8 romance novels for readers who love science, too
Valentine’s Day is here. And for those who want to ditch the candy and dinner for a good book, the staff at Scientific American you covered. Here are eight recommendations for novels with enough scientific rigor and romantic spark to light a Bunsen burner.
Atmosphere: a love story
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Ballantins Books, 2025
(Keywords: Historical fiction, LGBTQ+)
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Atmosphere was classified among Scientific American‘s best fiction books of 2025, and it’s easy to see why. This is a light and compelling read that presents the true story of NASA’s early space shuttle programs through the eyes of a fictional aspiring astronaut. The plot combines elements of romance, family drama and feminist struggle against the backdrop of a spacewalk gone horribly wrong. —Meghan Bartels, senior reporter
I was abducted by aliens and now I’m trapped in a romantic comedy
by Kimberly Lemming
Berkley, 2025
(Keywords: Erotic, Science Fiction)
Lemming has the perhaps unique ability to write a book about a woman who is abducted by owl-sized aliens and finds herself stranded on a planet inhabited by even more (excited) aliens and make it both serious about science and genuinely funny. Between jokes about research funding and the scientific questions that can arise when spotting a blurry pink Tyrannosaurus rex set on a strange planet, Lemming uses its protagonist, Dory, to poke fun at romantic tropes and the misfortunes of graduate students. —Brianne Kane, Associate Editor/Books and Rights Manager
The power of ungovernable impulses
by Malka Older
Tor Books, 2025
(Keywords: Romance behind closed doors, Mystery, LGBTQ+)
Living in a human colony on Jupiter, Mossa and Pleiti are an adorable and friendly couple who find themselves hired to help a friend’s cousin when a college espionage plot turns potentially deadly. Nerdy academics, tortuous paths to tenure, and college campus rivalries abound. I loved the world that Older created by combining real science and more fantastical science fiction. —Brianne Kane, Associate Editor/Books and Rights Manager
A quantum love story
by Mike Chen
MIRA, 2024
(Keywords: time loops, slow burn romance)
This time loop story leaves Groundhog Day in the dust. Mariana Pineda manages to identify as a neuroscientist who really doesn’t like her new job and has serious doubts about a seemingly random man telling her that she’s stuck in a time loop with him. This man, Carter Cho, appears to have become stuck in the loop following an accident at a top secret particle accelerator. I loved how the characters each bring their own skills to bear to solve this scientific mystery – and the accumulation of their love is worth every repeating day. —Brianne Kane, Associate Editor/Books and Rights Manager
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies
by Heather Fawcett
Del Rey, 2023
(Tags: Fantasy, Academic)
Protagonist Emily Wilde is a “drydologist,” or fairy expert, at Cambridge University, in a world where fairies exist and are studied like any other part of nature. She faces the same stressors as anyone in academia: pressure to publish or perish, fear of being rounded up, and conflict with an infuriatingly charming rival academic. Written as a field research journal, Emilie Wilde is a smart and charming portrait of a scientist on a journey toward discovery, working hard in the field and stumbling toward love, all at once. —Jennifer Hackett, associate editor
Love, theoretically
by Ali Hazelwood
Berkeley, 2023
(Tags: Contemporary romance, Enemies of lovers)
Author Ali Hazelwood is known for her spicy STEM-infused romances. Do the main characters in this book bear more than a passing resemblance to actors from various Star Wars movies? Yes. Is this resemblance a problem? No. Love, theoretically appealed to me because it focuses on physics, which just so happens to be my academic background. If you like pleasant jokes, academic rivalries – theoretical physics versus experimental physics; if you know, you know – and love confessions, this one’s for you. —Jennifer Hackett, associate editor
The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics
by Olivia Waite
Avon Impulse, 2019
(Keywords: LGBTQ+, Historical romance)
In this delightfully science-oriented historical fiction novel, one main character runs away from his family to pursue astronomy while the other has several major scientific expeditions under his belt. Together, they fall in love and challenge the male-dominated scientific establishment. My favorite aspect of the book is its quiet, insistent message that science is for everyone and that the enjoyment of science can be expressed in many ways, whether by crunching numbers, embroidering tropical plants, or translating research findings into stories people want to read. —Meghan Bartels, senior reporter
The Calculating Stars (Lady Astronaut #1)
by Mary Robinette Kowal
Tor Books, 2018
(Tags: Alternative history, Science fiction)
This book and its sequels don’t put romance in your face, but the long-term relationship between Elma, a mathematician and pilot turned astronaut, and her husband Nathaniel, a rocket engineer, is at the heart of the plot. Set in the 1950s, the story is a fascinating and well-researched alternate history about the preparations for the moon landings, with stakes much higher than geopolitics. If you’re looking for a story that’s infused with romance, but not driven by it, this is the book for you. —Meghan Bartels, senior reporter
