Does the word “smut” make your heart palpitate? Do TikTok videos about “spice” make your palms sweaty? Are you sick of cringeworthy, badly written sex scenes? Then it might be time to try clean romance novels for young adults!

While there’s nothing wrong with choosing romantic reads that contain mature content and lots of heat, there’s also nothing wrong with reading clean romance novels—especially if smut and spice make you feel uncomfortable.

Fortunately, there are tons of clean romantic reads out there to choose from. I’ve curated this list of 10 clean romance novels for young adults with high ratings from the science fiction and fantasy categories of the web. If you love sci-fi, fantasy, and swoon-worthy romances without all the sex, these 10 novels should keep you busy until Valentine’s Day and beyond!

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This article is part of the Book Boyfriends & Girlfriends blog hop hosted by YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy Addicts. Each post has a fun freebie and a chance to win our giveaway!

Book Boyfriends & Girlfriends Blog Hop Schedule

Book Boyfriends and Girlfriends Blog Hop Hosted By YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy Addicts

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10 Clean Romance Novels For Young Adults Who Adore Sci-Fi and Fantasy

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F/F Couples That Are Goals

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girl in the dark by nicole adrianne

Girl in the Dark by Nicole Adrianne

Evil stepmothers aren’t born—they’re made.

After a devastating plague nearly destroyed humanity, Vespera never expected to leave the safety of her rural homestead. But the ruling royals chose her to help repopulate the kingdom’s capital city, and a single peasant girl can’t defy a power-hungry new government without a death wish.

Things go from bad to worse when, instead of rewarding her loyalty as promised, the city officials doom her to a life of servitude and labor in the lowest class of society. When blind obedience to her rulers leaves her unemployed, homeless, and estranged from her family, Vespera’s attempt to change her fate and avenge the peaceful life she lost leads to even more trouble.

Because in a city swarming with nobles, soldiers, and rebels, revenge will come at a desperate cost…

If you can’t get enough of Grimms’ twisted Fairy Tales and Kiera Cass’ The Selection series, then this is your next addicting read.

Grab a copy of Girl in the Dark to start this chilling, villainous royal dystopian fantasy story today!


A Girl From Forever by Yolanda McCarthy:10 Clean Romance Novels for Young Adults Who Adore Science Fiction and Fantasy

A Girl From Forever by Yolanda McCarthy

Would you choose loyalty or love?

The secretive Forever Institute towers over London. Some say it’s a cult, others call it mafia, but to seventeen-year-old Fern, Forever is simply home. A home she’s never been permitted to leave.

The Institute’s mysterious scientists gave Fern everything: tutors, friends, a body that will never age, and psychic abilities (if she can work out how to access them). They also gave her a purpose… Fern will be part of a new dawn for humanity, although she’s never been told exactly how.

Then Fern is contacted by a cryptic telepath from outside the Institute, whose revelations force her to question what she’s been taught. Children are being murdered, the Institute could be responsible, and Fern is in danger. But Fern’s new friend has secrets of his own…

They told her she was special. They said that she would live forever. And they lied.

Some lies are lethal.


The Deathday Chronicles by Kasia Lasinska: 10 Clean Romance Novels for Young Adults Who Adore Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Deathday Chronicles by Kasia Lasinska

In the Grand Alliance of American States… His days are numbered.

I’m Theo, and my deathday is in ten days.

The vivid, poison-green digits burning into my left wrist won’t let me forget it.

I brave my remaining days with my best friend by my side — if only I could bring myself to finally kiss her.

But after the Government gives me a mysterious parting gift, I can’t help but start a wild hunt for a clue that could explain deathdays. Or stop them.

With time running out, every choice I make could be my last…

The Countdown is the addictive full-length prequel to the young adult dystopian series The Deathday Chronicles. Full of action, adventure, romance and heroes in unexpected places, it’s perfect for fans of The Hunger GamesDivergent and The Maze Runner★★★★★

Grab it now! The countdown is on.


Feathers of Snow by Alice Ivinya: 10 Clean Romance Novels for Young Adults Who Adore Science Fiction and Fantasy

Feathers of Snow by Alice Ivinya

In Brianna’s new world of ice and snow, the coldest things by far are the eyes of her betrothed…Brianna bears a deadly secret: she’s not the princess she is pretending to be. If the prince finds out, her life will be forfeit and her country plunged into war.But there is more to the icy prince than meets the eye, and Brianna slowly unravels the secrets of his dark past while surviving in a strange culture.However her goodness and wit will only get her so far. Terrifying beasts stalk the border and a murderer is at work in the town. They know the truth of Brianna’s identity and will stop at nothing to destroy all she has fought for.


Saving Eden by K. R. S. McEntire: 10 Clean Romance Novels for Young Adults Who Adore Science Fiction and Fantasy

Saving Eden by K. R. S. McEntire

A jaded resistance fighter. A magical mutant girl. A quest to save the last beacon of hope in a deadly, dystopian world.

Sixteen-year-old Angela thinks she and her father are the last survivors on Earth. She dreams of adventure and romance but only finds it in books. In the confines of her garden paradise, she’s untouched by contaminants that caused the rest of humanity to mutate into murderous beasts or die. But the lure of the outside world is irresistible.

When a seventeen-year-old boy stumbles upon Angela’s home with news about a thriving community, she dares to leave her garden for the first time. The dystopian society that she finds is deadlier than she expected, and the wardens tasked with protecting the settlement have murderous secrets. Does she have what it takes to stay alive and save humanity in the process?

The Hunger Games meets The Darkest Minds in a thrilling coming-of-age adventure.


Elemental by Sudha Kuruganti: 10 Clean Romance Novels for Young Adults Who Adore Science Fiction and Fantasy

Elemental by Sudha Kuruganti

Sparks will fly when East and West collide…
India, 1851

When the British first arrived, Meera saw them for who they were: ruthless invaders who cared nothing for the land and the people who called it home.

Captain Michael Dalton proves her wrong.

But as the Guardian of the Forest, she can’t afford to let her walls down, even if this kind-eyed English soldier stirred her heart in ways she had never experienced before…


Michael Dalton thought the secret forest was a dream—a lush woodland, hidden just a few miles from their barracks, full of fragrant blooms and aromatic fruit…

And then she had appeared.

Long, dark hair. Stunning amber eyes, huge and ringed with kohl.

He has to see her again.


When Meera meets Michael, the attraction between them is undeniable.

But what Michael doesn’t know is that there’s more to Meera than meets the eye…and her secret could end up being the death of them both.


On Wings and Ash by Jo Holloway: 10 Clean Romance Novels for Young Adults Who Adore Science Fiction and Fantasy

On Wings and Ash by Jo Holloway

A quirky pet goose, an arranged marriage she dreads, and a secret ability that could get her killed …

Alessa’s life is complicated.

I should know. I’ve spent the past few years of my immortal life at her side, watching over her through the eyes of her feathered companion.

With the town’s festival for Hades approaching and a visiting delegation from Sparta on the way, Alessa just needs to keep her head down and not reveal my existence. But this day is full of surprises, starting with the warrior we find in the woods.

This Spartan’s ego is as big as his sword, but Alessa can handle him. Too bad the missing princess he’s searching for isn’t our first disaster of the day … nor our last. By the time the bonfires are lit, Alessa’s only hope to save the princess and herself from a death sentence is to put her trust in two men.

One is the stranger she’s been promised to in marriage.

The other is the man she’s been forbidden to love all her life.

And me? I’ll have to save the rest of the town.

Because tonight is also the night my kind become monsters.


Viridia by Tim Frankovich: 10 Clean Romance Novels for Young Adults Who Adore Science Fiction and Fantasy

Viridia by Tim Frankovich

When Beryl uses his cybernetic implant to help a mysterious refugee escape the police, he finds himself leading a revolution.

Fueled by hatred of Viridia, the green dragon, and hunted by the draconic head of the police, Beryl and his friends conceive an audacious plan:

Kill all six of the immortal dragons who have ruled over humanity for a thousand years.

But killing even one dragon is impossible. Even if they succeed, thousands could die in retribution.

Will Beryl’s hatred and rage be enough to overcome the odds?


The Sphere of Infinity by Day Leitao: 10 Clean Romance Novels for Young Adults Who Adore Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Sphere of Infinity by Day Leitao

Watch out for your wishes. 

Alana’s dream is to leave the poverty-stricken, government-controlled planet where she lives with her mother. But that’s impossible when she can barely manage enough to eat. Her big chance comes in a well-paid mission to retrieve a golden sphere. The problem: it’s in the Ghost Ship, a mysterious alien spaceship that has been abandoned for millennia. Nobody has ever set foot on it and come out alive. How will Alana manage it?

Meanwhile, Jasper has come to her planet to oversee the government. His real goal? To see the mysterious dragons—if they are still alive. 

Destiny brings them together and thrusts the fate of the Samitri Planet and the Human Universe in their hands. 


Station Alpha by Nicole Adrianne: 10 Clean Romance Novels for Young Adults Who Adore Science Fiction and Fantasy

Station Alpha by Nicole Adrianne

Two students. Twelve months. One victor.

After prodigy Jada Breaker’s best friend is murdered in a terrestrial terrorist attack, high school is the last thing on her mind. With a shocking piece of evidence in hand, she’s ready to launch her own investigation and find out the truth about her friend’s death: tragic accident, or cruel assassination?

When an unexpected competitor arrives from Earth to challenge Jada’s future and freedom, though, she’ll need an undivided mind to win the fight. If she continues her investigation, she’ll risk losing the future she’s always dreamed of. 

But if Jada fails to learn the truth before graduation, a galaxy-wide conspiracy will grow unchecked and destroy everything she’s ever known…

If you loved the suspense of The Hunger Games and the intrigue of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, then you’ll adore the heart and mystery of Station Alpha. 

Click the button below to buy this clever YA dystopian mystery today!


Bonus Gift for Anti-Valentine’s Day

Are you single and sick of hearing about happy couples? I know exactly how you feel. Before you go, grab a FREE copy of my novella, Survivors of the Rising Sea. Its strong female protagonist escaping a toxic relationship should be just the girl to lift your spirits!

If you like…

  • found family
  • pirates
  • vikings
  • unbreakable female friendships

…then you’ll love this 15-chapter young adult dystopian fantasy adventure. Click the picture below to download it for free. You can even send the link to your book-loving friends so they can read it for free too! 

Survivors of the Rising Sea by Nicole Adrianne

As the oceans rise higher, Vikings and pirates battle for dominance.

Middle-class Viking Margot is stuck in a dead-end job, working for a powerful, thankless boss. When a sudden workday storm leaves Margot shipwrecked and floating in the raging sea, she’s ecstatic to be rescued—until she discovers her rescuer is a mafia pirate.

Margot is shaken to the core to learn her boss—one of the community enforcers appointed to drive criminals away—is working hand in hand with the highly illegal mafia. But after Margot is thrown into her enemy’s world, she realizes her life could have a greater purpose than endless servitude.

Will she break away from her rescuer and return to a demanding, fruitless job beside her beloved boyfriend…or leave it all behind to become an outlaw herself?

No matter what Margot decides, hearts—and bones—will be broken.

If you’re craving the danger of The Hunger Games and the morally grey dystopia of Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe, then you’ll be addicted to Nicole Adrianne’s thrilling new tale of survival.

Grab Survivors of the Rising Sea to start the emotionally gripping adventure today!