Collider Names Normal People Greatest 21st Century Romance

Romance fiction remains broad and popular, spanning literary realism, paranormal stories, time travel, historical settings and contemporary relationships. Sally Rooney’s Normal People was recently named the greatest romance book of the 21st century by Collider, recognized for its nuanced portrayal of an on-again, off-again relationship and later adapted into an acclaimed television series. Other highly regarded modern romances include J.R. Ward’s emotionally intense paranormal novel Lover Awakened and Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife, which combines love with an unusual chronological structure. Dark romance has also become a major trend, particularly on TikTok and Goodreads, with readers drawn to stories involving obsession, danger and morally ambiguous characters, while critics object that some books may romanticize abuse and coercion. Readers choosing between classic and contemporary romance must weigh literary depth and historical immersion against faster pacing, modern perspectives and more direct emotional storytelling.