10 Romance Books To Make You Believe In Love
Love is patient. Love is kind. Love means slowly losing your mind. – 27 Dresses.
It’s hard to find romance books that are not cringe or toxic nowadays.
So, I’ve compiled a list of perfect romance books for every occassion that I found to be worth the hype. Get ready to lengthen your book wishlist. And, good luck! (for your wallet)
Please note: This is not a ranking. This list is not arranged in any particular order because as much as I want to be, I am not an orderly person.
Romance Books I’ve Read:
1. Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter
“Here’s how it usually went: I would see a cute guy, daydream about him for weeks and totally build him up in my mind to be my one-and-only soul mate.”
If you’ve hovered anywhere near book social media you’ve probably heard of Better Than The Movies. I am glad to report that it is worth the hype.
Boy Next Door
Banter
Fake Dating
Slow Burn
Childhood Frienemeis
Pop Culture References (A LOT of romcom movies and songs, especially ones by Taylor Swift)
(Accidental..?) Pride & Prejudice References/Similarities.
Perfect for fans of Kasie West and Jenn Bennet. (I’ve never read any works of either of these authors. Goodreads says so.)
YA Romcom
Opposites Attract
Boy Falls First
Teenagers Being Teeangers™
Smut Free
Cute, sweet, fluffy.
Notes: Single POV, First Person, 384 Pages.
Now, I know what you’re thinking – another cheesy romance novel filled with tired tropes and clichés. But don’t let that fool you. Lynn Painter takes these familiar elements and turns them into something special. You’ll find yourself swooning over the charming characters and rooting for their happily ever after.
It’s an incredibly lighthearted book but still..Trigger Warnings:
- Alcohol consumption
- Smoking
- Emesis
- Grief & loss depiction
- Parental Death Mentioned.
- Car Accident Mentioned.
- Bullying
- Swearing.
Plot:
Elizabeth (Liz) Buxbaum inherited an ever-growing love for romcoms and the longing for her own happily-ever-after from her mother.
So, when her childhood crush, the “cool” and “aloof” Micheal (who I still think should be called Chad), returns to town…she will do anything to make her fantasies come true.
Anything—Even befriending her next-door neighbour Wes Bennett. (Because he’s Micheal’s best friend.)
Wes Bennett has been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. You would think that pranks involving frogs or decapitated gnomes do not exactly scream “PERFECT LOVE INTEREST”. But we all know where this is going… Don’t we?
Who It’s For:
Better Than The Movies is for the Romcom Lovers, the Hopeless Romantics, and the Perpetual Daydreams.
I know you hate to admit it. I know that the toxically masculine elf inside your heart (because we all have one) is screaming, “LOVE IS FOR THE WEAK AND CHEESY ROMANCES MAKE ME VOMIT.” But you have to let go.
And if the cynical part of you still believes a cliché YA romance is childish and stupid, tell it to shut up.
Because deep down, you know, we all want to giggle and kick our feet like a giddy teenager.
2. Half A Soul by Olivia Atwater
“I did not come here only to dance. I came here only to dance with you. It is quite a different thing.”
“Dora thought, Oh dear. Because she was now quite sure that she was in love.”
Bridgerton, and Howl’s Moving Castle—the books turned movie/series we have all heard of. If you like either of those, imagine what it would be like to mix those to create a fairytale set in an alternative version of Regency Era England. Add to that subtle satire and whimsical creativity. Then, Half A Soul is what you will get.
Historical Fantasy
Disney Fairytale Style Narration
Regency Romance Book
Whimsical
Low-Stakes
Magic
Faeires (Not the ACOTAR/Cruel Prince kind)
‘Grumpy On The Outside, Soft On The Inside’ Love Interest
A Lovely Message/Moral
Smut-Free
Notes: Single POV, Third Person, 320 Pages.
Maybe, you have realized by now that this is not a trope-heavy book. Half A Soul is quite an unconventional book that feels normal to people who like fairytales and are slightly weird. Regency Fairytales is a niche category that deserves more hype.
If you have not already figured it out by my excessive use of the word ‘fairytale’ in this review, let me spell it out: Half A Soul is a lighthearted fantasy. However, true to fairytale fashion, it has some bloodshed. Not the Grimm’s Fairytale Level of gore but Trigger Warnings:
- Kidnapping
- War themes
- Depiction of injuries.
- (Moderate) Depiction of Classism, Ableism, Misogyny, and Forced Labour from Children.
Plot:
Theodora Charity Eloisa Ettings is aware of how ridiculously long her name is. She is also aware that she is under a faerie curse, she only possesses half a soul. However, what Dora is NOT aware of is how it feels to be embarrassed. Along with half her soul, Dora also lost her ability to feel strongly about anything or express her emotions.
So, naturally, she can never experience falling in love. But Dora doesn’t care. At least not as much as she wants to because she literally does not possess the ability to care.
Dora’s only goal is to remain in the background and avoid causing any scandals while her snobbish aunt finds a wealthy husband for her beloved cousin, Vanessa.
However, that is much easier said than done, especially when circumstances bring Dora close to the Lord Sorcier. A magician who does three impossible things before breakfast, Lord Sorcier is the epitome of mannerless.
But in their efforts to solve the small evils of Regency England, Lord Sorcier and Dora end up solving something much more personal: the hidden emotions behind their peculiar outwardly demeanours.
Piece of Advice:
If you read Half A Soul, please don’t skip the Afterword because it is thought-provoking and lovely.
After you finish the book, read the ‘Fun Facts About Half A Soul’ that Olivia Atwaters (the author) posted on Goodreads. Because Half A Soul comes off as a soft, cosy fictional story yet the amount of thought that has gone into it is immense. Plenty of hidden analogies, fairy lore and messages are hidden throughout the book. So please read it once you’re done reading the book.
Who It’s For:
Half A Soul is for anybody who wants to read a fairytale-esque story that is cosy yet purposeful.
Not too historical, not too magical, and not too romantic. Half A Soul strikes the perfect balance.
Save it in your TBR as a lighter read for when books get too emotionally overwhelming but you still want to read something that possesses depth and creativity.
This one’s for fantasy lovers.
3. The Do-Over by Lynn Painter
“Everybody likes cats in sweaters”
“This wasn’t about boys and girls and love and attraction, this was about a human soul needing to feel seen.”
Before you ask…Yes, I desperately needed to slide in another book by Lynn Painter.
YA Contemporary Romance Book
Time-Loop
Good Girl Protagonist Learning To Let Go
Self-Discovery
Cinnamon Roll Love Interest
More Taylor Swift References
Smut-Free
Note: Single POV, First Person, 304 Pages.
Maybe the elf inside your heart won the last one. If you weren’t sold on reading Better Than The Movies (I am offended), this one might be for you. Still cheesy. Still predictable. But slightly more serious, and definitely less cliché.
Deep, mature love stories are fun. Yet, there is something about cute high school romances that easily find a home in your heart, even when a stubborn elf is trying to demolish that home. Deep down, we all are a little embarrassed to admit we like them but hey! I’m not judging you.
Trigger Warnings:
- Parental divorce
- Death of a sibling recounted, off-page
- Car Accident
Plot:
Have you ever meticulously planned a perfect day only to discover that destiny or luck or whatever it is that decides our fate, has decided today should be the worst day of your life?
How did you feel?
Well, I don’t know about you but Emilie Hornby felt pretty pissed.
She felt even more pissed when she discovered that she would have to relive that all over again. Again and again and again and again and…you get it: a lot of Agains.
No matter what she does, no matter what changes she makes to her plans and routines her day always goes horribly.
It was Valentine’s Day.
Emilie had planned a perfect day with her perfect boyfriend but instead, she’s stuck watching her absolute you-know-what of a boyfriend cheat on her again and again. She’s stuck hearing her father’s horrible revelation that crushed her spirit.
She’s stuck crashing her car into Nick’s truck every morning. Expect that part may not be so bad.
As she learns more about Nick, the guy from her chemistry class she only now discovers is much more than the calm facade he puts on.
Emilie also learns much more about herself. She decides that maybe she should put aside her people-placing, meticulously planning, predictable self for one day. The Day Of No Consequences (DONC).
But what she does not realize is that the Day Of No Consequences might leave a lasting consequence on herself. And an unfortunately, not-so-long-lasting one on Nick, the only thing about this day she wanted to last.
Who Is It For?
The Do-Over is for The Lonely, The Daydreamers, and The People Pleasers. It’s for the people who wish they could be themselves, even if for only one day of their life.
And like every other romcom, this one is for those who secretly like to read stupid stories about stupid teenagers that make your heart flutter.
Even though you pretend it’s beneath you
4. Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt
“Other people know to draw back when they touch a flame. I
only know how to walk through the coals.”
Together We Rot is for when you want to calm the sugar rush from reading one too many sweet romcoms.
Yet, if you delve into the book, you’ll find a deeply emotional romance that is sweeter than even romcoms.
The writing style is the best part of the book, illustrative poetic writing that is structured such that you feel exactly how hazy and disoriented the characters feel.
Paranormal Romance
Cold, Eery & Earthy Atmosphere.
Fast-Paced
Action-Packed
An Unhinged Cult
Horror Elements That Are Not Too Scary
Protagonists With Tragic Backstories
Bold, Reckless Female Lead
Broken, Shy Male Lead
Disorienting Poetic Writing
Found Family Consisting of the ‘worst Scooby-Doo gang on Earth’
Magical Element
Smut-Free
Notes: First Person, Dual POV, 272 Pages.
- Trigger Warnings: Physical child abuse
- Parent with alcoholism
- Alcohol consumption & abuse
- Emesis
- Cult
- Animal death
- Murder
Plot:
Wil Greene’s mom has been missing for over a year.
The police have called the case closed. But Wil knows her former best friend Elwood’s hyper-religious family has something to do with it.
Elwood has spent his whole life knowing that on his 18th birthday, he would leave school and join his pastor father in dedicating his life to their congregation, the Garden Of Adam.
But what Elwood doesn’t know is that the Garden Of Adam is not a congregation. It is a creepy cult that sacrifices animals. And not only animals.
What would you do if you found out that your abusive father was going to sacrifice you? But no one will do anything about it. Because the whole fricking town is in on it.
Except for Wil, the girl who saw it coming from the beginning. The reckless girl whose hair you would braid as a child, the girl you were irrevocably in love with and the girl who you abandoned when she needed you the most.
Additional Remarks:
The best part of this story is how each of the characters (even side characters) had impeccable character development. And the writing style added so much flair to the story. The author does an exceptional job of keeping the two POVs separate and expressing the distinct differences in their perspectives and emotions. If you’re a writer, take notes. This can be a learning experience. There is one fatal flaw with this book, that everybody including myself has been complaining about. But you can easily overlook it. So, I’m not spoiling the reading experience by revealing what it is. If you’re bothered by it, you’ll find out on your own. And if you’re not, then why ruin the experience by searching for things to be sour about?
Who It’s For:
Together We Rot is for those who find solace in weirdness. It is a light read for those who love the paranormal or the unrealistic. It is a heavier read for those who don’t.
Ultimately, it is a gothic eery romance book for those who find comfort in the calm before the storm—the grey skies, cold air, damp soil, earthy scent and even the bugs.
Together We Rot is also for those who want to read stories that feel like a fever dream, stories that don’t let you have a moment of relaxation. This book is for hyperactive people with shorter attention spans.
If you are a fan of Ava Reid (Who by the way, was also Skyla Arndt’s mentor while writing this), or a fan of House Of Hollow, you are bound to love this romance book.
5. Love from A to Z by S.K Ali
“The clearest feeling I remember is this: the way that it felt like the space between us folded and folded, and kept folding until the distance shrank until we made sense to each other.”
Love From A to Z is so much more than a love story. It’s an unapologetically Muslim book with a lot of commentary on Islamophobia. Therefore, I have a lot to say about it.
Until now, I have tried to make this blog more personalized to you, the reader. But this one is so close to me as a person. It hits home. And I’m going to take the liberty of talking a bit about myself and how I feel. And about things that may be unpleasant to talk about yet need to be talked about.
But before that, let’s follow our usual routine:
Strong Female Lead
Soft Male Lead
Soulmates
Halal Smut-Free Romance Book
Slice of Life/Realistic
Commentory on Islamophobia
References to Islamic and Indian Culture
Slow Burn
Unique Setting: Doha
A Perfect Epilogue
Note: Dual POV, First Person, 368
After hearing everyone on social media, rave about it you sighed and picked up the romance book. “After all, how bad could it be?” You thought. But oh! how naive you were.
You should’ve seen it coming: The desperate Taylor Swift references, 30-year-old female leads who act like teenagers, the absolute lack of emotional depth, and the “book boyfriend” who is just the same character you have read in a hundred other books but with a different name this time, all the telling and not showing (iykyk) and the inevitable annoyance at characters who think the world revolves around them.
Finally, you resist the urge to throw the book at the wall and instead resort to verbal assault on Goodreads.
Your inner elf smiles smugly. “I warned you,” he says, traumatized by the disaster, “I told you romance books were stupid.”
But then, you read my blog. You pick up Love From A To Z.
Your inner elf rejoices because Love From A To Z is far from cliche. It does not have superficial tropes or too many pop culture references. On the contrary, it has two love interests who act realistically. If you’re anything like me, you are tired of hearing the same old love story with the same old annoying characters and the same old trope. If you are tired of being deceived by social media, then Love From A To Z is for you.
Trigger Warnings:
- Islamophobia & Racism (challenged)
- Animal abuse
- Attack by Animal
- Car Crash (past, mentioned)
- Chronic Illness
- Depiction Of Grief
- Parental Death
- Mentions of War
Plot:
A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoes—because they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.
An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zayneb’s teacher, who won’t stop reminding the class how “bad” Muslims are.
Zayneb and Adam have never met each other before. Yet, they have something similar. Some may call it destiny. Some may call it serendipity. Others may call it a mere coincidence. Zayneb and Adam will call it a marvel.
And the similarity is that both of them saw a painting: The Marvel And Oddities of Life. Adam when he was fourteen and Zayneb when she was sixteen. The painting planted the same idea in both of them. They write journals they like to call ‘The Marvel And Oddities Journal’. Every day, Adam & Zayneb record one oddity and one marvel in their respective journals.
Love From A to Z reads like a journal, with some instances of the author breaking the fourth wall.
We start reading the Marvel And Oddities journal when Zayneb who’s in her last year of high school, gets suspended for confronting her Islamophobic teacher.
She’s shipped off to Qatar to live with her aunt for a week. Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she decides to try out a better version of herself in a place where nobody knows her.
Then her path crosses with Adam’s.
After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, Adam has stopped going to classes. He returns home to Qatar to spend time with his family. That is, his sister and father. He intends to keep his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father and keep the memory of his mother alive for his sister.
Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals.
Until a marvel and an oddity occurs…
Marvel: Adam and Zayneb meeting.
Oddity: Adam and Zayneb meeting.
My Thoughts:
Though this is a romance book, it depicts the many facets of Islamophobia/Hatred & Discrimination:
- It depicts the kinds of Islamophobia that hide in plain sight: When individuals misinterpret Islam as an oppressive or toxic religion and pretend they are doing a service to society by spreading hatred towards it. They inflict poisonous thoughts of hatred upon others. Islamophobia is not something you do out of concern for society; it is not something moral or heroic. It is something that is born out of your pride and ego. Hatred disguised as activism is still hatred
- Love From A To Z also depicts the kind of Islamophobia that is direct and stems from ignorance and entitlement, expressed as disgust or superiority over someone else just because they chose to follow a different set of beliefs.
- It also addresses Islamophobia that is systemic and discreet. The kind where you are told to remain silent because that’s just how the world works. Because you can’t change it. Because the comfort of ignorant people who are unaffected by social discrimination is much more important than the suffocation you feel. Because at the end of the day, people won’t change, they will much rather turn a blind eye to the injustices of society than face the bitter truth.
Zayneb, our hijabi main character, faces several instances of discrimination. You will learn if you read the author’s note that her experiences are inspired by or directly related to what the author, S.K Ali, has faced herself. You will learn if you observe a bit more, that it is similar to what many Muslims around the world face.
Zayneb is passionate about human rights. She cares a lot. Not just about islamophobia but about other social injustices too.
Her inner turmoil, from her anger to her disappointment at others, to constantly being told to remain silent because it was safer, all was relatable.
Who It’s For:
S.K Ali says in her ‘Author’s Note’ that:-
While writing Love From A To Z, I often wondered if all this would seem too incredulous to some readers—but then I knew for certain that so many other readers would nod their heads in recognition. I write for all of you—those who know what it feels like and those who don’t but want to.
6. My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth
“Like most people, there are things I love in life—cheese, being right, the beautiful rarity of a well-timed clapback—and things I don’t. The top of that second list? Team sports, being asked what I’m doing with my life and the faint but harrowing sensation that something critical may have slipped my mind.”
One word to describe this book: simple.
My Mechanical Romance is easy to read and does not take itself too seriously. The book has a cast of unique, flawed, simple characters who act like normal teenagers.
If you have not heard of Alaxene Follmuth before, she is the brain behind best-selling books such as The Atlas Six and Alone With You In The Ether. Olivie Blake is her pen name.
Opposites Attract
‘Weird-Girl’ Female Lead
Nerdy Yet Popular Male Lead
Highschool Romance
Women In STEM Commentary
Cute & Lighthearted Romance Book
Relatable
Smut-free
Notes: Dual POV, First Person, 272 Pages.
Plot:
Note: I’ve written all the above plot summaries on my own. However, this one is from Goodreads.
Bel would rather die than think about the future. College apps? You’re funny. Extracurriculars? Not a chance. But when she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s forced into joining the robotics club. Even worse? All the boys ignore Bel—and Neelam, the only other girl on the team, doesn’t seem to like her either.
Enter Mateo Luna, captain of the club, who recognizes Bel as a potential asset—until they start butting heads. Bel doesn’t care about the Nationals, while Teo cares too much. But as the nights of after-school work grow longer and longer, Bel and Teo realize they’ve made more than just a combat-ready robot for the championship: they’ve made each other and the team better. Because girls do belong in STEM.
In her YA debut, Alexene Farol Follmuth, author of The Atlas Six (under the penname Olivie Blake), explores both the challenges girls of colour face in STEM and the vulnerability of first love with unfailing wit and honesty. With an adorable, opposites-attract romance at its centre and lines that beg to be read aloud, My Mechanical Romance is swoon-worthy perfection.
Who It’s For:
Bel & Teo’s personalities are the highlight of this book.
If teachers have told you that you have potential but should try harder. If you procrastinate everything (even planning your future) and don’t know what you want in life, then you will find Bel’s character relatable.
Apart from a relatable female lead, we also have Teo, the privileged male lead who is the opposite of Bel.
Teo is not some unrealistic love interest with a killer jawline and messy hair. His charm is in the way he notices the little details about Bel, the way he notices her glittery eyeliner or her crescent moon earrings. He’s not about grant proposals or compliments that sound like a Taylor Swift song. His characters shine in the way he sees Bel.
Both Bel and Teo could be real-life teenagers, and their love story would make sense. What I love about Teo is that he is possible. He could be a guy that exists in real life.
If you want to forget about life and spend time reading something engaging yet free of emotional commitment, My Mechanical Romance is the perfect romance book for you.
7. If You Could See The Sun By Ann Liang
“Descartes was wrong, you know, when he said ‘To live well, you must live unseen.’ To live well, you must learn to see yourself first.”
Get you a partner who immediately senses your presence even though you’re physically invisible 
– Diana on Goodreads.
Academic Rivals to Lovers
Chinese Culture And Rep
Magical Realism
YA Romance Book
Morally Grey Female Lead
Commentary On Classism
Fast-Paced
Cute
Smut-Free
Notes: First Person, Single POV, 311 Pages.
Trigger Warnings: –
- classism
- kidnapping
- racism
- xenophobia
- elitism
Plot:
Alice Sun is the only scholarship student at her elite Beijing International Boarding School. Her schoolmates are some of China’s richest and most influential teens.
So, naturally, she has always been invisible to them. Alice may not be rich but that doesn’t matter because she’s smarter than all of them— all except the dashing and despicable Henry Li.
But everything goes wrong when her parents drop the news that they can no longer afford her tuition, even with a scholarship.
And just when Alice decides the situation can’t get worse, it does. Now, she is not invisible to her classmates in the figurative sense. She is turning invisible, literally.
Then, a light bulb goes off in Alice’s head. Maybe her invisibility was the twist of fate she was waiting for.
Desperate, Alice heads to Henry Li, the bane of her existence and the only guy who can help create an app. With Henry’s help, she secretly monetizes her strange power by discovering the scandalous secrets her classmates want to know.
But things go awry when Alice finds herself knee-deep in trouble.
Her annoyance at Henry Li is turning into something that feels suspiciously close to butterflies in her stomach.
And her tasks are escalating from petty scandals to actual crimes.
What will Alice Sun do now?
Who It’s For:
If you want to read about the insecurities and struggles of being underprivileged, while feeling ditsy from a heart-fluttering romance, If You Could See The Sun is where you go.
If you love relatable female leads who are determined (and have illegal tendencies), you will love Alice Sun.
And Henry Li is the kind of love interest girl readers spend hours writing paragraphs about, that too in all caps and with multiple keyboard smashes.
Romance Books I Have Not Read:
The following romance books are on my list to read, but I haven’t been able to read them due to a time crunch. However, I have collected information about them from reviews written by fellow readers. You can follow me on my social media accounts to stay updated on my progress once I have read them.
8. The Lost Ticket by Freya Sampson
Contemporary Romance Book
Chick-Lit
Adult Main Characters
Uplifting Story
Short Chapters
Engaging Dialogue
Themes of Friendship, Family & Aging
A Cast Of Lovable Characters
Smut-Free
Notes: Single POV, Third Person, 368 Pages.
Plot:
(Goodreads Synopsis )
Strangers aboard a London bus unite to help an elderly man find his missed love connection in the heartwarming new novel from the author of The Last Chance Library.
When Libby Nicholls arrives in London, brokenhearted and with her life in tatters, the first person she meets on the bus is elderly Frank. He tells her about the time in 1962 when he met a girl on the number 88 bus with beautiful red hair just like hers. They made plans for a date at the National Gallery Art Museum, but Frank lost the bus ticket with her number on it. For the past sixty years, he’s ridden the same bus trying to find her, but with no luck.
Libby is inspired to action and, with the help of an unlikely companion, she papers the bus route with posters advertising their search. Libby begins to open her guarded heart to new friendships and a budding romance, as her tightly controlled world expands. But with Frank’s dementia progressing quickly, their chance of finding the girl on the 88 bus is slipping away.
More than anything, Libby wants Frank to see his lost love one more time. But their quest also shows Libby just how important it is to embrace her chances for happiness—before it’s too late—in a beautifully uplifting novel about how a shared common experience among strangers can transform lives most marvellously.
9. Otherworldly by F.T Lukes
YA Romance Book
Light Fantasy
Cozy
Grumpy X Sunshine
Found Family
Queer Representation
Notes: Dual POV, Third Person, 352 Pages.
Plot:
A sceptic and a supernatural being make a crossroads deal to achieve their ends only to get more than they bargained for in this lively young adult romantic adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of Spell Bound and So This Is Ever After.
Seventeen-year-old Ellery is a non-believer in a region where people swear the supernatural is real. Sure, they’ve been stuck in a five-year winter, but there’s got to be a scientific explanation. If goddesses were real, they wouldn’t abandon their charges like this, leaving farmers like Ellery’s family to scrape by.
Knox is a familiar from the Other World, a magical assistant sent to help humans who have made crossroads bargains. But it’s been years since he heard from his queen, and Knox is getting nervous about what he might find once he returns home. When the Crossroads demons come to collect Knox, he panics and runs. A chance encounter down an alley finds Ellery coming to Knox’s rescue, successfully fending off his would-be abductors.
Ellery can’t quite believe what they’ve seen. And they definitely don’t believe the nonsense this unnervingly attractive guy spews about his paranormal origins. But Knox needs to make a deal with a human who can tether him to this realm, and Ellery needs to figure out how to stop this winter to help their family. Once their bargain is struck, there’s no backing out, and the growing connection between the two might just change everything.
Honorary Mention :
10. As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
“I’m sure our souls met way before they found their way into our bodies.”
I call this an ‘honorary mention’ because it is by no means, a romance book. It is a heavy historical fiction book with elements of romance.
As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow is a fictional story set in the civil war in Syria. Yes, this civil war is a real-life event. It has been going on since 2011.
This is not another lighthearted story about two characters falling for each other. Yes, it has love but it is not merely a love story. It is about the experiences, the trauma and the grief of people who face situations such as this civil war.
As Long As The Lemon Trees is soul-crushingly sad, and talks about a heavy topic. It is all the more relevant considering recent political developments in certain parts of the world.
Therefore, labelling it as a mere “romance book” would be misleading.
But it does have a love story.
And despite not being a romance, it is undoubtedly the best love story I’ve ever read. As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow is the story that made me believe in love.
Not including it in this blog would be a horrific crime.
And that is the one crime in this world I would never commit.
Purest Love Story Ever Written
Smut-Free Romance
Eye-opening
Soul-touching Writing
Will Make You Cry
Syrian & Muslim Culture
Studio Ghibli References
My Most Favourite Book EVER
Depiction Of War
Depiction Of Psychological Trauma
Notes: Single POV, First Person, 448 Pages.
Trigger Warnings:
- war and violence
- sexual assault (on page),
- parental deaths (on page)
- murder,
- gore
- child abuse
- torture
- starvation
- PTSD
- grief
- hallucinations
Who It’s For :
No matter how tough you are, As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow will make you cry like a baby. If you think you are immune to emotional outbursts, then think again. This book will make you feel hopeless, angry, helpless, desperate, broken, and you’ll sob until you feel unbearable pain clawing at your throat.
This book will also make you fall in love with Salama and Kenan, the two main characters. It will make you want to hug them and protect them. Also, you will feel like violently attacking every monster responsible for their misery.
Above all, as you close the book and keep it back on your shelf, you will feel like your life is worth living. You’ll feel grateful, happy and hopeful.
Despite reading about the harsh realities of this imperfect world, you will learn to see it through a fresh pair of eyes, eyes that find immeasurable beauty even amidst ugliness.
And you will remember this book every single day for the rest of your life.
To conclude, if you’re ready to bear the heavy topics and gruesomeness that this contains and have even an ounce of empathy you will find this book beautiful beyond limits.
Plot:
I could talk about As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow for days without getting tired. So, you shouldn’t feel shocked to learn that I’ve already written a review about it.
To learn about the plot, check my previous blog by clicking this button.
So that’s it for today’s blog. I hope you found at least one romance book to add to your TBR pile.
In the coming month, I will be posting more genre-based book recommendations. From murder mysteries to classics to anything you want, you’ll find it all on BeingMehak.com.
Apart from book recommendations, I also post tips on how to get your life together. These personal growth tips are mainly aimed at teens like me, yet you’re welcome to read and implement them if the shoe fits.
Follow my socials to get extra book rants and personal growth tips. You can also demand any blog ideas you want to see me write about and express your own opinions here.
See you again,
Mehak.
