Romance

"The course of true love never did run smooth," wrote William Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream—and he knew what he was talking about. A text from this study guide collection might be just the thing to remind you of the bliss and pain of love.

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Gothic Literature


Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Beauty, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Children's Literature, Romance, Action / Adventure, Fantasy

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld is a young adult dystopian/science fiction novel and the first book of the Uglies Quartet. Published in 2005, Uglies was awarded the ALA 2006 Best Books for Young Adults award, the ALA 2006 Popular Paperback for Young Adults award, the Kirkus Editor’s Choice award, and the SLJ Best Book of the Year award. Uglies is followed by Pretties, Specials, and Extras.This guide uses the May 2011 Simon & Schuster BFYR paperback... Read Uglies Summary


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt

Tags Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Western, Action / Adventure, Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, History: World

Under a Painted Sky is a young adult historical novel set on the Oregon Trail during the 1849 Gold Rush. It is a debut novel by Stacey Lee, inspired by her own family history as a fourth-generation Chinese American. The novel won several prizes, including an American Library Association award. Her corpus focuses on Chinese culture and Chinese American experiences. Her other works with these themes include Outrun the Moon (2016), The Downstairs Girl (2019), Luck of... Read Under a Painted Sky Summary


Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Tags Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, History: Asian, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery

Tags Romance, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Sports, Modern Classic Fiction

Abbi Glines’s Until Friday Night is a young adult romance novel that follows the relationship between the two protagonists, Maggie Carlton and West Ashby. Maggie’s and West’s alternating first-person narratives reveal their complex feelings for each other and their struggles to navigate falling in love. Their evolving dynamic is the basis for the novel’s themes of Coping with Grief and Trauma, The Development of Teenage Romantic Relationships, and The Role of Communication in Healing. This... Read Until Friday Night Summary


Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Politics / Government, Psychology, Technology, Religion / Spirituality, American Literature, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

UnWholly (2012) by Neal Shusterman is Book 2 in the Unwind Dystology. Shusterman originally planned the series to be a dystopia trilogy, but the third book, UnSouled, was split into two for publication due to length. While it was nominated for several awards in Young Adult literature, it did not win any, in contrast to the first book of the series, Unwind, which won nearly a dozen awards and prizes.UnWholly is science fiction, specifically YA... Read UnWholly Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Relationships, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages

Uprooted (2016) is a fantasy novel inspired by Polish folktales and written by New York Times bestselling American fantasy author Naomi Novik, best known for her Temeraire series. In Uprooted, a young woman named Agnieszka lives in a small village in a valley on the edge of the deadly Wood. It is the task of the Dragon, a powerful wizard in a nearby tower, to keep the Wood at bay. As payment, the Dragon chooses... Read Uprooted Summary


Publication year 1966

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Femininity

Tags Addiction / Substance Abuse, Drama / Tragedy, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Classic Fiction

The novel Valley of the Dolls, originally published in 1966, is a fictional exposé of the lives of three young career women who meet in New York City in 1945, just after the end of World War II. Anne, a recent Radcliffe College graduate, works for a law firm that represents well-known entertainers. Jennifer is an astonishingly beautiful showgirl who marries a famous singer. Neely, only 17, is a budding singer and dancer who eventually... Read Valley of the Dolls Summary


Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Religion / Spirituality

Written in 2007 by Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy is the first of six novels in the Vampire Academy series, which follows the coming-of-age journey of Rosemarie “Rose” Hathaway, a dhampir (half vampire) who is training to become a guardian for her best friend, Vasilisa “Lissa” Dragomir. Lissa is a royal Moroi (or full vampire) with mysterious powers. The novel addresses themes of friendship, forbidden romance, and personal responsibility within a school setting. In 2014, Vampire... Read Vampire Academy Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: War, Natural World: Place, Society: Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Gothic Literature, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 1847

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness

Tags Satire, Victorian Period, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Play: Comedy / Satire, History: World, Romance, Victorian Literature / Period

Vanity Fair is a serialized novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, published from 1847-1848. The novel was subtitled Pen and Pencil Sketches of English Society, then changed to A Novel without a Hero in 1848. The novel’s characters generally lack positive qualities and are obsessed with social climbing and the acquisition of wealth. Vanity Fair has been adapted for film, television, and theatre. This guide uses the 2001 Penguin Classics edition. Content Warning: The source material... Read Vanity Fair Summary


Publication year 1593

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Classic Fiction, Romance, Mythology, Love / Sexuality, British Literature, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Fantasy


Publication year 1870

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Love / Sexuality, Psychology, Psychology, Romance, Classic Fiction

Venus in Furs (1870) is a novella by Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, first published as part of his proposed collection of short stories, The Legacy of Cain. Sacher-Masoch planned for the collection to detail his worldview, but he only completed the first two sections. The novella follows Severin von Kusiemski’s time with Wanda von Dunajew, a widow he meets at a health resort, and explores The Exploration of Sexual Power Dynamics, The Psychological Negotiation... Read Venus in Furs Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Mothers

Tags Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Grief / Death, Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, American Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health

Tags Philosophy, Psychological Fiction, Romance, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Veronika Decides to Die (1998) is a novel of ideas by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. The novel follows Veronika, a 24-year-old Slovenian woman who decides to die in 1997 because her perfectly normal world has left her apathetic toward life. After Veronika attempts suicide, she finds herself in a psychiatric hospital called Villete. Villete was established in the rift opened by the civil war in Yugoslavia to generate a profit from the issues of the upper... Read Veronika Decides To Die Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Play: Drama, Play: Comedy / Satire, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Humor


Publication year 1853

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health

Tags Romance, Victorian Period, Classic Fiction, British Literature, Gothic Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Victorian Literature / Period

Villette, published in 1853, is the last novel by Charlotte Brontë and the first published under her real name, her previous novels having been published under the name Currer Bell to conceal her identity as a female. Tracking one woman’s journey towards self-discovery against the burden of Victorian ideals, Brontë presents her most progressive and biographical work in the story of Lucy Snowe. Like Lucy, Brontë endured intense personal tragedy, having lost all her adored... Read Villette Summary