Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to watch a romance movie. In this post, I am sharing a list of Netflix romance movies divided by trope, including fake dating, friends-to-lovers, love triangle, and slow burn.
Valentine’s Day Netflix Movies
Fake Dating
For the fake dating trope, the main characters pretend to date each other. However, the fake relationship often develops into real feelings.
Holidate (2020)
Holidate is about Sloane and Jackson, who agree to be platonic dates during the holidays. Sloane is able to avoid judgment from family for being single, and Jackson can avoid conflict with clingy dates. The movie follows Sloane and Jackson from New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day to Halloween and Thanksgiving, but they begin to catch real feelings along the way. Holidate fits the fake dating trope perfectly.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is based on the book of the same name by Jenny Han. In the movie, Lara Jean writes letters to the boys she has loved before, including her childhood friend Josh. One night, her sister Kitty takes the letters and mails them. At school, Peter confronts Lara Jean about the letter he received, and Josh approaches her as well with his letter. In a panic, Lara Jean kisses Peter. Peter and Lara Jean then decide to fake date to make Peter’s ex-girlfriend jealous and to convince Josh that Lara Jean is no longer interested in him. However, the more time Lara Jean and Peter spend together, the more they realize they like each other. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is another great example of the fake dating trope.
The Perfect Date (2019)
In The Perfect Date, Brooks is paid to take Celia to a homecoming dance. Brooks and his friend Murph then create an app in order for Brooks to earn money to go to Yale. With the app, Brooks can be hired to be the perfect date for any occasion. Celia then starts to like Franklin while Brooks meets Shelby. Brooks and Celia then decide to stage a fake breakup. The Perfect Date does have the fake dating trope between Brooks and Celia, and you also see Brooks with others who hired him. Furthermore, the movie does focus on self-discovery with Brooks learning what he really wants.
Friends to Lovers
In movies with the friends-to-lovers trope, the main characters start off as friends. Through the course of the movie, they eventually realize their romantic feelings for each other.
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Always Be My Maybe follows childhood friends, Sasha and Marcus, who reconnect after 15 years. Sasha is a celebrity chef, and Marcus performs in a band. After breaking up with her fiancé, Sasha temporarily moves back to San Francisco to open a new restaurant and runs into Marcus when he and his father are hired to install air conditioning in her home. Always Be My Maybe is a great friends-to-lovers movie as Sasha and Marcus have a history together and even briefly dated when they were teens, and now they are reconnecting.
People We Meet on Vacation (2026)
People We Meet on Vacation is based on the book by Emily Henry of the same name. In the movie, Poppy is invited to David’s wedding in Barcelona, and she decides to go because his brother Alex will be there. Alex and Poppy met 9 years earlier when Alex drove them to university from their small town in Ohio, but they have not talked in 2 years. The movie follows Poppy’s time in Barcelona and also has flashbacks to Poppy and Alex’s previous vacations together. People We Meet on Vacation is another fantastic friends-to-lovers movie because Poppy and Alex are friends who met in college and went on vacations together, and then they reconnect after having a falling out.
Your Place or Mine (2023)
In Your Place or Mine, Debbie and Peter are long-distance best friends. Peter is a successful businessman in New York City, and Debbie is an accountant at her son’s school in Los Angeles. Debbie plans to go to NYC to complete an accounting program, but the babysitter for her son flakes, and Peter offers to watch him for the week. Your Place or Mine is the perfect friends-to-lovers movie as Debbie and Peter have been friends for 20 years, and they slowly learn about each other and their feelings when they swap homes for the week.
Love Triangle
When a love triangle is involved, the main character is romantically interested in two people at the same time.
Alex Strangelove (2018)
In the movie, Alex Truelove becomes friends with Claire, and they start dating. Alex then meets Elliot, who is openly gay, at a party, which leads Alex to question his sexuality. Alex Strangelove does not fit the typical love triangle trope, as the movie focuses more on self-acceptance instead of rivalry between love interests. However, Alex Strangelove is still a great movie to watch.
Tall Girl (2019)
Tall Girl follows Jodi, who is the tallest girl in her high school. Other students regularly make jokes about her height, which has affected her confidence. Her friend Jack has asked her out, but she is reluctant because he is shorter than her. Then a Swedish foreign exchange student named Stig arrives, and Jodi is immediately interested in him. Tall Girl has several love triangles that make the relationships messy. However, Jodi does gain confidence through the course of the movie.
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020)
P.S. I Still Love You is the sequel to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. In the sequel, Lara Jean and Peter are now officially dating, but she feels insecure in the relationship because she always compares herself to his ex, Gen. John Ambrose also received Lara Jean’s letter and wrote her back. Lara Jean then volunteers at Belleview Retirement Home, where John Ambrose also happens to be volunteering. P.S. I Still Love You fits the classic love triangle trope as Lara Jean is dating Peter, but does not feel secure in their relationship, then she becomes close to John Ambrose while volunteering.
Slow Burn
For the last trope, slow burn movies are when the romantic feelings between the main characters develop gradually over time.
Happiness for Beginners (2023)
Helen is recently divorced and signed up for a wilderness survival course to get her life back. Her brother’s best friend, Jake, also happens to be on the course, and they agree to pretend they do not know each other. Happiness for Beginners is a slow burn movie because the focus is on Helen finding herself again, and throughout the movie, she shares moments with Jake.
Love at First Sight (2023)
In Love at First Sight, Hadley meets Oliver at the airport after she misses her flight. They end up sitting next to each other on the plane, and Oliver puts his number in Hadley’s phone. However, her phone dies, and she loses the number. Despite the name of the movie, Love at First Sight is a slow burn that is focused on a missed connection and defying all odds to find each other again.
Persuasion (2022)
Persuasion follows Anne Elliot, who was persuaded by her family to break off her engagement with Frederick Wentworth due to his low social rank and lack of wealth. Eight years later, they meet again. Persuasion is the perfect slow burn movie as Anne and Frederick have history together, and they are given a second chance to reconnect.
I loved how you broke the movies down by trope, it makes it so easy to pick something that fits the mood. Always Be My Maybe is a personal favorite, and seeing it alongside classics like To All the Boys reminded me why these stories never get old.
Thank you so much! I thought it would be fun to sort the movies by trope instead of just listing them in one long post.
Always Be My Maybe is a great movie!
So many great recommendations! Thanks for sharing all of these!
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Thank you!
So many cute picks!
Thank you!
very nice post, thank you
Thank you so much!
So many great films here! I really enjoyed People We Meet On Vacation 🙂
Thanks! I did enjoy People We Meet on Vacation more than the book haha