Literary Scene | Three New Romance Novels for Valentine’s Day

By Ryan G. Van Cleave | February 2023

Exes & O’s

by Amy Lea
(Berkeley Books, January 2023)

I’m drawn to books about characters who get second chances, and that’s exactly what’s happening in Amy Lea’s Exes & O’s. Tara Li Chen, a romance-novel obsessed nurse who believes in true love, is a social media influencer who’s been dumped ten times by ten men, but she’s willing to go back and see if one of those exes might actually offer her a second chance at love. She’s got a new roommate (a hot firefighter named Trevor) who’s willing to serve as a wingman for her second chance at love plan. 

Tara is as familiar with romance story tropes as is the author, and the story is full of appreciation for the form. Sure, the story’s a bit fluffy, but it’s comical and enjoyable, because after all, we all know/hope/believe love is found where you least expect it. 

This slow-burn romance is the sequel to Set on You (2022), which I haven’t read, but I don’t feel as if this story was lacking. It had more than enough stand-alone appeal. Something else I noticed—it felt a bit like the grown-up version of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (see it on Netflix).

I would’ve liked to have known Trevor’s mindset a bit more along the way, but the book does a decent job of delivering The Feels. Maybe some might resist how Tara quickly gets clingy (instalove), yet ultimately, Exes and O’s is an easy, bingeable read. 

Ryan’s Rating: 4 out of 5

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute

by Talia Hibbert
(Joy Revolution, January 2023)

Talia Hibbert’s latest novel, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute, is a dual POV YA (Point of View Young Adult) story about two former buddies-now-enemies who end up together on an outdoors survival course with scholarships on the line. Can these seventeen-year-old kids work together to win despite their messy past? Bradley is a star athlete with OCD—the cute boy most would love to have notice them. Celine is obsessed with conspiracy theories and runs her own TikTok channel on that. These two have absolutely nothing in common. But still…

The banter between them crackles with goodness at times, and Hibbert delivers enough emotional moments along the way. The tenderness feels authentic. Some might consider it swoon-ish. I’ll also note that Bradley’s OCD isn’t just a throwaway—he’s learned techniques on how to manage intrusive thoughts and he uses those to good effect. 

Hibbert might best be known as an adult romance writer, but clearly, she’s found a home in the YA romance arena with these interesting characters who’ll surely appeal to Gen Z readers.

Ryan’s Rating: 4.25 out of 5

To Get to the Other Side

by Kelly Ohlert
(Alcove Press, December 2022)

Kelly Ohlert’s debut book, a dual first-person POV novel titled To Get to the Other Side, really does riff on the chicken-crossing-the-road joke. Trixie has herself a rescue chicken—no joke!—that she saved when it was struggling to literally cross the road. Trixie has had too many smuggled-in-animal situations with her landlord to stay in her current living situation, so she responds to a housing ad. Only it’s not for an empty room. Unbeknownst to him, Bear’s meddlesome sisters rented out a spare room in his home to help him potentially find romance.

Bear’s a bit grumpy from the start, so this promises to be less than ideal. They agree to keep things platonic, yet proximity creates all kinds of possibility as the two parent the rescue Chick Chick, pay the sizable vet bills, and help Bear keep his flower shop afloat. Along the way, Bear’s checking out his new roomie’s rear a lot and getting blue balls. Yep. Blue balls. He’s perhaps not as likable as he might need to be for this story to work well enough.

Yet I’m somewhat drawn to the book’s absurdity. Trixie changes her entire life to accommodate Chick Chick, after all. There’s also a lot of humor and sarcasm that makes the pages move well. If you dig instalove, manic pixie girl tropes, and chickens, this is the book for you.

Ryan’s Rating: 3.75 out of 5