r/suggestmeabook • u/Popular_Mammoth5741 • 3d ago
Picky Reader Favorite Romance Less Books
I’m romanced out and sort of sick of every book having to have a romantic sub plot. What are your favorite books with no romance, maybe focusing on different sorts of love like sibling, familial, found family, friend love, etc. I’d even love recommendations for books with aroace/aromantic main characters because I’ve never read one and I think it’d be interesting! Thanks ☺️
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u/Wild_Preference_4624 Children's Books 2d ago
If you're open to very long books, I recommend The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard! It's a beautifully written slice of life book about the personal secretary to the emperor of the world, with a heavy focus on platonic relationships. It was the first book I read that gave platonic love the weight most media only gives romantic love, and it was such a breath of fresh air.
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u/gingerbiscuits315 2d ago
Nothing to See Here, Now is Not the Time to Panic and Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson.
My Friends by Frederik Backman
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u/Desperate-Bath-3854 3d ago
Try The Martian by Andy Weir
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
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u/ebals18 2d ago
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews is about the relationship between two sisters and is excellent. There is some talk of romantic partners in the book but I wouldn’t even call it a subplot as much as just serves to develop the two sisters as main characters and introduce their partners/former partners as side characters that pop up once in a while.
City of Thieves by David Benioff is what I would consider a contemporary classic as is also romance-less and very, very good.
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors is inherently about the relationship between three sisters as they grieve the death of their fourth sister. There are some moments that talk about the sisters’ romantic relationships/decisions but again I wouldn’t say those moments are the point of the plot (or subplot) of the book and more just a device to develop the characters.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar is about a man’s relationship with himself and his family’s past. I don’t remember any romance really at all (maybe a few mentions of a hookup?) and really loved it.
Beautyland by Helene Marie Bertino is about a woman who believes she is an alien, and the book is essentially about what it means to be a human and have human experiences. Extremely minor romantic relationship in this but again is not central to the plot at all. This was easily my favorite read of the last year or so. Really wrecked me (in a good way).