By: Lindsey McCrea
As Valentines Day quickly approaches and people begin to finalize their plans, one may wonder how they should occupy their time during this overly romanticized, corporation run holiday. Well, worry not, for I have the answer for all such singles. Instead of going out and being forced to face your loneliness, take a day to yourself. Stay in, grab some popcorn, and let yourself live vicariously through the characters in one of these books.
- The Summer I Turned Pretty – Jenny Han
This trilogy, written by Jenny Han, author of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, is sweetly written, sentimental, and will make you nostalgic for childhood summers. Throughout the series, main character Belly Conklin, her brother Steven, and the Fisher boys, Jeremiah and Conrad, grow together, grieve together, and love together. It has all the best parts of a sappy teen romance, love triangles, friends to lovers romance, and dramatics. Overall, this is a great book for readers who want something with a classic feel.
- Beach Read – Emily Henry
Beach Read, by Emily Henry, is a delightful, quick romance about two former college rivals who make a bet about who can read a book written in the other’s preferred genre fastest. In the process, they push themselves out of their comfort zones, get to know each other better, and eventually fall in love. This is great for readers who want a nice balance between angst and affection.
- Meet Cute: Some People are Just Destined to Meet – Various Authors
Meet Cute is a collection of story arcs written by various different YA authors depicting the ways that their fictional couples first meet. It’s a great choice for hopeful readers who want something brief and refreshing, and it includes couples of various sexual orientations.
- The Wrath and the Dawn – Renée Ahdieh
For those who enjoy elements of fantasy and fairytales, there is the Wrath and the Dawn duology, a retelling of the classic One Thousand and One Nights. It is an amazingly descriptive book that focuses on the life of a young woman Shahrzad who volunteers to marry a murderous king to exact revenge on him for the murder of her best friend. This enemies to lovers romance is the perfect choice for those who want strong female leads and characters of color.
- The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue – Mackenzi Lee
Set in the 1700s, this is the story of a young British lord who heads off on a tour of Europe with his right hand man and longtime crush. This young adult novel features a bisexual main character, a continent wide manhunt, and the difficulties one may face surrounding parental expectations and pressure, making it ideal for fans of adventure based coming of age stories.
Trojan Times 