Sci-fi romance isn’t a new subgenre, but it has been vastly underappreciated for quite some time. Some would dare speak blasphemy and claim that the two don’t mix, but they are gravely mistaken.
There is a reason the “San Junipero” episode of Black Mirror is widely considered to be one of television series’ greatest. Two seemingly young women fall in love in what originally appears to be a town in the 80s, but soon is revealed to be a virtual world that serves as a digital afterlife. Kelly and Yorkie are in actuality aged and sick. They’re visiting San Junipero as a means of therapy and to decide if they want their consciousnesses uploaded after they die. What follows is a powerful tale about the meaning of happiness, memory, death, religion, and so much more. It reminds us that love can transcend time, space, death, and consciousness. The story allured with possibility, and isn’t that what science fiction does?
Sci-fi is a means that allows writers to tell all kinds of stories, love, horror, historical, thrillers, and so much more. Science fiction can happen anytime and anywhere. Whether it’s on an intergalactic journey, in the past, in the future, or through time travel, the possibilities are endless because sci-fi is all about discovering the unknown. Isn’t that what love is too?
They both beckon us to speculate about the future, humanity, and the relationships we have with each other. They both teach us about connection. They both make us wonder what if. They both leave so much to the imagination. They’re both beautiful, horrifying, and strange. They both give us hope. This is why love and sci-fi have long been tangled throughout history. Think about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Back to the Future. It can be argued, however, that there is no better sci-fi romance than that which you can flip through.
Fortunately, many books and authors are embracing the subgenre. Below you can find a list proving you don’t have to choose between romance and sci-fi books if you love both! There’s a book waiting for everyone, whether you’re craving an edge-of-your-seat thriller, gore, space chases, fantasy, or time travel—to both past and future. Get excited, each one is filled with your favorite romantic tropes!
And without further ado…
Sci-Fi Romances
1. The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
This gay romance checks off some of the best tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and forbidden love. Don’t expect saccharine fiction, however, because in these pages you will not only find romance, but a horrifying survivor thriller reminiscent of an episode of Black Mirror. Transporting the reader to a masterfully imagined future, the author beckons us to consider living with meaning and intent. This tragic and thought-provoking story forces you to meditate about humanity’s relationship with the planet and with each other.
They Both Die at the End meets The Loneliest Girl in the Universe in this mind-bending sci-fi mystery and tender love story about two boys aboard a spaceship sent on a rescue mission, from two-time National Book Award finalist Eliot Schrefer
Two boys, alone in space. Sworn enemies sent on the same rescue mission.
Ambrose wakes up on the Coordinated Endeavor with no memory of a launch. There’s more that doesn’t add up: evidence indicates strangers have been on board, the ship’s operating system is voiced by his mother, and his handsome, brooding shipmate has barricaded himself away. But nothing will stop Ambrose from making his mission succeed—not when he’s rescuing his own sister.
In order to survive the ship’s secrets, Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together and learn to trust each other . . . especially once they discover what they are truly up against. Love might be the only way to survive.
2. Soul of Stars by Ashley Poston
If you immersed yourself in the wild ride that was the first book in the series, you’ve probably already picked this one up. If you haven’t read Heart of Iron, get on with adding it to your TBR along with this sequel! There’s a lot of diversity to love here, with a POC as the main character, gay and lesbian love, a character with a disability, and non-binary rep.
Once Ana was an orphaned space outlaw. Then she was the Empress of the Iron Kingdom. Now, thought dead by most of the galaxy after she escaped from the dark AI program called the HIVE, Ana is desperate for a way to save Di from the HIVE’s evil clutches and take back her kingdom.
Ana’s only option is to find Starbright, the one person who hacked into the HIVE and lived to tell the tale. But when Ana’s desperation costs the crew of the Dossier a terrible price, Ana and her friends are sent spiraling through the most perilous reaches of the Iron Kingdom to stop the true arbiter of evil in her world: an ancient world-ending deity called the Great Dark.
Their journey will take their sharp-witted pilot, Jax, to the home he never wanted to return to and the dangerous fate he left behind. And when Robb finds out who Jax really is, he must contend with his own feelings for the boy he barely knows, and question whether he truly belongs with this group of outcasts.
When facing the worst odds, can Ana and her crew of misfits find a way to stop the Great Dark once and for all?
3. All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown
You’ll end up binge reading this action-packed story centered around a road trip. It’s told in dual narratives from the perspectives of two characters who first meet when a bear trap leaves one of them badly injured. Andrew is written with sarcasm and wit. Jamie lets us in on the inner workings of his bisexual awakening. Add to your TBR if you enjoy both slow burn romances and high-stake plots.
When Andrew stumbles upon Jamie’s house, he’s injured, starved, and has nothing left to lose. A deadly pathogen has killed off most of the world’s population, including everyone both boys have ever loved. And if this new world has taught them anything, it’s to be scared of what other desperate people will do . . . so why does it seem so easy for them to trust each other?
After danger breaches their shelter, they flee south in search of civilization. But something isn’t adding up about Andrew’s story, and it could cost them everything. And Jamie has a secret, too. He’s starting to feel something more than friendship for Andrew, adding another layer of fear and confusion to an already tumultuous journey.
The road ahead of them is long, and to survive, they’ll have to shed their secrets, face the consequences of their actions, and find the courage to fight for the future they desire, together. Only one thing feels certain: all that’s left in their world is the undeniable pull they have toward each other.
4. The Kindred by Alechia Dow
The Kindred is set in the same universe as the author’s debut The Sound of Stars, but it can be read as a standalone novel. It explores themes of race, class, and colonialism. The Black joy is palpable in these pages that remind us about the transcendence of love. This makes it on our list because it’s an exceptional example of how sci-fi can be cozy.
To save a galactic kingdom from revolution, Kindred mind-pairings were created to ensure each and every person would be seen and heard, no matter how rich or poor…
Joy Abara knows her place. A commoner from the lowly planet Hali, she lives a simple life—apart from the notoriety that being Kindred to the nobility’s most infamous playboy brings.
Duke Felix Hamdi has a plan. He will exasperate his noble family to the point that they agree to let him choose his own future and finally meet his Kindred face-to-face.
Then the royal family is assassinated, putting Felix next in line for the throne…and accused of the murders. Someone will stop at nothing until he’s dead, which means they’ll target Joy, too. Meeting in person for the first time as they steal a spacecraft and flee amid chaos might not be ideal…and neither is crash-landing on the strange backward planet called Earth. But hiding might just be the perfect way to discover the true strength of the Kindred bond and expose a scandal—and a love—that may decide the future of a galaxy.
5. Burn by Patrick Ness
The ensemble in this book presents us with equally enthralling storylines. You won’t forget these beautiful and well developed characters. It’s best to go into Burn knowing as little as possible, but prepare yourself for an intriguing novel full of twists. It’s romance. It’s sci-fi. It’s fantasy. It’s so much more.
On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the Chevron gas station for the dragon he’d hired to help on the farm…
Sarah Dewhurst and her father, outcasts in their little town of Frome, Washington, are forced to hire a dragon to work their farm, something only the poorest of the poor ever have to resort to.
The dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye, though. Sarah can’t help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn’t have a soul but who is seemingly intent on keeping her safe.
Because the dragon knows something she doesn’t. He has arrived at the farm with a prophecy on his mind. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents in hot pursuit—and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself.
6. Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
This is a modern YA version of Groundhog Day, only better and with diverse characters. It’s set during the same six months, which are repeated multiple times. Captivating from start to finish, Opposite of Always explores humanity and death through time travel, as well as sheds light on sickle cell disease and its effect on the Black community.
Debut author Justin A. Reynolds delivers a hilarious and heartfelt novel about the choices we make, the people we choose, and the moments that make a life worth reliving. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and John Green.
When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack.
But then Kate dies. And their story should end there.
Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind.
Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do to save the people he loves.
7. The Upper World by Femi Fadugba
If what you’re craving is mend-binding sci-fi, physicist-turned-novelist Fadugba brings copious amounts in The Upper World. It’s no surprise that this book received a Netflix deal before it even hit shelves. It’s a thriller that explores free will and the physics of time travel. You’ll find yourself in a rich world filled with humor, heartache, and complex characters.
If you had the chance to change your future, would you take it?
Perfect for fans of Neal Shusterman and Jason Reynolds, this powerhouse, mind-bending YA debut follows two teens, a generation apart, whose fates collide across time—and outside of it.
Today
During arguably the worst week of Esso’s life, an accident knocks him into an incredible world—a place beyond space or time, where he can see glimpses of the past and future. But if what he sees there is true, he might not have much longer to live, unless he can use his new gift to change the course of history.
Tomorrow
Rhia’s past is filled with questions, none of which she expects a new physics tutor to answer. But Dr. Esso’s not here to help Rhia. He’s here because he needs her help—to unravel a tragedy that happened fifteen years ago. One that holds the key not only to Rhia’s past, but to a future worth fighting for.
8. Stolen Time by Danielle Rollins
Book one in the Dark Stars series, Stolen Time is a punch to the gut full of twists and time travel. You’ll be hooked from the first page to the last. Thankfully there are two more books out in the series—Twisted Fates and Dark Stars—that you can pick right up after devouring this one.
Seattle, 1913
Dorothy spent her life learning the art of the con. But after meeting a stranger and stowing away on his peculiar aircraft, she wakes up in a chilling version of the world she left behind—and for the first time in her life, realizes she’s in way over her head.
New Seattle, 2077
If there was ever a girl who was trouble, it was one who snuck on board Ash’s time machine wearing a wedding gown—and the last thing he needs is trouble if he wants to prevent his terrifying visions of the future from coming true.
9. Crier’s War by Nina Varela
What could be better than love at first sight? Hate at first sight! This is a tale of a forbidden love between two enemies. Romance. Royalty. Betrayal. And yearning. So much yearning. Crier’s War is a great pick for fantasy aficionados looking for an epic sapphic read. After reading the first book in this series, you’ll be in a hurry to be swooned away once again by the sequel Iron Heart.
After the War of Kinds ravaged the kingdom of Rabu, the Automae, designed to be the playthings of royals, usurped their owners’ estates and bent the human race to their will.
Now Ayla, a human servant rising in the ranks at the House of the Sovereign, dreams of avenging her family’s death…by killing the sovereign’s daughter, Lady Crier.
Crier was Made to be beautiful, flawless, and to carry on her father’s legacy. But that was before her betrothal to the enigmatic Scyre Kinok, before she discovered her father isn’t the benevolent king she once admired, and most importantly, before she met Ayla.
Now, with growing human unrest across the land, pressures from a foreign queen, and an evil new leader on the rise, Crier and Ayla find there may be only one path to love: war.
10. Renegades by Marissa Meyer
The author who brought us Cinder brings to life this dystopian novel as the first in a series of the same name. This book should be put on the list of everyone who is a sucker for superheroes and enemies who become lovers. Oh, and if your thing is antiheroes, this one’s for you too! Dive in if you’re looking for rich and diverse characters.
Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone… except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova.
But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.
11. Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer
Crownchasers is the first in a duology of the same name, with the follow-up Thornebreakers already out on shelves.
A deadly race across 1,001 planets will determine more than just the fate of the empire.
This explosive first book in a duology jam-packed with tension and thrills is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Aurora Rising, and Three Dark Crowns.
Alyssa Farshot has spent her whole life trying to outrun her family legacy, even leaving behind the Kingship and her uncle, the emperor, for a life of exploring.
But when her dying uncle announces a crownchase—a search for the royal seal hidden in the empire that will determine the next ruler—Alyssa is thrust into her greatest, most dangerous adventure yet.
12. The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
The Other Side of the Sky is the first part of a series of the same name, followed up by Beyond the End of the World published earlier this year.
New York Times bestselling author duo Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner have crafted a gripping tale of magic and logic, fate and choice, and a deadly love. Perfect for fans of Laini Taylor and Brandon Sanderson.
Prince North’s home is in the sky, in a gleaming city held aloft by intricate engines, powered by technology. Nimh is the living goddess of her people on the Surface, responsible for providing answers, direction—hope.
North’s and Nimh’s lives are entwined—though their hearts can never be. Linked by a terrifying prophecy and caught between duty and fate, they must choose between saving their people or succumbing to the bond that is forbidden between them.
Plus don’t miss the thrilling sequel, Beyond the End of the World!