The 2000s, more famously known as Y2K, is the decade marked by velour tracksuits, Beanie Babies, Lisa Frank designs, Blackberry phones, and, above all, obsessing over heartthrobs. From the big screen to the recording studio, these men were all the buzz of the early to mid-2000s. The nostalgia is real; it feels like yesterday I was buying copies of J-14 magazine and carefully tearing out massive posters of my favorite heartthrobs to hang in my bedroom.
When you find yourself daydreaming about the 2000s, take a trip down memory lane and read these swoon-worthy romance novels with male main characters and tropes with the same energy as your favorite heartthrobs.
Chad Michael Murray
The Right Move by Liz Tomforde
Chad Michael Murray secured his status as a heartthrob with his big break as the lead protagonist, Lucas Scott, in the 2003 drama series One Tree Hill. His character played basketball, but was not the cliche jock; he struggled to build a relationship with his father, Dan Scott, and half-brother, Nathan Scott. This heartthrob also battled heartache and heart disease in the show; he found himself caught in a love triangle between two best friends, Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer, and grappled with his basketball career-ending diagnosis by pursuing his passion for writing.
For lovers of drama and complex backstories in One Tree Hill, the right move is adding The Right Move by Liz Tomforde to the top of your TBR list. This messy, fake-dating trope basketball romance emulates Lucas Scott’s aura; the main male character, Ryan, similarly to Lucas Scott, struggles with romantic relationships and initially has no interest in dating Indy, but when he starts to feel romantic sparks, he knows someone will get hurt in the process.
Cinder-Nanny by Sariah Wilson
One of the most iconic Y2K rom-coms is A Cinderella Story, and Murray played a perfect boy-next-door rendition of Prince Charming. This modern spin on Cinderella was simultaneously enchanting and grounded in reality. If you fell in love with Murray’s adaptation of Prince Charming, you’ll gush over Griffin Windsor.
Cinder-Nanny by Sariah Wilson is a modern spin on the Cinderella fairy tale, featuring Diana Parker, the daughter of a con woman who finagled her way into a high-paying nanny job, as Cinderella, and an earl, one of England’s most eligible bachelors, as Prince Charming. After the two meet in Aspen, Colorado, while the earl is undercover, they immediately feel the potential for romance. Diana’s deceitfulness and Griffin’s genuine feelings are the crux of this novel’s conflict; Griffin uses his confidence as a mask for his deep insecurities and isolation, similar to Austin Ames in A Cinderella Story, being the most popular boy in school yet using an online messenger in search of a connection with Samantha.
Chace Crawford
Passion Project by London Sperry
When Chace Crawford landed his role as Nate Archibald in Gossip Girl, Blair Waldorf wasn’t the only person swooning over him. However, Nate struggled with navigating romantic relationships as the golden boy of the Upper East Side. Often, Nate is a mediator amongst his chaotic inner circle and is a people pleaser at his core. Crawford’s portrayal of Nate is unforgettable, and so is Passion Project by London Sperry.
Henry Adams is anticipating a date with Bennet Taylor, but gets stood up and embarrassingly runs into her hours after the supposed date. Bennet confesses she isn’t ready for a relationship as she’s dealing with grief, career struggles, and the overall lack of a social life. Henry jumps at the opportunity to help Bennet find her passions by trying a new activity in New York City together every Saturday. With Nate’s people-pleasing tendencies but a more promising chance at love, this novel is perfect for those who adored Chace Crawford on Gossip Girl.
Ryan Gosling
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
Ryan Gosling won over the hearts of hopeless romantics everywhere with his role of Noah Calhoun in Nicholas Sparks’s film The Notebook. Becoming the face of forbidden love and the right person but wrong time, Gosling’s character became a symbol for the trials and tribulations of being in love and heartbreak. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney is not your average romance novel, and Ryan Gosling is not your average heartthrob.
The focus of this brilliant Sally Rooney novel is a commentary on adult romantic relationships and finding meaning within the vast world that feels increasingly isolating and inhospitable. While categorized as a romance novel, the prose reads as literary fiction. Alice wants Felix to travel the world with her, and Eileen starts flirting with Simon as a rebound from her most recent breakup. While they experience elements of romance, physical attraction, and friendship together, the dire question is whether or not they will ever live in a beautiful world without sabotaging prospective relationships. Social constraints impacting relationships are a significant theme within Gosling’s portrayal of Noah in The Notebook, and this concept is also centered in Rooney’s work.
Taylor Lautner
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
The 2000s Twilight craze was polarizing; you were either Team Edward or Team Jacob, and very few fell in between. If you were a die-hard Team Jacob fan and wished for Taylor Lautner to win over Kristen Stewart’s heart on the big screen, Bride by Ali Hazelwood is the book for you.
In this romantasy novel, vampires and werewolves exist in the real world, like the world-building in the Twilight movie franchise. However, the vampire, Misery Lark, and the werewolf, Lowe Moreland, are endgame in Hazelwood’s story. There is a forced marriage trope that gives a taste of some of the angst between Bella and Jacob in the later films, particularly in Eclipse. The hatred they hold for each other morphs into an electric romantic connection that leaves them both shocked. A marriage functioning as a political symbol for peace between the vampires and werewolves develops into a relationship that’s more than symbolic.
Robert Pattinson
Will They or Wont They by Ava Wilder
This is the skin of a killer (and a heartthrob), Bella. The Twilight universe was not the first fantasy world in which Robert Pattinson made a name for himself. Pattinson took on the role of Cedric Diggory in the 2005 film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which was his first major box office success. The character of Edward Cullen, however, marked Pattinson as one of the hottest 2000s heartthrobs.
Pattinson and his co-star Kristen Stewart shared a romance both on the screen and behind the scenes. Lilah Hunter and Shane McCarthy in Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder share an on-screen romance and an off-screen hatred. Lila leaves the hit paranormal series in hopes of becoming a movie star, but finds herself returning for the show’s final season after her efforts were unsuccessful. She has to face her brooding ex-costar, now her costar again, who despises her for leaving. The two unwillingly get close to each other to give fans of the show the romantic, satisfying finale they’ve been waiting for, which may lead to Lila and Shane finding the love they’ve been searching for.
Zac Efron
One Golden Summer Carley Fortune
On the court and on the stage, Troy Bolton was charming teens everywhere after the release of High School Musical in 2006. Efron was a teen sensation overnight, and it’s not shocking why. Combining the athletic ability of being East High’s basketball star, and his passion for singing and dancing, the Troy Bolton infatuation spread over a broad audience. Troy and Gabriella’s relationship was the blueprint for coming-of-age romances.
While it’s in a high school, One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune exudes the youthful romance energy Efron has in his role as Troy Bolton. Green-eyed Charlie Florek reminds Alice of spending the summer at Nan’s cottage in Barry’s Bay. She was 17 and he was 19 when Alice first took his photo from a distance, an early muse in her pursuit of photography. Time passed, and now they’re both adults back in Barry’s Bay for the summer with a romance on the horizon. The way Charlie treated Alice in their teenage years is golden retriever coded, as he made her Nan laugh, and reflecting on their time together, she longs to be 17 again.
Corbin Bleu
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
As Izzy Daniels in Jump In! and Chad Danforth in High School Musical, Corbin Bleu quickly became a 2000s icon. Chad’s loyal and friendly personality, and defensiveness over his girlfriend Taylor, make Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert the perfect read if Corbin Bleu was your favorite heartthrob.
Bradley Graeme is a star football player, and Celine Bangura is on the outskirts of high school popularity despite her social media following. This pair of ex-best friends fell out because Celine felt abandoned when Bradley started associating with the popular crowd. On a survival course in the woods, Celine is shocked to see Bradley there; these frenemies are forced to work together, find their common ground, and rekindle their friendship, and may even end up developing a deeper relationship on this adventure. This storyline resonates with the beginning stages of Taylor and Chad’s relationship, where Taylor despised every jock and ended up in detention for making a joke about Chad. As they spend more time together, they find a common ground in wanting to break up Troy and Gabriella, and finally fall in love despite their differences.
Joe Jonas
Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston
From the Camp Rock movies to the Jonas Brothers television series, to the band’s original music, Joe Jonas was the 2000s heartthrob in the pop music scene. The line “You’re the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I’m singing,” sung by Joe Jonas in Gotta Find You, perfectly sums up why Joe Jonas fans would adore Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston.
Joni Lark is struggling to write songs, even though she’s one of the most popular songwriters in the LA music scene. She returns to her hometown and is haunted by an enticing melody in her head that isn’t quite yet formed. The missing piece to the melody is the guarded musician who arrives in her hometown of Vienna Shores, also haunted by the same melody. Together, they work on the song to try to break this abnormal connection they have, with the risk of becoming too vulnerable and developing a steamier kind of connection.
Pete Wentz
For the Record by Emma Lord
Fall Out Boy fans, prepare to fall in love with For the Record by Emma Lord. Pete Wentz owned the punk rock aesthetic in the 2000s. From his eyeliner, swooped haircut, to his intoxicating stage presence, he definitely earned the title of 2000s heartthrob. For anyone who has read Pete Wentz fan fiction, dive into Emma Lord’s latest romance.
Sam Blaze is a punk rockstar who develops feelings for his rival and pop princess Mackenzie Waters. A public relations stunt to save their careers forces the two musicians to collaborate on a joint album. In the past, they experienced actual tension in a conflict between their bands on stage and dared to dabble in their mutual romantic tension. The classic grumpy male main character and bubbly female main character combination is enticing, particularly when there’s a known history between the characters. As a reader, you’re waiting for the romantic tension to explode and become a full-blown romance.
The Y2K era may be over, aside from the resurgence of Y2K fashion trends and media, but the impact of 2000s heartthrobs on pop culture lives on. Through contemporary romance tropes and authors’ excellent characterization, readers can find their favorite heartthrobs on the pages, even when they’re no longer on the big screen or in the studio.
Still in a 2000s mood? Check out our article about book recommendations based on 2000s alternative movies here.
Looking for more contemporary romance recommendations from the Bookstr team? Click here.
