Spring Solstice arrives this March 20th, meaning it is prime season to be enjoying nature, the outdoors, and in classic springtime fashion- picnics. For all of you hopeless romantics out there, you might be thinking about what to bring with you to fully experience and romanticize your picnic experience. Below, we provide five romance recs for you to fulfill your inner romantic for your next spring reading!
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
You might recognize this trending book from BookTok, and for good reason! The book features PhD biology student Olive Smith, unlucky and skeptical in love. After briefly dating one of her friend’s crushes, Olive has to prove that she’s over that crush- by impulsively making out with her professor, the infuriating Adam Carlsen. They both agree to maintain their image of “fake-dating,” but soon blur the lines between real and pretend as they continue forward with their relationship. If you’re looking for a classic fake-dating-to-lovers (and some saucy enemies-to-lovers elements) story, The Love Hypothesis would be a great, fluffy read to check out!
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
I remember reading this book late afternoon of Christmas Eve- and locking myself in a room until finishing the last page at 12:01 A.M. Christmas Day! To put it in simpler terms, Darius the Great Is Not Okay is an emotionally-gripping coming-of-age about a young boy conflicted between his Iranian culture and the American culture he lives in. When his family brings him for the first time ever to Iran, Darius makes new discoveries about his family and culture, as well as a friendship that allows him to figure out more about himself than ever in America. The novel not only provides a new, diverse perspective into mental health, romance, and coming-of-age genre, but also brings into discussion conflicts regarding tradition, culture, and family.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Act Your Age, Eve Brown is a sexy, rom-com esque novel to fulfill the fantasies of your inner hopeless romantic. The novel is part of a larger series telling the stories of three sisters of the Brown family. This one tells us of Eve Brown, characterized by the novel as a “hot mess,” yet she is persistent and determined to prove her capabilities. In juxtaposition to her is serious and type-A Jacob Wayne, owner of a Bed & Breakfast that just became short-staffed, giving him no choice but to accept Eve’s determined mission to be a part of his kitchen as chef. It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers situation to keep yourself entertained during your spring picnic.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
For the contemporary YA romance genre, this is a tad on the over-referenced, classic side. But of course, it is a contemporary romance classic for a reason, and Colleen Hoover tells us of a girl named Lily who just graduated college. She is faced between an old love, Atlas, and a new potential love, Ryle. Hoover’s writing in this novel is praised for the strong character-building, particularly of her female characters, something often missing in a lot of the romance we read today. If you’re looking for a book with a strong, well-written female character to idolize and project your innermost hopeless romantic, then you could definitely enjoy your springtime picnic with this romance read!
Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green
You can’t possibly consider reading romance YA novels without thinking at least once of John Green! As a lead of the genre in the 2010s, Green’s 2017 Turtles All the Way Down provides the perspective of Aza Holmes, a teenage girl struggling with OCD and anxiety. She spends the novel searching for a missing billionaire in her town, and ends up growing closer to his son, Davis. The title references the famous phrase of the same name, meaning “infinite regress,” which encapsulates the mental health struggle of Aza as she tries to understand growing up and the developing relationships in her life. If you’re looking for something strong in emotion and might possibly pull a tear or two (or many, many more), this is the perfect romance read for you- and the recent announcement of its upcoming film adaptation will give you something to anticipate for!