Hi, and welcome to (or welcome back) to my book review column. I’m Anna, and this month I’ll be reviewing some romance books that I’ve recently read in honor of Valentine’s Day, in hopes that one will catch your eye. I hope you enjoy!

A STUDY IN DROWNING by Ava Reid

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Mystery

Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Since childhood, she has always found solace in the pages of an epic fairytale romance by her favorite author, Emrys Myrrdin. And while Effy might not be a child anymore, Emrys Myrrdin’s Angharad is the only thing keeping her afloat in her first term at a prestigious architecture university. So when Myrrdin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy jumps at the chance, even if the estate is an impossible task—a decrepit mansion on the brink of being swallowed by the sea. Even worse than the impossible task, however, is the realization that she won’t be alone in the crumbling estate; Preston Heloury, a literature student, has made the manor his temporary home while he works to prove that Effy’s favorite author was a fraud. As the two students investigate their works, they are—unintentionally—pushed together, especially when their inquiries into the reclusive author’s past reveal dark forces and even darker secrets.

Though I have a reading list that I like to keep up with, sometimes I buy books on a whim—and A Study in Drowning was one of these books. The cover, plot, and reviews by some authors I knew made it even more appealing, and once I grabbed it and started reading, I wasn’t disappointed! The setting and the world the author built for this story were probably my favorite parts of the book. It was gothic and fantastical, and the setting of a crumbling house about to fall into the sea sold it for me. Reid’s description of the setting throughout the whole book and the worldbuilding around the characters’ lives, jobs, homes, and backgrounds made them feel a lot more real. The descriptiveness of the book allowed it to have an intense and ominous atmosphere that played into the book’s plot nicely. This atmosphere, coupled with the character development, made the book a very fun read. I also liked how the book allowed the characters and their relationship to develop over time. Throughout the book, the plot wasn’t only dedicated to the two character’s interest in each other, which allowed the characters to be more developed and made the plot a lot more interesting than it would’ve been (had it just been romance).

But while I thoroughly enjoyed the book, some parts of it were confusing, or simply felt weird to me. So while this book wasn’t the best I’ve read, I’d totally recommend it as a quick romance read in the theme of this month, especially for someone who likes fantasy! 6/10.

THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP by Ashley Poston

GENRES: Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

Clementine, an overworked book publicist, is struggling to keep her head above water in a busy corporate world after the death of her aunt. She has been trying her best to protect herself with a formula built on strict planning, being practical, and forgetting the silly lessons her aunt taught her. After too much pain and grief, she just wants to keep her heart safe. But when she moves into her late aunt’s apartment and finds a man standing in the kitchen, her perfectly scripted plans begin to fall apart, especially when—once she gets to know him—she finds him to be exactly the type of person that she would’ve fallen heads over heels for.

Except there is a problem. He has existed for seven years in the past. And she, quite literally, lives seven years ahead of him. And despite the weirdness of their meeting and the literal years between them, Clementine finds herself falling in love, even if she knows it’ll be her doom. After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

I don’t read a lot of romance books, but this one caught my eye. After seeing it online and being recommended, I’d been wanting to read it for a while—and finally did! 

After reading this story, I can confidently say that it is so much more than “just a romance.” It taught me a lot about grief and longing through the perspective of the main character, Clementine West, and her path of self-growth. The Seven Year Slip never shied away from uncomfortable themes like grief and loss, instead letting me explore them through the characters’ experiences. The book allowed the reader to reflect on these emotions, rather than criticizing them or skipping over them which was something that really stood out to me. Throughout the book, the characters’ emotions and personalities were explored and explained on such a deep level that it felt like I could connect. None of the people in the book were perfect, and each came with their flaws and quirks, which made them feel very real to me as the reader. Each character had so many dimensions, decisions, and real-life problems, and I loved the author for writing it like that. However, while the character development and other aspects of the book were very nice, I also thoroughly enjoyed the romance. The setting of the book, with one of them seven years in the past and the other seven years in the future, allowed for the romance to have lots of complexity, and I found myself rooting for the two of them.

This book was such a cute romance read, and while some parts—like the pacing—felt a little off to me, I’d still recommend it. 7.5/10

ALL THAT’S LEFT IN THE WORLD by Erik J. Brown

GENRES: Post-Apocalyptic, Queer, Fiction, Romance

Living in a world where a deadly disease has killed off most of the world’s population, a boy named Jamie is already struggling to survive when an injured, starving Andrew stumbles into his safe house. Both of them have lost everyone they loved to the disease, and this new world has imprinted fear and distrust on both of them. Yet in a world where it’s so easy to fear others, Jamie and Andrew find it oddly easy to trust each other. 

After danger breaches their shelter, both of them flee in search of safety. The road ahead is treacherous and long, and, to survive, they’ll have to shed their secrets, face the consequences of their actions, find the courage to keep moving, and trust each other. 

This was another book that I decided to read on a whim but ended up loving. The first thing that stood out to me was the characters. I loved both Jamie and Andrew’s personalities, and Brown’s introduction of their personalities through their internal dialogue, interactions, and decisions made each of them unique. The author’s description of Jamie and Andrew made them feel a lot more human, and I found that I was attached to both of them by the end of the book. Their relationship with one another and with other characters in the book felt so real that I found myself loving the characters that they loved, and hating the ones that they despised. Both of their voices were so distinctive, and their emotions, fears, and thoughts, as well as their friendship (and eventual romance) was so heartfelt that I wanted to cry. In addition, each character that the two main characters interacted with was so distinct; each had distinct personalities and backgrounds, and I thoroughly enjoyed the diversity of characters in the book. Another aspect of the book that I liked was the plot, which reminded me of The Last of Us, with its post-apocalyptic world that had been taken over by a deadly disease. Yet the plot of All That’s Left in the World was eccentric and unique, and parts of it set the book apart and made it something that I couldn’t have found anywhere else.

All in all, I loved almost everything about this book, with its plot, characters, and countless other amazing parts that I ran out of space to list. If you have the time, I’d definitely recommend it. 8/10

Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, now would be the perfect time to choose a new book, romance or not! I hope you all enjoyed this issue, and I encourage you to check out the San Marcos library for some romantic books this February.