Romance
Heartstopper
Alice Oseman
GRAPHIC NOVEL Oseman Heartstopper
Diverse Characters, LGBTQ+, Romance, Graphic Novels, Young Adult
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. This edition features beautiful two-color artwork. Absolutely delightful. Sweet, romantic, kind. Beautifully paced. I loved this book. -- Rainbow Rowell, author of Carry On Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance. But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.
Old enough : a novel
Haley Jakobson
FICTION Jakobson Haley
Diverse Characters, Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult
"Savannah 'Sav' Henry is almost the person she wants to be, or at least she's getting closer. It's the second semester of her sophomore year. She's finally come out as bisexual, is making friends with the other queers in her dorm, and has just about recovered from her disastrous first queer 'situationship.' She is cautiously optimistic that her life is about the begin. But when she learns that Izzie, her best friend from childhood, has gotten engaged, Sav faces a crisis of confidence. Things with Izzie haven't been the same since what happened between Sav and Izzie's brother when Sav was sixteen. Now, with the wedding around the corner, Sav is forced to reckon with trauma she thought she could put behind her. On top of it all, Sav can't stop thinking about Wes from her Gender Studies class--sweet, funny Wes, with their long eyelashes and green backpack. There's something different here--with Wes and her new friends; it feels, terrifyingly, like they might truly see her. With a singulary funny, heartfelt voice, Old Enough explores queer love, community, and what it means to be a survivor in a post #MeToo world. Haley Jakobson has written a love letter to friendship and an honest depiction of what it means to find your people"--
I love this book because it illustrates what it's like to be a young queer woman navigating the world through self discovery. I would recommend Old Enough to anyone who is questioning their identity, as Haley Jakobson shows the power of finding your community and loving yourself just as you are. -Violette
Just for the summer
Abby Jimenez
FICTION Jimenez Abby
Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance
Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other's out, and they'll both go on to find the love of their lives. It's a bonkers idea... and it just might work. Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka. It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
I started following Abby Jimenez on Instagram for her adorable videos of her dogs, Tess and Stuntman Mike, and now loving her books! Just for the Summer is a perfect way to end your summer reading with! It was a quick read- although if you have trauma with toxic parent relationships, I would caution you. The book balances humor, romance, and thoughtfulness gracefully, resulting in a thoroughly entertaining and poignant story. -Angie
The art of catching feelings
Alicia Thompson
FICTION Thompson Alicia
Fiction, Romance, Sports
"Daphne Brink doesn't follow baseball, but watching "America's Snoozefest" certainly beats sitting at home in the days after she signs her divorce papers. After one too many ballpark beers, she heckles Carolina Battery player Chris Kepler, who quickly proves there might actually be a little crying in baseball. Horrified, Daphne reaches out to Chris on social media to apologize . . . but forgets to identify herself as his heckler in her message. Chris doesn't usually respond to random fans on social media, but he's grieving and fragile after an emotionally turbulent few months. When a DM from "Duckie" catches his eye, he impulsively messages back. Duckie is sweet, funny, and seems to understand him in a way no one else does. Daphne isn't sure how much longer she can keep lying to Chris, especially as she starts working with the team in real life and their feelings for each other deepen. When he finds out the truth, will it be three strikes, she's out?"--
I really enjoyed Alicia Thompson's Love in a Cold World, finding it clever, funny, and tender. I listened to the audiobook for that one, and for her new novel, I picked up the paperback. This is a similar enemies-to-lovers workplace romance, and I found it had just the right amount of tension to keep me reading. There are some heavy topics involved, like the emotional and mental health needs following the suicide of a loved one. I guess emotional heaviness in romance is my thing? But it's kinda the best when those big, hurt feelings find their light and space to breathe--there's freedom in figuring out one's feelings! And I love it when the characters find that joy and lightness for themselves. For a sports romance book, I enjoyed getting a sense of what traveling baseball players might experience. There's some sex in it but it doesn't overwhelm the plot. I'd give it a 1 out of a 5 Hot Chili Pepper rating. Not very spicy. -Melody
The rom-commers
Katherine Center
FICTION Center Katherin
Fiction, Humor, Romance
"She's rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own? Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She's spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies-good ones! That win contests! But she's also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates-The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!-it's a break too big to pass up. Emma's younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don't meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn't want to write with anyone-much less "a failed, nobody screenwriter." Worse, the romantic comedy he's written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn't even care about the script-it's just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme. But Emma's not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter-even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they're writing breaks all Emma's rules-and comes true?"--
This is the second Katherine Center book I've read, and I think I like this one even more. While her first book was all about learning new wilderness skills and unpacking her emotional "backpack," The Rom-Commers took another forced situation trope and wrote a script with it. Emma is a fish-out-of-water kind of protagonist, having been plucked from her town and flown to L.A. to write with someone way more famous than her. Sound familiar? If you've read Curtis Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy, which pairs a writer and musician and is also hysterically funny at times, you'll hear echoes of the plot setup and Hollywood setting. I feel like I laughed a bit more at Rom-Commers. Katherine Center is one of those romance writers that has mass appeal. Give me a good story, great characters, and a happy ending, and I'll fall in book-love. -Melody
Lunar New Year love story
Gene Luen Yang
GRAPHIC NOVEL Yang
Romance, Diverse Characters, Graphic Novels
Graphic novel superstars Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham join forces in this heartwarming rom-com about fate, family, and falling in love. Val is ready to give up on love. It's led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she's pretty sure she's cursed--no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love. But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Is it real love? Could this be her chance to break the family curse? Or is she destined to live with a broken heart forever?
Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham are some of best in the business when it comes to graphic novels and illustrations in the children's lit world, so I was excited to see a graphic romance novel for (young) adults! I thought the love story was interesting and was blown away by the illustrations. I love a thick graphic novel, and this story has a lot of cool elements--memorable characters, deep family secrets, celebration of Chinese and Korean culture, and of course a long-game romance with a romantic comedy of the 90's-type ending! Would be a great winter read around Valentine's Day and Lunar New Year of course, but a fun summer romance too! -Mari
Ruined
Sarah Vaughn
GRAPHIC NOVEL Vaughn
Fiction, Romance
For fans of Bridgerton comes a Regency-era romance graphic novel about the unexpected passion that blooms from a marriage of convenience. The whole town is whispering about how Catherine Benson lost her virtue, though they can never agree on the details. Was it in the public garden? Or a moving carriage? Only a truly desperate man would want her now -- and that's exactly what Andrew Davener is. His family's estate is in disrepair, but Catherine's sizeable dowry could set it to rights. After the two wed, Catherine finds herself inexplicably drawn to Andrew. But could falling in love with her husband tear her marriage apart? In this richly detailed Regency romance, duty and passion collide in a slow-burn tale of intertwined fates.
tl;dr: Great book for Bridgerton lovers. I picked up this book because I haven't read a graphic novel romance and was very intrigued when I saw it on the shelf. I didn't like the illustration at first but it grew on me as the story went deeper into the characters' lives and motivations. I tend not to read historical fiction but I thought this might be a nice entry into the Bridgerton-influenced historical romance. There's no narration text, just illustrations and dialogue. The clean-line and uncluttered drawings communicated so much on their own. Novels require descriptive writing to detail the setting, but this graphic novel used sparseness to get me into the headspace of Regency England. FYI--some scenes are mature in nature. -Melody
The book proposal
K. J. Micciche
FICTION Micciche K
Fiction, Romance, Humor
Broke up with, broke, and with a vicious case of writer's block, romance writer Gracie Landing is a hot mess. She can hardly be blamed for drinking one (or a few) too many cocktails when out with her besties in an attempt to cheer herself up. Sometime in the foggy wee hours, she recklessly emails her unrequited high-school crush, Colin Yarmouth, who is now a successful attorney harboring regrets of his own. When she receives an intriguingly friendly (not to say flirty) response, her acute embarrassment is overcome only by her fervent curiosity―what would a hottie like Colin be like as a grown up? The two forge an unlikely friendship that's unmistakably headed for more. Colin's tales of his own woeful break-up become fodder for Gracie's fertile imagination and her current work-in-progress takes off. With the deadline looming and her checking account dwindling, Gracie has no idea that borrowing Colin's story could wreak havoc on her life, her career, and her own chance at happily-ever-after...
I picked up this book from our "Books about Book People" display that was up in May. That theme is right up my alley. I just know it's going to be a creative read when the hero is a struggling author. BUT THIS BOOK! I binged the last half of the book in one afternoon. The characters are (of course) likeable and relatable, for me anyway. I've read my fair share of books where the protagonist is a hot mess and I personally enjoy the comedic opportunity that kind of character provides. But my favorite comedic bits were in the interactions between Gracie and her friend's Eastern European immigrant mother. She treats Gracie as if she were her own, offering borscht to her anytime she is down on her luck. I just love the tenderness felt among the characters. I read some negative reviews on Goodreads so the book might not be for everyone. But for me, I didn't want the story to be over at "The End." I want more of these characters and hope the author considers featuring them in a future book. -Melody
Attachments
Rainbow Rowell
FICTION Rowell, Rainbow
Romance
Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail, but they still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he'd be sifting through other people's inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can't bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can't help but be entertained and captivated by their stories. But by the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late for him to ever introduce himself. After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it's time to muster the courage to follow his heart, even if he can't see exactly where it's leading him.
I love these characters, I love the setup, I love how Rowell makes things just messy enough to be real and relatable. Could not recommend it enough! -Amanda
Funny story
Emily Henry
FICTION Henry Emily
Romance, Humor
", Daphne always loved the way Peter told their story. How they met, fell in love, and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. Too bad it turned out to be more of a prequel, a complication to Peter's actual love story, the one that ends with him dumping Daphne before their wedding to begin a relationship with his lifelong best friend, Petra. And so that's how Daphne's story really begins: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children's librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only other non-Peter-related person she knows: Petra's heartbroken ex, Miles Nowak. Just until she can get a new dream job literally anywhere else. Scruffy and chaotic, Miles is entirely the opposite of buttoned-up Daphne, and they mainly avoid one another until one night, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship. Miles decides he will convince Daphne to give Waning Bay a real shot. He'll show her why he loves this idyllic town and its residents, and if they happen to post deliberately misleading photos of their adventures together-for a particular audience of two-who could blame them? Miles believes Daphne deserves the chance to build a life here, her own life. As she begins to fall for the town, Daphne wonders what this summer is supposed to mean. Is it just for fun? An interlude to her own love story? Or maybe it was never meant to be a love story? Maybe it was just an anecdote to share at future dinner parties: that time she fell in love with her ex-fiancé's new fiancée's ex-boyfriend. Who's to say?"--
This book needs no recommendations, but, yes! I must recommend it. Hugely popular contemporary romance author Emily Henry published Funny Story on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. I was one of the lucky few who fulfilled my audiobook hold the day it came out. Being sick all week and lying in bed, it was no feat to have narrator Julia Whelan read me this story through my illness. Such real characters, such tender affection, it just might be my new favorite. Sorry, 2022's Book Lovers! Funny Story now wears the crown. My one regret is that I finished it too fast. Time to put the print copy on hold! -Melody
Alice Oseman writes my favorite graphic novel series -- Heartstopper! Nick and Charlie's love story is guaranteed to melt hearts. If you, too, can't get enough of this series, be sure to check out the TV show, which Alice Oseman also helped produce. -Violette