Romance Reads for Valentine ’ s Day
By: Orange County Library Staff
Please enjoy the book recommendations below from the Orange County Public Library for the month of February. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Orange County Main Library at (540) 672 - 3811.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
A New York Times Notable Book of 2022! The New York Times Bestseller and Good Morning America Book Club Pick! This book features a heroine who grew up working and living at the family funeral home and who can see and speak to dead people. Florence was teased and ostracized in her small town and fled to New York to escape. She dumps her stable job and risks it all to become a full - time author and is now facing a looming deadline and a new boss and editor. Drawn back home by a family crisis,
Number 1 NEW YORK TIMES GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • A GOODREADS BESTSELLER •
CHOICE AWARD WINNER and A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, GoodReads, Bookpage, Kirkus. A huge hit with a long waiting list, this offbeat romance features a chemist, Elizabeth Zott, who becomes the star of a cooking show when economic necessity forces her to find work outside the science world. Her relationship with her daughter and what the daughter learns about relationships as a result is a key part of the story. Elizabeth ’ s cooking show becomes a huge hit, but its pro - woman
she connects with the spirit of her new editor, Ben, and learns to see love as possible again. Florence is a sympathetic character as she struggles and gets in awkward situations that left me laughing.
message is also subversive as she encourages a viewer to become a heart surgeon and other viewers to embrace non - traditional female roles.
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
This romance set in the world of global politics was unusual and refreshing. Image if the United States had a female president running for re - election who has a teenage son. Now image that the son has just discovered he is gay through having a crush and then a relationship with the crown prince of the British monarchy. The pressure, secrecy and crushing stakes of having such a relationship were portrayed very effectively and those parts read almost like a thriller. This was paired with tender and romantic love letters between the two men which they use to get to know and woo each other.
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
Named one of the Best Romances of 2020 by EW, Cosmo, OprahMag, Buzzfeed, Insider, and NPR! Carolina “ Lina ” Santos is a wedding plan- ner living with the uncomfortable aftermath of being left at the altar. Lina is forced to work with Max, the best man from her own cancelled wed- ding, to do a career making pitch to his family business. This enemies to lover ’ s romance is sassy, sexy and funny.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Graduate student Olive gets herself twisted in a fake dating relationship with hot professor dam Carlsen, to help a friend move on from a bad breakup. As their relationship builds through lots of banter, Olive finds that her fake dating might not be so fake after all. Olive ’ s insecurities are very relatable and the academic setting feels authentic.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
This book is the first in a series which features a group of baseball players who form a book club that reads romance novels and uses them to solve problems in their real - life relationships. The tone is light and there is a fair amount of humor mixed in. The fact that men are mentoring each other regarding relationship skills and reading romance novels is also a fun twist.
Page 26 | February, 2023
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter