A primer on tropes and cultural impact of romance, with lots of book recommendations, so you’re going to want to listen to this one with the TBR open. MA Librarians Sofia Safran, Boston Latin School, and Ella Stocker, Amherst Regional High School, talk to Luke and Laura all about romance books, the gap between YA & MG, representation across different mediums and how these books are landing with young readers. Also: Ella says “quirky Vicar,” Sophia revisits the Hunger Games as an adult, Laura can’t stand fake dating, and Luke mentions the 80s, twice.
Keefe Library Website, https://libguides.bls.org/keefehome
ARHS Library Google Site
The New Fabio is Claude (NYT gift link, Feb 2026)
Jenny Han
Rachel Lynn Solomon
Axie Oh
Emma Lord, https://www.emmalordwriting.com/home
KA Walther, https://www.klwalther.com/
Sarah Dessen, https://www.sarahdessen.com/
Lynn Painter, https://lynnpainter.com/
Kasie West, https://kasiewest.com/
Summer I turned Pretty (TV show)
Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston
The New Fabio Is Claude, New York Times, Feb. 8, 2026,
Forever Young Adult Blog, reviewes the new Sarah Dessen
‘Romancelandia’ on instagram
Cat Sebastian, https://catsebastian.com/
Emiko Jean, Love Me Tomorrow
Hari O’Connor, I Shall Never Fall in Love
Alix E. Harrow, The Everlasting
The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay By Ryan Douglass
A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon By Hannah Reynolds
Emiko Jean, Tokyo Ever After
The Princess Diaries
Katharine McGee, American Royals
As You Wish, by Neshae Jones
Swordheart, T. Kingfisher
Courtesy of Cupid, by Neshae Jones
Bye Forever I Guess, Jodi Meadows
Bookish Boyfriends series, Tiffany Schmidt
Lovesick Falls, Julia Drake
The Favorites, by Layne Fargo
Heated Rivalry
Breaking the Ice, Natalie Blitt
Love in Gelato, Jenna Evans welch
All you Knead is Love, Tanya Guerrero
Love Report, BeKa, illus. By Maya
The Girl from the Sea, Molly Ostertag
Lunar New Year Love Story, Gene Luen Yang
Punpkuin Heads, Rainbow Rowell
Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell
Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian
Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Beth Brower
Pennyroyal Green, Julie Anne Long
Elizabeth Hoyt
Mockingjay
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, Pablo Cartaya
Bill Konigsberg, Destination Unknown
"The Publishing Industry’s Most Swoon-Worthy Genre" (The Atlantic, Oct 2025)
“Not Just Love, Actually: Why Romance Fiction Is Booming” (The Guardian, Dec 2025)
"Why Are So Many Romance Novels Written In The First Person?" (Slate Magazine, March 2026)
