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 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Memory, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Siblings, Community, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction

Published in 2026, Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter is a cozy fantasy novel by Heather Fawcett, author of the New York Times bestselling Emily Wilde series. The story is set in a magical version of Montréal and centers on Agnes Aubert, a 35-year-old widow whose struggling cat shelter is destroyed in a battle between magicians. Desperate to find a new space before winter, she rents a suspiciously affordable and opulent shop, only to discover it... Read Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter Summary

Publication year 1847

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality, Marriage

Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Romance, Coming of Age, British Literature, Education, World History, Historical Fiction, Victorian Era

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 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Nation, War, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure

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 with a romance element 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... Read Allegiant Summary

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Truth & Lies, Friendship, Immigration, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 1602

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Marriage, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Drama, Comedy & Satire, British Literature, Humor, Dramatic Literature, Romance

All’s Well That Ends Well is a play by William Shakespeare (1582-1616), one of the most influential writers in the English language. The date of composition is not known, but All’s Well That Ends Well was first performed between 1598 and 1608. It was published in 1623, in the First Folio. Shakespeare’s work is part of Early Modern English literature, alongside playwrights like Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe, during which time the play and theater... Read All's Well That Ends Well Summary

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love

Tags Romance, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

All the Bright Places (2015) is a young adult novel with elements of romance written by Jennifer Niven that deals with the topic of teen suicide. The book was winner of the Goodreads Choice award and has become a popular read among the BookTok community. 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... Read All The Bright Places Summary

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Love, Family

Tags Romance, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, Mental Illness

Bryn Greenwood’s novel All the Ugly and Wonderful Things (2016) acknowledges and inverts the features of fairy tales and romance novels 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... Read All the Ugly and Wonderful Things Summary

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Historical Fiction, 9/11, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Romance, Arts & Culture

All We Have Left is a historical novel written by Wendy Mills. The book was published in 2016, and was included on Best Book of the Year lists by Kirkus, Amazon and Bank Street. The work is based upon the impact of the terrorist bombings of the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, and is directed at a young-adult audience. The story is told from the perspective of two teenaged... Read All We Have Left Summary