Books That Shaped Afterlight

Books That Shaped Afterlight

Can you believe it's been 5 years since we launched Afterlight? To celebrate 5 years of slow burns, meet cutes, spice and so much more, here are some of the key books that shaped our romance subscription.


We're marking Afterlight's 5 year anniversary with 5 days of romance giveaways over on our socials! A new giveaway will be announced every day from 24 to 28 August 2026.

Our Recommendations

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

The first book we featured in the Afterlight subscription, and subsequently a part of our first Afterlight Exclusive set, The Heart Principle is such an important book for the Afterlight team.

"Just because something isn't perfect doesn't mean we need to throw it away."

For more representation of neurodivergence in romance, check out The Pairing by Casey McQuiston.

Photo by @becbetweenbooks
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Our edition of The Love Hypothesis was the beginning of a long standing partnership with Ali Hazelwood, a firm favourite amongst our team.

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."

Ali Hazelwood expanded into the paranormal with her werewolf / vampire romances Bride and Mate. Check out our set of two packing cubes featuring art inspired by Bride.

Photo by @bookwormgram
The Brown Sisters trilogy by Talia Hibbert

The Brown Sisters trilogy by Talia Hibbert

Before Afterlight even began, we put together an Illumicrate Exclusive set of Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters series, in B format Hardbacks and with a sprayed edge. This series is so special to us with its portrayal of Black women who are neurodiverse and have chronic illnesses!

"Love is certainly never safe, but it's absolutely worth it."

Did you know Talia Hibbert also branched into YA romance with Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute? Our Afterlight Love Letters edition is available here.

Photo by @becbetweenbooks
Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

All of Emily Henry’s books are special to the team, but Book Lovers was the book that really cemented our love for her work, and the one that inspired us to do our Emily Henry set back in 2022.

"Maybe love shouldn’t be built on a foundation of compromises, but maybe it can’t exist without them either. Not the kind that forces two people into shapes they don’t fit in, but the kind that loosens their grips, always leaves room to grow."

Photo by @bookwormgram
Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake

We featured Delilah Green Doesn’t Care in our February 2022 Afterlight box, and Ashley Herring Blake instantly became a must read author for the Afterlight team. This was also our first Afterlight edition to have a colourway variant jacket!

"My whole life, this is what I’ve wanted. A best friend. Someone who gets me, who accepts me. Someone who fights like hell to get me to see that they love me. Someone who lets me love them back."

Shop our other Ashley Herring Blake editions here.

Photo by @yelli3_reads
First Time Caller by B.K. Borison

First Time Caller by B.K. Borison

Following on from our Lovelight Farms Afterlight Exclusive set, we’ve loved seeing B.K. Borison’s work go from strength to strength, including in First Time Caller, one of our most popular titles of 2024.

"I want to feel something when I connect with someone. I want sparks. The good kind, you know? I want to laugh and mean it. I want goose bumps. I want to wonder what my date is thinking about and hope it might be me. I want… I want the magic."

Did you miss B.K. Borison's Christmas romance, Good Spirits? It was featured in our Afterlight Exclusive Seasonal Spirits box, available here.


We also recently announced our edition of the next book in the Ghosted series, Grim Tidings, coming soon!

Photo by @bookwormgram
Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

Our first foray into paranormal contemporary romance, Best Hex Ever paved the way for so many more Afterlight books with a bit of a magical twist!

"She had looked like a wild and beautiful creature, a goddess, something ethereal and undecipherable. Dina had filled his vision, the pale light dancing around her, as she'd broken his world, and everything he thought he knew, apart."

Looking for more paranormal romance? Check out Love at First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi, a companion novel to Best Hex Ever, and Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi.

Photo by @bookwormgram
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

We have always loved a sports romance, and whilst Cleat Cute was our first to be featured in the Afterlight subscription, it certainly wasn’t the last! Meryl Wilsner is a favourite of our team, and we were so pleased that our first sports romance was a sapphic romance by such a beloved author to us.

"I'm proud of you. For setting boundaries to protect your happiness. For going after what makes you happy."

We also can't resist including this quote: "One of the downsides of being a lesbian athlete is other women are always doing hot things around you."


Find more of our sports romances here.

Photo by @acourtofsongsandstories

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