A book and movie to go with
I pride myself on reading a variety of genres when it comes to my books, but if one thing stays true it is my love for a good romance. To me, an ideal fluffy and fun romance book includes a healthy dose of blushing and smiling at pages. Being an equal TV enthusiast, a good love triangle or fake-dating plot will get me to watch any movie. Both things being said, I love finding similarities in my favorite books and movies.
The Right Move & How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
The Right Move is the second installment in a romance series called Windy City focused on various athletes in the Chicago area (although you in no way must read the first book before this one, I also highly recommend it.) In The Right Move, Indy Ivers moves in with her best friend’s brother to afford rent in the city while saving for an important procedure. This new roommate also happens to be a six-foot-three NBA star, who loves his alone time and clean apartment. Ryan, said basketball player, also happens to be the best book boyfriend on my current imaginary roster. They start to fake-date to allow Indy a plus-one to an upcoming wedding and to help Ryan convince his General Manager that he has a life outside of basketball. Everything this man did had me genuinely giggling out loud – just ask my roommate. My standards in real men have effectively been raised. I finished this book astonishingly fast, and immediately started the third in the series, so stay tuned!
It felt strangely right, if not completely aligned, to pair this book with a Rom-com classic. If you haven’t watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, stop reading this right now and watch it. I’m dead serious. I might be pushing this pairing a little bit purely because of the iconic basketball scene, but I don’t know, it just feels right. In How to Lose a Guy, gossip columnist Andie decides that for a new article, she is going to purposely try to make a guy break up with her in a ten-day deadline. Executive Ben Berry simultaneously makes a bet with his boss that he can make any woman fall in love with him in ten days. Ben is also played by Matthew McConaughey. Need I say more? With a little bit of deception and a little more cringe, this movie is a perfect cheesy addition to a good night in.
Yours Truly & To All of the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Yes, To All the Boys is also a book, but please, for my sake, stay with me. Yours Truly was my absolute favorite romance of the summer, a witty and fun book that also does an incredible job portraying anxiety. Dr. Briana Ortiz is having a rough time. Her divorce is about to be finalized, her brother is suffering from kidney failure, and she’s pretty sure she’s about to lose her promotion to the new doctor at her hospital. After a couple of not-so-great encounters, Dr. Jacob Mattox writes Briana a letter. The arrangement that ensues provides Briana with an incredible favor and Jacob with a fake girlfriend to ease his family’s overbearing concern. Jacob’s perspective is written with the best take on anxiety that I have ever read in fiction, and it genuinely brought me to tears with relatability. This book made me laugh, cry, and everything in between.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a match in both the letter and fake-dating trope categories. Admittedly a movie and book for slightly younger audiences, the story most definitely still tracks in the entertainment category. Lara Jean Song-Covey, a high-school junior, has a secret habit of writing love letters when she needs to get over a crush. When she discovers her letters have been mailed, she panics. Mainly because one of her letters was addressed to her sister’s (newly) ex-boyfriend. To avoid this situation, Lara Jean enlists another recipient of her letter, Peter. Peter agrees to fake their relationship to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. This movie is a fluffy, fun, and cute rom-com based on the book by Jenny Han.
Normal People & La La Land
My favorite thing about both Normal People and La La Land is the complicated way they fit into the category of romance. Although they are primarily about a relationship with another person, they also are irremovably about self-love and dreams.
Normal People is a modern classic in my humble opinion. Although punctuated by some of the worst communication issues I have ever seen in entertainment, the story of growing up, succeeding, and suffering, is told through the relationship of Marianne and Connell. (Be warned, this book is heavy, and features a bizarre absence of quotation marks around dialogue that threw me for a loop.) Marianne and Connell meet in high school, where they begin secretly hooking up, partially because Connell is popular and Marianne is not. In a beautifully written tribute to the growth and change that relationships endure over long periods of time; Sally Rooney has left me thinking about these characters on a regular basis. Sad, powerful, and relatable.
La La Land is a similar work of art in many ways. The music, acting, and cinematography of this film make it a masterpiece. The film follows Mia and Sebastian, drawn together by their passion for their respective fields of music and acting. As they face success, they are forced into the trouble of choosing their love for each other or their work. In a heartbreaking but powerful tribute to following one’s dreams, this movie is a masterful and thought-provoking tearjerker.
Next time you need a romance for a good night in, these are great options on both paper and the screen.