11 Reads to Get You Through Cuffing Season

For those not familiar with this wonderful time of the year, "cuffing season" is when us singles aren't feeling too hot about spending the cold-weather months alone, so we "cuff" ourselves to a temporary love interest. The best perk about this prolonged period of weakness is our excuse to indulge in sappy, emotion-inducing literature that makes us swoon. Here are 11 irresistible reads that will enhance your intentionally short-lived romantic experience.

01
Sweet Southern Hearts by Susan Schild

Sweet Southern Hearts by Susan Schild

Cuffing certainly won’t lead to marriage, but live vicariously through newlyweds Linny Taylor (on her third marriage) and hunky veterinarian Jack Avery. These oddball love birds prove that tying the knot can be the most thrilling — and hopelessly hilarious — learning curve in life.

Sweet Southern Hearts by Susan Schild

02
My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

Newly fired and Instagram-obsessed Londoner Katie Brenner flees to her family’s farm in Somerset to escape the confusing ruins of her career, but her boss shows up and spills secrets that could change their lives forever. Cuffers, be prepared to swoon hard.

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

03
Sweet Lake by Christine Nolfi

Sweet Lake by Christine Nolfi

Linnie Wayfair has plenty of responsibility on her shoulders — an inn to run, a family to keep together, a town watching her every move . . . but her heart has other plans. This irresistible dance of expectations and desires will leave every reader remembering why love is so sweet in the first place.

Sweet Lake by Christine Nolfi

04
Palm Trees in the Snow by Luz Gabas

Palm Trees in the Snow by Luz Gabas

If you’re facing anxiety or guilt over your intentional “cuff,” this stunning love story that spans an ocean and generation will leave you reminded that it’s only a harmless, nonserious fling. Be prepared to shed some major tears for this dazzling family drama set in Spain.

Palm Trees in the Snow by Luz Gabas

05
The Housekeeper by Suellen Dainty

The Housekeeper by Suellen Dainty

There is no dirty laundry like celebrity laundry — just ask Anne Morgan, who recently took up the housekeeper position for her longtime idol Emma Helmsley. From the first page to last, this adrenaline-teasing psychological thriller will keep you distracted (hopefully from your obligatory lover) until the last page is fervently consumed.

The Housekeeper by Suellen Dainty

06
It Happens All the Time by Amy Hatvany

It Happens All the Time by Amy Hatvany

One drunken kiss in adulthood leads to events that shatter the trust between two childhood friends in the worst way possible. This breathtaking ode to the issue of consent will be the buzz of the reading world come its highly anticipated March release.

It Happens All the Time by Amy Hatvany

07
On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman

On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman

Cuffing season could potentially end on Valentine’s Day (unless you have a stage-five clinger), which just so happens to be the same day of this romantic comedy’s release. Balm the sharp new pangs of single life with this gorgeous tale on a 30-something whose life changes when she finds mysterious artifacts in her attic.

On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman

08
Jumping Over Shadows by Annette Gendler

Jumping Over Shadows by Annette Gendler

Just because we partake in cuffing season doesn’t mean we don’t want to be cuffed for life one day. This breathtaking memoir about love that endured cultural divides caused by the Holocaust will leave every reader in bouts of tears and with serious relationship goals.

Jumping Over Shadows by Annette Gendler

09
The Mistress by Danielle Steel

The Mistress by Danielle Steel

If you think your seasonal “cuff” has you feeling trapped, put yourself into the shoes of Natasha Leonova, a stunning beauty “cuffed” to Russian billionaire Vladimir Stanislas as repayment for saving her life. When she finds herself falling into a forbidden affair with an Italian artist, will she risk her lavish world, yacht life, and safety to follow her heart? Or is the prospect of freedom a dangerous illusion?

The Mistress by Danielle Steel

10
A Ring of Truth by Michelle Cox

A Ring of Truth by Michelle Cox

Hopefully your cuffing season doesn’t involve meeting parents, and Ring of Truth will remind readers why this task is typically a nightmare to be avoided. Newly engaged couple Clive and Henrietta face their relationship’s ultimate test when they step into each other’s drastically different (and scandalous) worlds. Brimming with dark plot on every page, this unpredictable literary thrill ride will transport you to the heart of 1930s Chicago and the love story of a lifetime.

Ring of Truth by Michelle Cox

11
The Absence of Evelyn by Jackie Townsend

The Absence of Evelyn by Jackie Townsend

Finish off cuffing season with the literary fireworks found in every single page of this magnificently told tale of love and every form it comes in. Newly divorced Rhonda travels to Rome to confront the man who stole her late sister’s heart . . . only to discover a superstorm of mystery, secrets, and a global adventure to be had.

Absence of Evelyn by Jackie Townsend