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Best Unrequited Love Romance Books

Loving someone who doesn't love you back is an exquisite kind of pain. Unrequited love romance books live in the ache, the yearning, and the devastating hope that they'll finally see you. Browse our collection of the most heart-wrenching unrequited love stories with the promise of a payoff.

One of them has been in love for ages while the other has no idea. The slow realization -- and the moment it finally clicks -- is everything.

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Birthday Girl

Penelope Douglas

Age Gap Forbidden Love Forced Proximity

If He Had Been with Me

Laura Nowlin

Childhood Sweethearts Friends to Lovers Slow Burn

The MacKade Brothers: Rafe and Jared

Nora Roberts

Unrequited Love

A Forbidden Marriage

Margaret Mayo

Unrequited Love

Farewell to Love

Jessica Steele

Unrequited Love

Necromancer

Canada Jackson

Unrequited Love Redemption Arc Witchy

Writing the Great American Romance Novel

Catherine Lanigan

Neighbors to Lovers Competition Unrequited Love

The Flaw in His Red-Hot Revenge

Abby Green

Revenge Unrequited Love Amnesia

The Witch and the Werewolf

C.D. Gorri

Werewolf / Shifter Second Chance Forbidden Love

Unrequited Love

Morgan James

Unrequited Love Second Chance Forced Proximity

Once Upon An Unrequited Love

Zoey Locke, Z.L. Arkadie

Unrequited Love Friends to Lovers Boss Employee

Frequently Asked Questions

What is unrequited love romance?

One of them has been in love for ages while the other has no idea. The slow realization — and the moment it finally clicks — is everything. Unrequited Love romance is one of the most searched-for tropes in the genre, loved for its unique emotional arc and satisfying payoffs.

Who are the best unrequited love romance authors?

Taylor Jenkins Reid, Colleen Hoover, and Sally Thorne deliver gut-wrenching unrequited love stories. The ache of loving someone who doesn't see you yet is their specialty.

What's the difference between unrequited love and slow burn romance?

Unrequited Love romance and slow burn romance share some DNA but deliver different emotional experiences. Unrequited Love centers on one of them has been in love for ages while the other has no idea. Slow Burn romance, by contrast, tension builds page by page, chapter by chapter. Both are beloved in the genre, and many readers enjoy pairing them together.