If you liked Lizzie and Darcy’s ‘opposites attract’ chemistry in Pride and Prejudice, you’ll like …

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

Uzma Jalaluddin has taken Jane Austen’s prototypical romantic comedy of manners and transformed the squabbling Bennett clan into a boisterous Indian-Muslim family living in modern-day Toronto. Ayesha Shamsi is smart, independent … and unmarried at 27, a fact her mother and a gaggle of interfering aunties fret about to no end. But marriage is the last thing on her mind as she juggles her dreams of being a poet with a demanding teaching job. Enter Khalid, a conservative and judgmental (and smart and annoyingly handsome) good Muslim son who brings out Ayesha’s outspoken side, but for whatever frustrating reason, she also can’t get him out of her head.

Jalaluddin’s decision to recast this timeless story within a Muslim community highlights the contemporary relevance and universality of Austen’s own finely calibrated social satires. The family dramas and the struggle to balance emotions with propriety feel like fresh concepts rather than a direct copy. Ayesha and Khalid have great chemistry and banter, but are also believably at odds in the beginning. This is a sweet and fun light read that’s not afraid to tackle some larger issues around identity and culture.

If you liked the tapestry of different perspectives in Love Actually, you’ll like …

Star-crossed by Minnie Darke

When Justine (Sagittarius, aspiring journalist and sceptic) bumps into her old friend Nick (Aquarius, struggling actor and true believer), she’s instantly interested. Justine works at a magazine, and when she learns that Nick follows the magazine’s astrology column – and actually takes it seriously – she has the great idea of making a few small edits to Aquarius’ horoscope before it goes to print.

Darke’s sparkling confection of a love story is interspersed with charming snippets showing how Justine’s altered horoscopes affect the lives of the magazine’s other readers. These quirky sideways glimpses also pay off in the overarching love story, and way the narrative clicks together is satisfying like a jig-saw puzzle. Star-crossed is a gorgeous Australian comfort read that will leave you with a smile on your face.

If you liked the alternating timelines in Sliding Doors, you’ll like …

Louis and Louise by Julie Cohen

This thoughtful and uplifting book explores what one person’s life would be like if they were born another gender. The titular Louis and Louise are the same person born in two different timelines, separated only by the sex announced by the doctor and a final ‘e’. They have the same best friends, the same red hair, the same dream of being a writer, the same excellent whistle. And they both suffer one catastrophic night, with life-changing consequences.

This is one of those books that acquires more power as it progresses. Cohen alternates from one point-of-view to another, looking at how small differences can ripple out and cause big changes in the future. With a bit of romance sprinkled throughout, this is a cozy character study that also raises some interesting questions about the nature of sex and gender.

If you liked the workplace meddling of Set It Up, you’ll like …

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Lucy and Joshua are personal assistants to the CEOs of two publishing companies that have merged. Hardworking Lucy is a people-pleaser, while Joshua is efficient and condescending (mostly, Lucy thinks, to her). Over months in a shared office they’ve faced off against each other and now that a big promotion is up for grabs, Lucy knows it’s time to take him down.

One of the best and most addictive office romances in the last few years, Australian author Sally Thorne’s debut is a whip-smart, sexy workplace comedy about that pencil-thin line between hate and love. An added bonus is its exaggerated depictions of the ruthless world of Big Publishing. This romp is the kind of wildly enjoyable easy read that would appeal to romance and non-romance readers alike.

If you liked the intense English-ness of An Education, you’ll like …

Brother of the More Famous Jack by Barbara Trapido

Stylish, suburban Katherine is 18 when she is propelled into the centre of Professor Jacob Goldman’s rambling Oxford home and his large eccentric family: enchanting yet sharp-tongued wife Jane; volatile, stroppy Jonathan; and his older, more beautiful brother Roger, who wins Katherine’s heart. First love quickly leads to heartbreak and sends Katherine fleeing overseas, but 10 years later, she returns, and finds herself irresistibly drawn to the Goldmans all over again.

Published in 1982, Trapido’s novel evokes a heightened English milieu. Katherine, who comes from a repressed post-war background, is immediately drawn to the secret-society nature of this eccentric family: their intensely close interactions are full of in-jokes, acerbic put-downs and deep, unconditional love, and being with them fuels her increasing intellectual and sexual curiosity. This underrated gem is the kind of lush and swoon-worthy story that inspires daydreams of Oxford spires and Mitford-esque cavorting. While it’s not the most radical romance, it is a pure injection of pleasure.

If you liked the sweet, life-affirming teen relationships in Love Simon, you’ll like …

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When they meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the two loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special kind of friendship – the kind of friendship that changes lives and lasts a lifetime.

This is contemporary YA realism at its best, and most honest. Aristotle’s voice leaps out at you with its authenticity from the very first page, and his struggle to come to terms with his sexuality is poignant, made all the more so by his refreshingly supportive family. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a classic summertime coming-of-age story with a slow-burn romance. All it needs is more kissing.

If you liked the gradual friends-to-lovers relationship in When Harry Met Sally, you’ll like …

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

In Christina Lauren’s trope-y New York City fairytale, college friends Josh and Hazel start hanging out after Josh discovers his girlfriend is cheating on him. Hazel is loud, unpredictable and has no filter, but after being duped, Josh finds her forthright ways refreshing. Meanwhile, Hazel has thought of Josh as Mr Perfect since college, but knows they’re incompatible. She decides to be his best friend instead, and starts setting him up on date after progressively worse date.

Lauren knows what kind of story her readers want to read, and she delivers all the elements that appeal most to the id of the romance reader: fizzy dialogue, inconvenient plot twists and internal angst. Along the way, she also smartly skewers some rom-com tropes: Hazel’s awareness of her own worst traits feels like a deliberate rejection of her tendency to drift into Manic Pixie Dream Girl territory.

If you liked the zany fake-dating scheme in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, you’ll like …

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Stella Lane has a way with numbers but not with love, and based on her analysis, she has far less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice – with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan, who’s happy to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan. But of course, Stella begins to crave all of the other things he’s making her feel, and this no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense.

Love among the shelves …

There’s nothing dreamier and more romance-inducing than a bookshop, as You’ve Got Mail and many other rom-coms can attest. If you want a sprinkle of biblio- in your -philia, then try out one of these reads:

• The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
• The Bookshop of the Broken-Hearted by Robert Hillman
• The Book Ninja by Ali Berg & Michelle Kalus
• Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Some more romantic recommendations…

• 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne
• The Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat
• Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
• Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• Nineteen Letters by Jodi Perry
• You can also find more recommendations for romance novels to fall in love with here.