Top 5 Tuesday – Cute Romances

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bionic Book Worm. Here is a list of her Top 5 Topics for May.

This week’s topic is Top 5 Cute Romances. Generally speaking, the romance genre is tough for me – I feel like I’m at one end of the spectrum or the other. Either I love them and find them an immersive and fun read, or I think they’re too cheesy and forced – there just doesn’t seem to be any middle ground. Anytime I pick up a romance, it feels like I’m taking a chance so it’s pretty exciting when I find one I can’t put down!

Here are my Top 5 Cute Romance recommendations:

The Flatshare by: Beth O’Leary

When Tiffy breaks up with her boyfriend, she is in desparate need of a place to stay…like, immediately. Leon is in desparate need of cash…and works nights so he thinks, “Hey, why not?” He puts an ad in the paper looking for a roommate that will essentially share the flat with him – during the day when Tiffy works, Leon will occupy the flat. Then, at night when Leon is working, Tiffy will live there. It’s a convenient arrangement and one where the two roommates will never see each other…a perfect solution for both of them!

I honestly loved everything about this book (except for Leon’s voice, which kind of annoyed me). The writing sucked me in fromt he beginning and I was immediately connected to the story. The characters were so fun and quirky, yet human at the same time. The chapters alternated between Tiffy and Leon…which can risky because the reader may end up preferring one voice over the other, but that wasn’t the case with me here…I loved them both!

Another aspect of the story that I enjoyed were the secondary characters. They were awesome! Even though they weren’t the main part of the story, they added dimension to the story and kept ;it moving along in a realistic way. Throughout the story, I kept thinking that these are the kind of friends everyone hopes to have in their life!

Overall the story is unique, fun, and totally different than anything I’ve previously read. Once you start, you won’t be able to put it down!

Red, White, & Royal Blue by: Casey McQuiston

What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

Well, a lovely queer story emerges…and I’m here for it!

As soon as Alex’s mother becomes the President of the United States, Alex is thrown into the media spotlight. He is handsome, charismatic, and smart – all things that make the cameras love him. So when an altercation between Alex and Henry, the Prince of Wales, goes viral, US/British relations take a terrible turn. A forced truce emerges…and also a budding romance. But can the world handle a queer romance that crosses the pond?

This is the type of story that took me awhile to get into, but then I flew through it. And, more importantly, it’s a story that has stuck with me and makes me itch to re-read (which I don’t often do).

The Notebook by: Nicholas Sparks

Every single day, Noah reads Allie a story out of a notebook. That notebook contains the story of their life…from how they met and fell in love to the journey that turned into their lives together. It’s an act of devotion to recount that story daily to Allie who remembers nothing as her brain is ravaged from Alzheimer’s.

Maybe I’m a sucker for this one because it’s totally something I could see my sweet grandpa doing for my grandma who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. They have been marriedn for 67 years, and like all people of their generation, they saw many highs and lows over those years.

The Notebook is the sweetest love story ever (though I kinda like the movie better than the book 😬). It demonstrates the kind of love I think all of us hope for – loyalty, devotion, and commitment. It’s an abiding love.

The Kiss Quotient by: Helen Hoang

Stella is thirty years old and has never really dated anyone. As a women with Asperger’s, the thought of french kissing (let alone S-E-X!) kind of freaks her out. She decides to hire Michael, an escort that agrees to help her through a series of “lesson plans” to help her gain confidence in order to join the dating world.

Stella and Michael totally completed this story. I loved Stella’s innocence and Michael’s patience. I loved Stella’s assertiveness and Michael’s tenderness. They were the perfect match for each other and I loved their journey to love!

I wasn’t expecting this to be a book I would enjoy, but I couldn’t put it down. This is Hoang’s debut novel and she knocked it out of the park! This is very much a closed door romance (there are some steamy love scenes!), and I found myself blushing more than once (🙊), but overall it was light, refreshing, and endearing.

Redeeming Love by: Francine Rivers

I read this book so long ago that I’m not totally sure I could relay the ins and outs of what made this book so enjoyable for me, but I absolutely remember loving the budding relationship between Angel and Michael.

Angel was sold into prostitution as a small child so she is completely naive to love and the idea that men can be kind and gentle and loving. She is distrustful and has a hard heart.

Michael is a devout Christian and seeks God’s guidance in all the decisions he makes. When God calls on him to love Angel unconditionally and to marry her, he listens. As Michael proves his love for Angel over and over again, she slowly softens her heart and opens up to a true love.

As I said above, it’s been years since I read this book, but I was so inspired by Michael’s devotion and unconditional love. I also loved the backdrop setting of the 1850’s Gold Rush…an era of time I haven’t really read about before.

This book has strong undertones of Christianity, but don’t let that detour you from reading one of the best romance books out there!

I’d love to hear from you: what are some romances you’ve read and really enjoyed?