something bad,” and having “meaningless sex.”  

She also knows that Red Morgan–the biker artist who works as her building’s supervisor–is probably just the one to help her rebel. As she gets closer to Red, however, Chloe realizes that his bad-boy exterior may be hiding something much deeper inside. Find Get a Life, Chloe Brown here.

The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen 

Corey Callihan no longer knows how to define herself. After a devastating spinal cord injury, she isn’t entering college as a star on the hockey team, but rather as someone figuring out how to navigate life in a wheelchair. 

Thankfully Corey meets another hockey player–the handsome Adam Hartley–who is also injured and stuck on crutches. As the two bond over their shared struggles and disappointments, Corey falls for Adam, even though he has a girlfriend. Corey wonders if Adam can ever see her as anything other than broken, and–more importantly–can she?  Find The Year We Fell Down here.

If you like your romance novels to feature characters trying to figure out what they really want, you’ll love these:

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle 

Dannie Kohan has built the perfect life. The supportive best friend she loves? Check. Thriving career? Check. A gorgeous boyfriend who proposes at the perfect time in the perfect way? Check, check, check. 

So when, on the night of her engagement, Dannie slips through time and finds herself five years in the future, she is shocked to see she’s living in a different apartment with a completely different man–a man she apparently adores. Back in her current time, Dannie must now decide: does she fight to hold on to what she loves most now? Or let destiny take its course? Find In Five Years here.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

Despite her difficult childhood, fifty-year-old Elle Bishop is happy. She deeply loves her husband Peter, and each summer, they bring their three children to the Paper Palace, her family vacation home and sanctuary in the backwoods of Cape Cod. 

When Elle sneaks out one night to have sex with her childhood best friend Jonas–igniting a passion that has been building for years–she creates a vast fork in the road of her life. Over the next 24 hours, Elle’s past and present clash together and guide her toward a final, complicated decision. Find The Paper Palace here.

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan 

Since divorcing two years ago, Yasmen and Josia have been doing their best. It’s been rough, but they’ve settled into a new kind of normal–living close together and co-parenting their two kids. 

Soon, though, their undeniable connection pulls them back together in what feels like a clandestine affair. The question is–can they find their way back to love, even as their troubled past looms darkly over them? Find Before I Let Go here.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty 

When 29-year-old Alice Love wakes up confused on the floor of a gym she’s never been to, she is told she’s actually 39, has three kids, and cannot remember the past ten years of her life.

Over time, Alice has to use clues from her life to piece together where exactly her life went so wrong: she’s divorcing her beloved husband, her sister is avoiding her, and she’s become the exact kind of person she never wanted to be. Can Alice unwind her life and start over? Or is she stuck here forever? Find What Alice Forgot here.

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas 

When Lina Martín casually mentioned her American boyfriend to her Spanish family back home, she never thought it would spiral out of control. Now, her sister is getting married and everyone expects Lina to show up, boyfriend in tow. 

In a twist of timing, Lina begrudgingly strikes a deal with Aaron Blackford, her work arch-nemesis, and he agrees to travel to Spain to pose as Lina’s boyfriend. As they manage their charade in the midst of a chaotic family reunion, however, Lina starts to wonder if the feelings she’s faking might be starting to feel real. Find The Spanish Love Deception here.

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner 

It is possible that Emma might have a tiny crush on her boss–award-winning actress Jo Jones. As Jo’s assistant, though, Emma keeps herself focused only on her job–managing her boss’s schedule and keeping her life private.

When a sweet moment between Emma and Jo is photographed and published, however, suddenly TMZ announces them as LA’s hottest new couple. After a time, both women start to wonder if the buzz might hold some truth. But in the era of #MeToo and social media frenzies, this friendship-turned-something more is becoming more complicated by the minute. Find Something to Talk About here.

What If by Rebecca Donovan 

When Cal runs into his childhood crush Nicole in a coffee shop on campus, he is shocked. No one had seen or heard from her in a long time. But when she claims her name is Nyelle and has a completely different personality from the Nicole who Cal remembers, he burns with curiosity.

Who is Nyelle? What happened to Nicole? And as Cal finds himself falling hard for Nyelle, he ends up diving head-first into a heart-wrenching mystery. Find What If here.

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