What is the best debut romance novel?

Every author here got it right on the first try, whether the book arrived by horse-drawn mail coach or went viral on BookTok. Brooding moors, office rivals and time travel all compete for the same heart.

1. 1
   The Notebook

   Nicholas Sparks's 1996 debut novel about a lifelong love remembered in old age.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Gone with the Wind

   Margaret Mitchell's only novel (1936), the Pulitzer-winning saga of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler.
   999pts
3. 3
   Outlander

   Diana Gabaldon's 1991 debut, in which a WWII nurse falls through time into 18th-century Scotland and into Jamie Fraser's arms.
   999pts
4. 4
   Red, White & Royal Blue

   Casey McQuiston's 2019 debut about the US president's son falling for a British prince.
   907pts
5. 5
   Jane Eyre

   Charlotte Brontë's first published novel (1847), the story of a governess and the brooding Mr Rochester.
   800pts
6. 6
   The Hating Game

   Sally Thorne's 2016 debut, an office enemies-to-lovers romance between rival executive assistants.
   659pts
7. 7
   Call Me by Your Name

   André Aciman's 2007 debut novel about a summer love affair on the Italian Riviera.
   659pts
8. 8
   The Rosie Project

   Graeme Simsion's 2013 debut romantic comedy about a genetics professor's scientific search for a wife.
   659pts
9. 9
   Love Story

   Erich Segal's 1970 debut novel, a tearjerker about a Harvard student and a working-class Radcliffe music student.
   659pts
10. 10
    Sense and Sensibility

    Jane Austen's first published novel (1811), following the Dashwood sisters through love and heartbreak.
    571pts
11. 11
    The Wedding Date

    Jasmine Guillory's 2018 debut, a fake-dating romance that starts in a stuck hotel elevator.
    571pts
12. 12
    Slammed

    Colleen Hoover's self-published 2012 debut about two young people drawn together by slam poetry.
    467pts
13. 13
    One Day in December

    Josie Silver's 2018 debut about a decade-long near miss that begins with a glance through a bus window.
    467pts
14. 14
    Forever Amber

    Kathleen Winsor's 1944 debut, a scandalous bestseller about an ambitious woman in Restoration England.
    467pts
15. 15
    Twilight

    Stephenie Meyer's 2005 debut, the vampire romance that launched a global YA phenomenon.
    467pts
16. 16
    The Time Traveler's Wife

    Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 debut about a marriage strained by a husband who slips involuntarily through time.
    467pts
17. 17
    The Spanish Love Deception

    Elena Armas's 2021 debut, a self-published fake-date romance that went viral on BookTok.
    467pts
18. 18
    The Kiss Quotient

    Helen Hoang's 2018 debut about an autistic econometrician who hires an escort to teach her about intimacy.
    343pts
19. 19
    Wuthering Heights

    Emily Brontë's only novel (1847), a wild, obsessive love story set on the Yorkshire moors.
    343pts
20. 20
    Something Borrowed

    Emily Giffin's 2004 debut about a dutiful lawyer who falls for her best friend's fiancé.
    343pts
21. 21
    P.S. I Love You

    Cecelia Ahern's 2004 debut, in which a widow receives letters her late husband left to guide her through grief.
    343pts
22. 22
    The Love Hypothesis

    Ali Hazelwood's 2021 debut, a fake-dating romance between a PhD student and a notoriously stern professor.
    343pts
23. 23
    Icebreaker

    Hannah Grace's 2022 debut, a sports romance between a figure skater and a hockey captain.
    343pts
24. 24
    The Flame and the Flower

    Kathleen Woodiwiss's 1972 debut, widely credited with launching the modern historical romance.
    0pts
25. 25
    The Flatshare

    Beth O'Leary's 2019 debut about two strangers who share a flat and a bed on opposite shifts without ever meeting.
    0pts
26. 26
    Sweet Savage Love

    Rosemary Rogers's 1974 debut, a sweeping bestseller that defined the 1970s bodice-ripper.
    0pts
27. 27
    Fifty Shades of Grey

    E. L. James's 2011 debut, an erotic romance that became one of the fastest-selling books ever.
    0pts

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