Choosing the right comp titles for your mental health romance’s query letter can make or break your changes of being published.
If you’re wondering what the purpose of a comp title is, it’s to allow agents and publishing house editors to quickly gauge the genre and market potential of your book.
I regularly update this list of mental health romance comp titles to make sure you’re always working with relevant books.
No matter if you’re writing a sweet, slow-burn mental health romance or something fast and spicy, you’ll find titles below to help you write a killer query letter!
If you’re looking for something a bit more specific, check out my romance comp database.
- 6 Times We Almost Kissed [and One Time We Did]Year published: 2023Genre and themes: LGBT, Mental health, contemporary, gay, lesbian, queer, romance, series counter, young adult
- A Show for TwoYear published: 2022Genre and themes: Enemies to lovers, Mental health, contemporary, romance, series counter, young adult
- A Thousand Broken PiecesYear published: 2024Genre and themes: Emotional, Friends to lovers, Mental health, contemporary, new adult, romance, young adult
- Alone With You in the EtherYear published: 2020Genre and themes: Mental health, adult, book club, contemporary, fantasy, literary fiction, romance, romantasy, series counter
- As Far As You'll Take MeYear published: 2021Genre and themes: LGBT, Mental health, contemporary, gay, queer, romance, series counter, young adult
- AshesYear published: 2023Genre and themes: Abuse, Dark, Enemies to lovers, High school, Mental health, Why choose, adult, contemporary, new adult, romance, series counter
- Before I Saw YouYear published: 2021Genre and themes: Mental health, Slow burn, adult, chick lit, contemporary, romance, series counter, womens fiction
- Birds of CaliforniaYear published: 2022Genre and themes: Mental health, adult, chick lit, contemporary, rom com, romance, series counter
- Bring Me BackYear published: 2022Genre and themes: Forced proximity, Friends to lovers, Mental health, Slow burn, Small town, adult, contemporary, romance, series counter
- Cleopatra and FrankensteinYear published: 2022Genre and themes: LGBT, Mental health, adult, book club, contemporary, literary fiction, romance, series counter
- Colliding With FateYear published: 2022Genre and themes: Abuse, African American, Friends to lovers, Mental health, adult, contemporary, romance
- Darius the Great Deserves BetterYear published: 2020Genre and themes: Coming of age, LGBT, Mental health, contemporary, queer, realistic fiction, romance, young adult
- Darling VenomYear published: 2021Genre and themes: Dark, Enemies to lovers, Mental health, Slow burn, adult, contemporary, new adult, romance, series counter
- GirlcrushYear published: 2022Genre and themes: LGBT, Mental health, adult, contemporary, dystopia, feminism, lesbian, queer, romance, series counter
- Highly Suspicious and Unfairly CuteYear published: 2023Genre and themes: Enemies to lovers, LGBT, Mental health, contemporary, romance, series counter, young adult
- How to Hide in Plain SightYear published: 2024Genre and themes: Friends to lovers, Mental health, adult, contemporary, literary fiction, romance, series counter
- If Only I Had Told HerYear published: 2024Genre and themes: Friends to lovers, Mental health, contemporary, realistic fiction, romance, young adult
- If There's a WayYear published: 2022Genre and themes: Dark, Found family, Friends to lovers, LGBT, Mental health, Second chance, adult, contemporary, gay, m m romance, romance
- If Tomorrow Doesn't ComeYear published: 2023Genre and themes: LGBT, Mental health, contemporary, dystopia, lesbian, queer, romance, science fiction, series counter, young adult
- If You Ask MeYear published: 2022Genre and themes: Mental health, adult, chick lit, contemporary, rom com, romance, series counter
- Interesting Facts about SpaceYear published: 2024Genre and themes: LGBT, Mental health, adult, contemporary, lesbian, literary fiction, queer, romance, series counter
- Milk FedYear published: 2021Genre and themes: LGBT, Mental health, adult, contemporary, lesbian, literary fiction, queer, romance, series counter
- Next to YouYear published: 2022Genre and themes: Friends to lovers, He falls first, LGBT, Mental health, adult, contemporary, romance, series counter
- Now Open Your EyesYear published: 2020Genre and themes: College, Dark, Emotional, Mental health, adult, contemporary, new adult, romance, series counter, smut
- Okay DaysYear published: 2023Genre and themes: Coming of age, Mental health, Summer, adult, contemporary, literary fiction, romance, series counter
- Out of LoveYear published: 2020Genre and themes: LGBT, Mental health, adult, book club, contemporary, romance, series counter
- Past Present FutureYear published: 2024Genre and themes: College, Mental health, contemporary, new adult, romance, series counter, young adult
- PretendingYear published: 2020Genre and themes: Mental health, adult, chick lit, contemporary, feminism, romance, series counter, young adult
- Releasing 10Year published: 2025Genre and themes: Found family, Friends to lovers, Mental health, contemporary, romance, sports, young adult
- Songs in Ursa MajorYear published: 2021Genre and themes: Mental health, Music, adult, contemporary, historical, romance, series counter
- The Bright Side of Going DarkYear published: 2020Genre and themes: Mental health, adult, book club, chick lit, contemporary, romance, series counter
- The Charm OffensiveYear published: 2021Genre and themes: LGBT, Mental health, adult, contemporary, gay, m m romance, queer, romance, series counter
- The Heart PrincipleYear published: 2021Genre and themes: Mental health, adult, chick lit, contemporary, rom com, romance
- The Stand-InYear published: 2021Genre and themes: Enemies to lovers, Mental health, adult, chick lit, contemporary, rom com, romance, series counter
- The Way I Am NowYear published: 2023Genre and themes: Emotional, Mental health, Second chance, contemporary, realistic fiction, romance, young adult
- The Wrong HeartYear published: 2021Genre and themes: Dark, Emotional, Enemies to lovers, Mental health, Slow burn, adult, contemporary, romance, series counter
- Tilly in TechnicolorYear published: 2023Genre and themes: Mental health, contemporary, disability, romance, series counter, young adult
- Wait For ItYear published: 2021Genre and themes: Mental health, Summer, adult, chick lit, contemporary, rom com, romance, series counter
- We Can't Keep Meeting Like ThisYear published: 2021Genre and themes: Jewish, Mental health, contemporary, romance, series counter, young adult
- Weather GirlYear published: 2022Genre and themes: Friends to lovers, Mental health, adult, chick lit, contemporary, rom com, romance, series counter
Other resources to assist with your querying journey
Comp titles are only a small piece of the querying puzzle! Here are other resources I offer to help writers achieve their dreams of publishing their novels:
- Developmental editing services
- Pre-querying package
- Publishers accepting manuscript submissions this month
- Romance tropes list
- Random romance trope generator
Frequently asked questions
How recent do comp titles need to be?
Comp titles should be published within the past five to seven years so it is representative of the current market potential of your manuscript.
Can I use bestselling books as a comp title?
Yes, you can! However, the bestselling books aren’t always the most suitable options. While it’s integral that a comp title has sold well, it’s better to choose a comp title that’s sold less well but closer represents the tone and overall vibe of your own book.
How many comp titles should I include in my query letter?
You should aim for two comp titles in your query letter. You can include three, but agents would expect more than one.
Can I use a series as a comp title?
You can, but it’s best to pick a specific book within that series that best represents your manuscript.
What if I can’t find a mental health romance comp title that fits my book?
You can broaden your horizons to also include other subgenres of romance!”