Lily Kazemi and Ilene Anders
Reporters
Mark your calendars, girls. February 14, the most romantic day of the year, is coming up. Whether you are alone or have a special someone to spend the day with, it won’t be complete unless you curl up with a fabulous book and a cup of cocoa. Here are our top ten romance novels that’ll make you swoon this Valentine’s Day.
10. I’d Tell You I Love You, but Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (2007)
This book may not be long, emotional, or a New York Times best seller, but it’s definitely worth your time. If your not one of those strictly romance kind of girls, stop for a moment and consider reading. I’d Tell You I Love You, but Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter paints a picture of what it’s like to have one foot in love, and another foot in trouble. Cammie Morgan is a typical American teenage girl; she goes to a boarding school called the Gallagher Academy for exceptional young women, where teachers do their best to make sure their students graduate with a readiness to take on the world; armed and dangerous. Cammie is learning to be a spy. Through trials and tribulation, she is drilled to precision to make sure that one day in the future, she won’t make a mistake in the field that costs her own life. No one would ever expect she’d go out on her first mission and lose not her life, but her heart. Though Cammie can make herself an invisible teenager to the un-trained eye, she has no experience what so ever when it comes to teenage love. When she meets a boy who thinks she’s just an ordinary girl, will she blow her cover, or can she lead a relationship on only lies? Join Cammie and her friends in this hilarious but sweet story about the lessons of love.
9. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (2000)
I know what you are thinking. Princess Diaries, as in the Disney movie where Anne Hathaway plays that nerd who finds out she’s the princess of some unknown country (who wants France when you have Genovia?) and gets the guy of her dreams? Yeah, you’re right: it was the quintessence of the typical Hollywood teen romedy (even Cabot mocked it throughout the book series). I almost didn’t give it a shot, but after some prodding I reluctantly tried it, and instantly fell in love. Told by Mia’s diary entries, Cabot creates a character so relatable that you just can’t help but to root for her. What with trying to pass Algebra 1, finding out that her mother is dating the teacher of said class, and dealing with her conflicting feelings for Josh, the popular senior, and Michael, her best friend’s older brother, Mia is your typical teen. Well, except for the fact that her father is really a prince, and that her name is really Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Crown Princess of Genovia. Her sarcastic commentary, quirky friends, and a grandmother who quite enjoys her Sidecars make for the perfect mixture of humor and romance. I can guarantee that you’ll laugh so hard that you’ll cry as you follow Princess Mia on her journey to discover who she really is, and what she truly wants.
8.Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen (2008)
Although this story focuses more on family love than romantic, it is one of the best books out there for self-discovery and the realization of who truly are the ones that love us. Ruby Cooper was seventeen when her mom abandoned her. Child services refused to let her live on her own until she was 18, so she was forced to go live with her sister, Cora, who had left for college when Ruby was 8. As Ruby regretfully adjusts to her new life, her neighbor, Nate Cross, attempts to befriend her. Though Ruby is less than welcoming, Nate tries to look out for Ruby, even when she acts out and gets into trouble. The two end up starting a relationship, and through Nate, Ruby begins to forgive and love her family. But Nate, the apparently great boy on the outside, is having family problems too. Sometimes in love, it takes saving someone else to save yourself.
7. Atonement by Ian McEwan (2001)
If you’re looking for a more serious read, Atonement is the book for you. Lies, love, betrayal, and death – it has it all, woven together to create one of the most complex story lines on this list. At thirteen, Briony Tallis is already a budding writer: she plans to put on a play, one that was written to welcome home her older brother. Her older sister, Cecilia, and their housekeeper’s son, Robbie, just recently graduated from Cambridge together. Though the two try to hide it, there is an undeniable attraction between them. Briony, after witnessing a series of events that she doesn’t quite understand, lets her vivid imagination get the best of her as she tells a lie that ruins Robbie’s life and his future with Cecilia. Fast-forward several years later where we meet an adult Briony, living with the guilt of her actions as she works as a field nurse during World War II. Featuring a main character so conflicted that she appears as both a villan and a hero, Atonement is sure to make your heart ache as you watch Briony grow from a young child to a mature adult, trying to atone for her past sins that will haunt her until the day she dies.
6. Delirium by Lauren Oliver (2011)
Get excited girls, Delirium just recently came out, and not many have gotten a chance to read it since its release date, February 1! Be the first to experience the dystopian world of Lena Haloway, where issues like stress, heart disease, and depression can be traced back to one disease: love. In the future, it’s called deliria, and the government forbids it. At eighteen, men and women must go through a procedure, to rid themselves of love forever. Lena is a few months away, and she’s happy it’s coming. They say love drives people to madness, and Lena can’t wait for the day when she’s safe. But the procedure also deprives people of feeling any acute sadness for their world, and logic rules over the heart every day. Families also aren’t expected to love each other, so that when they’re pulled apart no one has to cry. Lena doesn’t find out the true beauty of love until she does the forbidden, she falls in love with the sexy and mysterious Alex. This book is truly original as Oliver promises excitement as well as a new outlook on life as we know it. Be sure to check out Oliver’s other novels, which prove just as addicting.
5. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (1996)
No list of love stories is complete without at least one Nicholas Sparks novel – he is one of the only authors today that can create a truly memorable romance, one that will last with you long after you put it down. The Notebook may be the first novel he ever published, but his inexperience only adds to its ingenuity. We begin by meeting an older man that volunteers to read everyday to a woman living in a nursing home. As he reads, we are transported back to the summer of 1932 as the story of seventeen-year-old Noah Calhon unfolds. After meeting the rambunctious Allie at a carnaval, the two fall deeply in love until Allie’s parents separate them due to Noah’s lower social status. Fourteen years later, a twist of fate causes them to find each other again. Noah, who held onto his love for Allie all those years, is shocked to find out that Allie has moved on. In one of the most poignant, heartbreaking, and agonizing novels, Sparks creates a world in which there is always a second chance to rediscover a soul-shattering, irrefutable love that is sure to tug at your emotions in all the right ways.
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
As a kid, I always looked up to the fiery Elizabeth Bennet. After all, what’s not to like about her? She’s courageous, never afraid to say what’s on her mind, and, during a time where marriage was treated like a business deal, is invigoratingly independent. However, she’s also quick to judge, and is unforgiving. Once meeting Mr. Darcy, the proud and pompous best friend of the man courting her sister, she takes a deep disliking towards him. It’s this keen hatred that makes Darcy so fascinated by Elizabeth, who teaches readers one valuable lesson – sometimes, the person you think you know so well can surprise you. In one of the first light-hearted romantic comedies, Austen creates a character so bold and vibrant that she is a role model to girls everywhere. Pride and Prejudice, thought of by many to be Austen’s second chance at her failed romance with beau Tom Lefroy, is the perfect love story that will never age.
3. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks (1999)
That’s right, another Nicholas Sparks book, but in 1958 North Carolina, there’s a love story worth telling. Us girls take pride in being able to recall every scene from the famous The Notebook, and now I’d like to draw your attention to another Sparks novel that can match The Notebook in the realm of pain and everlasting love. A Walk To Remember will make you laugh, cry, and gasp for breath even when it’s not your heart that’s breaking. Before his seventeenth year, Landon Carter could say he wasn’t the most interesting kid, and pretty much everything bored him. Well, except maybe sneaking out with his friends to eat roasted peanuts in the graveyard, or playing tricks on the old Baptist minister, Hegbert Sullivan. So what are the odds that he would fall in love with the evidently perfect Jamie Sullivan, the minister’s daughter and a girl that in all ways possible drove him crazy? Jamie, the girl that takes nothing and gives all, shows Landon the true meaning of happiness. But their time may also be short and bittersweet, because a clock is ticking, and Jamie has a secret. Sparks unfolds a tale that shows the depth of what we do for love, even when we have only so much time, and there’s only so much we can do.
2. Forever... by Judy Blume (1975)
“The first time he passed me the crayons, I fell madly in love with him. He was a preschooler with flaming red hair, and he was all I would talk to my mother about for a whole week. Do you remember your first love? Do you remember your first rejection? When I kissed him on the cheek during circle time, he screamed and ran out of the room. His parents contacted the school, and they contacted my parents to make sure I didn’t ‘cause trouble’ at the preschool again. Young love…If only we were so bold now.” For Katherine and Michael, a first love is passionate, sincere, and fun at the same time. But unlike in preschool, love brings decisions. Sometimes, it’s easier to be young and bold instead of old, responsible, and aware of what the consequence of one small step could be. In Forever, Judy Blume weaves a story of many first times. The first serious relationship, the first kiss they shared, the first present they exchanged, and perhaps the first fight. It’s their last year of high school, and the future looms dauntingly, threatening to pull them apart. Katherine wears a necklace around her neck with their names engraved with the word forever. But is love meant to last forever? Find out in Blume’s adorable story where nothing is left out, not even the embarrassing first times we’d all rather not talk about. After all, when you love each other, what’s there to hide?
1. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936)
Gone with the Wind was an obvious choice for first place – it’s a classic historical romance, set during the Civil War, that’s as captivating as it is funny. It’s chivalrous while still highlighting feministic issues, and features a strong female character. Scarlett O’Hara, the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, is the most clever and sought-after belle of the South, but the one man she wants is far out of her reach – Ashley Wilkes is already engaged. Enter in Rhett Butler, the dark and mysterious older man with a scandalous past who takes a keen interest in Scarlett, seemingly always there to catch her when she falls. Readers will fall in love with Scarlett and her family as they watch both her and the South at their highest and their lowest points, struggling to remain strong in the face of hardship. Mitchell creates a group of characters that you hate, but at the same time, can’t help but love, and you will laugh, cry, and laugh again as you watch the ever so spunky Scarlett struggle to find herself – and trust me, she does some pretty unbelievable things along the way. The 1,000 pages may seem daunting at first, but it’s a read so good that you’ll be glad you stuck with it.
Honorable mentions: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Little Women
