Welcome back to Bookstr’s Three to Read! This week, we’re recommending three LGBTQ+ romance novels and celebrating all forms of love. If you’re looking for a book that honors St. Valentine to add to your TBR list, these picks are a great place to start. Whether you want a story that reminds you of your significant other or are looking for an escape from the trials and tribulations of the dating world, these recommendations will provide you with the perfect amount of romance!
HOT PICK
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
SYNOPSIS:
Set in the same world as Cat Sebastian’s We Could Be So Good, this second stand-alone installment of her Mid-Century NYC series introduces the reader to reporter Mark Bailey and baseball player Eddie O’Leary. With Eddie’s season not going well and Mark grieving a past relationship, both characters are in seasons of struggle. When Mark, who has a strong dislike of sports reporting, is assigned to write about Eddie for the entire baseball season, the two have no option but to spend time together. As they get to know each other through the necessity of completing their jobs, their romance begins, but since Eddie can’t be out as a star athlete in the 1960s, Mark is reluctant about their love — specifically about it being hidden.
WHY:
Chosen as one of the best romance books of 2024 by Amazon, this novel perfectly captures a forced proximity, slow-burn romance. The predecessor of the series, We Could Be So Good, was also highly acclaimed for its similar themes of queer love prevailing in a world and time period that works against it. For fans of sports romance, historical fiction, and grumpy/sunshine character dynamics, this emotionally driven plot provides a heartwarming read.
COFFEE SHOP READ
You Had Me at Merlot by Melissa Brayden
SYNOPSIS:
Bordeauxnuts, a café by day and a sophisticated wine bar by night, is owned by Jamie Tolliver. When Jamie suddenly gets a crush on a stranger who sits down in the café to work, she has no idea that Leighton Morrow, a development coordinator, is working to demolish the entire city block — including Bordeauxnuts — to construct a new department store. As Leighton tries to keep her feelings separate from her job, their mutual attraction grows, complicating both their business and romantic lives.
WHY:
Who doesn’t want to read about a cool café while also sitting in one? This novel is the perfect story to accompany you on your coffee shop journeys and might even spark a conversation between you and a stranger that leads to your own unexpected romance. Sit back, get cozy, and relax with these characters as they work hard to separate personal feelings from their careers.
DARK HORSE
How It Works Out by Myriam Lacroix
SYNOPSIS:
This novel follows characters Myriam and Allison and a collection of hypothetical ways their love story could play out. Each scenario has its own plot and way of affecting their relationship and personal lives. With a wide range of emotions, this novel encapsulates the multitude of feelings, good and bad, that come along with a romantic connection — and it does so with the added lens of queerness.
WHY:
With its use of many “what ifs” and its exploration of multiple different outcomes of a relationship, this isn’t your typical romance novel. It portrays something extremely human: the uncertainty of falling in love and where it will lead, which is oftentimes left out of typical “happily ever after” endings. If you’re looking to break away from the norm in your romance reads, this is the book for you.
Thank you so much for reading this week’s edition of Three to Read! Be sure to come back next week for three more curated recommendations!
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