Hey y’all, welcome to the Kissing Books newsletter. I hope your spirit is doing well today. I’m PN Hinton, your guide through the roller coaster of a ride that the world of romance can be. If this is your first time reading this newsletter, I’m glad that you’re here. If you’re a regular reader, welcome back; it’s always good to see you.
Book Riot Romance
Here’s a round-up from Jess on some of the romances we can look forward to coming our way in May.
And here’s this piece I put together on some feel good queer YA rom-coms that are out there.
Around the Web in Romance
A good portion of the books listed here are romances or have a heavy romantic element and I know that we could also use something to lift our spirits so I’m sharing the sunshine.
This week’s Trope Tuesday from Love’s Sweet Arrow was a challenge indeed with Cheating and Infidelity with an HEA.
For Heartstopper fans, here are some of the cutest moments from the first season.
I felt the same way! The baby goat is a large part of why I picked this book up.
If you love doctors in love, check this list out.
Pick a Bridgerton character and get a book recommendation.
Not book related, but The Lost City is now available for streaming at Paramount+ for those who may have missed it in the theaters for whatever reason.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
Recommendations
This last weekend while scrolling Netflix to pick something to watch, You’ve Got Mail popped up as an option. When my spouse mentioned he liked that movie, I replied that I had never seen it. He was a bit shocked, which in his defense is fair considering all the other romantic comedies I’ve seen, and promptly started it up.
And overall, I enjoyed it. I can see where people have issues with it, but in my opinion, the active deception was barely a quarter of the movie. Sure, Joe figured it out early on but he didn’t start trying to make his online persona seem like a bad guy until almost the end. Which isn’t to say I begrudge people for having their issues with it but it is something that I could see myself watching again.
Stil, this pattern of falling in love behind words only is a pattern that has been in romances for quite some time and I can understand the appeal. It takes the “love is blind” concept and puts it to the test because it means that you are getting to know the actual person before you see them. True, people can still lie behind the screen, but there is something about someone who knows nothing about you but the handle you choose that makes you a little bit more honest. Not always, but for the sake of this list we’ll go with that.
And, while attraction is still a factor in any romantic relationship, it’s still a nice concept of falling in love with someone based on words alone. That leads me to my recommendations for today which are books that are similar to this movie.
Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin
As any good daughter would, Hana works part-time at her mother’s halal restaurant, Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, but secretly yearns for a career in radio and is also working to outshine her fellow interns at the local radio station. She also hosts a podcast and builds a relationship with one of her listeners. When a new and more upscale halal restaurant opens its doors in her city, Hana finds herself drawn to Aydin who is the young owner of said eatery, which is now her family’s rival. As they interact more she realizes that they may not be complete strangers to each other after all.
Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey
Thanks to her mother owning a bookstore, Rosie has loved books since childhood. And, since becoming the owner of the store after her mother’s passing, this love has only grown. So she’s heartbroken when she receives a letter from her property management telling her they will not be renewing her lease. She begs the company to reconsider and invites them to the upcoming book club. Against her better judgment, Jane accepts the invite and attends only to have the meeting end in disaster when Rosie realizes that Jane is the one who actually signed the letter. What further complicates this situation is that both women have been keeping up an online correspondence, with Jane using the pen name Brie under which she writes lesbian romance. What will happen when secret identities get revealed and both women have to reconcile with the fact that this may not be an event they can stop from happening?
Ghosting by Tash Skilton
Differing challenges have led both Miles and Zoey to wind up in a competition for space at Cafe Crudite, where they both try to make a living ghostwriting dating profiles for rival online dating services. Then, one night, they ‘meet’ online while pretending to be the clients and the sparks begin to fly. As they get closer online, their clients experience a dating disaster off the screen, which leads to even more complications. Once all this comes to light, will they allow the spark that ignited online to catch flame or sizzle into ashes?
And that’s all I have for you today. I’ll be back on Monday with another newsletter which, as a heads up, will look a little bit different than it has in the past. No worries though, you’ll still get all the goods. In the meantime, while you wait to see what Monday has in store, I can be found posting on Twitter under @PScribe801. Until then!