As many of you loyal readers may remember from last year’s list of rom-com recommendations, I am somewhat of a rom-com connoisseur. But I am more than just a romance movie lover: I am also a romance novel aficionado. So, in the spirit of love and literacy, I am here to offer you some romance books to read based on your favorite romance movie genre.
Let us begin at the penultimate place of romance: weddings. This category is for lovers of movies like “The Wedding Date,” “The Proposal” or the newly released “Anyone But You.” For my wedding-themed book rec, I give you “The Summer of Broken Rules.” This novel tells the story of Meredith Fox, who is recovering from the recent death of her sister. She is about to spend a week at Martha’s Vineyard for her cousin’s big white wedding when her boyfriend unexpectedly dumps her, leaving her without a plus one. In the spirit of her late sister and to help distract herself from her break-up, Meredith becomes determined to win her family’s annual assassins tournament that is taking place during the wedding week. But when Meredith realizes that her target is the cute groomsman that she was really hitting it off with, she has to make a choice between the game and her heart. This novel is chock-full with family fun, teamwork and collaboration that will please fans of “The Proposal,” “The Wedding Date” and “Anyone But You.” Plus, it is brimming with Taylor Swift references, which gives it an automatic five stars in my book.
Now should we move on to the bane of romance, secrets and lies? This subgenre is for fans of movies that hold the aspect of deception, like in “You’ve Got Mail,” “While You Were Sleeping” and “She’s All That.” My book choice to match these movies is “Tweet Cute.” If you think the name is cheesy, just you wait. The two main protagonists, Pepper and Jack (see, I told you it got cheesier) are enemies at school. Pepper is the top-of-the-class brainiac who dreams of attending Columbia and Jack is the class clown. They each run the twitter account for their families’ respective restaurants which, coincidentally, are each other’s biggest competition. The two teens start feuding on Twitter, but little do they know they are also falling for each other on an anonymous messaging app that Jack created. It’s basically the exact plot of “You’ve Got Mail” but with less books and more cheese. A quick and funny read, “Tweet Cute” will definitely entertain readers who love some good-old deception.
Now, I’m going to bring the cheery romance mood down a bit. My next category is bittersweet endings. This is the perfect category for anyone looking for a good cry and fans of “500 Days of Summer,” “La La Land” and “Me Before You.” My bittersweet book recommendation is “Normal People.” For this list, I tried my best to steer clear of books that have movie or TV adaptations, but there is really no ending that is more bittersweet than “Normal People.” This novel tells the story of Marianne and Connell, two Irish teenagers that are classmates, but not friends. Connell is a popular jock and Marianne is a quiet loner, but the unlikely pair get together unbeknownst to Connell’s friends. The story follows the two of them through the end of high school and into their adult lives as their relationship faces various trials and tribulations. Like “500 Days of Summer,” “La La Land” and “Me Before You,” the novel shows readers that no matter how hard we might be rooting for a couple, sometimes love is out of our control.
Although a good cry is sometimes what I need, I’m always going to prefer a happy ending. So, to brighten things up, my fourth and final category is abroad! These are the movies where the American girl goes to Europe on a quest, whether that’s helping an old woman find her true love like in “Letters to Juliet,” proposing to her boyfriend like in “Leap Year” or reconnecting with her father like in “What a Girl Wants.” Somewhere along the journey, the protagonist always ends up falling for one of the locals. My book recommendation for this genre is “Love and Olives.” This aptly named novel tells the story of Olive (Liv) who is visiting her absent father in Greece and helping him make a documentary about his search for the Lost City of Atlantis, which he believes to be underneath the island of Santorini. Once a faithful believer in the city, Liv lost interest after her dad left when she was eight. But, after reconnecting with him and spending time with his handsome teenage apprentice Theo, Liv starts to feel the spirit of the adventure again. With a driving plot, loveable characters and a beautiful setting, this book is one that will definitely satisfy your love of European rom-coms.