Romance

"The course of true love never did run smooth," wrote William Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream—and he knew what he was talking about. A text from this study guide collection might be just the thing to remind you of the bliss and pain of love.

Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Life/Time: Mortality & DeathTags Historical Fiction, Romance, Food, Relationships, Politics / Government, Love / Sexuality, American Literature

Publication year 2017Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, British Literature

Written in 2017 by Ken Follett, A Column of Fire is a historical fiction novel and the third book in his Kingsbridge series, following The Pillars of the Earth (1989) and World Without End (2007). This novel is a loose sequel to the previous two books and is set against the backdrop of 16th-century Europe. Spanning both decades and continents, it follows the lives of a cast of characters who are caught in the conflict... Read A Column of Fire Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Fantasy, Romance, Relationships

Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: ForgivenessTags Fantasy, Romance, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Publication year 2015Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Fantasy, Romance

Publication year 2017Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Friendship, Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: ForgivenessTags Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure

Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionTags Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tale / Folklore

Publication year 2023Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Order & ChaosTags Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ

Publication year 2023Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Self DiscoveryTags Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman

Publication year 2024Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Fantasy, Romance, Mythology, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Gender / Feminism

Publication year 2014Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction

After by Anna Todd is a fan fiction novel with characters loosely based on the band members from One Direction. The novel principally features the band’s lead singer, Harry Styles, as the inspiration for main character Hardin, and Anna Todd herself as the inspiration behind the protagonist, Tessa. Todd originally wrote After on Wattpad, a social storytelling platform, but it was adapted as a published novel by Simon and Schuster in 2014. After is now... Read After Summary


Publication year 2013Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Romance, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Love / Sexuality, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Relationships

Publication year 1847Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Relationships: MarriageTags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, British Literature, Education

Agnes Grey is the first novel by Anne Brontë (1820-1849), the youngest of the three celebrated Brontë sisters, who all wrote novels now considered classics of English literature. Anne drew on her experience as a clergyman’s daughter and as a governess in telling the story of a young woman looking for her place in the world. Published in 1847 under the pseudonym Acton Bell, Agnes Grey was read as an incisive commentary on the status... Read Agnes Grey Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: LoveTags Romance, Fantasy, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Action / Adventure, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Class, Love / Sexuality

Publication year 2013Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: FearTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

Allegiant, written by New York Times Bestselling author Veronica Roth, is the third and final novel in the Divergent trilogy. Allegiant was published in 2013 by Harper Collins and is a dystopian novel written for a young adult audience. Roth tells the story from the perspective of Tris Prior and Tobias Eaton. Allegiant is the first novel where Roth uses a different narrator, as she wrote both Divergent and Insurgent from only Tris’s perspective.Lionsgate adapted... Read Allegiant Summary


Publication year 2022Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Immigration, Emotions/Behavior: courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Historical Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Publication year 2015Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: LoveTags Romance, Depression / Suicide, Mental Illness

All the Bright Places is a young adult novel written by Jennifer Niven that deals with the topic of teen suicide. The book was winner of the Goodreads Choice award in 2015, the same year it was first published. Niven tells the story from two different voices, those of high school students Theodore Finch (who goes by “Finch”) and Violet Markey. The characters first meet at the top of their high school bell tower, where both... Read All The Bright Places Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: FamilyTags Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Bryn Greenwood’s novel All the Ugly and Wonderful Things (2016) acknowledges and inverts the features of fairy tales and romances to depict a relationship that challenges accepted social values and questions the definition of love itself. Sunk in the depravity and degradation of her father’s drug-dealing lifestyle, eight-year-old Wavy finds her only solace in a questionable attachment to Kellen, a 24-year-old man who is also isolated and longing for some scrap of beauty in a... Read All the Ugly and Wonderful Things Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: GriefTags Romance, Grief / Death, Depression / Suicide

Publication year 2018Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: MothersTags Romance, Drama / Tragedy

Publication year 2009Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen is a contemporary YA romance novel published in 2009. The story follows protagonist Auden West, an academically accomplished, shy insomniac and child of divorce. When Auden decides to spend her summer before college with her father Robert, stepmother Heidi, and newborn half sister in a small beach town, she undergoes a personal transformation. Auden meets Eli, a fellow insomniac and professional biker, who helps her find her inner... Read Along for the Ride Summary


Publication year 2024Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Flora/plants, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: MusicTags Romance, Harlem Renaissance

Publication year 2017Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: SexualityTags Korean Literature, Asian Literature, Romance, Drama / Tragedy, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Diversity, Food

Jenny Han’s Always and Forever, Lara Jean is a young adult (YA) fiction novel published in 2017. It is the third volume in a trilogy surrounding the high school experience of an Asian-American girl named Lara Jean. The first two novels have been adapted into Netflix films; the third book is also slated to be developed into a film. This guide references the e-book version of the novel.Plot SummaryThis novel opens on a typical high... Read Always and Forever, Lara Jean Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Romance, Humor, Asian Literature

Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: ClassTags Romance, Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction

Publication year 2022Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: courage, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Historical Fiction, Romance, Gothic Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy

Publication year 2009Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: ConflictTags Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Action / Adventure

An Echo in the Bone (2009) is the seventh novel in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Combining elements of the historical fiction, adventure, fantasy, and romance genres, the series follows the adventures of Claire Randall, a WWII battle nurse who accidentally time travels to 18th-century Scotland and falls in love with Jamie Fraser, a Highland warrior. Over the course of 10 planned novels, Gabaldon follows Claire, Jamie, and their family as they navigate fate... Read An Echo in the Bone Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: WarTags Fantasy, Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (Razorbill, 2015) is the first in the An Ember in the Ashes series, followed by A Torch Against the Night. This young adult fantasy novel follows an elite warrior and a peasant girl as they find what it means to be free in a brutal world. An Ember in the Ashes debuted at number two on the young adult New York Times bestsellers list and was also... Read An Ember in the Ashes Summary


Publication year 1607Genre Play, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Classic Fiction, Play: Tragedy, Play: Historical, Romance

Antony and Cleopatra is a play by William Shakespeare that was first performed in 1607. The plot centers around the romantic affair between a Roman general, Mark Antony, and the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. Shakespeare had previously written the tragedy Julius Caesar in 1599 and this play continues to follow the history of Rome’s transformation from a republic into an empire. Antony and Cleopatra is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, portraying the downfall of... Read Antony and Cleopatra Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: LoveTags Romance, Disability, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Publication year 2018Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & EvilTags Fantasy, Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure

Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: LiteratureTags Fantasy, Mythology, Historical Fiction, Romance

Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Self Discovery, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: RaceTags Romance, LGBTQ

Publication year 2022Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: MusicTags Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Mystery / Crime Fiction

Publication year 1908Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: ArtTags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Satire, Edwardian Era

A Room with a View is a 1908 novel by British author E. M. Forster. The novel is split between Italy and England, telling the story of Lucy Honeychurch, a young and spirited middle-class Englishwoman who embarks on a journey of self-discovery during a trip to Italy. During her travels, Lucy falls in love with the free-spirited and unconventional George Emerson, a fellow tourist, but is later forced to choose between her heart's desire and... Read A Room with a View Summary


Publication year 2022Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: LiteratureTags LGBTQ, Romance, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman

Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Self DiscoveryTags Fantasy, Romance, New Adult

Publication year 2022Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Military / War

Publication year 2023Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Fantasy, Romance, New Adult

Publication year 2023Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & BetrayalTags Fantasy, Romance, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction

Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Self Discovery, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Education, Relationships, Technology, Crime / Legal

Publication year 2023Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: courage, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Environment, Society: War, Values/Ideas: LiteratureTags Fantasy, Romance, Gothic Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction

Publication year 1599Genre Play, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: SiblingsTags Elizabethan Era, Play: Comedy / Satire, Romance

As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare. The date of its first performance is unknown, but it is believed to have been written in 1599. As You Like It was first published in 1623 in the First Folio, the first of the posthumously published collections of Shakespeare’s plays.This summary refers to the 2019 Folger Shakespeare Library updated edition. Your edition’s line numbers and spellings may vary slightly.Plot SummaryWhen the play begins... Read As You Like It Summary


Publication year 2001Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Historical Fiction, Romance, WWII / World War II, British Literature

Atonement (2001) is an award-winning novel by British author Ian McEwan that spans the last two-thirds of the 20th century. The novel was a New York Times Bestseller for seven straight weeks and shortlisted for the Booker Prize for fiction in 2001. The 2007 film adaptation won an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and a BAFTA Award. McEwan is critically acclaimed with over a dozen novels and other works of fiction to his name, as... Read Atonement Summary


Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: FateTags Fantasy, Romance, Mythology

Publication year 1924Genre Short Story, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: War, Self DiscoveryTags Classic Fiction, Romance, WWI / World War I, The Lost Generation

“A Very Short Story” is one of Ernest Hemingway’s earliest literary works. It originally appeared as one of 18 vignettes that made up the chapbook in our time, published in 1924. The story was later republished, along with the original vignettes and 14 additional short stories, in a new and expanded edition of In Our Time in 1925. This guide refers to that later edition. “A Very Short Story” is semi-autobiographical, based loosely upon Hemingway’s... Read A Very Short Story Summary


Publication year 1993Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Good & EvilTags Historical Fiction, Christian literature, Romance

A Voice in the Wind (originally published in 1993) by American author Francine Rivers is an amalgam of history, Christian allegory, and romance novel. Set in ancient Rome, the novel uses the decadence and cruelty of the Roman Empire as a backdrop for a tale of religious persecution, forbidden love, and the triumph of faith. Rivers has written extensively in the Christian fiction genre, producing four multi-book series and several stand-alone novels, and the book’s... Read A Voice in the Wind Summary


Publication year 1999Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: LoveTags Romance

A Walk to Remember is a 1999 novel by bestselling American romance-writer Nicholas Sparks. It was adapted into a movie in 2002. The novel, set in 1958 in the coastal North Carolina town of Beaufort, builds on the brand Sparks established in his earlier bestselling 1996 novel, The Notebook, which is a historical romance set in a North Carolina coastal town during the 1940s. This North Carolina setting is also a locale of subsequent works... Read A Walk to Remember Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: HopeTags Romance, Irish Literature

Publication year 2023Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance, Satire