7970+ Best Romantic Short Stories to Read Online for Free – Reedsy Prompts

The Best New Romance Short Stories

Romance is having its moment. And it’s no surprise: readers have always loved the intrigue, intimacy, and basic human drama that all good love stories promise. However, while this ‘shameful’ genre was once read behind locked doors (are you team Edward or team Jacob?), our desire for a little romance in almost every story we read is no longer a badly-kept secret. Fuse that with the form of a short story, and you get something that is even more exciting, sexy, and compulsively readable. 

Be it a sweeping romantic adventure, or a cute love story about meeting your true love on a blind date, we are absolutely here for it! And sometimes, rather than capture a single moment in the lives of two lovers, short love stories manage to tell a whole turbulent love story — from meet cute to the end. Are these perhaps the most gut-wrenching of all? 

Looking to indulge in some romance short stories?

This page is home to all the romantic short stories submitted to Reedsy’s weekly writing contest. Penned by authors of all ages, from all over the world, there’s a short love story for everyone in this free collection. Whether you’re looking for star-crossed lovers, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, or LGBTQ+ lovers, our Reedsy Prompts authors will not let you down. And if you take a look through the stories at the top of the page, you’ll find all those that have been shortlisted by our panel of judges (and maybe even a couple of prize-winners!), so you’re sure to stumble across some of the best writing on the web. If you do, don’t forget to “follow” the author so you’ll be notified whenever they submit new romance short stories. 

Have you got any short love stories hidden up your sleeve? Then why not join in our weekly writing contest — it’s completely free, and you might even get your hands on our cash prize!