The Summer of Love!
Greetings, Enchanted Ones!
Ahh, love. Who doesn’t love a love story? (Haters, that’s who!) But in all seriousness, I don’t always gravitate towards romance novels. They are very hit or miss for me, but I have always loved my books to at the very least have a romance subplot in it. I just can’t help loving love! I have titled this post “the summer of love” because I (as well as another friend of mine) just so happened to get engaged in July. She called it the summer of love, and I like that, so I’m stealing it!
Even though I said that I don’t always gravitate towards the genre, I have found that as I have gotten older that has started to shift. I very seldom read a romance book that I don’t like. Perhaps I have just had good luck, perhaps my expectations aren’t high, but as long as I find myself rooting for the main couple, I have a good time. This week, as you may have guessed, we are covering the romance genre. I will give a short review of my assigned book of the week Nobody in Particular, by Sophie Gonzales, and share some of YA romance recommendations. So, if romance floats your boat, this is the post for you. Stay tuned!
Nobody in Particular (2025) by Sophie Gonzales
When choosing what book I wanted to read for the romance portion of the class, I gravitated right away to this cover. It’s just so pretty! And I do tend to judge books by their covers, unfortunately, as we have previously established…I can’t help it. A good cover really draws you in! Plus, I love any queer romance set in a boarding school, and add in the fact that one character is a princess…sign me up! I gave this book four stars. I really did enjoy it, but because I am quite literally writing an essay on this book, I want to attempt to reel myself in and not make this review too long. I will simply talk about what I liked and didn’t like. Let’s see if I can truly make this short.
What I liked:
The romance! I loved the chemistry between the two leads. It was very believable to me, and they were so sweet together. Of course, I also loved the added dynamic of them not only hiding their relationship because they are both in the closet, but the royalty aspect of it, that added an extra layer of tension. The longing!! The yearning!! It was just so good.
The social dynamics. I found the friend drama realistic. The whole dynamic of being part of a friend group where there is someone you are avoiding/not speaking to, and then later on when Molly and Danni would sit apart from the others…I felt like I was back in my freshmen year of college.
The setting. I love an all-girl’s boarding school setting. Enough said. It tickles my queer girl fancy.
The added themes of grief, mental health/trauma. I explore this in my essay, so I won’t say more.
The happy ending! I love a tragic ending as much as the next gal, but sometimes you just need a happy ending, and this one hit.
What I didn’t like:
Danni’s characterization. I feel that as an audience, we learn much more about Rose than we do Danni. Danni is a sweet girl, thoughtful, talented, and cares deeply for those are her. She certainly isn’t neglected as a main character, but I felt Rose got a much deeper character arc. If there are going to be two points of views, at least develop both characters and equal amount.
The world building. It was lacking, but I also don’t think teen readers would take issue with it, so it’s not a huge strike against it for me.
Token bisexual. I suppose I could have included this in the blurb about Danni, but I do feel it’s an issue on it’s own. I feel the author gave Danni the label of bisexual as a last-second attempt to make the book more diverse. But she faced none of the biphobia that exists both from straight people, but more importantly from within the queer community. I think the story would be no different if Danni had just been a lesbian, given the fact that her bisexuality is just a foot-note. In Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, a queer graphic novel series that I absolutely adore, Nick’s bisexuality is a whole storyline of it’s own. I think it could have made the story much more realistic and made Danni a more dynamic character if she had actually explored her sexuality, perhaps she could have been unlabeled or unsure what to call herself. I just think if you’re going to give a character a label like “bisexual”, the topic should actually be explored. It’s just annoying to read, especially as a bisexual woman, myself.
But that’s about it! I don’t have much to complain about with this book. I really liked it. Now that I’ve written the shortest review that I could manage, I’m excited to share some of the wonderful books I discovered this week.
My selection process:
I decided to switch things up this week! Given the fact that romance is such a popular genre right now, I wanted to go to a bookstore and see what they had out on display. All the books I’m sharing today were proudly displayed at my local Barnes and Noble.
Oh, to love and be loved in return…I love it. The yearning! The swooning! The tension! When I finally have free time to read as I please once more, I have high hopes to read all these books in full. That’s all the time I have for today, so without any further babble, I must bid you farewell.
Sincerely,
The Keeper of the Enchanted Library
