gehna's unconventional romance book recommendations
it's not smut, it's not "slowburn", it's just pure agony i read through my teens
to me, romance has been that one genre that i crave in nearly every book. if done tastefully, i believe that it has so much potential than just being “his scintillating eyes followed me and i gave in…” to me, it needs to be an additional element to the story, like the subtle cinnamon or strawberry glaze. however, as someone who loves love and loves exploring how it looks in different facets of different people’s lives, here’s a bunch of literature i consumed as a teenage girl in the corner of my classroom, under the desk, before my teacher could kick me out!
book recommendations:
1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
If someone knows me, they definitely know that I would recommend and defend this book until the end of time! Reading Ishiguro altered my brain chemistry in a way nothing else did. The story revolves around Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth- three childhood best friends as they navigate the complexities of life tailor made for them. From the loving memories of their school, Hailsham, to spending their last days in the hospital, this book a is a poignant mediation on memory, love and the entire idea of being a human.
I remember reading this in the last semester of my college and till date, it is one book that is so well written as an unconventional romance, that I cannot shut up about it! There is a movie on this book as well, but nothing, I repeat, NOTHING, compares to the book itself!
2. My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga
Trigger Warning: Suicidal thoughts, Mentions of Suicide
This is yet again one of those novels that parades as a romance novel, disguising the ideas of mental health struggles and trauma bonding. Reading this as a 15-year-old changed my perspective on mental health struggles that may seem ordinary but run so deep down that the escape almost seems inevitable. The story revolves around a pair of teenagers who have lost their will to live and decide to collectively end their lives.
More often than not, a lot of people romanticize the idea of living for someone, but this novel questions the very basis of “loving” and “liking” someone to a more nuanced facet of “despite that, I do not wish to live.” The ending was also something that was filled with hope and gave me respite, but the book itself was a little gloomy for me.
3. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Imagine a romance book loosely threaded around mythology, physics, and the mechanics of the cosmos. To scrape the surface of all three and diluting it with romance is what concocts this book— The Sun is Also a Star! Laced with the undertones of illegal immigration, deportation, and cultural barriers in romance, this novel is a great mediation on both, South Asian and Jamaican cultures.
The plot revolves around the female protagonist being deported from the States to Jamaica, who happens to have 24 hours to fall in love with a Korean (raised in the States) medical aspirant whose passions lie in the arts. This poignant tale, mixed with psychological references, broken dreams and aspirations, and love shredded apart, ends with a pink strand of hope (you’ll get why it’s pink!) that you simply cannot put down. This is one of my personal favourite books of all time.
4. Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
If there’s romance involved in any way, I will vouch for Nicola Yoon! Everything, Everything is an unconventional tale of a teenage girl who has been confined to safety all her life, up until a nosy neighbour comes next door and barges into her life.
The story explores timelines, theories, and lies and deals with grief, loss, coming of age, and love. This was my first book by Nicola Yoon and a surprisingly easy read! The interactive elements, the anticipatory romance, and characters tied up with a personality of their own make up for most of the book’s greatness. Additionally, for those craving a little bit of mother-daughter angst, this is your way to go!
P.S.: It has one of my other favourite books as a shoutout, which had me sold!
5. Third Best by K.V. Arjun Rao
An Indian classic with the entire Bollywood Drama! Third Best makes up the best of boarding school drama, packed with Dil Chahta Hai vibes and a plot that will have you gushing throughout. For a lighthearted romance read, and a Mohabbatein-like setting, Third Best by K.V. Arjun Rao is one of those romance novels that I devoured in one night.
Three friends. Three very different personalities. Three different love interests. This tale is an interesting recollection of years before technology, privileged mischief, and opulent boarding school life that will have you swooning and absorbed for hours. While it’s a no-brainer, this is one of my romance recommendations because I thoroughly enjoyed the setting. This was probably one of those books that I read, that represented romance (albeit fictional to the core of my life instances) in my country and in context I could understand. While I agree that literature is all about the transcendence of borders, representation is as essential as diversity. Thus, this book came into the picture as the beginning of the Indian representation of romance for me.
6. Aristotle and Date Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
This is a cliche queer recommendation but it did rip open my heart a little. Showing the different paradigms of emotions and “queerness”, I feel that the author did a decent job with the identity politics of the two individuals. To be honest, it did not feel like one of those books where the only personality the characters had was their queer identity.
Something that moved me even more, was the underlying theme of troubled family dynamics. The polar opposite families of the two boys widen the horizon of understanding their character, the difference in their identity and how they grapple with it, in order to discover what loving/liking someone means for them both. These unique differences are what bring them together, and to me, this was a little bit of a tear-jerker in the best possible way.
P.S.: The title also makes up for the intrigue that was built in me over time to discover this book!
really hoping that y’all enjoy these recommendations, and if you have read any of these, please let me know how was your experience. <3
p.s.: sorry for putting in so many movie pictures and tempting you, but i feel that humans are more inclined to perceive pictures well than just text hihi.