Romance books where the hero has a girlfriend who is not the female protagonist

[Steffi]

I have been looking for books where the male lead has a girlfriend or a romantic partner in the book while having feelings for the female lead and of course that he breaks up with them at the end or somewhere around the book. Thanks :)

[Zara]

Hmm.... Try "The Night Circus". It has what you're looking for but there's more to the plot that just that.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Zara--who wrote the book you recommended? There are about six books with that title, if not more.

[Rosa]

Steffi, I would suggest changing “female protagonist” to “heroine” in your header. The hero and heroine always go together, but not always the male and female protagonists, for example, Harry and Hermione.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Normal People

[Crystal]

LOL there are many good books with this troupe.

If you're into YA, I highly recommend these:
Hex Hall - very satisfying, it's a YA paranormal romance set in a school for magical beings

The Nightmare Affair - also excellent! This is similar to Hex Hall in some ways - it's also set in a school for magical beings. Both the girl and the guy are involved with other people initially (before they both realise that their old partners are actually completely crazy)

The Orphan Queen - this is more of a YA fantasy/adventure and it's also solid & satisfying. All the leads are strong & good equals.

Seraphina - YA fantasy/adventure about a girl who is half dragon. This is a good book as well

I recommend the first three options more than Seraphina. In Seraphina I felt a little too sympathetic to the "girlfriend" to enjoy the later romance that much. But in all the other books the "girlfriend" is absolutely awful - making these books highly satisfying to read!

[SamSpayedPI]

A bit late for the season, but The Nine Lives of Christmas by Sheila Roberts is a favorite. It's a lot of fun, with a shifting POV between the H, the h, and the cat. It was made into a Hallmark Channel movie, but I like the book better.