No Valentine Hook-up? Try a Book!

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but love still lingers in the air. If you’re like me (as in you spent your Valentine’s Day alone with a box of chocolates) don’t waste your time crying in the corner. Grab one of these books off the bookshelf and immerse yourself in someone else’s love story:

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

A narrative of two misfit sixteen-year-olds, Eleanor and Park (obviously,) and their geeky but growing relationship. Eleanor is the new girl at school with a strange sense of fashion, family issues, and a throng of ‘mean girls’ out to get her. Park is the boy with an appetite for punk music, X-Men comics, and always just seems to be there. The two meet for the first time on the bus, then it slowly starts to take off as the two learn all the good things (and bad things) about each other. Honestly, I think this is one of the sweetest first-love books out there, if not the best one.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A novel about star-crossed lovers (see what I did there?) named Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen-year-old cancer patient, and Augustus Waters, a seventeen-year-old leg amputee. After meeting in a not-very-helpful support group, Hazel falls for Augustus, and the two commence a search for the author of Hazel’s favorite book. Sadly, Hazel refuses to get close to Augustus due to her cancer. But Augustus has a secret of his own. I recommend this for the those who want something a little more emotionally touching.

Matched by Ally Condie

This is your typical “I live in utopia and then I discover the government is corrupt, so I’m gonna revolt” story. The novel follows Cassia Reyes, who lives in a world where people are matched with their soul mates at age seventeen. She is initially matched with best friend Xander Carrow, but when later viewing Xander’s profile, is somehow also matched with a young man named Ky Markham. Cassia believes it’s a mistake at first, but as time goes on and she develops feeling for Ky, she starts to wonder if the Society, the government that controls her world, is really the ‘perfect’ government it says it is. If you want a strong complex and strong storyline along with budding romance, this is a good read.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Another novel set in the future, modeled on the well-known story of Cinderella. Our main character is Cinder, a cyborg mechanic, who lives in a futuristic China. She resides with her “evil” stepmother and her two stepsisters, one nice and one who’s just as bad as the stepmom. While working on the street, Cinder stumbles upon a disguised Prince Kaito, the one next in line for China’s throne, and the two develop a friendship. However, Kai is being forced to marry Queen Levana, the leader of a powerful alien race called the Lunars. Cinder also has troubles of her own as a plague brought to Earth by the Lunars starts taking over her city. So when a doctor tells her she’s the city’s only hope against the Lunars, Cinder has to do the impossible: inform Kai of Queen Levana’s dastardly plans by meeting him at the annual ball. Of course the guards are going to let in a raggedy second-class cyborg female, right?

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Yet another “Yo, let’s rebel because the government’s corrupt and it sucks” book, except with a bit more attempted mass murder. Yes, this is still a romance novel. If you haven’t already seen the movie, the novel is set in post apocalypse Chicago. The people of the city are separated into five factions: Abnegation (the selfless,) Dauntless (the brave,) Candor (the honest,) Amity (the peaceful,) and Erudite (the intellectual.) Beatrice Prior is a member of Abnegation, but after being tested to see which faction she would fit in best, she is told that she shares aptitudes from three factions. This makes her Divergent, and sets her life in danger. To hide this, she changes her faction to Dauntless, and meets Dauntless instructor Four, famed for having only 4 fears. As she gains and loses friends while trying to survive the grueling Dauntless initiation, she learns of a plan formulated by Erudite and a few Dauntless, a plan to wipe out the entire Abnegation faction. So it’s up to her and Four to fight back. An action-packed book, and… ah… a few very detailed make-out sessions. (Still a better love story than Twilight… unless you’re into sparkly vampires. In which you can completely ignore this entire list and just purge on the Twilight saga.)