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.

Euphoria

by Lily King

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Historical Fiction, Anthropology, Anthropology, World History, Romance

A New York Times Best Seller and winner of the 2014 Kirkus Prize for fiction, Lily King’s novel Euphoria is inspired by the life and fieldwork of eminent American anthropologist Margaret Mead. Specifically, King looked at the time in 1933 when Mead, the woman whom protagonist Nell Stone is based on, went to what was then known as the Territory of New Guinea with anthropologists Gregory Bateson and Reo Fortune. In the Acknowledgements at the... Read Euphoria Summary

Eva Luna

by Isabel Allende, Transl. Margaret Sayers Peden

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Femininity, Perseverance, Appearance & Reality, Community, Justice

Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Romance, Latin American Literature, Classic Fiction

First published in Spanish in 1987, Eva Luna is a novel written by celebrated Chilean writer Isabel Allende and later translated into English by Margaret Sayers Peden the following year. The story is set in an unnamed South American country believed to be an amalgamation of Chile and Venezuela. The eponymous Eva Luna narrates the epic story of her life against a backdrop inspired by the sociopolitical changes in South America from the mid-1940s to... Read Eva Luna Summary

Every Day

by David Levithan

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Realistic Fiction, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Romance, LGBTQ+, Religion & Spirituality

Every Day is the 2012 young adult novel by David Levithan (Two Boys Kissing, Will Grayson, Will Grayson). The protagonist of this teen fantasy, who is referred to as “A,” is a 16-year old with a very strange life. Every day “he” wakes up in the body of a new person. One of the only things that remains consistent is that A is always A, no matter the body. A has their own thoughts and... Read Every Day Summary

Every Last Word

by Tamara Ireland Stone

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness, Bullying, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Every Last Word, by Tamara Ireland Stone, is a young-adult novel published in 2015. Samantha McAllister, the book’s protagonist, is a junior in high school who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While Samantha appears like any average teenage girl, underneath the surface she is different from the majority of her peers: dark thoughts, incessant worries, and an obsession with the number three plagues nearly all of her waking moments. Through Samantha’s struggle to navigate... Read Every Last Word Summary

Every Soul a Star

by Wendy Mass

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Teamwork

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Science & Nature, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Every Soul a Star is a young adult novel by Wendy Mass that takes three clichés of adolescence—the Brainiac, the Pretty Girl, and the Antisocial Misfit—and develops them into psychologically nuanced characters who are at once sympathetic and believable. The novel was published in 2008, well after Mass had established her reputation as a foremost young adult fiction writer of the new millennium. Her prolific output—nearly 30 titles in just under 15 years—has secured a... Read Every Soul a Star Summary

Everything, Everything

by Nicola Yoon

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Daughters & Sons, Safety & Danger

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Everything, Everything was published in 2015 and written by Jamaican American author Nicola Yoon. It is a contemporary young adult novel that focuses on family relationships, grief, and teenage romance. Told primarily through the first-person narration of protagonist Madeline Whittier, the novel also uses a nontraditional storytelling method that incorporates various “documents,” like drawings, emails, and book reviews. Everything, Everything was adapted into a feature film in 2017.Plot SummaryMadeline Whittier, an 18-year-old living in a... Read Everything, Everything Summary

Exile

by Shannon Messenger

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Memory, Language, Race, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Community, Education, Immigration, Nation, War, Fate, Justice, Music, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Conflict, Animals, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Self Discovery

Tags Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

... Read Exile Summary

Exit West

by Mohsin Hamid

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Globalization

Tags Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Romance, Fantasy

Exit West is a work of political fiction by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid, who also wrote The Reluctant Fundamentalist and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. It was published in 2017 and was shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize.Exit West begins in an unnamed Middle Eastern city that is on the verge of war. It is already “swollen with refugees” (1). This is where Nadia and Saeed, the two main characters in... Read Exit West Summary

Fake Skating

by Lynn Painter

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Coming of Age, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Wins & Losses, Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance, Sports, Contemporary Literature

... Read Fake Skating Summary

Fallen

by Lauren Kate

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Coming of Age, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Fate, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Fantasy, Romance

... Read Fallen Summary