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 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

The Book of Unknown Americans (2014) is a novel by American author Christina Henríquez. The story follows two families, one Mexican and one Panamanian, as they navigate the experience of being Latin American immigrants in the United States. The Mexican girl, Maribel, and Panamanian boy, Mayor, fall in love, which brings the families together. While mainly fictional, The Book of Unknown Americans is inspired by Henríquez’s father’s experience as a Mexican immigrant in the United... Read The Book of Unknown Americans Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Class, Society: War

Tags Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Romance


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Southern Literature, History: World, Romance

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a historical novel by American author Kim Michele Richardson. Published in 2019, the book takes place in the Kentucky hills during the Great Depression in 1936. In its depiction of prejudice and community in 1930s Kentucky, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek touches upon themes including the distrust of authority, the random and dangerous nature of prejudice, the power of community, and the importance of caring.Content Warning: The... Read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family

Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, Love / Sexuality, Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Jason Reynolds’s 2015 young adult realistic contemporary novel, The Boy in the Black Suit, follows main character, Matt Miller, through several months of his senior year after the death of his mother. His grieving process is complicated by his father’s lengthy hospitalization after an accident, which leaves Matt to cope with his sadness alone. Matt discovers unexpected comfort, however, in his new job helping neighbor and funeral home director Mr. Ray. Matt meets Love, who... Read The Boy in the Black Suit Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Romance, New Adult


Publication year 1992

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags Romance, Arts / Culture, Love / Sexuality, Relationships, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

A world-traveling photographer and a farmer’s wife connect in a sudden, impossible romance in The Bridges of Madison County, a 1992 novel by Robert James Waller. Lauded by critics as a soaring, spiritual story of true love thwarted, but ridiculed by others for greeting-card sentimentality, Bridges became a #1 New York Times bestseller and stayed on the list for three years. With theater and film adaptations, it is one of the most widely read books... Read The Bridges of Madison County Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags Romance, Sports, Relationships


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance, Action / Adventure, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy


Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Beauty, Relationships: Daughters & Sons

Tags Historical Fiction, History: World, Romance

The Chaperone is a work of historical fiction written by American author Laura Moriarty and published in 2012. The novel portrays the Jazz Age of the 1920s in America through a feminine lens. It was inspired by historical people and events, primarily the 1920s silent-film actress Louise Brooks. Moriarty lives in Lawrence, Kansas, and the book is also partially set in Kansas. The Chaperone was adapted into a PBS Masterpiece feature film in 2018. Other... Read The Chaperone Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Disability, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Romance, Humor, Love / Sexuality, Relationships, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery

Tags Sports, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance


Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Marriage

Tags Romance, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy

Nicholas Sparks’s The Choice (2007) is a traditional romance novel that delves into the complexities of love, choices, and life’s unforeseen events. The story unfolds in the picturesque coastal town of Beaufort, North Carolina, where Travis Parker, an easygoing bachelor, encounters a life-changing series of events when Gabby Holland, a determined medical student, becomes his neighbor. The novel examines the themes of Coincidence Versus Destiny, Choices and Their Consequences, and Challenges to Romantic Relationships.Sparks is... Read The Choice Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Romance


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery

Tags Romance, Mystery / Crime Fiction


Publication year 1992

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Lyric Poem, Romance, Free verse, Love / Sexuality

Michael Ondaatje is the author of the poem “The Cinnamon Peeler.” First published in his fictionalized memoir, Running in the Family (1982), Ondaatje republished the poem in his poetry collection Secular Love (1984), and the poem is one of many that comprises the final section, titled “Skin Boat.” Ondaatje is a Canadian citizen who lived in England and was born in Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka—a former English colony famous for its cinnamon (Ceylon... Read The Cinnamon Peeler Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, History: World


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Victorian Period, British Literature, History: World, Fantasy


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Regret

Tags Romance, Grief / Death


Publication year 1797

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Mothers

Tags Classic Fiction, Education, Education, American Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance

Hannah Foster’s The Coquette, or, The History of Eliza Wharton, was first published, anonymously, in 1797. The book was not attributed to Foster until 1856, more than a decade and a half after her death. The Coquette is the story of the seduction of a young socialite woman, Eliza Wharton, by the devious Major Peter Sanford. The Coquette is an epistolary novel: it is comprised of dozens of letters written by its main characters. This... Read The Coquette Summary