How to Read Auriane Desombre’s Books
If you are looking for queer-inclusive stories that blend classic tropes with contemporary charm, Auriane Desombre is an author to add to your bookshelf. As a middle school teacher and writer, Desombre crafts stories that capture authentic teen and tween voices. Since her books are standalone stories, you do not need to follow a strict chronological timeline. Instead, you can choose where to begin based on your preferred reading age group or favorite romance tropes.
Recommended Starting Points
- For YA Rom-Com Fans: Start with I Think I Love You (2021). This debut novel is a modern, sapphic enemies-to-lovers retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing set against the backdrop of a New York City summer film festival.
- For Younger Readers or Family Stories: Start with The Sister Split (2023). This middle-grade contemporary novel is perfect for fans of The Parent Trap, focusing on blended family dynamics, sisterhood, and navigating first crushes.
- For Summer Vibe Lovers: Start with I Love You S'more (2025). This sunshine-soaked rivals-to-lovers story is set at a Southern California summer camp and follows two co-directors of a camp musical.
- For Travel and Contemporary YA Drama: Start with Love in Ruins (2026). This novel follows a teen girl on a school trip to Greece as she navigates a new obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) diagnosis and a blossoming romance.
Auriane Desombre Books in Publication Order
Although you can read her books in any order, tracking them by their release date shows how Desombre has expanded her storytelling from YA rom-coms into middle-grade fiction and mental health-focused stories. Here is the complete list of her works in order of publication:
1. "The Rules of Comedy" in Together, Apart (October 2020)
Before publishing her debut novel, Desombre contributed a short story titled "The Rules of Comedy" to the YA anthology Together, Apart. The anthology features stories about finding love and connection during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Desombre's story follows a lesbian teen who develops a crush on someone who recently came out on social media. With the help of her older sister, she tries to master the art of being funny on TikTok to get her crush's attention, leading to text messages, FaceTime calls, and a sweet pandemic-era romance.
2. I Think I Love You (March 2, 2021)
Desombre's debut full-length novel, I Think I Love You, is a contemporary young adult rom-com set in New York City. The story follows Emma, a hopeless romantic who dreams of making the ultimate queer romance film, and Sophia, a cynical pragmatist who prefers message-driven art films. When the two find themselves competing for a scholarship at a high school film festival, their creative differences turn into a bitter rivalry. However, as they are forced to work together and navigate their meddling friends' matchmaking schemes, their academic and artistic competition slowly transforms into an enemies-to-lovers romance. The book is highly praised for its bisexual representation and realistic depiction of coming out and teen friendships.
3. The Sister Split (March 28, 2023)
Shifting her focus to middle-grade readers, Desombre released The Sister Split in 2023. The story revolves around two girls, Autumn and Linnea, who are about to become stepsisters. Autumn is devastated that her mother's upcoming wedding means moving from New York City to the suburbs, while Linnea is struggling to accept her father's new relationship. United by their desire to keep their lives from changing, the two girls hatch a plan to sabotage their parents' wedding. However, as they work together on their schemes, they discover that having a sister might be the best part of their new lives. Note: Unlike her YA novels, this is a family-centric story focusing on sibling bonding and blended families, rather than a stepsister romance.
4. I Love You S'more (April 8, 2025)
With I Love You S'more, Desombre returned to the young adult romance category. The novel is set at a camp in Southern California. The protagonist, Ivy Raines, is looking for a distraction-free summer after a highly public breakup with her ex-girlfriend, who is a famous teen TV star. Ivy's plans for a quiet summer are disrupted when she is assigned to co-direct the camp's musical production with Rynn, her former childhood friend turned bossy rival. As they clash over the production, their old rivalry flares up, only to slowly melt into a camp-themed, sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance. The novel earned acclaim and was selected for the American Library Association's 2026 Rainbow Book List.
5. Love in Ruins (June 2, 2026)
Desombre's 2026 release, Love in Ruins, blends travel romance with an honest exploration of mental health. The story follows Natalie Campbell on a high school class trip to Greece. Natalie is struggling to adjust to a recent obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) diagnosis, which makes traveling and managing her routine incredibly stressful. Amidst the historic ruins and beautiful scenery, she meets and connects with a local girl named Melanie. Through their adventures and growing relationship, Natalie learns to navigate her diagnosis while embracing the unpredictability of summer love.
Understanding the Continuity and Themes
If you are planning to read Auriane Desombre's bibliography, here are a few things to keep in mind regarding continuity, themes, and reading style:
Standalone Structure
There is no shared universe or recurring cast of characters across Desombre's novels. Each book takes place in its own independent setting—ranging from the streets of New York City to Southern California campgrounds and Greek islands. You can read them in any order you choose without worrying about missing context or encountering spoilers for previous works.
Blending Classic Tropes with Modern Representation
One of the hallmarks of Desombre's writing is her ability to take familiar, beloved storytelling structures and make them feel fresh and modern. She draws heavy inspiration from classic literature, such as Shakespeare and Jane Austen, layering those structures with diverse, queer characters. Her books prioritize positive LGBTQ+ representation, centering queer joy, self-discovery, and authentic relationships.
Target Audiences
When selecting your next read, pay attention to the target age group of the book. I Think I Love You, I Love You S'more, and Love in Ruins are Young Adult (YA) contemporary romances suitable for teens and older readers who enjoy relationship-driven plots and coming-of-age themes. On the other hand, The Sister Split is a Middle-Grade (MG) novel written for tweens, focusing primarily on family dynamics, sisterhood, and adjusting to major life changes like divorce and remarriage.
How Her Teaching Career Shapes Her Writing
Before becoming a full-time author, Auriane Desombre worked as a middle school teacher in Los Angeles and a freelance editor. Her daily interactions with students gave her a front-row seat to the way modern teenagers talk, think, and interact. This background heavily influences her books, allowing her to capture the complex, sometimes messy, but always heartfelt dynamics of teen friendships and sibling rivalries. Her academic foundation—an MA in English Literature from NYU and an MFA in Creative Writing for Children & Young Adults from The New School—helps her craft tightly plotted stories that pay homage to classical narrative arcs while maintaining a fast-paced, highly accessible voice for modern young readers.