Top Ten Valentine’s: Yay or Nay?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Do you love the cheesiness of Valentine’s Day and surrounding yourself with romantic content? Or would you prefer to have nothing to do with it? I struggled coming up with ten super adorable romances to share with you, I just haven’t read that many lately, so instead you get five romances and five alternatives.

Yay

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

The most adorable comic in existence, I dare you not to fall in love with Nick and Charlie. You can read it online in its entirety.

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

I loved seeing the relationship play out in the form of notes, it’s kind of like a long-distance relationship yet they live in the same flat! The loveliness of the new relationship is contrasted against the behaviour of her ex.

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik

Sofia’s boss wants her to write a dating guide for Muslims, so now she has to get back out there to find material. Turns out Muslim dating isn’t all that different, and she’s superbly honest about it all, I loved her.

Puddin’ by Julie Murphy

Julie Murphy does know how to write a fuzzy feeling book. I was a bit late to getting round to Puddin’ but I loved Millicent’s story.

A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

This was so full of kindness, I had to add it to my list. It’s the story of a girl with selective mutism who is assigned to look after the new boy at school. He’s deaf and she’s the one who knows sign language. Friendship and romance blossoms.

Nay

The Places I’ve Cried in Public by Holly Bourne

This is not a romance, it’s the story of an abusive relationship, how Amelie changes herself to please the person she loves. It’s about how abuse isn’t always about black eyes and broken bones.

Loveless by Alice Oseman

I didn’t personally click with this but it’s important to have books with aro ace rep, especially at this time of year. Not everyone needs a romantic relationship. Georgia loves romances but has never been in love, she sees university as the time to make that happen. But the more she tries, the more it doesn’t feel right.

All Systems Red

Want to avoid romance altogether? You’ll do fine with Murderbot.

My Sister, the Serial Killer

And if you sometimes feel like you want to murder your current squeeze, you might relate to Ayoola…

Every Heart a Doorway

The second book, Down Among the Sticks and Bones is the best in the series, but you should start at the beginning. Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children won’t judge you for being you, it’s a home for children who discovered a portal to another world but then were cruelly returned to this one, where their parents reject the people they have become. Nancy, the main character in the first instalment, is also asexual.