5 First Love Books to Have on Your Spring TBR

Finding new romance books to read isn’t easy. There’s always a plethora of new ones, so it can be hard to keep up. In particular, it’s especially intimidating when it comes to a first romance writer.

It can be a mixed bag when it comes to first novels. Sometimes it’s due to writing or pacing issues, while others just can’t find their groove. Then some novel writers come out of the gate doing amazing work.

Romance books are an integral part of popular culture, so it’s only fair to mention a few stellar debuts to have on your TBR. This list will be a mix of some new 2022 releases and some older ones.

These top five love books should be on your Spring 2022 TBR.

Let’s start with some older romantic beginnings. While these books aren’t out in 2022, they’ve been published within the last three years, so they should be easy to pick up. The first is one of my favorites! He is How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams. The story involves a grown-up interracial romance between a college professor and a guy she meets at a bar who ends up deciding her job.

How to Fail at Flirting is a great start. It focuses a lot on romance, but also on the growth of Naya and Jake as characters. This book is about a former abusive relationship and a toxic ex (if you’re sensitive to those topics). Either way, it’s a delightful story that was released in late 2020.

The next two books are both independent debuts featuring black characters and good starting points for each of these authors. The first is sweethand by NG Peltier. It’s a romance between two enemies who are forced to be together as bridesmaid and best man at a wedding. Of course, sparks fly and the two can’t hold hands with each other.

Which makes sweethand so funny is that both characters have amazing jobs, and they overlap in so many ways. Cherisse is a baker while Keiran works in music. It was released in 2021 and is a fairly non-stressful fun read. The same can be said for Mimi Grace’s first book, On the way for the ride.

On the way for the ride is a story of enemies to lovers between Jolene and Jason, who are on a journey to help his sister and his best friend who has just married. This one is also fairly non-scary, but a lot of fun and features some classic tropes, such as “one bed” and “forced proximity”. Released in 2019, it’s an easy and airy ride when you’re lounging on the porch or just want to dive into something.

Last but not least, the debut of 2022. The first is dig up love by Chandra Blumberg. It’s a Black Love romance between a baker and a paleontologist, who both try to pursue their dreams while navigating a relationship. It’s an incredibly realistic and sweet romance that also fades to black. Finally, it’s a book that I haven’t read yet but looks amazing, and it’s The accidental pin-up by Danielle Jackson.

This book is presented as a romance between two photographers competing for the same work and essentially falling for each other. Although it’s not slated for release until July 2022, early reviews are looking good. It was another start to 2022 that had to make the cut.

Do you have any first love books that you love? Be sure to leave your recommendations in the comments.