By Jenny Tran
Romance novels have been taking audiences by storm lately—with sales going up a whopping 50% over the last year—and for good reason. There’s just something so endearing about watching a love story unfurl before your eyes within the span of a couple hundred pages.
The genre has especially been popularized by the media, including social media apps like TikTok. Readers are able to experience the ups-and-downs of relationships, and maybe also squeal a couple times at the cute tropes riddled throughout the scenes.
To be honest, I never really considered myself a big “romance novel” fan until this past year (unless you take into account my Twilight phase in sixth grade). But, after reading all of the reviews endlessly recommending certain books, I finally decided to try them out for myself.
I’ve read popular novels over the past year, especially those being recommended online. And, let’s just say, I had very mixed results.
The Good
“Red, White & Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston
Rating: 5/5
Content warning: sexual themes
I’ll just cut to the chase—“Red, White & Royal Blue” might be one of the best, if not the best, romance novels I’ve ever read. Reading this was a genuinely exhilarating experience and I loved every single moment of it.
The book follows enemies First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor of Wales as they fall into an unexpected romance with each other. Their entire relationship is a rollercoaster of secrets and disasters as they try to keep it hidden from not only the public, but even their own loved ones. The story follows the political involvement of both characters and covers important themes about sexuality and individuality.
As someone who grew up shamelessly consuming works on platforms like Wattpad, I have to admit that “Red, White & Royal Blue” was subtly reminiscent of the bliss produced from such lighthearted stories. However, this joy is what makes the book so addicting. I kept yearning for more, and I was absolutely obsessed with their love for each other.
I still think about this novel to this day, even after finishing over a year ago. McQuiston executed this story in such a beautiful, hilarious manner, capturing the hearts and souls of many.
“The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood
Rating: 4/5
Content warning: explicit sex scene
I genuinely don’t think I’ve witnessed a debut novel gain so much traction in such a short amount of time. “The Love Hypothesis” has gained immense popularity after its publication in September 2021. After seeing the novel an incomprehensible number of times on my social media feeds, I finally decided to try it out for myself.
“The Love Hypothesis” covers the relationship between Ph.D. student Olive Smith and professor Adam Carlsen after Olive unexpectedly kisses him to convince her best friend that she has a boyfriend. The rest of the novel follows them pretending to date each other to continue convincing her friend and, as all fake-dating tropes go, them falling for each other.
After spending my sweet time reading, I finished the book a bit conflicted. While there were many heart-warming scenes, I definitely felt disconnected at some points. Regardless, I definitely had a fun time reading.
Olive and Adam’s relationship dynamic was hilarious to read, their back-and-forth dialogue making me laugh a couple times. Their relationship shows that even the small things can have so much meaning. For example, I never would have thought pumpkin spice lattes would be an important plot point in anything.
In the end, while “The Love Hypothesis” was a bit forgetful for me, it was still an adorable and excellent read.
“Heartstopper” by Alice Oseman
Rating: 5/5
As someone who has had bad experiences with graphic novels, “Heartstopper” was an incredible exception to this. The book was a sweet and refreshing experience, and I consumed every moment of it joyously.
“Heartstopper” follows the beginnings of a relationship between teenagers Charlie and Nick after they meet at school. Charlie, who is openly gay, worries as he starts pining over Nick, not knowing if Nick feels the same way about him. The result is a lovely story told through the beautiful artwork of Oseman.
This was a delightful read for me and I immediately binged the rest of the series after finishing the first volume. “Heartstopper” is very character-driven, and I adored the interactions between them all. Oseman tackles subjects like sexuality and health in such a positive manner, and it was comforting to share relatable struggles with the characters.
Overall, “Heartstopper” is a simple, wholesome read that lives up to its adoration.
The Bad/Couldn’t Finish
“Act Your Age, Eve Brown” by Talia Hibbert
Rating: 1/5
Content warning: explicit sex scenes, suggestive themes, ableism
“Act Your Age, Eve Brown” follows 26 year old Eve Brown who, after growing up being handed everything, tries to prove to her family that she can hold a job. In her attempt to do so, she ends up accidentally hitting her soon-to-be boss Jacob Wayne with her car. Jacob has no choice but to let her work at his B&B, much to his reluctance. But in spite of the two being polar opposites, they quickly end up seeing eye to eye with each other.
I was really looking forward to this book, especially after seeing pretty much exclusively good reviews for it. It started off amazingly and had so much potential. One thing I definitely enjoyed was Hibbert’s beautiful writing style and the way she worked with adjectives and analogies. The book also included autism representation, with both of the protagonists being autistic.
Unfortunately, the entire book ended up falling flat for me. I didn’t really care for the characters’ relationship and couldn’t fathom them being together. I kept cringing at their interactions and kept hoping that it would get better. There were many scenes that I just felt bored reading. After the halfway point, it was honestly a bit excruciating trying to finish it, and I considered dropping the book altogether many times.
While I can see why people would like this book, it just wasn’t for me.
“One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston
Read up to 20%
After falling head over heels for Red, White & Royal Blue, I had been anticipating McQuiston’s second novel for months. “One Last Stop” is about 20 year old August who moves to New York and meets Jane, a girl on her morning subway commute. However, her innocent crush turns into something far greater when she figures out that Jane is actually displaced in time from the 1970s.
The premise of “One Last Stop” initially intrigued me and had everything I could possibly want in a romance book. With references to old rock music and elements of magic, I was practically dying to get my hands on it.
Unfortunately, this book ended up barely brushing my set expectations and left me feeling disappointed. While McQuiston’s writing remained as captivating as ever, my main issue was the story itself. From what I have read, there was little-to-no plot and the gradual pacing barely picked up. I didn’t feel invested with the characters as much as I had hoped and I began to realize how little I cared about their romance.
I ultimately decided to leave “One Last Stop” for now, hoping to come back to it when my attention span is willing to cooperate. But, for now, it remains at a rest stop.
“The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne
Read up to 25%
Seeing “The Hating Game” being listed so high up people’s favorite romances may or may not have convinced me to impulsively buy it. And, regrettably, this is one of the times when I wished I had heeded the bad reviews.
In “The Hating Game”, nemeses Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeton have to face their utmost hatred for each other—-while also being trapped in the same office everyday. They quietly play cutthroat games with each other, hoping to surpass the other in skill. Their rivalry turns into a far greater thing when a promotion is suddenly on the line. But even so, Lucy begins to tackle her feelings when she realizes that she might not hate Joshua that much after all.
To be frank, I didn’t really understand their hatred for each other. It just felt unreasonable they would risk their own careers to try to one-up the other person and I simply wasn’t sold on their romance. I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope as much as the next person, but I couldn’t stomach either characters enough to become invested.
From what I read, both characters felt obnoxious and annoyed me. When I found my entire body recoiling at their first kiss, I knew I wouldn’t be able to swallow the rest of the story.
Final thoughts
Romance books might often be clumped together as the same “person-meets-person” storyline with the same bland tropes and characters. However, there is much more to them than what you see at first glance.
Every book at closer inspection has their own unique differences—and this is not exclusively romance. Everyone will experience books differently, and your interpretation of a book should be only up to you to form.
Reading books that the majority loves doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll love them too. I’ve learned that the hard way. That being said, take everything I’ve said with a grain of salt.
It might sound cliche, but even if it seems hopeless, I whole-heartedly believe everyone can find “the one” for them. And I’m not just talking about books.
