University Libraries Popular Romance Collection

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  All That’s Left in the World

  Erik J. Brown

  All That’s Left in the World is about two boys, Andrew and Jamie, who are fighting for their lives after a deadly virus has killed off most of the world. With their loved ones gone, the only thing keeping them going is each other. While in search for civilization, Jamie begins to develop feelings for Andrew. This book is not your typical romance novel. It incorporates love between two men and an element of science fiction. This represents an LGBTQ+ subgenre of romance.

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  All the Bright Places

  Jennifer Niven

  All the Bright Places features a boy suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts teaching a girl how to live. It illustrates how love can happen even in times of grief and mental struggle. This book touches on the mental struggles that are so common in the world and shows how love persists even through pain. The objective of this novel is to show how mental health can affect relationships. Mental health has come into greater awareness worldwide. This book can allow people to have a better understanding of how people feel with mental health struggles in a relationship.

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  Always Only You

  Chloe Liese

  Always Only You includes two disabilities — autism and rheumatoid arthritis — when most stories do not even include one. This story shows that no matter the disability, it is possible to find love, putting light on the topics of these disabilities and finding love.

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  Archer's Voice

  Mia Sheridan

  The main character, Bree, moves to get away from the trauma she experienced with her father after a brutal crime. She finds herself in a small town, developing feelings for a man with a childhood tragedy that left him mute and emotionally scarred. However, Bree finds out that she can understand him, and they both see something in each other that lets them both begin to heal. However, they both struggle with feelings for each other because of fears of abandonment and never being able to trust someone again.

  This is a good addition to the collection because it may prompt readers to reflect on the way that they treat others and how they want others to treat them. This book makes people feel good because the love seems so pure. Most readers get attached to the characters and appreciate that there is a diverse cast. The story is moving and shows a strong impression of the disability.

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  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

  Benjamin Alire Saenz

  This book is a must-have for any college student's bookshelf. Its exploration of identity, friendship, and love speaks to the heart of the young adult experience, making it a valuable addition to any collection, especially for its celebration of diversity.

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  Ash

  Malinda Lo

  Ash is a sapphic retelling of the fairy tale Cinderella. This novel is a perfect addition to the Popular Romance Collection because it is a wholesome, gentle transition into the sapphic romance genre. This book is significant because it is frequently banned or challenged.

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  Bet Me

  Jennifer Crusie

  Jennifer Crusie is an important author to include in any collection because of the quality of her novels as well as her scholarship: She was working on her PhD when she decided to become a romance author. Her high-quality books reflect her deep understanding of romance.

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  Betting on the House

  Cassandra Medcalf

  This book breaks the chains of stereotypes of women in business. The book allows readers to see a successful woman in business and the struggles that come with it. It challenges the stereotypes and helps the character find who she is.

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  Boyfriend Material

  Alexis Hall

  Boyfriend Material uses one of the standard romance tropes – “pretend relationships.” In this romantic comedy, the fake relationship is between Luc, who is reluctant to participate in the charade, and Oliver, a serious lawyer. Of course, their relationship eventually becomes real as they navigate love and self-acceptance. Chosen for its humor, relatable characters, and heartfelt themes, it's a great addition to any library collection.

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  Brazen and the Beast

  Sarah MacLean

  This book exemplifies the topics of female empowerment and independence. It portrays a successful woman focused on her career and growing her business. She finds love, but not at the cost of her passions. This book challenges stereotypes of gender roles and shows that females can focus on their careers and relationships.

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  Breaker

  AK Nevermore

  In a dystopian reality, "talents," or those with genetic mutations, are at war with those with pure genetics. A man named Flynn, who exiles himself from the conflict because of his past, is forced to confront his past again as he meets a talent named Kara who must escape from those trying to capture her. A romance is born during their journey, even though they continue to face problems. This book is a good representation of mental health issues from past trauma. We chose this book because it does a great job at connecting traumatic past experiences and how they relate to mental health with the sci-fi and paranormal background that effectively fits the desired topic. Connections can be drawn from these two ideas to adequately fit the desired theme.

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  Change of Plans

  Dylan Newton

  This book features a woman, Bryce Weatherford, who is given custody of her three young nieces. She then meets a retired marine, Ryker Matthews, who lost his leg in service and continues to deal with the pain. They both meet at the perfect time and help each other with their problems. We see how no matter what the obstacle may be, having someone by your side who will always be there is so important.

  Change of Plans is a great addition to the Popular Romance Collection because it follows two people who both have challenges to work through. It shows the reality of people who have bumps in the road that need to be handled before love. The book gives a good sense of comfort and reality to show others it is OK to have stressful obstacles. This book also shows how important it is to have a support system. Having people who believe in you and will always be there allows you to reach your full potential.

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  Cinderella Is Dead

  Kalynn Bayron

  Two teenagers named Sophia and Constance develop a relationship and fall in love. They wanted to fight for their love because everyone gets matched with their future husband at the ball. The main goal of this novel is to take down the patriarchy. Cinderella is Dead represents many groups such as people of color and the LGBTQ+ community and emphasizes the problems in their society, which mirror many of the problems we have today.

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  Click. Date. Repeat.

  KJ Farnham

  This book highlights finding love online — not in 2024, but 21 years earlier in 2003. It focuses on the start of the Internet dating scene, and it finds someone who has gone through many unsuccessful dates and is willing to try something new on their parents' computer. Will this new approach work or end in an even longer unsuccessful dating cycle?

  We chose this book because instead of highlighting more modern online romances it goes back to 2003, when the Internet was on the rise, and provides insight into this experience. It will add a new perspective to online dating as it focuses on the start of it and the struggle that comes with it.

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  Crocodile on the Sandbank

  Elizabeth Peters

  Crocodile on the Sandbank is the first book in the Amelia Peabody series. Published in 1975, it introduces a Amelia, a suffragist and Egyptologist protagonist living in the Victorian era. For Amelia and future generations, romance is only a part of the story; intelligence and character are just as attractive as physical attributes. Clearly, author Elizabeth Peters, who herself earned a doctorate in Egyptology at the University of Chicago, believed female protagonists didn't need to be waiting for rescue.

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  Dark Lover

  J. R. Ward

  J.R. Ward launched her long-running Black Dagger Brotherhood series with the publication of Dark Lover in 2005. This paranormal romance series, which mixes romance with intricate world-building, became a decades-long phenomenon with over two dozen books and novellas to date and more on the horizon.

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  Den of Vipers

  K.A. Knight

  This dark romance was one of the first books to be promoted on BookTok. BookTok greatly influences book sales and what is placed on the bestseller lists, and it should be represented in the collection because it shows the impact of social media in the self-publishing arena. Plus, it’s OK to like sexy books!

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  Destiny's Embrace

  Beverly Jenkins

  This is the first book in the Destiny series by Beverly Jenkins, one of the most popular and prolific writers of Black historical romance. Her books are often set in the American West in the 19th century, a time frame that is often overlooked in Black romance. Jenkins has won multiple awards and is an important voice in the popular romance world.

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  Divergent (Divergent, #1)

  Veronica Roth

  In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions — Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). One day every year, 16-year-olds choose which faction to be a part of, and Beatrice makes a surprising choice. Beatrice renames herself Tris during the extreme physical tests of endurance and psychological simulations. Tris is hiding a secret though, and she discovers conflict that disrupts her almost perfect society.

  We chose this book because there is a popular movie based on this book, so we think it could capture some people’s attention to read it. Also, it can add to the collection by being a sci-fi book.

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  Double Love (Sweet Valley High #1)

  Francine Pascal

  This is a terrible book. It’s not well-written; it’s trite; and the characters are two dimensional. Love and happiness seem limited to blond, perky, thin, able-bodied girls. However, I loved these books, and they were the first YA romances I read; the series has well over 100 books and multiple spinoff series. For so many young girls in the 1980s, these books were the ideal depiction of high school romance and drama; even Roxanne Gay mentioned Sweet Valley High’s influence in her book Bad Feminist. This book is important to consider when we look at the evolution of young adult romance, and it makes us appreciate current, more inclusive novels. Notably, most of these books are ghostwritten, a common occurence in romance series.

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  Ever After Always

  Chloe Liese

  This novel explores the inner workings of anxiety’s hand in a marriage. Ever After Always encapsulates representation and inclusivity in romance novels by showing a couple already married having real-world difficulties in their relationship, such as deciding on having children, navigating financial issues, and ultimately deciding if a relationship is worth saving. After reading this novel, you see a realistic depiction of marriage and learn more about how a partner’s mental health is just as important as their physical health.

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  Every Day

  David Levithan

  This book is about a man who lives many different lives each day. However, he is in love with the same woman every single day. The story follows how he navigates the difficulties in pursuing a relationship with her, which is a struggle.

  We chose this book because it seemed like an interesting story with the changing identity of the character. This novel is also a type of novel where we couldn’t imagine living a life like the man in the book.

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  Everything, Everything

  Nicola Yoon

  Everything, Everything is an interesting book both entertainment-wise and academic-wise. The story takes an interesting twist on describing the challenges of a disabled, ill individual falling in love with someone she cannot be in close contact with. Academically, toward the end of the book, the reader will discover the true state of her “illness,” which can spark discussions about whether this book properly represents the disability community.

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  Five Feet Apart

  Rachael Lippincott

  Disability romance novels dispel the common perception of living with a disability as tragic, and Five Feet Apart is a good example of this. Stella Grant takes us through her life and how she lives while trying to find love. This book illustrates that romance is not limited by disabilities.

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  Flowers from the Storm

  Laura Kinsale

  The book focuses on Christian Langland, who suffers from a stroke that causes him to lose the ability to speak. He is taken care of by Maddy Timms, a kind Quaker woman. Their relationship becomes romantic. It is a story of a woman learning to be a strong leader while gaining confidence and personal autonomy. It was marketed simply as a woman caring for a man, but in reality, the story had many important themes.