Someone needs to make the equivalent of Tinder, for books.
Most of the time, I want to be set up by a smart, book-loving friend who knows what I’m looking for a novel, and I have that in my fellow bookstackers, my local indie bookstore, and a bunch of top-notch bookish podcasts. My mom is forever recommending eligible titles to me, too. Sometimes, though, I just want to swipe through a bunch of really good-looking covers, see one that catches my interest, and meet up with it in a casual, public setting. In a little coffee shop, maybe, so even if we don’t hit it off, I’ll still get a good latte and a raspberry scone.
Of course, while I’m waiting for someone to invent book Tinder, there’s nothing stopping me from approaching my reading life in this spirit, once in a while. And what better time for a little bookish flirtation than February? I set my filters for genre (single parent romance) and era (contemporary) and got to scrolling.
My choices were based purely on cover art and flap jacket copy—no reviews or writeups. For (emotional) safety reasons, though, I did text a real-life, romance-loving friend of mine about where was going and with whom. I mean, the last time I read a romance novel, it was one of Jane Austen’s, and I was a smug undergrad in her early twenties, navigating her first Real Relationship. (I know, I know. I’m eye-rolling at past me as well).
My friend was just as stoked and supportive as I knew she would be, and I needed that little boost. I was curious but also just a tad intimidated by the prospect of getting out there, for essentially my first time in four decades of reading. Would I love it? Hate it? Chicken out and spend the evening with a pot of tea and a big fat family saga instead?
Here’s what happened.
The Soulmate Equation, by Christina Lauren
Single mom Jess Davis is a freelance statistician. She divides her time between her job, her adorable seven-year-old, Juno, her fun-loving best friend, Fizzy, and her grandparents, Nana Jo and Pops, who live just across the courtyard from her cosy, ground-level apartment in San Diego.
Though she sometimes struggles with the loneliness of solo parenthood, Jess really doesn’t like her odds when it comes to dating. She’s been on three bad first dates in the past seven years, and is determined to stop wasting her precious free time on trying to find a mate…until she hears about this innovative, DNA-based matchmaking service, GeneticAlly. She’s immediately intrigued by the scientific equations that drive the app, if also irritated by the devastatingly handsome, but broody, founder of the company, Dr. River Pena—with whom, of course, the algorithm declares she is almost 100% compatible.
I was completely charmed by this cast of characters, entertained by their various misadventures, and touched by the ways in which they rely on each other, and support each other, when the chips are down. This book is less about the breathtakingly grand romantic gesture and more about the small, yet deeply meaningful expressions of love—within a brand-new romantic relationship, yes, but also within a decades-long marriage, a friendship, a family.
It’s both hot and heartwarming, with lots going on apart from the central drama of the love story. As first dates go, I would rate this one 4.5 stars (had to deduct a half-star for the number of times characters ‘growled.’ Am I the only reader who doesn’t think growling is a sexy word to describe someone’s tone of voice? Maybe).
Would I read this author, Christina Lauren, again? Yes, I believe I would.
On the surface, One Plus One has a lot in common with The Soulmate Equation. For starters, this story is also about a single mom named Jess, who had a daughter at a very young age with an (equally young and ultimately unreliable) man. This Jess, however, did not get to go to college; her parents never really supported her, financially or emotionally. She lives in a council housing estate in Danehall, and spends most of her time cleaning fancy, seaside holiday properties to support her daughter Tanzie—a sweet, ten-year-old math genius—and her teenage stepson, Nicky. Nicky is routinely bullied by a couple of neighbourhood morons because he wears eyeliner and doesn’t much care for sports. Jess is desperate to help him, but doesn’t know what to do.
When a once-in-a-lifetime academic opportunity for Tanzie comes up, Jess makes an impulsive decision in hopes of bettering her family’s situation…only to end up stranded on the side of the road in her shiftless ex-husband’s beat-up car, with both kids and their massive, flatulent dog, Norman. And who should drive by at that exact moment but one of her most wealthy (and obnoxious) clients, Mr. Nicholls?
Ed Nicholls isn’t on his way somewhere; he is just driving around aimlessly, trying to wait out the insider-trading scandal he unwittingly unleashed upon his software firm. Even the company of his sharp-tongued cleaner and her motley crew seems preferable to his own thoughts, in that moment. And so he stops, and their story starts. It’s a hilarious and heart-wrenching ride, which seems to be exactly what I’m looking for, in a romance novel.
Readers, it was love from the first page. Would I read this author, Jojo Moyes, again? You bet.
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, by Ashley Herring Blake
Delilah Green is a twenty-something photographer trying to make it in New York, lured back to the picturesque small town of her youth by a lucrative gig, her estranged stepsister’s wedding. Soon after she arrives, Delilah runs into Claire, her stepsister’s best friend (who just happens to be a single mother who owns a bookstore, a life I have actively fantasized about leading.) Though Claire does not immediately recognize Delilah, she is immediately attracted to her, and sparks begin to fly.
I fell in love with Bright Falls immediately. It’s got everything I want in a setting—a little inn with kooky decor; just one bar, liberally sprinkled with sawdust and good-looking locals; a swanky tea room; an evergreen forest, a cascading river, and—wait for it—natural hot springs! Everyone lives in a cute Craftsman house or a log cabin or a gorgeous Georgian brick with a spectacular view. I spent a lot of time swooning over these things.
Delilah, though, took much longer to grow on me. For the first third of the book, every twinge of deep emotion has her reaching for the bourbon, and yet, she never gets sloppily drunk or hungover. All these drinks seem to do is lower her impulse control, and cause her to take dramatic, plot-advancing actions.
I realize this is a newsletter about books, not an after-school special, but I must admit that the depiction of drinking in this novel was an issue for me, not because I’ve struggled with alcohol dependency but because I’ve been close to people who have. Halfway through, I began wondering if maybe I should DNF it…and yet I couldn’t put it down. By then I’d become invested in Delilah’s photography, her super-sexy romance with Claire, and the evolution of her relationship with her stepsister, Astrid.
The end of the novel is emotionally satisfying, and I have no regrets about sticking with it. But would I read this author, Ashley Herring Blake, again? Hmmm. I’m not sure we’re meant for each other.
However, because I’m in the business of recommending books, I’d like to leave with you with a quote from a reader who fell head over heels for this title. My romance-loving bestie, Catherine, maintains an incredible, inclusive index of Canadian romance novels. She read Delilah Green Doesn’t Care around the same time I did, and describes it this way:
A sweeping tale of enemies to frenemies to lovers? Check. Relatable messy family dynamics? Check. Deliberate acts of feminist chaos? Check. Gorgeously spicy sex scenes? Check. Supportive female friendships? Check. Fabulous and queer and fabulously queer? Check. Stunning cover illustration? Check. Talk about a romcom that has it all! And I'm thrilled people are talking about this book because it is worthy of all the hype. I gasped and sniffled and swooned as much as I laughed out loud while reading Delilah Green Doesn't Care.
I can’t quite bring myself to believe in human soulmates, but I definitely believe that there’s a reader out there for every book, and a book for every reader.
While I’ll be returning to some of my comfort genres for the next couple of posts, romance and I are far from over. If you’ve read a great single parent romance in the last little while—or any sort of romance involving a woman north of 40—do tell!
Hi Rosalyn! Hope you're well. I'm working on a book project with Canlitromance (Catherine), and she's been encouraging me to connect with you! I'm new to substacks but you can find me @thenorthernlibrary on IG or thenorthernlibrary@gmail.com if you want to find out more- Christine
I love how you combine ideas in your posts, Rosalynn, and this one had me smiling : ) I too am a stranger to romance (novels), although I should mention that I am married...I think maybe 'romance' novels need a rebrand to escape the memories of my grandmother's 'Mills and Boon' paperbacks!