2021, Week the Twenty-First: Give Me All Your Rom-Coms and Nobody Will Get Hurt

Hey There, Bookworms,

Life is slowly but surely starting to get lively again. I’ve now got errands to run and things to coordinate and stuff to worry about. Who am I kidding? I worry about everything all the time pandemic notwithstanding. It’s basically the description of my Enneagram personality type. Anybody else a 6? We’re all walking anxiety disorders. But, as I’ve always said, books are the healthiest coping mechanism I have at my disposal, and romantic comedies and one-sided conversations with people on the internet are my medicine of choice. Who wants to hear about some of my recent reads? That’s what I thought! C’mon, let’s check them out.

The Roommate by Rosie Danan- I definitely jumped into this book with no idea of the premise, as per usual. The thing about reading/listening digitally is that I never bother to click to read the “jacket copy” as it were. Was I surprised to learn that the leading man in this rom-com was a porn star? Yes. Did that make the story more interesting? Also, YES. Let me back up a minute. Clara Wheaton, East Coast blueblood, decides to take a risk and move across the country to spend the summer with her childhood crush. Shortly after she arrives, though, she finds out the man she assumed to be her life’s great love story has sublet his room so he can go on tour with his band. And who is this charming stranger Clara finds herself sharing space with? Josh Darling, the handsome, charismatic adult performer taking the internet by storm. The pair is undeniably drawn to each other, but it’s… Complicated. Their romantic tension doesn’t stop them from joining forces to begin a new project and take on the dark underpinnings of the adult industry, though. Part corporate crusade, part sex-positive manifesto, all rom-com. This book is great fun.

Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane- This is only my second Mhairi McFarlane, but I see myself absolutely devouring her entire body of work in short order. And via audio, because apparently I have a thing for Yorkshire accents. And Irish accents, as is the case in this particular novel. There’s also a really cute dog named Keith, and animals with aggressively human names will never not delight me. Georgina is in a tough spot. She’s just been fired from a job waiting tables at a truly horrendous restaurant, only to catch her boyfriend in the act of cheating on her. Down, but not out, Georgina accepts a job at a new pub in town- only to discover that it’s owned by her first love, a boy she fell for in high school (or the British equivalent of high school.) Only Lucas doesn’t seem to remember her or what they shared. Our Georgina is unflappable though. If he doesn’t remember her, she’s not about to spell it out for him. Perhaps he simply didn’t expect a girl with a bright future once voted “Most Likely to Succeed” to have dropped out of university and spent the next 12 years working in the restaurant service industry. So. If Lucas doesn’t remember her? It’s just as well. Georgina isn’t keen to re-live the end of their ill-fated relationship anyway. Too bad Lucas is still outrageously handsome and Keith is the world’s best dog. Georgina has a surly housemate and a pet tortoise and a fuzzy pink coat- she’s FINE, OKAY? This book is adorable, and while ostensibly a romantic comedy, it also digs pretty deeply into the situations that made Georgina and Lucas who they are today. It’s an absolute delight watching them find their way back to one another.

Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston- I love, love, love the Once Upon a Con series and this book is my favorite of the bunch. Come for the nerdfest, stay for the unsubtle Disney’s Beauty and the Beast references. (Mrs. Potts works at a diner, I can’t even.) The female narrator on this audio book was exceptionally adorable- her tone reminded me of Judy Greer when Judy Greer is playing an absolute sweetheart. And Space Dad! Ashley Poston KNOWS that her audience includes a bunch of 30 somethings despite this being a YA title, so she gave us a thirst trap in Rosie’s extremely cool punk rocker turned librarian dad. I mean, yeah whatever, the hero of the story is a handsome movie star- but he’s 17. There’s nothing cute about grown women having crushes on teenage boys, no matter how swoony the storyline. SPACE DAD FOREVER. Hot parents in YA is a trend I could get behind. (That said, I would absolutely read an adult rom-com featuring Space Dad and Elias.) Quinn and Annie might be my favorite BFFs ever. I mean, attempting to get Quinn, non-binary icon, to be crowned Homecoming Overlord of their small town high school? This is the most charming book in the history of ever. Easily the greatest cast of side characters, I’ve ever read, I’m completely obsessed. I mean, OF COURSE Rosie and Vance are adorable, but these amazing weirdos made everything SO MUCH BETTER!

That’s all my brain can handle this week, friends. If you’ve got any particularly delicious rom-coms on your radar, send them my way!

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