5 Books About Love Triangles For A Messy, Thought-Provoking Read

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Whether you're a die-hard romantic or not, you have to admit that a good, aching love story is almost impossible to put down. There are so many diverse romance books that can broaden your reading horizons, and that includes some seriously polarizing tropes, like love triangles. While a classic two-person romance is comforting, there's something alluring about a story where the math doesn't add up. The messy, unrequited longing, the agonizing choices that make you want to scream, and the constant back-and-forths are what make these love stories so addictive. 

If you've stayed away from this specific trope because you've always felt it would be too frustrating or even cliché, it just might be a matter of finding the right kind of mess for you and the right romance books to check out. Sure, it can feel like cheap drama, but that's when this trope isn't handled with enough care. When written with nuance and genuine emotional stakes, they'll still be messy and unrealistic, but can also be thought-provoking stories. 

You may find yourself pleasantly surprised with the emotional chaos these kinds of stories bring. And to help our readers new to the trope get a head start, we've put together a list to dive into. From a story about two brothers yearning for the same person to a steamy campus romance where a college freshman finds herself caught between her lifelong crush and the star quarterback, here are five books about love triangles for a messy, thought-provoking read. 

From BookTok influencers to Reddit threads, you won't believe how many times "Drive" by Kate Stewart comes recommended as a heart-shattering story about a devastating love triangle. We knew the first book on this list had to be a mature, tumultuous contemporary romance, and we couldn't be more excited to have discovered a messy story about three people in which no one is really good or bad. Instead, every flawed character is simply trying their best to unravel their complex and complicated truths.

"Drive," the first part of the "Bittersweet Symphony Duet" series, is told from the point of view of a woman reflecting on her past choices as she embarks on a cross-country journey while listening to a very personal playlist. She'll contemplate the exact moments that left her heart in pieces and trace the paths of two very different men that upended her life. 

More than 65% of 20K+ Amazon reviewers gave the book five stars, with many raving about how special the reading experience was when done with the playlist running in the background. A 5-star reviewer described the impact of the playlist perfectly, writing, "Listening to the 'Drive' playlist in between reading the book doesn't just complete it, but also turned this into an extraordinary reading experience!!! One that is so memorable that years from now I'll be driving ... listening to music and one of THOSE SONGS will come on....then everything will just play back right inside my mind."

Jenny Han's "The Summer I Turned Pretty" is an iconic staple of our time, and this is truer than ever with the massive success of its Prime Video adaptation. The first book in Han's "Summer" series presents a love triangle for those who don't want smut — only yearning. It delivers the angst of first love, pure yearning, and a deeply nostalgic ache that'll take you back in time to all of your firsts. 

Jenny Han does slow-burning tension like no other, and we promise you won't be able to choose whether you're Team Conrad or Jeremiah. From their childhoods spent in Cousins Beach to their college years full of heartbreak and betrayal, you'll get to read about Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah — plus a heap of other characters — as their innocent summer crushes evolve into a complicated adult love triangle. 

Although written for young adults, it's definitely a YA book pick that even adults can enjoy. Our writer loved the books and Prime series so much that she went back and reread the series twice and then listened to it on audiobook, which is narrated by the actors, just to experience the sheer angst all over again. A 5-star Amazon reviewer wrote, "I love how the author sets up the perfect love triangle within the book and it makes it even better because it is forced proximity which builds the tension."

Tia Williams' "Seven Days in June" is so good that Reese Witherspoon & Sarah Jessica Parker both loved it, and the author managed to channel her extraordinary prose into a different kind of chaos that is "The Perfect Find." The book was so popular that it was turned into a Netflix movie starring Gabrielle Union.

The story follows Jenna Jones, whose life is picture-perfect from the outside. But a devastating career crash and a highly publicized breakup leave her broke and starting all over again. Amidst figuring out the mess, she finds herself caught in between two men, her ex-fiancé and her new boss's son, and she'll have to choose between her past and what could be. This is the perfect love triangle plot for those who know that there's more to life than love. 

While there are three people in the mix, the true focus of the plot never shifts away from Jenna's evolution. It's a story that people will find relatable because, while safe is good, the potential of what could be is so much better. Williams portrays the female protagonist as a strong, independent woman who knows how to put herself and her needs above anything else. Readers also love the witty banter between characters and the undeniable chemistry between Jenna and the new man that completely complicates her choice.

"After Ben" by Con Riley is the book for those who want "Heated Rivalry" vibes in a love triangle format. The first book of a three-book series, "After Ben" tells the story of Theo, who is drowning in grief after losing his partner, Ben. When life surprises him with a second chance at happiness, he finds himself torn between two men who are polar opposites. Similar to Williams, Riley goes beyond untangling a love triangle and explores heavy themes of grief and the challenges of carrying on after a devastating loss. 

Readers, this is a heavy book, but the emotional payoff is worth it. A 5-star Goodreads reviewer said, "This book was so mature and such a wonderful example of a character-driven book. Theo was a phenomenal character who will stick with me for a very long time. I truly got inside his head and felt the magnitude of his loss and what he went through to find happiness and love again." 

You may find yourself wiping away some tears, but you'll also laugh at the sharp humor and banter. As you read, you'll get to experience how love and light slowly begin to find their way back to Theo. This is the perfect love triangle book for readers who want a reminder that choosing to live and love again is sometimes the only way to honor your past love. 

"Say You Swear" by Meagan Brandy is another book, along with Kate Stewart's "Drive," that was recommended over and over again as a smutty, steamy love triangle story. The book went viral on BookTok, and so many readers had fun creating content about it. From filming their before-, during-, and after-reading reactions to creating the dream cast of celebs to play Ari, Chase, and Noah, this book had the BookTok community in a chokehold. 

Childhood crushes go hard, but so can a college football captain who refuses to let you bed rot and stay broken. Arianna's heartbroken, and she has no way to get over it until the legendary Noah Riley enters the picture. He just might be able to break her out of her shell and help her believe in love again, and the ratings on this book speak for themselves. 

With more than 70% of 80K+ Amazon reviewers giving the book five stars, it's clear this college love triangle pick struck all the right chords with readers. A 5-star Goodreads reviewer said, "No words could do this book justice. The only thing wrong with it is it had the audacity to end. I'm an empty mess now that it's done. Don't call or text. I'm in denial. Did I really finish if I just pretend I didn't?" If you loved the "Off-Campus" series by Elle Kennedy, this is right up your alley.

When it comes to preparing a list of books dedicated to specific tropes, we want variety. So, for this list, we made that our keyword. Not every love triangle is going to play out the same way, and not every reader is looking for the same level of drama or graphic detail. Some readers, like our writer, adore a slow burn that builds over years of yearning, while others might want an in-your-face sexy contemporary romance that turns up the heat from the very beginning.

That said, we wanted readers of all tastes to find one book about love triangles from this list that would speak to them. We did our best to stretch boundaries and showcase different types of stories about love triangles. Another thing we looked at was complex character development, because we know the stereotypes that often plague this trope. Dynamic, deeply flawed characters that readers would find relatable and end up rooting for, even when they're making the most questionable choices, because, at the end of the day, we're all only human.

True to form, if we hadn't read the book ourselves or were familiar with it, we vetted our shortlist via Amazon and Goodreads reviews to ensure they had positive ratings and enough cultural impact to earn a spot on this list.