Aquariuses are headstrong and determined people who love their freedom — even when they are in relationships. As the adventurous side of them hates being told what to do, they love an honest and kind partner who can offer them a genuine connection, filled with intellectual discussions and a lust for life. They also can be open-minded but deeply know what they want out of life and very set on getting it. Here are four must read romance recommendations I think Aquariuses would love with a breakdown on which character most reflects their very driven approach to life.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
If you like novels that make you swoon inside, you’re going to love this one. Written by Khaled Hosseini, an Afghan American author, this novel intertwines the story of two women, Mariam and Laila, who are connected by a man they both married. After her mother tragically passed away, Mariam is forced to marry Rasheed at a young age in hopes of giving him a child. After a long, tiring marriage filled with disappointment and domestic abuse, Laila enters the picture after Rasheed “rescues” her from a bomb that kills her family. Forcing Laila to marry her for protection purposes, Laila and Mariam develop a beautiful friendship, despite coming from different backgrounds, holding different perspectives, and being much different in age.
Among all the characters, I think that Aquariuses would love Laila. Though younger than most of the other characters, she is a smart and talented woman who believes in herself and is willing to do anything to make herself happy. Before she met Rasheed, Laila fell in love with her childhood best friend, Tariq. Tariq is someone that Laila could depend on and who happily made her life easier because he loved her — qualities Aquariuses love to see in their partner.
This book is full of heartbreak and chills — it’s sure to make you teary-eyed! If you think you can handle the sadness that comes with the romance, I insist you give this one a shot!
The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan
Like most of the wonderful books crafted by Amy Tan, this novel explores a turbulent mother-daughter dynamic. Half Chinese and Half Western, the main character in this story, Violet, struggles with her identity. From Shanghai, China, she lives in a building called Hidden Jade Path — a courtesan house run by her mother. After her mother runs away to America to visit her son, the Chinese Qing Dynasty falls apart and Violet is sold to a different house. As a courtesan, she learns the power of seduction in order to get money and gifts out of her rich and powerful clients.
Violet isn’t only crafty and intelligent in the way she makes people easily fall in love with her charms, her attitude about herself is what truly brings her success. As most Aquarius women are natural born leaders, they understand how powerful it is to love oneself. Through the years, as Violet entered relationships with others, she learned the importance of being true to herself and accepting the love given to her. This deep desire to become someone great is something that most Aquariuses can relate to.
Though this is a long read, I highly recommend this one. There’s a lot to learn from each of the characters, especially Violet!
China: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd
Another work of historical fiction filled with romance, this novel stretches over several hundred years — beginning in 1839 during the First Opium War up to present day. Although the characters and their experiences are a work of fiction, Rutherfurd does a fantastic job painting a realistic portrayal of Chinese history and society from a Western perspective.
The most relatable character for an aquarius is Mei-Ling, a poor village woman who is unexpectedly very bright and capable, teaching the people around her a piece of her charming mind. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, on the inside she has a big heart. Her husband absolutely adores her and values her words (in a day and age where women were not allowed to have much of a say), though he needed to find work in California as a railroad worker and left her in China. Even without him, she doesn’t crumble and is able to build up her life, with the fallen Qing Dynasty leaving her family in impoverished conditions.
Besides the obvious romantic encounters between characters, the way the narrators of the story view the world around them is romantic in nature. It’s fairly easy for one to learn from these experiences and let the words take you in. There is a great sense of adventure and mysticism in this book that an Aquarius would genuinely fall in love with! This a longer one but every page is truly wonderful.
Almond by Won-Pyung Sohn
If you are a fan of K-pop or BTS in general, I think you are going to love this one! Kim Namjoon, a member of BTS, recommended this one a few years ago so I checked it out. Almond follows a young boy, Yunjae, with a brain condition known as alexithymia where he has a difficult time in expressing, feeling, sourcing, and describing his emotions. Due to this, he has a hard time making friends and feeling connected with people his age. In order to know what emotions he “should” be exhibiting since he can’t logically differentiate between them himself, his mother created a guide that lists out each emotion to show depending on the situation.
This book mostly explores a theme of friendship between Yunjae and Gon, a boy who previously bullied him and has a similar experience in having difficulty in expressing how he feels. However, Yunjae also meets a romantic interest, Dora, who he connects with. Dora is a bright, bubbly girl who teaches him how to love and brings him a better capacity to be connected with a human on an intimate level. While he saw himself as an emotionless monster, Dora brought light to his life.
Aquariuses will easily fall in love with Dora too as she is willing to grow with someone, in order to make them mentally stronger, giving her romantic interest space and valuable communication. Her love for the world around her is what ultimately allows Yunjae to shift the way he sees himself and explore what he has to offer the world.
Did any of these books catch your eye? I hope you learn to fall in love with some of these headstrong, powerful characters who embody some great Aquarius traits. Stay cozy and happy reading!
Check out this article for similar romance reads here.
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