Why do we need a list of the “Best Indian Romance Novels”? The romance novel genre is booming. New books and writers are being introduced by the dozen.
Especially so after the success of Indian authors like Chetan Bhagat and Durjoy Datta. If there is a theme which a budding writer would want to choose so they can get the largest success possible, it is the chick-lit and romance sections that end up being the target.
So, in this massive deluge of books, how do you figure out which ones you should read and those you can skip? While we can’t help you with all the books you should not read, here is a list of the Best Indian Romance Novels which you should not miss.
1. Wish I Could Tell You – Durjoy Datta
It is the story of Ananth. He believes in all things good and he manages to find that good in everyone he comes across. Driven by an intense urge to help those in need, he joins an NGO.
Mohini is an aspiring author looking for a story. Her search for an interesting story leads her to the same NGO.
How Ananth and Mohini find what they’re looking for forms the crust of this book.
2. The One You Cannot Have – Preeti Shenoy
This book handles the delicate subject of love failure and depression and puts a different spin to things. It gives us a message that if the situations are handled in a more matured way all these lives can be saved.
3. You Are the Best Wife – Ajay K. Pandey
This book is written in a loving and passionate voice and it is difficult not to fall in love with this story. It revolves around the two main characters – Bhavna and Ajay.
They meet while pursuing Engineering and Ajay immediately falls in love with Bhavna. After a lot of family drama, they get married and lead a blissful life.
But all this is shattered when Bhavna falls sick and her death tears the two of them apart (this is not a spoiler).
The best thing about this book is that it will make the readers feel the same pain which the characters do.
4. Baaz – Anuja Chauhan
Ishaan Fauzdaar is a young and charismatic Air Force Officer. He is known as Shaanu to his near and dear ones and as Baaz to his colleagues and friends.
Tehmina Dadyseth is an independent, strong-willed and highly opinionated girl. Baaz is their story. Set in 1971, against the backdrop of the India-Pakistan war, this book has an excellent plot and lovable characters.
5. Will You Still Love Me? – Ravinder Singh
This book is the story of Lavanya Gogoi and Rajveer Saini. She hails from Shillong and he, from Patiala. They are as different as they come. On a flight from Mumbai to Chandigarh, they sit next to each other.
Do they fall in love? And what happens next? forms the core of this story. The book is an impassionate love story and is very close to reality.
6. When Dimple Met Rishi – Sandhya Menon
Dimple Shah has her life sorted out. She has recently graduated and now, she just wants to move out of her house. She has had enough of her mother searching the ‘Ideal Indian Husband’ for her.
On the other end is Rishi Patel, a hopeless romantic. He desires for an arranged marriage because of his belief in traditions and customs.
What happens when these two extremely opposite characters meet? The book is funny, witty and charming.
7. A Bollywood Affair – Sonali Dev
Mili Rathod got married when she was just 4-years-old. Twenty years later, she is still waiting for her husband to come for her. Though she belongs to a conservative and patriarchal society, she is currently studying in America.
Her brother-in-law, Samir Rathod, is a famous Bollywood director. He comes to America to meet Mili and request her to divorce his brother. But soon, Samir himself falls for her.
This debut book is heartfelt, witty and engaging.
8. A Half-Baked Love Story – Anurag & Gunjan Garg
This book is a feel-good love story of Aarav and Anamika, narrated in the flashback style.
Aarav is a rich brat and he sleeps with every girl he can find. But long ago he was a shy teenager and Anamika was his first love. During a New Year’s party, a drunk Aarav recounts his tale to his friends. This flashback story is what forms this book.
9. The Girl Who Knew Too Much – Vikrant Khanna
This book is the story of Akshara. Her mother’s death has devastated her and she spends most of her time in solitude.
One day, when she is crying inconsolably, a young man approaches her. He tries to console her by narrating the story of another girl and her dead boyfriend. This story makes Akshara hopeful but can she trust Harry?
This book is a romantic mystery. The suspense elements in the book are something to look forward to.
10. The Boy who Loved – Durjoy Datta
It is the story of Raghu Ganguly, a school going boy who lives in Delhi with his family. On the outside, he is just a regular boy. But deep down, he is broken with guilt and pain.
Brahmi, a girl who is just as broken as Raghu is also a part of this story. Will these two find solace in each other? This forms the story of this unconventional love story.
The sequel to this book is “The Boy with a Broken Heart”.
11. Sorry You’re Not My Type – Sudeep Nagarkar
This story is about three close friends Vikrant, Anamika and Yuvi. It is a tale which explores how their lives, as well as their music band VAYU, are changed by Aditya in ways they never imagined before.
In this exciting tale of love, romance, drama, betrayal, hatred, friendship and much more, you will find yourself engrossed till the very end.
Sudeep Nagarkar weaves a tale with various twists and turns, keeping the reader engrossed throughout.
12. The Girl Of My Dreams – Durjoy Datta
In this story, the protagonist Daman is involved in an accident. It causes minor amnesia erasing all his memories of the accident and of the events leading to it. But he was in the car with a girl named Shreyasi, who was nowhere to be found, dead or alive, after the accident.
Following his recovery, Daman starts writing his story and gets stalked by an anonymous girl, giving the plot a new twist. Durjoy Datta has done a fantastic job of penning a romantic thriller, which is not an easy genre to write.
13. Two States – Chetan Bhagat
Neither the book nor the author needs any introduction. The story is already made into a Hindi film, as is the case with most Chetan Bhagat books.
This book is based on his own story. The plot is about two lovers from different cultures who have the unenviable task of convincing their parents to agree to their wedding.
14. The Wedding Tamasha – Sudha Nair
This book is the story of 28-year-old Shweta Menon. She has an abusive husband and finds refuge by working at a Mexican restaurant in the US.
The other character is Niraj Karthik, a celebrity chef. Shweta is his childhood crush and seeing her after all these years, he falls for her again. She too finds herself attracted to him.
Will Shweta get the love and acceptance she desires? Or will her family honour be more important?
15. The Right Swipe – Alisha Rai
For Rhiannon Hunter, her career is her only love. She is the creator of a dating app which has revolutionized romance in the digital world. Samson is her rival, the creator of another dating app. What happens when two rivals fall in love? When the bedroom becomes the boardroom?
16. Love @ Facebook – Nikita Singh
The plot of this book revolves around nineteen-year-old Vatsala Rathore. She is always surrounded by her friends Jaanvi and Ankit, with the latter madly in love with her.
However, Vatsala is smitten by VJ Ronit Oberoi and this forms the crux of a triangle love story. Nikita Singh keeps the story simple. The Facebook conversations scattered between paragraphs add to the unique appeal of the book.
17. Truly Madly Deeply – Faraaz Kazi
This is the only Indian book to have won the Goodreads Choice Award, which it won for the Best Debut (Romance).
The plot revolves around two teenagers Rahul and Seema. They are the most popular boy and girl in their school but are diametrically opposite in their personalities.
A series of misunderstandings causes them to break off and the rest of the story is about whether they can get back together and keep their egos aside.
18. Girl from Fatehpur by Sarita Varma
This book is the story of Sanjana, a successful professional who lives in Mumbai. At a family wedding in her hometown Fatehpur, she meets her childhood crush Rajan. It re-kindles all her old feelings for him.
But her senior at the office, Krish, is also in love with her and will not take no for an answer. His unexpected arrival in Fatehpur results in a heated rivalry between the two men.
The rest of the story is about the ensuing tensions and misunderstandings. So, who will win Sanjana’s heart?
19. Just Married, Please Excuse – Yashodhara Lal
This is a humorous story revolving around Yashodhara. She is a quick-tempered girl from the big city, who is married to a laid-back Vijay, who is from a small town.
The young couple is completely different in each other’s views, and the addition of a baby complicates matters further.
The story will leave you laughing out loud with the different situations the endearing couple find themselves in.
20. Untruly Yours – Smita Shetty
This is another plot that revolves around two culturally diverse people. Natasha is a Bengali woman married to Rakesh, who is a Tamilian. They’re NRIs and completely consumed by their professional lives.
But Natasha still wants more romance in her life. When she meets an ex-lover on her visit to India, how things change forms the crux of the story.