By Caitlin Taylor So
In honor of Uncharted’s ten day writing challenge, The Romance Challenge, here are book recommendations for ten popular romance tropes to jumpstart your heart and creativity. Click on the titles to find out more!
- Meet-Cutes: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry of England have a meet-cute for the history books. The two rivals get into a physical altercation, toppling a $75,000 royal wedding cake, and threaten the diplomatic relations between the major Western powers they represent. As people do. To save this PR nightmare, Alex and Henry must prove to the tabloids and mainstream press that they are, in fact, close friends.
- Early 2000s Rom-Coms: Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan
If you love the beloved classic 1999 rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You, you may enjoy Tashie Bhuiyan’s Counting Down with You. Karina Ahmed is a smart, reserved Bangladeshi teenager who has been tutoring the school’s resident ‘bad boy,’ Ace Clyde. She agrees to pretend to date him while her parents are abroad for a month. At first, Karina is counting down the days until her parents return. But along the way, something will change to make her want a month turn into a lifetime.
- “I’m Not Like Other Girls” meets The Tortured, 6’5” Billionaire: Warcross by Marie Lu
Warcross is more than a game; it’s a way of life. This is especially true for teenage hacker and bounty hunter Emika Chen who tracks down players who bet on the game illegally. Emika needs money quickly, so she hacks into the opening ceremony of the international Warcross Championships, accidentally glitching herself into the action. Her antics catch the attention of young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, the creator of Warcross himself. He’s impressed by Emika’s stunt and wants to hire her as his undercover spy. Emika’s investigation will reveal a sinister, yet intricate underbelly and far more than she’s remotely prepared for.
- Who Done It?: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Avery Grambs has goals like everyone else: survive high school, score a scholarship, get out. That all changes when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne’s entire inheritance falls on her lap. Receiving said inheritance won’t be too easy. Avery must move into the sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House where the four Hawthorne grandsons currently reside. No surviving Hawthorne likes Avery very much, considering they’ve all been dispossessed.
- Paranormal Romance: My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
The only thing at stake here is true love. Cassie Greenberg, a struggling artist, is about to be evicted. Against all odds, she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Her roommate, Frederick J. Fitzwilliam, is odd. He sleeps all day, is out all night, and speaks like he’s a character from a regency romance novel. Besides that, he’s a nice guy. At least Cassie thinks he is until she finds bags of blood in the fridge…
- Historical Romance: Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the height of the Red Scare, we follow along Chinese American Lily Hu as she discovers a new, exhilarating community, while still wanting to protect her family and the Chinese American community at large. With the looming threat of deportation, Lily can’t afford to take risks. Still, Kathleen Miller and the neon sign of the Telegraph Club keep drawing her in.
- Destiny, Fates, and Designs: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
On September 5, Death-Cast gave both Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio a call: this will be the day they die. Looking to connect with someone on their End Day, Mateo and Rufus meet on the Last Friend app. Together, they’ll set out to share a lifetime in 24 hours.
- Will They, Won’t They?: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahren
Rosie and Alex have been best friends since childhood and at 17, were starting to see each other as possibly something more. Devastatingly, Alex’s family leaves Dublin for the U.S., so they decide to reunite in college. Rosie gets into Boston University; Alex gets into Harvard. On the eve of Rosie’s departure, she finds out life-changing news: she’s pregnant by a rebound hook-up. Instead of leaving for college, Rosie stays in Dublin to become a single mother. Alex pursues a medical career and a different girl. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean the two don’t stay in touch. In this delightfully charming novel that spans decades, one thing becomes increasingly clear: whatever is meant to be, will be.
- Shakespearean Levels of Tragedy: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Maddy Whittier has not left her house for 15 years due to her extremely rare, but famous genetic disorder, Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. To put it simply, she’s allergic to the world and only sees her mom and nurse, Carla. One day, a moving truck arrives. Olly Bright moves next door and Maddy is fascinated by everything about him. For the first time, Maddy imagines a life outside her bubble and is almost certain everything will end in disaster.
- The “Endgame” Couple (aka Who the Readers Root For versus Who Ultimately Gets Chosen for Love): Matched by Ally Condie
In “The Society”, the government decides who you love, what you do, and when you die. Growing up, Cassia has never questioned the choices made for her. When her best friend Xander appears on the Matching screen for Cassia, it makes perfect sense. Then, for a split second, another face and name flashes before the screen fades to black: Ky. Now Cassia must make a choice—something she has absolutely no experience in doing.
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Born and raised in Queens, Caitlin Taylor So is a Chinese-Vietnamese writer who is passionate about prioritizing and amplifying marginalized voices. She graduated from Emerson College with a degree in publishing and marketing. Her writing can be found on Business Insider, PopSugar, WebMD, and Her Campus Media.