I’m an English major and the daughter of an English teacher — of course, I love to read! And, of course, I make it one of my personality traits. My Goodreads account is my pride and joy. I have to keep everyone updated on what I’m reading and my thoughts about every book.
Add in the fact that I’m a hopeless romantic, and it makes even more sense that half of the books I’ve read this year are romantic comedies. I know some people are romance haters, but I fully believe there is a romance book for everyone.
The genre is constantly growing, especially with the success of BookTok. Romance is, and has been, the money maker. Romance authors are making more of an effort to write about characters with careers and interests that normally aren’t portrayed as getting their happily-ever-after.
Everyone deserves a love story they can see themselves in. Here are some of my recommendations, based on your major!
Art History
Girl Abroad by Elle Kennedy was the perfect book to read a year after I studied abroad last summer in London! Nineteen-year-old Abbey moves to London to study abroad for a year and accidentally rents a room in an apartment with three guys. She soon finds herself in a love triangle. However, for her big class project, Abbey decides to explore the mysterious origins of a woman’s portrait found at an estate sale of the prominent (but infamous) Tulley family.
Music
In Julie Soto’s rivals-to-lovers story, Not Another Love Song, New York City violinist Gwen Jackson gets promoted to Pops Orchestra’s first chair. Xander Thorne, a strings prodigy, is stunned and livid, having expected to get the position himself. Gwen secretly idolizes Xander and is a massive fan of his boy band and orchestra act. As they spend more time together, they discover that their relationship with music (and each other) is deeper than expected.
I can’t begin to explain how much I loved this. In fact, it made so much more sense when I found out Julie Soto is one of my favorite Archive of Our Own authors.
Sports Management
If you’re studying sports management, Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey is for you! Josephine decides to help her favorite golf player, Wells Whitaker, get out of his funk. She becomes his caddy with the goal of helping him win the Masters Tournament. Lovingly described as the “bad boy golfer,” Wells begins to play as he used to with Josephine’s positive encouragement. I’ve never been interested in golf, but this grumpy and sunshine trope had me hooked!
Bailey released the second novel in the series, The Au Pair Affair, earlier this year, and the third, Dream Girl Drama, will come out in February 2025. Both are hockey romances!
Physics
As the queen of STEM romances, Ali Hazelwood truly outdid herself with Love, Theoretically. Elsie, a theoretical physicist, thinks she has found her dream professorship at MIT, but there’s one problem. Jack Smith, the physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and discredited theorists everywhere, is on the hiring board. Of course, he’s broody and stunningly attractive.
This one is my favorite among Hazelwood’s books. Some of her other STEM romances include The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain, and Loathe to Love You, a collection of three interconnected novellas!
English
Beach Read might be Emily Henry’s first adult contemporary romance, but she is a well-known name in the genre now. Beach Read follows romance author, January Andrews, who becomes the neighbor of Augustus Everett, a literary fiction author.
As victims of writer’s block, they decide to challenge each other by switching genres for their next book. They take each other on field trips to educate the other on their genre, swearing not to fall in love. We all know where this is going to go.
Entrepreneurship
I am unashamed to recommend another Tessa Bailey novel. It Happened One Summer is amazing! The heroine, Piper Bellinger, is inspired by Alexis Rose from Schitt’s Creek!
Piper gets cut off by her wealthy stepfather and is sent with her sister to revamp their dead father’s old bar in the small fishing town of Westport, Washington. Piper eventually falls in love with the town, the bar, and Brendan, a grumpy fisherman.
Bailey even wrote a follow-up book, Hook, Line, and Sinker, about Piper’s sister, Hannah, falling in love with Brendan’s friend, Fox!
Dance
In the friends-to-lovers sports romance The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams, Bree is a dance studio owner and best friends with the quarterback of the Los Angeles Sharks, Nathan. One night, she accidentally gets a little too drunk and blabs to a reporter who writes a tabloid article that has everyone believing she and Nathan are dating. Soon enough, Bree and Nathan start fake dating for Super Bowl publicity.
This one’s a little cheesy at times but super cute and light-hearted nonetheless. Sarah Adams released the sequel, The Rule Book, earlier this year!
I hope you take the time to read your recommended book! By the way, some of these are even available to purchase at the FSU Bookstore in the Student Union. Happy romance reading!
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