ANN Manga and Novel Summer Reading List 2026

Romance

Romance as a genre has come a long way since the days of "the boy gets the girl." Manga and light novels are no exception, as this list shows—LGBTQIA+ romance, fanfiction favorites like omegaverse and cakeverse, tragic tales of love, and, of course, plenty of traditional romances can all be found here. Below are five romances in various subgenres to make you swoon (and maybe sob) this summer.

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Hate Me, but Let Me Stay

By Hijiki
Seven Seas Entertainment
Omega Naoto was raped as a teen, resulting in the birth of his daughter and making him very leery of alphas. But when he meets Hazuki, his fated mate, the two must learn to navigate his trauma and form a family in this tale of love triumphing over all. It quickly veers away from the darker aspects of volume one, becoming a tale of a loving, growing family. Genuinely heartwarming, this series deserves more readers.

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Last Quarter

By Ai Yazawa
Viz Media
Ai Yazawa explores the boundaries of love and death and the various forms love can take in this breathtaking, bittersweet series. While not a traditional romance, Last Quarter still explores love from many angles, including romantic love and its effects over time and amid tragedy. For my money, this is Ai Yazawa's masterwork.

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In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name

By Kotoko and NiKrome
Yen Press
Ichika communicates with a prince in another world named Cecil, but when she finally finds her way there, her older sister has already arrived and claimed to be “Ichika” – can the real Ichika figure out how to win her true love… and is he even who she thought he was? Part classic isekai story, part mistaken identity romance, this is greater than the sum of its genres and manages to be thoughtful and respectful of Ichika's experiences both at home and in her new world. And if you need someone to hate, Karen's nearly as good a character in the next series...

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The Remarried Empress (light novels)

By Alphatart
Webtoon via Amazon
Empress Navier is aghast when her husband presents his pregnant mistress and expects her to raise his illegitimate child, so she begins making plans to escape his clutches – something he is not keen to allow, especially since she's being wooed by the prince of another kingdom. With more detail than the (still excellent) webtoon, Alphatart's original novels are told from Navier's first-person perspective, giving us more insight into her thoughts. (T)Rashta is just as delightfully foolish, and Sovieshu is somehow even more despicable, guaranteeing a good time even if you're already reading the manhwa. The caveat is that this is only available as an ebook on Amazon.

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She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat

By Sakaomi Yuzaki
Yen Press
Nomoto and Kasuga find common ground in their love of food – Nomoto in cooking, Kasuga in eating – and, over time, come to realize that there may be more to their relationship in this ace-spec yuri love story. Filled with gentle moments and serious discussions (both aloud and not) of being a queer woman, this is, as far as I'm concerned, the ultimate in both foodie and yuri manga.

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. Yen Press, BookWalker Global, and J-Novel Club are subsidiaries of KWE.