By Belle O’Hara and Kate Castello
With Valentine's day right around the corner, all of us are in the mood for a date, whether it's with a significant other, a class crush, …or maybe even a fictional character. Blind dates with strangers can be intimidating, but a blind date with a book will never stand you up. This February 14th, step out of your comfort zone with our picks from some of our favorite book tropes. Each with a little romance and charming characters, pick your new possible favorite based on personality, not the looks. The links will lead you to a local bookstore here in Pittsburgh that you can purchase the book from if you feel an instant connection. Along with the links to the books, the trigger warnings are also listed, so read to your own comfort level. Happy Valentine's day to all of our fellow hot people who read, and know that we will always be your Valentine <3
Get reading you sexy people
Love, Belle & Kate
Enemies to lovers
Book One:
Forced proximity
Legendary thief
Badass females
Extensive fantasy worldbuilding
Content Warnings: Violence, Death, Assault, Torture, Rape Mention, Animal Death, War Themes, Murder, Illness, PTSD, Kidnapping/Abduction
Book Two:
A diverse cast of characters
Conversations about politics
Fake friendship
Realistic representation of bisexuality
Content Warnings: Addiction, Alcohol, Anxiety, Blackmail, Cancer (mentioned), Death (parental, mentioned), Drug abuse (mentioned), Forced outing, Grief, Homophobia, Invasion/violation of privacy, Neglect (parental), Panic attack, Politics, Racism, Sexual abuse, Sexual harassment (mentioned), Sexually explicit scenes
Right Person Wrong Time
Book One:
Coming of Age
University Environment
Philosophical/Political Conversations and topics
Sex and Relationship dynamics
Contemporary Fiction
Content Warnings: Abuse (physical, emotional), Alcohol use, Anxiety, Bullying, Death, Death of a parent (past), Depression, Disordered eating, Domestic violence, Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationships, Violence
Book Two:
New York City in the sixties and seventies
Artist and photographer
Slowly drift apart
Memoir of relationship
Nonfiction
Content Warnings: Drug use, Drug overdose, Alcohol, Death, Self-harm, Sexual content, Suicide
Book Three:
Private east coast university
Murder mystery
Focus on Shakespearean literature
Slow Burn
Contemporary Fiction
Content Warnings: Alcohol use, Death, Depression, Domestic violence/abuse, Drug overdose, Drug use, Eating disorder (mentioned), Homophobia, Injury, Murder, Physical abuse, PTSD, Racial slur (use of Romani slur), Self harm, Sexual content, Slut shaming, Substance abuse, Suicide (mentioned), Transphobic comment, Violence
Queer Identity and Relationships
Book One:
Focus on Indigenous culture
Representation of queer sex work
How pain brings us closer to those we love
Abandoned love
Contemporary Fiction
Content Warnings: Sexual content, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Racism, Bullying, Death
Book Two:
Forbidden love
Love at first sight
Dual Perspective
The pressure of societal expectations
Contemporary Fiction
Content Warnings: Homophobia, Outing, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Misogyny
Strong Female Protagonist (girlboss)
Book One:
Witchcraft
Disowned from family
Isolation
Self-acceptance
Historical Fiction
Content Warnings: Body horror, Childbirth (with complications), Rape, Torture
Book Two:
Lesbian fiction
The 1950s-1960s
Journey to openmindedness
Strong-willed girl from small-town
Fiction
Content Warnings: emotional abuse, general sexism, racism, and homophobia
Book Three:
Secret Mission
Faeries
Magic in music
Woman Warrior
Fantasy
Content Warnings: Ableism, Animal abuse, Animal killing, Child abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, PTSD, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide (mentioned), Torture
Poetry
Book One:
Short lines
Fast-paced
Focused on love and nature
Book Two:
Loved doomed by social convention
Breathtaking language
Depressing