Hello everyone!
Ever since I can remember, I've been an absolute bookworm. As a girl I would hurry into the libraries at school everyday, fingering the books with wonder and gasping in awe at the colourful book covers and imaginative titles. Books excite me, always have done; some of my very favourite books have helped me through the hormonal traumas of teenagehood. Books are also largely responsible for my unrealistic expectations of men (probably why I'm still single, then). Romance novels in particular are my kryptonite, so today I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite romance novels, so that you can read them and we can all have unrealistic expectations of love together! Yay!
My top five romance novels from left to right:
1. Let's Get Lost by Sarra Manning
2. Adorkable by Sarra Manning
3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
4. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simison
5. Looking For Alaska by John Green
Let's Get Lost
This was one of the first romance books I ever bought, when I was just entering my teenage years and was painfully naive (I still am, really). This book is about a girl called Isabel and a boy called Smith. I think that's all I need to tell you really about the plot - what makes this book really special is that it is a gritty and realistic portrayal of the sometimes unpleasant reality of teenage love. Isabel, the protagonist and narrator of the book, is angsty and infuriating in equal measure, and there's a lot more to her than meets the eye. She has a few deep dark secrets and they may or may not rear their ugly heads in the story. In fact, what I loved about this book was the serious flaws and imperfections of both main characters. If you read the book and think it over, in actual fact neither character is particularly likeable, or even nice, but Manning writes so well that you feel deeply emotionally attached to them as you read, and you'll be cheering them on all the way, I guarantee. This book is amazingly good, to say the least. I cried. Read it.
Adorkable
Again, this book is by Sarra Manning, so shares similar themes with Let's Get Lost, but is equally as good in its own right. Adorkable is about Jeane, a jumble-sale-wearing super nerd who is opinionated to say the least, and Michael, king of cool and golden boy at their shared high school. They say opposites attract, right? Not at first. It's only when the two are thrown together by unfortunate events that sparks begin to fly... Quite literally. Jeane's feisty. What I loved about this book particularly was Jeane - I have a teeny tiny girl crush on her (she's maybe a little bit famous on the internet, what with having a massive blog and lifestyle brand) - and I loved the honesty of this book. It's definitely not a happily-ever-after sugar-sweet love kinda story, but if you're after a lot of bickering and some serious chemistry then this is the book for you. Again, even though this is primarily a comedy, a few tears might have slipped out of my eyes towards the end of the book. You feel a real emotional connection to Jeane by the end of the novel; like her literary sister Isabel, she's a troubled soul and it only makes her more endearing. So yes, I would say that Adorkable is an adorable book (hehe).
Fangirl
This romance novel is completely different to the two previously mentioned in that it is all too easy to love and empathise with Cather (nickname Cath), the shy narrator of Fangirl. She's spent her life living in the shadow of her outgoing twin Wren (piece their names together... Cather... Wren... Catherine! Pretty cool, huh?) and when they go to university together and Cath's forced to socialise, she's less than happy. Fortunately, the adorable Levi, sunny, optimistic, really cute, is everything that Cath's not, and, well, I think you can guess what happens from here on in. I urge you to read this book, not simply because it will make you "aww" countless times, but also for Levi, because he is wonderful. I'm slightly in love. Read the book and you'll be comparing every man you meet in life to Levi. There's also an awesome couldn't-care-less sidekick in Reagan, Cath's new roommate, and moody Lit student Nick to complicate things. I didn't cry reading this book, because I was given no reason to. Rainbow Rowell did everything right and ends this book perfectly. LOVE.
The Rosie Project
This book stands out amongst the rest of my romance novels in that it is not primarily written or based around teens, and I think this shows. Don, the narrator, is possibly one of the best literary characters ever written - he'll have you crying with laughter as he tells you his story of attempting to find a wife before he's too old the only way his scientific mind knows how - by designing a questionnaire for potential wives to fill out in order to find someone perfectly compatible with him. He doesn't, however, anticipate the introduction of Rosie, the world's most incompatible woman with Don's survey. Needless to say, Rosie turns Don's world upside down and makes him question everything.This book is so heartwarming - yes, I cried. I also laughed out loud many a time. This romance book is one of those that I will proudly recommend to fiends (which I have done, and all of my friends love the book as much as me) because it is also engaging, witty and life-affirming. It is so much more than a fluffy romance. It's about the transformation of a socially awkward, painfully scientific and clinical man into one who is willing to take risks, open up his heart and ditch the schedule for once. I cannot tell you how glad I am that there is now a sequel out, The Rosie Effect. I've already purchased it and I'm going to get stuck in right after finishing this post!
Looking For Alaska
Yes, I had to throw this one in. I mean, it's John Green, right? I personally love this book just as much as TFIOS, but there's no point me including TFIOS in this post as practically everyone in the world has read it already. Instead, I introduce you to Green's earliest work: a story of a socially inept Miles and flawed, troubled Alaska. This book will make you cry, and scream with frustration; but most importantly, it will make you laugh through your tears because of its sheer brilliance. I made the mistake of reading this book on holiday one year and it lingered in my mind all week, such was the strength of my connection to the story's characters. It's set at a boarding school, so feels very relatable and real, and you will grow to love Miles (i.e. Pudge) and his friend The Colonel, and all the book's other wonderful characters. I won't say anymore about the book, because I don't want to give the storyline away, but all I will say is that you need to read this if you're a sucker for romance.
So, there you have it! It was impossibly hard trying to condense all of my favourite romance novels into just five, but I think I managed okay. I really hope that you maybe read one or two of these books if you like the sound of them and that you enjoy them as much as I did. I'll return next Sunday, as usual, for my next edition of Sunday Scribbles.
Until then,
Olivia x
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