The Summer I Read Contemporary Romance (kinda)

They say not to judge a book by its cover but, I’m so sorry to say, I always do. The cover I tend to shy away from the most is the contemporary romance cover. The ones with a cartoonish, bright illustration of a couple. Like this:

Pic cred: Penguin Random House

Between the illustrations and the titles, it just scares me. This aversion was confirmed when I first tried to read Beach Read by Emily Henry a few years back. I did not enjoy the pure cringe I experienced. Not to yuck anyone’s yum, I think I’m just not a fan of happily-ever-afters, which is a problem in itself. But I do enjoy romance as more of a Normal People vibe: character studies, flawed people, nobody quite figuring it out. Other people hate that, and that’s fine. That’s the beautiful part about reading.

But this summer, after too much philosophy in the spring, I decided I needed something lighter. I started with Dolly Alderton’s Everything I Know About Love, a memoir about relationships, friendship, and self-discovery. And I loved it. This was more in my comfort zone, as Alderton reminds me of Rooney. She is relatable, thoughtful, and shares beautiful insights about human connection.

Then, for reasons I don't quite remember, I left my comfort zone and I picked up Funny Story by Emily Henry. This was tricky. I was already cringing in the first couple of pages, which was the exact point where I had abandoned Beach Read. I find this hatred I have for cringy romance novels odd because I love a cringy romance show or movie. I think because it's external, and I know I'm watching other people. However, for me, reading it feels as if it's in my head, and the cringe feels personal. Still, in an attempt to be fun and less of a hater, I kept going. And honestly? It was cute. Very cringy, but cute.

And just like that, I ended up trading my classics for a surprisingly contemporary summer of reading:

• Happy Place by Emily Henry – cringy but cozy. By this point, I knew what I was getting.

• Ghosts by Dolly Alderton – witty, modern dating app chaos, but thoughtful.

• One Day by David Nicholls – less happily-ever-after, more bittersweet. Very real.

• Writers and Lovers by Lily King – I saw this hyped everywhere.. but .. I didn’t like the main character, didn’t like the love interests, don’t know what I missed.

I have a bad habit of avoiding books I’m unsure about. I tend to stick with the authors and genres I already know and love. This summer, I didn’t exactly break out of that comfort zone, I only tried one or two new authors, but it still turned into a fun couple of months. I also barely scratched the surface of contemporary romance. And to be honest, I completely steered clear of the covers and titles that were a little too intense. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop judging books that way. I also still hold a fear of contemporary fantasy romance (don't think it would be for me) and anything adjacent to Colleen Hoover (sorry).

Now, though, I’ve found a new outlet for something lighter, a happy, fun, reading vibe.