Staff Picks Updates: Romance

Yuki is a college student who is fairly shy. She prefers to spend her time with her few friends. One day, while hanging out with one, she meets a charismatic guy who, despite knowing several languages and traveling for fun, knows no sign language. That's important since Yuki has congenital hearing loss. While she can read lips, it's, of course, easier to talk in a shared language. Thus begins a relationship founded on learning and teaching languages and the importance of communication.

Readers who enjoy an unexpected pairing in manga like In the Clear Moonlit Dusk, My Love Mix-Up, or Kimi No Todoke: From Me to You will likely enjoy this one. And because this series is so thoughtfully researched and designed, readers looking for more disability representation, especially for main characters, will appreciate A Sign of Affection.

Shannan Prukop

Annie is the antisocial loner who has top grades and a prickly, rebellious personality; Bebe is a trans girl who feels she has to please everyone. When Annie joins the cheerleading team to round out her college applications, she and Bebe rekindle their previous friendship, and soon it becomes something more.

Fans of the coming-of-age and sports elements of Check Please and readers looking for a light, fun teen romance

Transphobia in sports

Tayla Cardillo

Amanda has kissed many frogs trying to find her prince, but her eighth kiss shows her that she might be interested in princes and princesses, but it also may break her friend group apart. On top of dealing with keeping her interest in girls a secret, she receives a mysterious letter in the mail promising her an inheritance from her paternal grandfather who she’s never met. As Amanda tries to discover more about this relative, she discovers that she may not be the only person in her family that her parents need to learn to accept.

Anyone who is looking for a sign that it indeed does get better. Young adults who have people in their lives (family, friends, school) who are not accepting of their identity at first will feel seen by this story and given hope that they will find their people someday.

Homophobia, Transphobia

Tayla Cardillo

Valentina’s family has never been lucky in love, and, with all the trouble in her life, Val is afraid she’s destined to follow in their footsteps. She makes a deal with St. Valentine, an apparition of her namesake: if she doesn’t find love within a year, he will take away her heart. When she meets two lion dancers, Val thinks she may have a chance to break the cycle. With lovely illustrations thoughtfully colored to capture Val’s highs and lows as she navigates the nature of love, this is a tender story of love and connection you don’t want to miss.

Readers who enjoy thoughtful romances will want to pick up Lunar New Year Love Story. Additionally, readers who have enjoyed Gene Luen Yang’s previous work will appreciate the presence of the same sensitive and thoughtful writing that permeates his other stories.

Megan Rupe

Akane was going to delete the game she and her ex used to play together, but instead, she started using it to deal with her feelings by killing low-level monsters. Then she meets a reclusive player who seems super elite if incredibly awkward, that's a member of her guild. Then, at an in-person event for the game, she sees her ex and, for some reason, decides to say this recluse, who happens to be there too, is her boyfriend. Now she's starting to get feelings for him, and he seems to only care about the game.

Perfect for readers who like a romance story that focuses on people with hobbies that include online gaming and those who enjoy manga like Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku or My Dress-Up Darling. The romance builds slowly, with lots of room to breathe and moments of daily life, so it may not be as interesting for those who want fast-paced, intense romance.

Shannan Prukop

Neesha Sparks, activist, and seamstress extraordinaire, is determined to approach her new school with caution; she is leery about how the school will treat her because of her blackness and cerebral palsy. At first glance, the other new girl, Gabby, doesn’t seem to be friend material, but they soon connect and discover they were once obsessed with the same manga series but never finished it. The girls decide to start a book club to finish the series. As they continue their quest, their relationship deepens into something more.

Navigating with You’s strong character dynamics and book-focused premise will appeal to fans of character-driven romance such as Heartstopper and readers looking for a sweet, book-focused romance. The story also includes strong disability representation, showing both characters navigating their lives and helping each other without letting the disability take over.

Ableism; sexism; PTSD episode

Megan Rupe

It is the Spring Break of 2009, and Canadian college freshmen Dani and Zoe are meeting up for the first time since graduating high school by going to New York, joined by Zoe's classmate Fiona, who's familiar with the area. And so begins a beautiful and messy story of love between people, both platonic and romantic, love for life and cities, the excitement of new experiences, and embracing the mess of it all.

As a time capsule of the 00s, Roaming will appeal to Millennial readers who remember their youths in those times. Since that period has become popular again, some older teen readers might also enjoy it. Readers who like messy stories about young adults like Girl Juice or Punk Rock Karaoke might also want to pick this one up.

Shannan Prukop

Mitsumi is a small-town girl with big dreams that include becoming mayor of her hometown someday. But to do that, she has to start with going to high school in the big city. Things quickly go awry the morning of the entrance ceremony, but a boy with fluffy blond hair helps her make it to school relatively on time. He turns out to be Sosuke, a guy with a reputation for skipping class and being charming with girls. Mitsumi has much to learn about life in Tokyo, so Sosuke and her new friends do their best to teach her.

The lighthearted mood of Skip and Loafer means it'll be a big hit with fans of series like Honey Lemon Soda and Insomniacs After School. Because romance builds slowly, the series can be a great suggestion for readers who want to try out more romantic stories but aren't into the standard romance or don't want the story to focus heavily on romance.

Shannan Prukop

First comes love, then comes marriage, and that means a wedding. In this funny and warm graphic memoir, Knisley takes us along for the ride as she plans a sweet DIY barn wedding as well as navigating her feeling about wedding traditions and their patriarchal and heteronormative origins.

For anyone who felt like planning their wedding was getting thrown into the deep end without being able to swim, this book is for you.

Tayla Cardillo

As humans evacuate to a space station, Hannah waits for her wife Leah and child Bird, whom she had to leave behind. Meanwhile, on an increasingly dangerous Earth, Leah and Bird rush to build a rocket ship. As the departure window closes, will Hannah and her family be reunited?

With a simple and effective palette, Ostby weaves Hannah and Leah’s courtship with the current agonizing circumstances into a touching story of love, fear, and hope. Readers who like quieter science-fiction and romance-such as Tillie Walden’s On a Sunbeam-will want to pick up Space Story. With its emphasis on striving forward in the face of difficult circumstances, this will be a comforting read to readers looking for hope and resilience.

Some nudity but makes sense in context

Megan Rupe

When outlaw Flor kidnaps Grace, the two women soon find themselves in an unexpected partnership. Flor is looking for her last big take; Grace is avoiding enlistment and dreaming of the stage. When they discover a group of Confederate loyalists are throwing a party, they decide to sneak in to steal information that will help the Union.

With a delightful cast of characters and charming art, readers looking for a romantic, playful adventure will want to pick up Stage Dreams.

Some blood and violence

Megan Rupe

Prince Sebastian seems like any other royal; he has servants, lives in a palace, and his parent throws elaborate balls to try and find him a bride. What people don't see is that he lives a secret second life, where he sneaks out of the castle at night as the stunning Lady Crystallia. After seeing a young seamstress's avant-garde dress at a ball, he knows he needs her to make dresses for him. Will Sebastian find the courage to be his true self? And will these two young people find a bond stronger than the client and dressmaker along the way?

Fans of a gentle friends-to-lovers story will enjoy this book with the takeaway of not being afraid to follow your dreams.

Tayla Cardillo