Fourteen Books I Love -- About Love!
Some Valentine Day book recs I think you should read
Hello, friends, and happy (almost) Valentine’s Day! To celebrate this holiday, I pulled together fourteen books I love that feature love – whether it be romantic love, sibling love, love in the form of friendship or pets, or…my favorite trope ever…found family! There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s get into it!
1: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Quick Book Summary: Scout lives with her brother Jem and her lawyer father Atticus in the South, where not a lot happens. But when Tom, a local Black man, is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Atticus, despite the bad odds, decides to defend him properly. What happens next is a gripping portrayal of justice in a time and place where many Black people had none.
I’m starting off strong with this wonderful classic. While it has a lot of familial love (the relationships between Jem, Scout, and Atticus are very strong), I think the reason why this classic has stood the test of time is because of love for your fellow neighbor. And that means every neighbor, even if they’re different from you.
If you haven’t yet, go read this book! (It has some graphic content, so I’d recommend it for 13+.)
2: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Quick Book Summary: Reynie Muldoon has been alone for most of his life, growing up in dingy Stonetown Orphanage with no parents and no friends. When he finds an ad in the newspaper for a special opportunity, Reynie must band together with friends Sticky, Kate, and Constance to save the world from a threat that no one sees coming.
I love this book because it’s chock-full of my favorite trope, found family! Sticky, Kate, Reynie, and Constance bond together throughout the story, which is super sweet and fun to witness. There’s also good representation of adopted families, which I appreciated!
3: Love and Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean
Quick Book Summary: After receiving a diagnosis that changes her life, Britt jumps at the chance to go on a scavenger hunt in England with three of her fellow classmates. While there, she meets Luke, a witty boy from England that she can’t seem to get out of her head. But when there’s prize money on the line, Britt must choose between her heart and her head – unless there’s a way she can work it all out before the contest ends.
This book is one of the best YA romances I have ever read. Britt and Luke are so adorable, and it’s set in modern day England with a “I don’t care, but I really do” chaperone and some rambunctious classmates. There’s no mature content, and all in all, it was just fantastic!
4: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Quick Book Summary: Ella is cursed to do anything people tell her to. When her father remarries, leaving Ella alone with two awful stepsisters and a horrible stepmother, she decides to search for the fairy who cursed her to ask her to undo the spell. But Lucinda is hard to find, and Ella finds herself fighting off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince. But can Ella undo the curse before it is too late…or is she doomed to follow orders for the rest of her life?
This is one of the best Cinderella retellings I have ever read in my life. The main focus, of course, is romantic love, but there’s a bond between a godmother and goddaughter, friendships between different fictional species, and so much more. This book is amazing, and I’d definitely recommend it!
5: The Best At It by Maulik Pancholy
Quick Plot Summary: Rahul is going into seventh grade. Not that he’s happy about it. In fact, he’s super anxious. So his grandfather, Bhai, gives him one goal for the school year: find something and be the BEST at it. As Rahul makes new friends and comes to terms with his identity while trying different activities…he wonders…what will happen if he’s not the best at anything?
This book was super cute, and I liked how the main character had lots of good familial relationships. His parents, his little brother, his grandfather, and his best friend all are central characters in the story, and the small romance was super sweet!
6: All The Way Home by Patricia Reilly Giff
Quick Plot Summary: August, Brooklyn, 1941. Mariel is used to living with Loretta, her foster mother, by themselves. Then Brick shows up, ready to stay with them after a fire demolished his family’s crop of apples. But as Mariel begins to confront her past and her polio, as Brick decides to go back to Windy Hill to help with the harvest, both of their stories might be connected in more ways than they know.
This book always makes me cry a little bit. It’s a poignant look at polio in New York right before WWII with middle grade protagonists. This book does a good job with different kinds of love; while there’s no romance with the main characters, there’s a small romance, adopted love, familial love, and two characters who are Brick’s adopted grandparents.
7: The Inquisitor's Tale, Or The Three Magical Children and their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz
Quick Plot Summary: In the thirteenth century in France, travelers at an inn meet and begin to tell tales about three children: Jeanne, a peasant girl who can see visions, Jacob, who is Jewish and fled his burning village, William, on a mission from his monastery, and Gwenforte, Jeanne’s reincarnated dog, who accompanies them. As they make their way through France, they must rely on their wits and their gifts to save France…before it is too late.
This book is amazing! It has the vibes of The Canterbury Tales, but it’s a middle grade book with lots of found family. There’s no romance, not much family aspects, but under all of the adventure, there’s a sense of camaraderie and joy that will leave you feeling satisfied.
8: The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Quick Plot Summary: Maybelle Lane has lived in a trailer park for most of her life, missing her father, who she’s never known. But when she finds out her daddy will be one of the judges at a singing contest in Nashville, she jumps at the chance to find him. Heading out with her neighbor and one of the bullies she’s been enduring for years, Maybelle makes her way to Nashville…where she discovers that the best family you have is the one you make for yourself.
This was the first book by Kate O’Shaughnessy I read, and when I was done I told my mom, “You need to read this book.” Because it honestly was THAT good. It not only has single mother representation, but it includes found family. (If you know me by now you know it’s my favorite trope EVER!) It’s soft and cozy realistic fiction, with some action and hard truths, and it’s one of my favorite books ever.
9: The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman
Quick Plot Summary: When neighbors (and enemies) Valentina and Oksana are sent away from the Chernobyl explosion in 1986, they don’t expect to end up in Leningrad, where Valentina’s estranged grandmother, Rita, lives. But while the two girls struggle to fit in Leningrad, Rita begins to tell the story of Rifka, a girl who lived in 1941 in Kiev, who must struggle to survive because of her Jewish blood. In both timelines, the girls must confront who they are and how they fit in, in a world that’s constantly changing.
I think I read this book in a single sitting. That’s how impactful The Blackbird Girls was to me. There’s a lot of bonding in this book: best friends and grandmotherly love are the main two components.
Note: ⚠️There is abuse mentioned heavily, especially in Oksana’s POV, as her mother ends up dating someone who treats Oksana horribly. There is also some anti-Semitism. The book acknowledges both of these are wrong.⚠️
10: The Swallows’ Flight by Hilary McKay
Quick Plot Summary: Erik and Hans live in Berlin, surrounded by the growing threat of Germany and the calm before the storm of World War II. When the two boys get drafted as pilots for the Germans, they cross paths with Kate and Ruby, two girls who live in England.
This book is cute, but also deeply heart wrenching and beautiful. It’s one of my favorites. It features romantic love, sibling love, the bond between best friends, and love that comes from helping others during times of war. I’d definitely recommend this book!
11: Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan
Quick Plot Summary: Ana is a freshman at an academy that trains the best naval students in the world. Since her parents died on a scientific expedition, all she has is her brother, Dev. But when Ana and her fellow freshmans go on a trial at sea, they are attacked by a rival school, Land Institute. And as everything begins to spiral out of control, Ana must also figure out who she is…inside and outside.
This book was amazing! It’s not connected to Percy Jackson in ANY way whatsoever, except for the fact there’s lots of water in both. But the relationships in this book are super cool: sibling love, and a group of best friends.
12: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Quick Plot Summary: Liesel is sent to Molching to stay with her new foster family, the Hubermanns, after her mother can no longer take care of her. As she grapples with fitting in, and the rise of the Nazis begin, Liesel and her town must bond together if they have any chance of surviving the war.
THIS BOOK. This was the first book I started this year for my literature class, and I was emotionally distraught. I laughed, I cried, I shook my fist at the characters and the author and the story. Everything about this book was so good. The story includes adopted older parents, a best friend turned crush, and a Jewish man forming bonds with a German girl. It’s just such a good story.
Note: This book features graphic deaths, violence, and bombs, so I’d recommend it for 14/15+.
13: Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
Quick Plot Summary: Caroline is living a boring life in a fashionable hotel with her patroness when she is swept off her feet by Max DeWinter. He is a handsome man with a large estate, but there are rumors that he still loves his first wife, Rebecca, who died in a drowning accident. Caroline moves to Manderley and is immediately certain that something is off: Max is hiding something…or perhaps Manderley is still haunted by the woman no one speaks of…Rebecca.
This book is so good! It has romance, it has sisterly bonds, and it has so much intrigue around Rebecca, around Manderley, and Caroline herself that you feel as if you are watching this book unfold from the outside.
14: The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi
Quick Plot Summary: Mahnoor has been dealing with a lot ever since her grandmother Dadi has moved in. She doesn’t have time to listen to Dadi while her newest project for journalism class, a documentary, has been assigned. While Mahnoor tries to find a subject for her documentary, Dadi begins to tell stories: stories about her life as a young girl as she navigated the Partition, the separation between Pakistan and India. As Dadi’s story begins to unfold, Mahnoor begins to be inspired…
I loved this book! It’s brilliant, witty, and talks honestly about the Partition, which I enjoyed. There’s best friends, grandmotherly love, and lots of good family dynamics! I recommend you check it out.
Those are the fourteen books I selected for this post about love! Have you read any of these? Do you want to? Pop a comment below with your answers; I’d love to know!
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