There’s a particular kind of ache that doesn’t have a name — not quite heartbreak, not quite nothing. The situationship you never called anything, the person you’re still thinking about even though you never had the right to. These six books live in that undefined space.
Coco Mellors
Blue Sisters
A quick, enjoyable read that moved fast — I liked it, but it didn’t hit as hard for me as I expected going in. Still a solid one to reach for.
Lily King
Heart the Lover
I went in thinking this would be a light romance I could blow through, and I was wrong. The first 100 pages were rough going, but I’m glad I stuck with it — by the end I was completely wrecked. It asks harder questions about forgiveness than most love stories are willing to.
Carley Fortune
This Summer Will Be Different
Full transparency: this one didn’t leave a lasting impression on me, but it’s a Carley Fortune summer romance, which means it’s an easy, breezy pick if you’re after something light with a situationship undertone.
Aisha Muharrar
Loved One
The first half went over my head, if I’m honest, and the rockstar element felt unnecessary. But underneath all that, it’s deeply human — grief, lack of closure, the specific loneliness of loving someone who also loved someone else. It’s a book that works on you quietly.
Emma Brodie
Into the Blue
This one blew up on TikTok, so I went in with high hopes, and came out a little let down. Noah was hard to like, and the relationship felt less like a slow burn and more like a college one-night stand you spend months imagining a future around. When they finally get together, it feels too easy.
Jenny Jackson
The Shampoo Effect
Think Gossip Girl on the Massachusetts coast — a world of people who aren’t particularly redeemable, and that’s part of what makes it work. Caroline felt alone even while she was with Van, and that particular kind of loneliness is exactly the situationship feeling this list is named for.
Marin Robinson 