One of the best romances ever written are ones where opposites attract. You might not have much in common or might even clash at times, but love still finds its way through the little cracks. Ah, what a beautiful bond! The grumpy sunshine trope was built around the same idea, where the main characters' personalities tend to clash, but they end up falling in love anyway.
A moody, broody hero who's always grumbling about something and an upbeat heroine who makes the world a little brighter. Of all the sentimental tropes, the grumpy-sunshine trope is guaranteed to melt the icy heart of any cynic.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
She's a romance author who no longer believes in love; he's a literary author stuck in a rut. They don't have much in common, except they're stuck in neighboring beach houses for the summer, both broke and bogged down with writer's block. Until one day, they engage in a challenge. Augustus will write a bestselling romance, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. Everyone will finish a book, and no one will fall in love.
One of the best enemies to lovers read by the legendary vacation writer Emily Henry, Beach Read, follows polar opposites January and Augustus. By the end of the book, you will want to write your own book (and find a hot neighbor, too).
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
Jess Davis is a single mother and freelance statistician who doesn't believe in love. But when she hears about GeneticAlly, a matchmaking company that works on DNA, she's invested. Except her test shows an unheard-of 98 percent compatibility with Dr. River Peña, the stuck-up, stubborn man who is definitely not her soulmate. But she can't reject the offer when the company decides to pay her to pretend.
A hysterical, heartwarming read, Christina Lauren create wonder with The Soulmate Equation, proving how the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
Piper Bellinger is a fashionable It-Girl in Hollywood. When a drunken disaster and an out-of-control rooftop party land her in prison, her stepfather ships her and her sister to Washington so they can run their late father's dive bar. The local broody fisherman, Brendan, thinks Piper won't last five minutes. Piper will do what it takes to prove her father and Brendan wrong. But when the time comes, can she leave Brendan and this beautiful town behind?
A Schitt's Creek-inspired rom-com, Tessa Bailey's It Happened One Summer, brings us a broody fisherman and a fun-loving socialite that proves how, unlike people, love doesn't know status or boundaries.
The Fine Print by Lauren Asher
A billionaire CEO, Rowan Kane, is used to getting everything he wants. His initial idea of hiring Zahra was great until he kissed her. Then, his deceptions will unleash hell, especially on whatever he and Zahra were building. After submitting a drunk proposal criticizing Dreamland's most expensive ride, Zahra expected to get fired. Instead, the CEO offered her a dream job. But when she uncovers his secrets, she will do what it takes to teach him that money can't fix everything.
The first book in the Dreamland Billionaires series, The Fine Print, will hold you by the collar and make you yearn for a billionaire romance.
The Wall Of Winnipeg And Me by Mariana Zapata
Vanessa Mazur knows it's time to quit. Acting as an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be a means to help her through, so there's no need for her to carry on the chores any longer. But when the broody boss who never bothered to greet or wish her on her birthdays, Aiden Graves, shows up on her doorstep asking her to come back, how is she supposed to tell him no?
A slow-burn masterpiece featuring the strangers to friends to lovers trope, The Wall of Winnipeg and Me barely scratches the base of how well Mariana Zapata pens her novels.
Twisted Love by Ana Huang
Alex Volkov is a devil with an angel's face. He doesn't bother himself with love; all he wants is revenge for an incident that happened when he was a kid. But when he is forced to look after his best friend's sister, Ava Chen, there's something in his chest he can't explain. Ava is a ball of sunshine, trapped in nightmares of a childhood she can't remember. Despite her struggles, she always sees the best in people, even the man she shouldn't be thinking about. Her brother's best friend, Alex Volkov.
In this dark tale of romance, betrayal, and conspiracies, Ana Huang ingrains the emotions in your heart. With a possessive, morally gray alpha hero, Twisted Love is your go-to book when you crave something dark.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
A competent Ph.D. candidate, Olive knew it was a bad idea to lie to her best friend about her boyfriend, but she had no choice. So when the clock strikes, Olive kisses the first man she sees: Adam Carlsen, a young, gorgeous professor and an infamous ass. To her surprise, he decides to continue the charade she started and agrees to be her fake boyfriend. With time, Olive might melt Adam's cold exterior and reveal his six-pack abs.
With the best tropes of the century (fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, a STEM heroine, hilarious banter), Ali Hazelwood's debut, The Love Hypothesis, is quite possibly the sweetest, most adorable romance novel ever.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Usually, Catalina Martín is a badass who doesn't need help from a man. Except right now, she is kind of desperate for one. She needs a date for her sister's wedding, primarily since her lie about having an American boyfriend has spread like wildfire. She doesn't have enough time to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. But when her gorgeous, broody, condescending colleague Aaron Blackford offers his help, Lina would rather eat chalk. But as the wedding comes closer, she realizes he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.
A BookTok sensation and Elena Armas's debut, The Spanish Love Deception, will have you feeling butterflies in your stomach throughout the book.
The Darkest Temptation by Danielle Lori
Mila keeps her head down and does what she's told. She doesn't question her father's absences nor his refusal to let her set foot in her birthplace—Russia. Eventually, suffocated by the rules and unanswered questions, she decides to board a plane to Moscow. Except it's the deadliest mistake, she's ever made. Ronan Markov is here for revenge, and the only way she can escape is by thawing through her captor's heart.
Probably the darkest grumpy sunshine trope book you'll ever read, The Darkest Temptation by Danielle Lori, will have you longing to inhale as many mafia romances as possible.
Marriage for One by Ella Maise
Rose and Jack did everything backward. The day she first stepped into his office, he asked her to marry him. Marry a stranger? No chance. Except she knows this might be her last chance to salvage her lifelong dream. All until he says she's the biggest mistake of his life. One moment, he is unattainable. The next, he is hers. One moment, they're in love. The next, it's all a lie. After all, they're Jack and Rose; they were doomed from the beginning with those names.
A marriage of convenience and the grumpiest story ever, Marriage for One by Ella Maise is unequivocally the best book of this trope.