Not Sure What to Add to Your TBR List? Then You Should Be Reading…Romance!

2025 has already seen a lot of great romance releases (a personal favorite is Takahashi from the Bike Shop), but there are still plenty of incredible, heart-pounding stories just waiting around the corner! 

However, we know it can get hard to track what’s coming out, so we decided to highlight a few titles that you should check out—if they aren’t on your radar already!

The Failure at God School

By Natsu Hyuuga, (Original Story) Modomu Akagawara, (Character Design) Seikaisha

Modern life means modern solutions, even to supernatural problems. So of course the government would have a classification system, special schools, and licenses for people with mysterious powers—any manifestation of a miracle is enough to be called a Himiko, but only those with full certification may use the title of God. And high schooler Nagi is in serious need of a god! The death of her grandmother has left her family shrine devoid of the necessary divinity, and her hopelessly shut-in Himiko brother doesn’t look promising. But if Nagi isn’t careful, her search for a god might end with her finding more than she bargained for…

Fans of shojo stories like Kamisama Kiss are sure to have a fun and magical time with The Failure at God School. This shoujo manga is the latest creation by the author of The Apothecary Diaries, and it is apparent right from the first pages that the same level of humor, whimsy, and, most importantly, character has been put into creating the world and cast of The Failure at God School. If you are looking for a strong main heroine who puts equal effort into her friendships and her romantic relationship, then this is the series for you!

Thankfully, readers interested in this release won’t have to wait too long—the first volume of The Failure at God School releases March 25, so just a little under a month!

Did You Think My Yuri Was Just for Show?

By Neru Asakura, (Illustrator) Minori Chigusa

Suzune Sengu, a young voice actress, has been struggling for six months to get over the retirement of her favorite idol, Karin Shotsuki. One day, Karin appears as a new voice actress in Suzune’s agency! While Suzune tries to play it cool and keep her distance, Karin aggressively closes the gap between them. As Suzune starts to see unexpected sides of Karin, she begins to perceive her not just as an idol but as a woman. 

What makes Did You Think My Yuri Was Just for Show? special is that there are never enough girls’ love stories featuring older women. While we are publishing the manga Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord, this is our first yuri light novel that features an older couple, making it all the more outstanding! And with such a fun premise (for a certain group of otaku readers, it might almost look self-indulgent), this release is sure to strike a chord or two with those who dream of meeting their idols and having a K-drama-worthy “first encounter” sequence, music and filters included.

Did You Think My Yuri Was Just for Show? releases March 18!

Tamaki & Amane

By Fumi Yoshinaga

Family, romance, friendship—endless relationships tether us to the people we love. From the Edo period to modern-day Japan, the postwar era to the seventies, Tamaki’s and Amane’s fates intertwine time and time again.

From the creator of the epic drama Ōoku: The Inner Chambers comes Tamaki & Amane, an equally profound collection of short stories that will make you laugh and cry—but that is all good, because you are in extremely capable hands. A large appeal of this collection is that—Fumi Yoshinaga’s mastery of emotional damage aside—the stories are linked by characters who reappear in each successive story as if “passing the baton.” So if you really enjoy a character, chances are you might find them again just a few pages later.

Readers looking for a circular narrative and a more literary take on love and relationships should look no further than Tamaki & Amane, which releases April 22!

Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner

By MUK_BU, (Adapted by) 0L, (Original Story) Sumnagi

A string of murders has left the residents of Ira Street feeling uneasy…although that’s none of Shavonne’s business. The penniless author is too busy trying to secure his next paycheck to pay much attention to such matters—well, that and figuring out what the deal is with his strange new neighbor, Lewellyn, a young and handsome man who spends his days peeling onions on the stairs right outside Shavonne’s apartment. Shavonne tries not to concern himself, but when he makes a gruesome discovery during a candlelit dinner at Lewellyn’s place, both his neighbor’s eccentricities and the murders plaguing the community become harder to ignore…

Now, I might have mentioned at the beginning that a January release that was also a personal favorite of mine was Takahashi from the Bike Shop, but my true allegiance rests with edgy boys’ love stories. Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner excels in putting the thrills in your body instead of pink butterflies, although those may come later if you are patient enough. Readers into stalker romance and darker themes and setups will be greatly pleased with this historical BL, which stands out in the lineup Ize Press is currently offering.

The print edition of the first volume of Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner releases May 20!

All the listed titles are available for preorder, and we highly encourage you to check out our calendar to find more romance titles available for the picking! If romance isn’t really your thing, then we challenge you to pick any of these titles and change your mind!