ME Recommends: Romance Reads
It’s the season of love and we’re feeling generous! Read on to find out which books and on-screen romances the ME team are recommending this Valentine’s Day.
Juliet recommends…
I loved Unsticky by Sarra Manning, about a heavily in debt fashion assistant who agrees to enter a (paid) relationship with a wealthy art dealer. I typically hate ‘sugar daddy’ novels (just not my fave trope, sorry!) but Grace was so layered and difficult and vulnerable and funny, and Vaughn was cold and selfish but also vulnerable and funny, that I completely bought into their relationship. I read it in about a day and it is a long novel – a testament to how engaging and engrossing they were. I also loved the interplay of class and money here too. All round A+.
Favourite on-screen romance: Working Girl. Tess McGill dreams of making it on Wall Street, where she works as a secretary. When she discovers that her boss (laid up in bed with a skiing injury) plans to steal one of her ideas she decides to impersonate her, and try to make it under false pretences. Throw in the dashing Jack Trainer, who doesn’t know who she really is, a ton of shoulder pads (and a scene where Harrison Ford is topless in the middle of the office) - it’s a banger. It’s witty, full of heart and chemistry, with a really positive arc about a smart woman trying to succeed against the odds.
Rachel recommends…
Book Lovers by Emily Henry is a playful rom-com about cutthroat super-agent Nora and bookish editor Charlie, who despite hating one another find themselves constantly thrown together by fate during one summer in North Carolina. It’s a real cliché, but publishing people love reading about the publishing world in books, and I’m no exception!
Favourite on-screen romance: Nick and Jess from New Girl.
Kiya recommends…
One of my favourite romance reads is I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston, which I reread recently. I love romance that’s on the spicier side too, a la Ali Hazelwood, but something about this very fun, sweet book really stuck with me. I love an enemies to lovers plotline and this was the sort of book I really wished I’d had as a teenager. I will read anything Casey McQuiston writes, and I love the mystery/investigative element of it - it really appealed to my teenage self who loved Looking For Alaska!
Chloe and Shara Wheeler – the principal's perfect daughter, prom queen, and queen bee – have been academic rivals their whole lives. Then, a month before graduating, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes into thin air, leaving a trail of cryptic clues in her wake. On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed – there’s Smith, Shara’s long-time sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad-boy neighbour with a crush. The three form an unlikely alliance to track down Shara, and Chloe starts to suspect that there might be more to this small town – and to Shara – than she thought.
My favourite on screen romance – SUCH a hard choice but anything with Meg Ryan in it is usually my go-to romance. I rewatched Sleepless in Seattle over Christmas (…twice) and think that’s such a fantastic romance despite them not meeting for the majority of the film! I also love About Time - but can’t watch it too much because it makes me CRY.
Alba recommends…
My insta-buy romance author is KJ Charles: she does incredible queer historical romances. Her most recent one is The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting, perfect for fans of Georgette Heyer who were left wanting after the main couple did nothing but kiss (once). Siblings Robin and Marianne are con artists who journey to London to make their fortune, but when Robin sets his eyes on a mathematical young genius heiress, her uncle steps in to stop him in his tracks. And then some. Delightful, amazing, swoony – I love everything she writes and can’t wait for her next one!
My favourite romance in a movie can be encapsulated by the hand touch and hand stretching in Pride and Prejudice (2005) – anything that makes me feel that yearning and regret is a winner!
Emma recommends…
My favourite romance book is Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes, though you need to read the first book Rachel’s Holiday to experience the full emotional impact of the sequel! Again, Rachel is about an addict in recovery called Rachel, who now works as the Head Counsellor at the rehab that treated her. Rachel thinks her life is all finally coming together, but the return of a key person from her past makes her completely reassess her recovery. I’ve never spent a whole book rooting for two characters not to get together only to change my mind utterly in the final section of the book – it’s a brilliant book!
My favourite on-screen romance is Joyce and Hopper in Stranger Things. It’s one of those charming romances where the characters have shared so many scenes and you don’t ever imagine that they will get together, but then, when the couple do finally connect, you know that it is a beautiful match. I last watched Stranger Things a few years ago, but Joyce and Hopper always stay with me because who doesn’t want a partner that will love you completely AND fight supernatural beings and save the world with you?
Catriona recommends…
A recent romance novel I enjoyed was The Situationship by Taylor-Dior Rumble which follows journalist Tia as she navigates the highs and lows of dating in her twenties. I felt it encapsulated the frustrations of modern dating, particularly with dating apps, really well and I also enjoyed the workplace drama subplot.
At the end of last year I watched Past Lives (2023) and it’s since become one of my favourite on-screen romances. The story of Nora and Hae Sung is a quiet one, but it’s relatable and deeply moving. Their romance, which spans many seasons of their lives, encourages us to think about the unpredictability of life and raises questions about destiny in relationships – i.e. of there being a ‘right person, wrong time’.