Book recommendations for all the hopeless romantics

Enemies-to-lovers, unrequited love, broken love, and love that redefines the idea of soulmates — here is list of the best romance novels to get your nose into this spring break

Brittany Lang / Feature Editor / The USD Vista 

This coming spring break will look a little different for most students compared to previous years. In order to follow along with the current pandemic guidelines, many of us will opt for a relaxing staycation rather than jetting off to Cabo for a week filled with piña coladas and continuously watching night turn into day. 

After spending almost exactly a year of being glued to our computer screens, this spring break can be used as a time to completely unplug from the stress of the virtual world. 

Instead of watching reruns of your favorite Netflix shows, take a trip to your local bookshop and pick up a novel from the following list of recommendations. 

These outstanding novels are bound to help you escape to a foreign land by living vicariously through the stories of these dynamic characters. 

The following stand-alone novels provide a little something for every romantic. Whether you are looking for stories with LGBTQ+ characters, ones set in alternate universes or mythological lands, ones to leave you smiling, or ones with heart-wrenching endings that will make you question everything you know about love, without giving away any spoilers, this list has something for everyone.

“The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller

An instant classic, Miller’s “The Song of Achilles” is a transcendent masterpiece. Riddled with tales of gods, goddesses, and immortal fame, this Greek mythological novel follows the story of two young boys — the demi-god Achilles who is destined to become the greatest warrior who ever lived, and Patroclus, an awkward exiled prince. The pair forge an inseparable bond during their infancy that eventually grows into the purest form of love. When they are on the cusp of manhood, Achilles is called to lead in the Trojan War. Caught between love and fear, Patroclus decides to follow him to where cruel fates will test them both. 

This 369-page retelling of the events of Homer’s Iliad explores themes of the immutability of fate and the pursuit of glory, through one of the most tragic, memorable, and beautiful love stories widely thought to ever be written. “The Song of Achilles” is unmissable. 

“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”

“Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin 

Written by someone who is regarded as one of the greatest writers of all time, Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s Room” not only has an extremely well-developed plot but reads like pure poetry. 

This novel is set in Paris in the 1950s and while reading it, one feels as though they are transported to the terrace of a parisian brasserie sipping on a café crème. The story follows the life of an American man named David, living in Paris, who is running just as much from himself as the potential future life that awaits him. Throughout the novel David deals with his frustrations with other men in his life, specifically with an Italian barman named Giovanni who he meets in a gay bar in Pars, and his torment with the parts of himself he cannot accept. 

It is a book filled with profound lessons on the human condition and sexuality, and particularly that one cannot love fully when they are unable to love themselves first. Though this 166-page novel is not for the faint-hearted, it is a must read for anyone who loves the classics.

“People can’t, unhappily, invent their mooring posts, their lovers and their friends, anymore than they can invent their parents. Life gives these and also takes them away and the great difficulty is to say yes to life.” 

“Normal People” by Sally Rooney

Anyone who has ended up on the “Book Tok” side of TikTok, is bound to have come across this novel. Rooney’s “Normal People” is set in Ireland and follows the characters of Connell and Marianne as they float in and out of each other’s lives from high school to university. Their relationship is initially marked by complicated socio-economic divisions and secrecy. 

Connell and Marianne both end up attending Trinity College in Dublin where over the course of four years they try to navigate intimacy against the tide of emotional uncertainty. Their relationship faces moments of heart-wrenching struggle due to miscommunication and their own feelings of unworthiness. 

Despite the frustrations the reader might feel as a result of this, both Connell and Marianne remain extremely loveable characters who open themselves up to moments of hope despite everything, and redefine the idea of soulmates. Rooney’s 279-page will-they-or-won’t-they novel cuts right to the heart and is relatable, graceful, and hopeful. 

“No one can be independent of other people completely, so why not give up the attempt, she thought, go running in the other direction, depend on people for everything, allow them to depend on you, why not.” 

“Red, White, and Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston

A perfect LGBTQ+ romance filled with drama, hilarious banter, and international scandal, this novel is made for all of the politics nerds out there who also love the enemies-to-lovers trope. 

“Red, White, and Royal Blue” is mainly rooted in historical and political accuracy, but is set in an alternative universe in which a woman Democratic presidential candidate won the 2016 presidency. The story follows the First Son, Alex Claremont-Diaz, a half-Mexican Georgetown senior and his relationship with Prince Henry of Wales, a potential heir to the British throne. The two characters begin as sworn enemies but after an embarrassing incident involving Alex and Henry threatens British-American relations, the two must stage a fake friendship for damage control.

However as the story evolves, the two boys realize that maybe what they felt for each other all this time was something far from hate. Eventually they enter into a secret romance that is a ticking-time bomb for a tabloid catastrophe. This lively 418-page novel will keep you smiling all the way through.

“Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too. I kinda wish people still wrote like that.”

“History huh? I bet we could make some.”

“The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne

Arguably one of the best modern enemies-to-lovers novels, “The Hating Game” is impossible to put down and despite the title, impossible to hate.

The main characters of the novel, Lucy Hutton and Josh Templeman, are work rivals who have become entrenched in a never-ending game of one-upmanship. The pair appear to be polar opposites and are forced to sit directly across from each other 40 hours a week. When a new executive position becomes available that will make it so whoever is chosen will become the other’s boss, Lucy and Josh’s rivalry becomes even more intense. 

However as the story progresses, the dynamic between the two begins to shift. Josh’s changing behavior towards Lucy makes her start to question if she actually doesn’t hate him, and likewise if he doesn’t hate her, or if it’s just another game. Thorne’s writing grabs the reader’s attention from the very first page. 

The transition from enemies to something more is organic and believable. This 384-page read is full of tongue and cheek humor and charm, and makes for the perfect poolside read.

“Hating someone feels disturbingly like being in love with them. I’ve had a lot of time to compare love and hate, and these are my observations. Love and hate are visceral … your body is barely under your control. You’re consumed, and it scares you.”