8 of Our Favorite Forbidden Romances

A Million Junes, by Emily Henry
The O’Donnells and the Angerts have been feuding for generations, and though June O’Donnell doesn’t really know why, she does know the sparks she feels when Saul Angert returns to town will have to stay a secret. But together, she and Saul discover there’s more than they knew behind their families’ blood rivalry, and their best chance to end it for good is to work together. And if that allows them to explore the fact that they’re falling deeply in love, well, all the better. Lush, lyrical narrative and excellent banter make this one of my favorite romances of 2017.

The Summer I Wasn’t Me, by Jessica Verdi
When Lexi’s father died, leaving her and her mother alone, she knew she had to keep the fact that she likes girls a secret in order to keep what remained of her family together. But then her mother finds out, and in a desperate scramble to alleviate further grief, Lexi attends New Horizons, a conversion camp that promises it can set her straight. Instead, she falls for another female camper, and realizes she’s already exactly who she’s meant to be. Though Verdi’s sophomore novel definitely has its more painful, hard-hitting moments, the girls’ flirting (via The Great Gatsby, no less) is one of my favorite fluttery encounters in YA.

The Weight of Feathers, by Anna-Marie McLemore
McLemore’s gorgeous Morris Award–nominated debut revolves around the Palomas and the Corbeaus, who’ve been feuding since Lace and Cluck could remember. Both families are traveling performers—the Palomas as mermaids, making the most of their natural shimmering scales, and the Corbeaus as birds, taking to the trees. And both families are put in danger during a disaster at a performance, which is when Cluck Corbeau saves Lace Paloma’s life. From there, the two fall slowly and deeply in love, all the while keeping it a secret from their families, who they’re about to learn have plenty of secrets of their own.

The Chapel Wars, by Lindsey Leavitt
When Holly’s beloved grandpa dies, she’s the recipient of his greatest legacy: his Las Vegas wedding chapel. Running it sounds like a nightmare to Holly, especially since she has to share the responsibility with her divorced parents. And trickiest of all is that the only one who can really help her is Dax, the grandson of the guy who runs the chapel next door, who also happens to have been her grandfather’s greatest rival. Holly doesn’t want to feel anything for a member of the forbidden Cranston family, especially not when she may be forced to choose between him and her inheritance.

Written in the Stars, by Aisha Saeed
Naila’s boyfriend, Saif, is Muslim, kind, and all-around wonderful, but that’s not enough for her parents: they determined long ago that Naila would be wed to a man of their choosing via an arranged marriage. If she had any delusions she could change their minds, they vanish as soon as her parents whisk her off to a vacation in Pakistan…only to try to marry her off to a man they’ve chosen there. But Naila isn’t giving up her freedom without a fight, and she isn’t giving up Saif. Assuming he hasn’t given up on her either, he may just be her only way out.

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, by Jaye Robin Brown
Jo’s out to her family and friends, including her radio preacher father, who’s cool with it—at least he is when they’re living in Atlanta. But when they pick up and move to a smaller Georgia town with his father’s new wife, she learns his acceptance has a limit: her new stepmother’s comfort. He has Jo promise that for her senior year, she’ll go back into the closet, but of course that’s the year she meets Mary Carlson, a beautiful girl who totally steals her heart…and wants them to go public. But doing so would mean going back on her word to her father, and giving up the promised reward of her own radio segment, one that could help girls just like her and Mary Carlson. But can she convince Mary Carlson to keep them in the dark?

Going Too Far, by Jennifer Echols
Meg’s given up on caring about pretty much everything, so a stupid dare is meaningless to her—until she’s caught, and forced to ride along with a cop for the entire week of spring break. And no, the fact that the cop went to her high school and is only nineteen doesn’t make it any more bearable. Until suddenly it does. Now Meg is falling for a guy who should be everything she hates, and he’s completely off limits…for now. Once she’s done serving her time in his squad car, the two of them can explore whether the feelings that have sprung up between them in the present have any possibility of a future.