Thanksgiving is for Lovers
I'm stayin' at my parents' house, And the road not taken looks real good now
said no one ever… but here are some romance novels that weirdly SCREAM Thanksgiving. Not in the colonization, Last Supper before Guns, Germs, and Steel kind of way, but in the ‘Tis the Damn Season kind of way.
Better Hate than Never by Chloe Liese
Fun and steamy re-telling of The Taming of the Shrew with a FMC rocking the best representation of ADHD I’ve ever read! NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP!!!
They grew up as next door neighbors and can’t get along under any circumstances. Everyone knows there’s a thin, thin line between love and hate.
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Yulin Kuang is the woman of the year in my circles. Imagine if you get this new dream job AS A TV WRITER for the adaptation of YOUR BESTSELLING BOOKS but then you find out one of your superiors in the writer’s room is this guy from your high school. Yeah he was like homecoming king and all that gross stuff, but he also happens to have been the boy driving the car your sister dove in front of to end her life… yeah it’s kind of a lot. But naturally you have insane chemistry and become star-crossed lovers.
They go back to their hometown in Jersey for various holidays, and her family would never accept a relationship with him. IT’S SO ‘TIS THE DAMN SEASON CODED. Just read it.
A Storybook Wedding by KJ Micciche
She’s a low-residency MFA student and he’s a writer/professor at said program. (Reading this was one of my signs from the universe to apply for a low-residency MFA next year.) Anyway I think the weekend they finally get together-ish and what leads to their whole marriage of convenience, all happens over Thanksgiving weekend. And it includes Questlove.
This was such a delightful surprise of a book! It has the witty bibliophiles of Emily Henry with a little extra cheese factor, but it grows to a more squeal-worthy happily ever after.
Mile High by Liz Tomforde
This is one of my all time favorite romances. That is not a popular opinion, so if you disagree, go tell someone else. In researching for this piece, I realized what I had thought was a Thanksgiving scene, was actually around Christmas, but the sentiment still works.
This man! The insanely sexy NHL defensemen, Evan “Zee” Zanders, bought her designer sweatpants… IN THREE SIZES.
Ugh, just skimming through to find this scene, makes me want to go re-read the book. (Prepare for this to be on a Christmas list too.)
Not My Kind of Hero by Pippa Grant
Another one that literally takes place over Thanksgiving! Okay I think this book is like summer through the fall semester, but I could be mistaken. It’s so good! It’s giving small town, single mom, teen daughter, tenant/teacher/soccer coach MMC (hot af), he hates her at first, then he REALLY wants her! I listened to this last Thanksgiving and was so glad I did!
With you Forever by Chloe Liese
Chloe Liese can do no wrong. We all know that right? Anyway, this is one of the Bergman Brothers books and you know I loved it because this man is broody and autistic and I eat that crap up!
What makes this extra “Thanksgiving-esque” for me, is that these two characters have clearly been into each other for ever, but kept it buried. Then, months before this book takes place, there’s a party game at his parents’ house (with his adult siblings) that somehow ends up with them locking lips. Now they wind up together at his family’s vacation home alone together for an extended period of time and it’s just epic.
It’s giving marriage of convenience, forced proximity, Chronic Illness (auto-immune IBD with dietary restrictions), Autism, and off the walls chemistry 💥
TRIGGER WARNING (for the audiobook): the pets play a big role in this story. I respect the narrators’ commitment to the bit, but the “meow” and “bark” sound effects were infuriatingly cringe.
Scandalized by Ivy Owens
Indecent. Lethal. Obscene. This book is scandalizing ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Growing up, he was her best friend’s big brother, years later their paths cross in a hotel while stuck for a layover. They hook up. They hook up hard. Then she finds out he’s now like really famous. He loves that she didn’t know and just had a crush on him before it all.
You cannot tell me, hooking up with your childhood crush as an adult is not Thanksgiving-coded.
Juniper Hill by Devney Perry
This feels like Thanksgiving because they’re creating a family and making their own traditions. Yes chef! You know he’s going to be whipping up some mean Thanksgiving feasts. And they’ll always have the Edens’ ranch to head over for full family festivities.
This is the second book in The Edens Series. In my opinion the only two you should read are Indigo Ridge and Juniper Hill. An easy fast read in Montana!! Single mom and hot chef/coworker/landlord? And they’re pretty dope communicators. No break up in the black moment. 💚
If you want to purchase any of the books mentioned in this article, please consider using my affiliate link with my favorite independent book store, The Ripped Bodice, or using my referral link to libro.fm for an audiobook!