In this exuberantly charming romance from Christina Lauren, the talented writing duo does the seemingly impossible. They take the classic, much-maligned stereotype of the “cool” girl—the gorgeous, wild, sexually-liberated, adventurous madcap that men go crazy for—and they make her feel real and engaging. Hazel Bradford knows perfectly well that she’s the type of woman that men adore at first sight. She also knows that it only takes a few weeks for the bloom to come off the rose as her exploits start to seem embarrassing instead of entertaining. She’s pretty much resigned herself to being wanted very badly but never for very long. Her best shot at companionship, aside from her menagerie of pets, is friendship. Enter Josh Im.

Though they first met—in an epic series of disastrous encounters, of course—when they were in college, it’s only when they reconnect ten years later that they truly bond. Naturally, the bonding includes its own series of grand catastrophes, such as when Hazel moves into Josh’s guest room after her apartment floods, and then accidentally knocks Josh unconscious when she thinks he’s a burglar. But as Josh learns to see past the chaos to the warmth and kindness at the core of Hazel’s personality, he sees a woman who deserves to be loved. By someone else, of course—not by him. And thus begins a series of hilariously awful double dates that they set each other up on, and because they both crave the excuse to spend time together, continue to do so despite the terrible results.

In so many stories of this type, the journey is about the free spirit woman helping the more buttoned-up man let loose and learn to enjoy himself. And yes, there’s a little of that here, as Josh learns that pretty much everything is more fun with Hazel along for the ride. But Lauren deepens his character beyond the handsome straight man by exploring his experiences as the son of South Korean immigrants, and makes the canny choice of having his reactions to Hazel fall much more on the side of bemused affection, rather than an annoyingly superior disapproval.

The real growth is on the other side of the coin, as Hazel slowly relaxes into the idea that Josh genuinely doesn’t expect her to apologize for being herself. He’s not infatuated with some idealized image of her—instead, he loves her for everything she is. The fact that that’s such a surprise to her is a little heartbreaking, but the impossibly sweet conclusion washes all the pain away.

Zoey Castile begins her Happy Endings series with a fun and flirty romance between a fifth-grade teacher and her handsome new neighbor.

Robyn Flores is having a terrible morning and an even worse few months. Stuck in a slump since her best friend began planning her wedding, Robyn’s life is all over the place. While running late to work one morning, she discovers her laundry has been switched—she definitely doesn’t wear thongs emblazoned with the American flag. Turns out, the laundry belongs to her downstairs neighbor Zac Fallon.

Fallon is new to New York, having traveled to the Big Apple with the male revue show he works for. Working during the night and sleeping during the day hasn’t been conducive to meeting new people, but the laundry switcheroo seems to be a sign from fate. He finds Robyn absolutely gorgeous and endearingly funny. But unfortunately, she quickly turns down his invitation to a date.

Fallon and Robyn dance around each other, and their mutual attraction becomes increasingly difficult to resist as they continue to run into each other. Though Robyn has her own issues to sort out, Fallon’s job proves to be one of the biggest obstacles. His own family isn’t very approving of his occupation, so how can he expect Robyn’s family to accept what he does? While Fallon loves his job, he knows that it comes with a social price, and it’s a twist to the gut to see his shame and embarrassment about doing something that he enjoys. Plus, he’s still recovering from a relationship gone wrong, having been used for money by a much younger woman.

Robyn is in a state of flux and desperately trying to find her footing in life, which is something that will resonate with many readers. She feels uncertain about her relationships. She wonders how her friendships will change when she’s still the single one and everyone else is . . . well, not. She longs for the “old Robyn” who had everything together, who was always on time and certainly never used a stranger’s clothes to mop up spilled coffee.

Much like Magic Mike, its celluloid inspiration, Stripped is swoony, exciting and an all-around entertaining ride. Fallon’s fellow dancers are introduced throughout the book, with each being more charismatic sequel bait than the next. With chemistry that’s steamy and a hero that’s dreamy, Stripped should be on everyone’s reading list this year.

ALSO IN BOOKPAGE: Read our Q&A with Zoey Castile.

Maisey Yates gives readers a twist on the friends-to-lovers trope by adding layers of negative family history on both sides, considerably raising the emotional stakes in her latest romance, Untamed Cowboy. Kaylee Capshaw has been in love with Bennett Dodge since she was 13, but to protect her heart, she never pursued him. She’s struggled to cope with unrequited feelings ever since, even as the best friends share a veterinary practice in rural Gold Valley, Oregon. Kaylee has psychological reasons to keep her attraction to Bennett a secret—her parents’ marriage was a disaster and Kaylee was constantly aware she was unwanted and unloved. Her friendship with Bennett is important to her and Yates develops a long, comfortable, affectionate history between them.

After his mother’s death when he was a child, followed by too many stepmothers to count, Bennett has followed a strict plan for his life that ensures a quiet, well-organized existence. Powerful emotion isn’t allowed and he’s unaware that he subconsciously, purposefully, never considered Kaylee as a potential girlfriend. When his sensible fiancée breaks off their engagement and immediately falls in love with another man, Bennett is at loose ends. He’s disappointed but thinks he’s coping with the situation as well as could be expected. But then his regimented life is hit by a bombshell when a social worker arrives on his doorstep with the son he didn’t know existed.

Bennett’s determined to meet the challenge of fatherhood and turns to Kaylee for support. While they’re taking a break from their worries at a bar one night, she bluntly tells him that if he’s looking for a hookup, she’ll volunteer. He’s shocked but also instantly, overwhelmingly, in favor of the idea. Neither of them expected their reckless decision to have such far-reaching consequences. Their connection is earthshaking, laying bare all the emotions they’ve both denied for years, and they’re both knocked off kilter. Yates does an excellent job of painting two honest, vulnerable people who are each carrying a ton of baggage from their childhoods. Nevertheless, they are equally determined to find their way past their scarred psyches to secure a future together.

Lois Dyer writes from her home in Port Orchard, Washington.