Five books to read during the season of love
Whether you relish in the romance of Valentine’s Day or curse the holiday and people who celebrate it, you can’t deny that love is addictive.
I used to be an avid reader in middle school and re-sparked my interest during the pandemic, devouring romance novel after romance novel, so I’m pretty qualified to recommend some books in the genre. These recommendations follow no particular order.
The first book I recommend is “She Drives Me Crazy” by Kelly Quindlen. This is a story about rival cheerleading and basketball players, Irene and Scottie. They are forced to carpool after a car crash and soon devise a plan to pretend to date to fit their own agendas. I read a lot of enemies to lovers because of the yearning and tension, and this book did such a good job of articulating that stereotypical teenage girl angst. It reminded me a lot of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han, so if you enjoyed that book or the movie, I think this would be a great fit.
Next is “Act Your Age, Eve Brown” by Talia Hibbert, starring our struggling protagonist Eve. She has been pondering over what to do with her life and her parents tell her that she has to grow up and decide soon. Eve interviews for a job with Jacob, the owner of a bed and breakfast and it ends with her accidentally running him over. She breaks his arm, leaving him grappling to oversee the already understaffed bed and breakfast, so he begrudgingly hires her. I loved the grumpy/sunshine dynamic between Eve and Jacob and how they brought out opposing qualities in each other. The author also talks about autism in a lighthearted, educational way. Both Eve and Jacob are autistic and their conversations about the topic adds to the depth of their relationship. This is the third book in the series and can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend picking up all three and reading each Brown sister’s story.
“Persuasion” by Jane Austen is a classic and one of Austen’s most underrated books. It’s about second chance lovers, Anne and Captain Wentworth, who broke up because Anne was convinced to find a suitor of a higher class and financial status. Years later when they are reunited, Wentworth is still upset and Anne is still single, regretting her decision. This is my favorite Austen book. I loved reading about the pining and longing Anne and Wentworth experience throughout their story, and the ending leaves you wishing for a real-life version of Wentworth. If you like to read the book before the new movie adaptation comes out like me, be sure to pick this one up to be prepared.
My favorite book at the moment is “From Lukov With Love” by Mariana Zapata, which follows Jasmine, a figure skater who has devoted her life to the sport. We first meet her struggling with career burnout and contemplating quitting professional skating when she’s given a chance to work with an award-winning skater: Ivan. Jasmine has known and loathed Ivan since she first started skating, so she’s hesitant about working with him but also knows that this could be her last chance to prove herself as a skater. I adored this book, the slow burn between Jasmine and Ivan was so satisfying, but I also appreciated how Zapata tackled feeling distant from your family and burnout from something you love. I’ve thought about this book every day after reading it and have been looking for cheap ice skates ever since.
Finally, a book about love for people who don’t want to read romance, “The Anthropocene Reviewed” by John Green is a collection of essays that could be described as love letters to the universe. Green has been an integral part of my friend group since middle school when everyone was obsessed with “The Fault in Our Stars.” I’ve followed his fiction writing ever since and was so pleasantly surprised by his first nonfiction venture. He writes about different topics in the Anthropocene, or our current geological age, from ancient cave paintings to Super Mario Kart and rates each topic, hence the “reviewed” of “The Anthropocene Reviewed.” My favorite essays are “Diet Dr Pepper” and “Halley’s Comet” but I gained something new from every essay. The book made me laugh, made me think about the universe in a new way, and even made me cry, so overall, I give “The Anthropocene Review” four and a half stars.
Whether you’ll be spending time with a significant other, having a Galentine’s Day party with your friends, or staying home alone this Valentine’s Day, these stories are all great added company.