What To Read Next Based on Your Favorite Rom-Com
No one romantic comedy can give you the truth about love. They all follow formulas to some degree: the meet-cute, the inevitable misunderstandings that sabotage a fledgling love, the cheesy love song soundtrack. But looking at the genre—which has been parodied and celebrated—as a whole, you get something more valuable: a multifaceted look at how we talk about love, what it means in relation to work/family/destiny, and the lengths we’ll go to to win it.
These YA novels take some of your favorite rom-com tropes—opposites attract, breaking up a wedding (or at least a relationship), the fake relationship, love and snow in the air at Christmas—and tell them in a fresh new way. If you’re tired of watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days for the hundredth time, pick up one of these rom-com novels instead.
Shuffle, Repeat
Shuffle, Repeat
By Jen Klein
Hardcover $17.99
If you love When Harry Met Sally, read Shuffle, Repeat, by Jen Klein
Nora Ephron’s classic banter-of-the-sexes starts with a seemingly endless car ride in which recent college grads Harry Burns and Sally Albright decide they’ll never sleep together and they’ll never be friends. It’s fitting, then, that June and Oliver get stuck in a car together…every single morning. With every drive to school, these two seniors who begin as opposites—she wants to move on to her real life, while he’s scrambling to hold on to his golden years—slowly find common ground (though they never agree on music). Even better, they begin the year in other relationships, which means their friendship can grow without that pesky question of whether men and women can be just friends—it’s already assumed there are no romantic entanglements allowed. Then again, that’s what Harry and Sally thought…
If you love When Harry Met Sally, read Shuffle, Repeat, by Jen Klein
Nora Ephron’s classic banter-of-the-sexes starts with a seemingly endless car ride in which recent college grads Harry Burns and Sally Albright decide they’ll never sleep together and they’ll never be friends. It’s fitting, then, that June and Oliver get stuck in a car together…every single morning. With every drive to school, these two seniors who begin as opposites—she wants to move on to her real life, while he’s scrambling to hold on to his golden years—slowly find common ground (though they never agree on music). Even better, they begin the year in other relationships, which means their friendship can grow without that pesky question of whether men and women can be just friends—it’s already assumed there are no romantic entanglements allowed. Then again, that’s what Harry and Sally thought…
The Break-Up Artist
The Break-Up Artist
Paperback $12.99
If you love My Best Friend’s Wedding, read The Break-Up Artist, by Philip Siegel
In contemporary YA, you won’t see a ton of wedding plots involving teenagers unless there’s a pregnancy involved, so you’re even less likely to see someone trying to break up the nuptials. That said, the charmingly devious Becca Williamson definitely channels ’90s-era Julia Roberts: as a semi-professional “break-up artist,” she gets paid to sabotage the couples in her high school—a rumor started here, a bit of cell phone trickery there, and voila, there’s no such thing as true love. But when she’s tasked with breaking up her former best friend (now one half of the school’s most beloved couple) and finds herself falling for her other bestie’s boyfriend…you can’t help but feel that same mix of revulsion and “you go, girl” that had you cheering on Julia as she chased her best friend away from the altar.
If you love My Best Friend’s Wedding, read The Break-Up Artist, by Philip Siegel
In contemporary YA, you won’t see a ton of wedding plots involving teenagers unless there’s a pregnancy involved, so you’re even less likely to see someone trying to break up the nuptials. That said, the charmingly devious Becca Williamson definitely channels ’90s-era Julia Roberts: as a semi-professional “break-up artist,” she gets paid to sabotage the couples in her high school—a rumor started here, a bit of cell phone trickery there, and voila, there’s no such thing as true love. But when she’s tasked with breaking up her former best friend (now one half of the school’s most beloved couple) and finds herself falling for her other bestie’s boyfriend…you can’t help but feel that same mix of revulsion and “you go, girl” that had you cheering on Julia as she chased her best friend away from the altar.
My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories
My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories
Editor
Stephanie Perkins
Contribution by
David Levithan
,
Kelly Link
,
Myra McEntire
,
Rainbow Rowell
,
Laini Taylor
,
Kiersten White
,
Holly Black
,
Ally Carter
,
Matt de la Peña
,
Gayle Forman
,
Jenny Han
Hardcover $18.99
If you love Love Actually, read My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories, edited by Stephanie Perkins
With roughly as many characters as the beloved behemoth of a Yuletide rom-com, My True Love Gave to Me collects 12 of your favorite authors’ takes on the holidays. In Matt de la Peña’s “Angels in the Snow,” two undergrads bond over being too broke to make it home for Christmas. Jenny Han channels Elf with “Polaris is Where You’ll Find Me,” about a human girl working at the North Pole and crushing on an elf and a human boy. And Rainbow Rowell visits the same two friends on four auspicious New Year’s Eves.
If you love Love Actually, read My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories, edited by Stephanie Perkins
With roughly as many characters as the beloved behemoth of a Yuletide rom-com, My True Love Gave to Me collects 12 of your favorite authors’ takes on the holidays. In Matt de la Peña’s “Angels in the Snow,” two undergrads bond over being too broke to make it home for Christmas. Jenny Han channels Elf with “Polaris is Where You’ll Find Me,” about a human girl working at the North Pole and crushing on an elf and a human boy. And Rainbow Rowell visits the same two friends on four auspicious New Year’s Eves.
Something Like Fate
Something Like Fate
Paperback $9.99
If you love Serendipity, read Something Like Fate, by Susane Colasanti
Like Kate Beckinsale’s freewheeling character Sara, Lani finds herself caught between giving up control to the vagaries of fate and clinging to free will. She already has a platonic soulmate in her best friend Erin, who shares her fascination with the mysteries of the universe. But when Lani meets Erin’s boyfriend Jason, she finds herself at the mercy of an attraction so powerful it has to be preordained…but is it worth fighting a possible destiny with Jason to keep from betraying Erin?
If you love Serendipity, read Something Like Fate, by Susane Colasanti
Like Kate Beckinsale’s freewheeling character Sara, Lani finds herself caught between giving up control to the vagaries of fate and clinging to free will. She already has a platonic soulmate in her best friend Erin, who shares her fascination with the mysteries of the universe. But when Lani meets Erin’s boyfriend Jason, she finds herself at the mercy of an attraction so powerful it has to be preordained…but is it worth fighting a possible destiny with Jason to keep from betraying Erin?
The Fill-in Boyfriend
The Fill-in Boyfriend
By Kasie West
In Stock Online
Paperback $15.99
If you love The Proposal, read The Fill-In Boyfriend, by Kasie West
The fake relationship is a hallmark of romantic comedies, from needing a reason not to go stag to a family wedding (The Wedding Date) to faking an engagement to avoid getting deported (The Proposal). With the aforementioned lack of teen weddings in YA, Kasie West’s rom-com nonetheless fits the bill because it’s set at prom—which, let’s be serious, is almost as high-stakes. When Gia’s boyfriend dumps her in the parking lot of her prom, she enlists a stranger to be the boyfriend she has bragged about for months to fool her friends. Thinking their arrangement will last only a few hours, Gia is thrown when, a few weeks later, the mystery guy needs her help as a date at his ex-girlfriend’s graduation. Like Sandra Bullock in The Proposal, Gia learns that a short-term lie has long-term potential for disaster…and maybe something more.
If you love The Proposal, read The Fill-In Boyfriend, by Kasie West
The fake relationship is a hallmark of romantic comedies, from needing a reason not to go stag to a family wedding (The Wedding Date) to faking an engagement to avoid getting deported (The Proposal). With the aforementioned lack of teen weddings in YA, Kasie West’s rom-com nonetheless fits the bill because it’s set at prom—which, let’s be serious, is almost as high-stakes. When Gia’s boyfriend dumps her in the parking lot of her prom, she enlists a stranger to be the boyfriend she has bragged about for months to fool her friends. Thinking their arrangement will last only a few hours, Gia is thrown when, a few weeks later, the mystery guy needs her help as a date at his ex-girlfriend’s graduation. Like Sandra Bullock in The Proposal, Gia learns that a short-term lie has long-term potential for disaster…and maybe something more.
The Kissing Deadline
The Kissing Deadline
By Emily Evans
In Stock Online
Paperback $7.99
If you love Never Been Kissed, read The Kissing Deadline, by Emily Evans
The clock is counting down for Cassie to avoid becoming “Josie Grossie”: on March 24, she’ll turn Sweet Sixteen having never made it over the hurdle of the First Kiss. Her best friends aren’t very helpful, as they’re forcing her to change her hair, her clothes, and her attitude in an effort to reach the milestone. Then again, it doesn’t help that Cassie has an incredibly ambitious goal in mind for her first kiss: Ryan, the hottest guy in school and the subject of her unrequited affections. Tick-tock…
If you love Never Been Kissed, read The Kissing Deadline, by Emily Evans
The clock is counting down for Cassie to avoid becoming “Josie Grossie”: on March 24, she’ll turn Sweet Sixteen having never made it over the hurdle of the First Kiss. Her best friends aren’t very helpful, as they’re forcing her to change her hair, her clothes, and her attitude in an effort to reach the milestone. Then again, it doesn’t help that Cassie has an incredibly ambitious goal in mind for her first kiss: Ryan, the hottest guy in school and the subject of her unrequited affections. Tick-tock…
Between the Lines
Between the Lines
In Stock Online
Paperback $14.00
If you love Notting Hill, read Between the Lines, by Tammara Weber
While there’s no sweet bookshop owner in Weber’s love story in the limelight, Between the Lines covers a lot of the same ground as the Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant match-up. In this case, Emma is just a (rising star) girl, standing in front of a (heartthrob) boy, wishing that instead of filming a modern version of Pride and Prejudice in high school, they were just normal people. But somehow you get the sense that Reid—who brings to mind Alec Baldwin’s arrogant star character from Notting Hill—wants something else…
If you love Notting Hill, read Between the Lines, by Tammara Weber
While there’s no sweet bookshop owner in Weber’s love story in the limelight, Between the Lines covers a lot of the same ground as the Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant match-up. In this case, Emma is just a (rising star) girl, standing in front of a (heartthrob) boy, wishing that instead of filming a modern version of Pride and Prejudice in high school, they were just normal people. But somehow you get the sense that Reid—who brings to mind Alec Baldwin’s arrogant star character from Notting Hill—wants something else…
Save the Date
Save the Date
In Stock Online
eBook $3.99
If you love 27 Dresses, read Save the Date, by Tamara Summers
Whether you’ve watched your precious vacation time and money get eaten up by wedding season, or if you just sympathize with watching a “plain Jane” get overshadowed by her bridezilla sister, you’ll spark with Tamara Summers’ wedding drama rom-com. Not only must Jakarta, a.k.a. Jack, be a bridesmaid at her sisters’ weddings, she has also taken a vow not to date any boys—because disaster strikes whenever she brings a date. But a monkey wrench is thrown into her self-imposed 10 Things I Hate About You rule when (channeling The Wedding Planner) she meets the wedding planner’s sexy, self-assured son Leo.
If you love 27 Dresses, read Save the Date, by Tamara Summers
Whether you’ve watched your precious vacation time and money get eaten up by wedding season, or if you just sympathize with watching a “plain Jane” get overshadowed by her bridezilla sister, you’ll spark with Tamara Summers’ wedding drama rom-com. Not only must Jakarta, a.k.a. Jack, be a bridesmaid at her sisters’ weddings, she has also taken a vow not to date any boys—because disaster strikes whenever she brings a date. But a monkey wrench is thrown into her self-imposed 10 Things I Hate About You rule when (channeling The Wedding Planner) she meets the wedding planner’s sexy, self-assured son Leo.
The Lover's Dictionary
The Lover's Dictionary
In Stock Online
Paperback $19.00
If you can’t choose just one, read The Lover’s Dictionary, by David Levithan
For decades, romantic comedies have attempted to capture the experience of falling in love: how we talk about that first stomach-churning moment, how we parse out fleeting attraction versus lasting soulmates, how misunderstandings (so many misunderstandings) can turn “meant to be” into “missed opportunity.” Thankfully, David Levithan has compiled a dictionary telling one love story—and maybe all love stories—from A to Z.
If you can’t choose just one, read The Lover’s Dictionary, by David Levithan
For decades, romantic comedies have attempted to capture the experience of falling in love: how we talk about that first stomach-churning moment, how we parse out fleeting attraction versus lasting soulmates, how misunderstandings (so many misunderstandings) can turn “meant to be” into “missed opportunity.” Thankfully, David Levithan has compiled a dictionary telling one love story—and maybe all love stories—from A to Z.