The best 'right person, wrong time' books to read next since we're in our yearning era.

In case you missed it, we're all into yearning right now.

We lived through The Summer I Turned Pretty gracing us every Wednesday and then, most recently, Heated Rivalry, taking over everyone's feeds and, well, lives.

And, I don't know about you, but there is a Conrad Fisher-shaped hole in my heart.

While I wait patiently for the TSITP movie to be released, I'm turning to books. And now I have a taste for it, I want more yearning than ever before.

Watch the Mamamia teams picks for the best beach reads. Post continues below.

I want a will-they-won't-they that spans years. I want decades.

I want a miscommunication trope that's going to make me tear my hair out.

I want Marianne and Connell, him going and her staying.

I want Poppy and Alex in the rain on that Spanish balcony, finally admitting they love each other.

They did the whole time. GAH!

So, I've put in the work, my little hopeless romantics. The best 'right person, wrong time' books to fill the void.

One Day by David Nicholls.

Image: Amazon.

It wouldn't be a will-they-won't-they roundup without starting with this classic. I like to think of it as the original Normal People (with more likeable characters).

You've likely seen (or heard about) the Netflix series starring Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod, or the slightly older and not-as-good movie adaptation starring Anne Hathaway. Even if you know how it ends, it's the ultimate lifetime-long love story and definitely worth the read.

One Day is a moving, emotional story that follows Emma and Dex as their friendship blossoms and spans from university through relationships, work, children and loss. The book is set across 20 years, so the yearning in this one is strong.

Talking At Night by Claire Daverley.

Image: Amazon.

When Will and Rosie meet as teenagers, they form an unlikely friendship. As their feelings begin to form, their potential for romance comes closer and closer within reach until one night, tradgey strikes and tears it all apart.

The story that follows is years of grief, growth, love and mistakes. And of course, a whole lot of yearning. The book had me clutching at my heart, the twist had me gasping and the pages had me turning.

This unconventional love story was one I personally could not put down, quickly making its way to my all-time favourite book. I said it.

Every Summer After by Carly Fortune.

Image: Amazon.

For lovers of The Summer I Turned Pretty, allow me to present Every Summer After.

Persephone Fraser grew up spending her summers in Barry's Bay, spending her time with the boys next door, Sam and Charlie.

Over five years, Percy's friendship with Sam starts to become something more until it doesn't. 12 years later, she gets a call to return to where it all started and reunite with Sam after years of silence.

It has everything we love. An idyllic summer setting, gorgeous lake houses, stretching sunny days and, of course, a pair of sexy brothers. What more could you need?

Loved One by Aisha Muharrar.

Image: Amazon.

Julia's first love, Gabe, was her best friend. And then he dies at age 29.

This isn't a spoiler, it's literally in the blurb. So be aware, there's no traditional happy ending in this story. But, this doesn't mean we aren't taken along on the story of how the two met, what came between them and living with love after loss.

When gathering Gabe's possessions after his death, Julia finds that some valuables are missing. This sets her off on a cross-country hunt for Gabe's most recent ex-girlfriend, Elizabeth, but when they start talking, a truth about Gabe is revealed that Julia can't believe she never knew.

Heart the Lover by Lily King.

Image: Amazon.

This book overwhelmed my TikTok feed and now after I've read it, I can confirm it was for good reason.

Heart the Lover follows an unnamed narrator in her first years of college and her experience with young, passionate, confusing love (in a triangle situation). Her love story begins with a clever classmate, Sam, until she forms an unlikely friendship with Sam's housemate, Yash.

We follow Yash and our narrator through their years of college, until the second part of the book, a time jump to decades later and see where they are now after life got in between them.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller.

Image: Amazon.

I love this book. I've never met anyone who didn't. And if you haven't yet read it, I encourage you to charge up your Kindle and download it as soon as you finish reading this fabulous article.

The Paper Palace is set across 24 hours and also 50 years. It tells the story of Elle and her lifelong love triangle of her first summer love, Jonas, and her now husband and father of her children, Peter.

But what I love about it is that so much lies deeper beneath the surface — desire, trauma ties, loss, love and family dynamics. We learn the whole story, while simultaneously wondering who Elle will choose once the day is over.

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley.

Image: Amazon.

I originally had heard this book described as the intersection of Normal People and Daisy Jones and The Six. Hello? I purchased immediately.

This book is for the yearners who are also music and arts lovers. Percy and Joe meet at a college bar and chat about music all night. Joe is a songwriter and after he asks Percy for her thoughts on one of his songs, they become close friends and informal business partners.

Joe's music and profile takes off and the touring life tears the pair apart and what happens over the years is a delightful mess of music, love, lust and deep friendship.

Also — A24 is making this one into a movie starring Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler. I'm already in line at the cinema.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston.

Image: Amazon.

This one is a little cheeky. It's literally right-person-wrong-time. There's time travel involved, get it?

When a book publicist moves into her late aunt's apartment, she slowly falls in love with her new roommate, Iwan.

But there's one problem, he lives seven years in the past. She always knew the apartment was magic, but it surprises Clementine in ways that shouldn't be possible.

It's all about love and its wacky timing and making things work out even when it seems like there's no way it can.

Feature image: Amazon/Prime Video/HBO Max.