Delacorte Press will launch Delacorte Romance, a new imprint dedicated to publishing romance novels for teen readers, led by Wendy Loggia, VP, Senior Executive Editor, Delacorte Press. The news was announced today by Barbara Marcus, President & Publisher, Random House Children’s Books. Delacorte Romance will publish love stories for teens featuring the tropes, themes, and authentic depictions of young love that romance readers crave, in an accessible paperback format. The inaugural list, launching in Summer 2024, will feature five titles, with twelve books slated to be published annually beginning in 2025.
Wendy Loggia said, “The growth of the romance category in the past few years is astounding, and we are thrilled that with these books we will have even more opportunities to reach teen readers, and to give the many romance fans hungry for love stories more of what they want. If you’re looking for love, the story starts here, at Delacorte Romance.”
The inaugural Delacorte Romance list offers readers a variety of escapes—to far-flung locales including Rome, Scotland, and the beaches of Mallorca, Spain—and tropes they crave, including grumpy-sunshine, forced proximity, reality showmance, and fake dating, to name a few.
In WILD ABOUT YOU, a grumpy-sunshine romance from Kaitlyn Hill, author of Love from Scratch and Not Here to Stay Friends, the trail to true love doesn’t always come with a map. This reality-TV-themed rom-com takes readers on a college-aged Amazing Race–esque adventure on the Appalachian Trail, promising hilarious banter, wild antics, and off-the-charts chemistry.
HEARTS OVERBOARD by Becky Dean (Love & Other Great Expectations) is a banter-filled rivals-to-lovers romance between a STEM-loving girl and a jock guy that will fill readers with wanderlust . . . and have them rooting for love aboard a cruise to Alaska. A girl attempts to win back her ex and step outside her comfort zone by trying everything from zip-lining to a polar plunge—all while leaving readers guessing who she ends up with.
Coming up on future Delacorte Romance lists: Beth Reekles delivers a cozy grumpy-sunshine romance perfect for fall with LOVE & LATTES; BETTER THAN REVENGE, a football/podcasting/role-reversal romance from Kasie West (Sunkissed); LOVE POINTS TO YOU, a sweet and swoony sapphic love story from Alice Lin; and WHILE WE’RE YOUNG, a whirlwind friends-to-lovers romance by bestselling author and TikTok sensation K. L. Walther, with more on the way from Addie Woolridge, Kristy Boyce, Auriane Desombre, Jenny L. Howe, and others!
Meet the Summer 2024 Delacorte Romance Authors
Beth Reekles is the author of the Kissing Booth series, which inspired the Netflix films. She first published The Kissing Booth on Wattpad at age fifteen in 2010, and it accumulated almost 20 million reads before it was published in 2013 by Delacorte Press. A self-confessed nerd and rom-com fan, she is now a full-time author living in South Wales and shares movie reviews on her Instagram. Follow her on Instagram at @authorbethreekles, and on TikTok at @bethreekles.
Kaitlyn Hill is a writer, reader, and sweet tea enthusiast who believes that all the world is not, in fact, a stage, but a romance novel waiting to happen. She lives with her real-life romantic hero in Lexington, Kentucky. Kaitlyn is the author of Love from Scratch and Not Here to Stay Friends. Follow her at @thekaitlynhill.
Sabrina Fedel has worked as a litigator and a civilian environmental compliance attorney. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Lesley University and has taught in the English department at Robert Morris University as an adjunct professor. Sabrina loves Italy and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, animals, chocolate in any form, Oxford commas, and, most of all, her kids. Follow her on Instagram at @SabrinaFedelAuthor.
Becky Dean is a fan of adventures both real and fictional. She can frequently be found watching science fiction shows and planning exciting trips for herself and her characters. Though she’s a proud Baylor grad and lives in Texas with her family, she remains a California girl at heart. She is also the author of Love & Other Great Expectations and Picture-Perfect Boyfriend. Follow her at @beckydeanwrites.
Katrina Emmel grew up in New Hampshire, moved to the Midwest for graduate school, and continued traveling westward until she reached the Pacific. Now a SoCal resident, Katrina lives in an active household with her husband, their two children, her father-in-law, and their twin beagles, Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. In addition to writing fiction, she loves science, crafts, making up silly songs for her kids, and supporting monarch conservation by planting lots of milkweed. Near Misses and Cowboy Kisses is her debut novel. Follow her on Instagram at @katrinaemmelauthor.