“Sometimes you have to walk away from the fight in order to win it.”
If you adored the emotional storytelling in Regretting You by Colleen Hoover, you’re probably looking for more books like Regretting You that capture that same powerful sense of romance, heartbreak, and complex family relationships. This unforgettable novel weaves together a moving mother-daughter story, unexpected romance, and deeply emotional twists that promise to stay with you. The good news is that there are plenty of books similar to Regretting You that deliver the same emotional impact. From heartfelt contemporary romance to gripping family dramas, these stories all explore love, grief, forgiveness, and the messy realities of growing up and moving on. If you love powerful contemporary fiction that can make you laugh, cry, and reflect, these reads demand to be on your TBR pile.
Regretting You Summary
Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike. Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris – Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family’s anchor.
But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond Clara and Morgan. Whilst struggling to rebuild everything, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expected, whilst Clara turns to the one boy she’s forbidden to see. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together again.
Reminders Of Him – Colleen Hoover
Kicking off our list with another one of Colleen Hoover’s best books, Reminders of Him opens with Kenna Rowan returning to her hometown, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter after serving five years inside prison. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself. The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter.
But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them. The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.
The Simple Wild – K.A. Tucker
Calla Fletcher was only two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wilderness, unable to stand the isolation and leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher. Calla never looked back and, now twenty-six, the hustle and bustle of life in Toronto is all she knows. But when her father reaches out to tell her his days are running out, she knows it is time for her to return to the frontier.
While she struggles to adjust to the wildlife, strange daylight hours and occasional outhouse, Jonah, the quiet and broody Alaskan pilot who looks after her father’s charter plane, can’t imagine living anywhere else. He is waiting for her to ask him to fly her home, but she is determined to prove him wrong. The longer they spend together, the more that disapproval morphs into a tentative friendship, and perhaps something even more serious. Yet, Calla is not in Alaska to stay, and Jonah will never leave.
The Idea Of You – Robinne Lee
Solene Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of an art gallery in Los Angeles, is reluctant to take her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favourite boy band. But, since her divorce, she’s more eager than ever to be close to Isabelle. The last thing she expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.
What starts off as a series of clandestine trysts soon evolves into a passionate and genuine relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solene and Hayes navigate each other’s worlds. For Solene, it is a reclaiming of self, as well as a rediscovery of happiness and love. When their relationship becomes a viral sensation, Solene and Isabelle find themselves at the centre of rabid fans and an insatiable media.
Check Out The Best Books Like The Idea Of You
The Opportunist – Tarryn Fisher
Olivia Kaspen has just discovered that her ex-boyfriend, Caleb Drake, has lost his memory. With an already lousy reputation for taking advantage of situations, Olivia must now choose how far she is willing to go to get Caleb back.
Wrestling to keep her true identity and their sordid past under wraps, Olivia’s greatest obstacle is Caleb’s wicked, new girlfriend: Leah Smith. It is a race to the finish as these two vipers engage in a vicious tug of war to possess a man who no longer remembers either of them. But, soon enough, Olivia must face the consequences of her lies, and in the process discover that sometimes love falls short of redemption.
Things We Never Got Over – Lucy Score
Naomi wasn’t just running away from her wedding. She was riding to the rescue of her estranged twin in Knockemout, Virginia, a rough-around-the-edges town where disputes are handled the old-fashioned way. Too bad for Naomi that her evil twin hasn’t changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi’s car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected. The niece Naomi never knew she had.
Now, she’s stuck in town with no car, no job, no plan, and no home with an eleven-year-old going on thirty to take care of. There’s a reason Knox doesn’t do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones. But since Naomi’s life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her get out of her jam. At least, that’s the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.
Love And Other Words – Christina Lauren
Macy Sorenson is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine. But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos – the first and only love of her life – the careful bubble she’s built begins to crumble. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy’s whole world, only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.
Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to so much more in one of the best books like Regretting You. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence, and will need to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.
Check Out The Best Books Like Love And Other Words
Wait For It – Mariana Zapata
Diana Casillas can admit it: she doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing half the time. How she’s made it through the last two years of her life without killing anyone is nothing short of a miracle. Being a grown-up wasn’t meant to be this hard.
With a new house, two little boys, she inherited the most painful possible way, a giant dog, a job she usually loves, more than enough family and friends, she has almost everything she could ever ask for. Except for a boyfriend. Or a husband. But who needs either one of those? One of the best books similar to Regretting You, Wait for It is a contemporary friends-to-lovers romance read perfect if you loved Colleen Rooney’s signature style.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
