Romance Novels Featuring Eldest Daughter Heroines

As the eldest daughter myself, I love reading about an FMC like me finding love. Today, I’m bringing you a collection of my recommendations for us eldest daughters. While this is true for every generation, I find it exceptionally accurate for millennials. 

I’m riddled with anxiety, I’m incapable of asking for help, I’m always thinking about what else needs to be done (even while I’m resting), and I am the one who comes to assist when my parents call. How much of that is being a working woman in the twenty-first century and how much of that is being my parent's oldest child? We may never know. But until scientists continue their study of the eldest daughter syndrome (a real thing), I’ll keep escaping into romance novels. 

Two to Tango by Natalia Williams

This book has everything - close proximity, dual POV, main characters in their thirties, Latinx representation, and the hero falls harder trope. 

Julieta is a successful lawyer who, from the outside, should have it all, but she’s not happy. In her thirties, she’s realizing that she’s spent her life living for other people. When her grandmother passed away and left her dancing shoes to Julie, she took it as a sign to take life by the horns.

She does not expect to meet famous dancer Logan Beck at the Tango class she’s secretly taking, but there’s no denying the spark between them. When he agrees to dance with her in a competition - things get heated.

Setting boundaries! Reinventing your life! What else do you need?

Read more about Two to Tango and what readers are saying here.

Christmas in Coconut Creek by Karissa Kinword

What to expect - 

✨Super spicy 

✨No third-act breakup 

✨Insta-love 

✨Age-gap

✨Hero with BDE (Google if you’re not sure, I’m not explaining it here)

Ophelia decides she’s ditching family Christmas this year for a sunny Florida vacation,  but she does not expect a mile-high meet cute to derail her trip. The tension is visible and she’s got no reason not to fall into the arms of handsome and cocky Frankie - a retired fighter pilot. 

They decide to make a deal - Frankie wants to show her what she’s missing out on in the bedroom in exchange for teaching him how to get back out there. From now until New Year's they’ll be friends with benefits. 

Readers are saying the banter is on fire and the hero has a dirty mouth that kept them up into the late hours of the night obsessively reading.

Read more about Christmas in Coconut Creek here. 

Sweet Wicked Vows by Rachel Donnan

Sometimes you just need the drama that comes with an arranged marriage to the enemy’s son. We all need a “my wife” scene every now and again. 

Jaxon, the billionaire son of a rival jewelry store, jumps at the chance to get revenge through this marriage of convenience knowing Evelyn’s jewelry store is in upheaval after the death of her father, the CEO. It just has to last a year, that won’t be a problem, right?

Read more about Sweet Wicked Vows here. 

Red Zone Realizations by Emily Rex

(Cover coming soon!)

Audrey isn’t the oldest child, but she is the oldest daughter. She’s still trying to earn her family’s acceptance six months after her engagement burst into flames. She’s given up on men - far more concerned with growing her social media management business and helping her family like the good eldest daughter she is expected to be.

Noah Fox needs a breakout season with the Houston Hurricanes if he wants to be anything more than a third-string tight end making league minimum once his rookie deal is up. His plan to focus on nothing but football hits a snag when he meets a beautiful woman in yoga class and an accidental run-in with a door provides the perfect opportunity to ask her out for an apology dinner.

When a manipulative family member makes demands Audrey isn’t sure she can fulfill, she turns to Noah for support and is set down a road she never expected. Audrey must decide if she’s done living under her family’s thumb if she’s ready to trust herself again, and if Noah is the man she’s willing to risk it for. 

If you’re looking for a super relatable heroine who is just trying to live life as her most authentic self but is afraid people won’t like her for it, this is the book for you. 

Out September 2025! Follow me on socials for the anticipated cover reveal!

Check out my author website here and get a sneak peek at the prologue of Red Zone Realizations!