We’re Celebrating Valentine’s Day with Books About ALL Kinds of Love

Phew, y’all. We made it through the whole year of January. (JK—we know it was only a month, but yikes!) Finally, February— the shortest month of the year—is here!

Spring is just around the corner (we hope?), and love is innnn the airrrrr. Whether you’re a romantic, an anti-Hallmark Valentine’s Day rebel, or a Galentine’s Day supporter, all that pink and red has got to have you feeling some type of way.

Over here we’re gearing up for this sappy season of chocolate hearts and red roses with some lovely love stories.

When you hear “love story,” you might think of something like this:

<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1099212/mediaviewer/rm1058114560">SOURCE: IMDB </a>
SOURCE: IMDB 

Or this:

<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332280/mediaviewer/rm1858312448">SOURCE: IMDB </a>
SOURCE: IMDB 

But we want to celebrate that love stories can also look like this:

<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/mediaviewer/rm3652187392">SOURCE: IMDB </a>
SOURCE: IMDB 

Or this:

<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327801/mediaviewer/rm1809248768">SOURCE: IMDB </a>
SOURCE: IMDB 

Sure, it can be easy to think love story = rom-com basics (boy meets girl; boy annoys girl and/or girl annoys boy; hilarity ensues; boy and girl kiss). We’ll never say no to that kind of cheese, but wouldn’t it be just a little more interesting (and make a lot more sense) to celebrate and explore love in all of its many forms?

LOVE IS EVERYTHING, Y’ALL.

We’re talking LGBTQ love, parent-child love, sibling love, best friend love, community love, even self-love! Aren’t those love stories, too?

If you didn’t know Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie before Beyoncé’s “Flawless,” we’re assuming you know her now. Besides being a boss in educating folks about the true meaning of feminism, she is also known for her TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story,” in which she discusses the very real importance of telling rich and detailed stories in order to not ignore entire aspects of our shared experience. When there is only a single story about, for example, love (like love being only between a boy and a girl), we lose so much color in the rich tapestry of human life. It might sound dramatic, but this stuff is important! If our very basic knowledge of the Beatles taught us anything, it is that all we need is love.

We’ve made a list of incredible love stories for you to enjoy. We all benefit from reading and knowing all types of stories, including ones that differ from our own!

HOORAY FOR LOVE!

Every Day

Every Day

A special movie tie-in edition of David Levithan’s New York Times bestseller, now a major motion picture starring Angourie Rice of Spiderman: Homecoming and The Nice Guys—in theaters February 23, 2018!

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day. But can Rhiannon love someone who is destined to change every day?

Words in Deep Blue

Words in Deep Blue

“One of the loveliest, most exquisitely beautiful books I’ve read in a very long time. . . . I didn’t just read the pages, I lived in them.” —Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places
 
A beautiful love story for fans of Jandy Nelson and Nicola Yoon:...

Everything, Everything

Everything, Everything

Risk everything . . . for love with this #1 New York Times bestseller. 

What if you couldn’t touch anything in the outside world? Never breathe in the fresh air, feel the sun warm your face . . . or kiss the boy next door? In Everything, Everything, Maddy is a girl who’s literall...

The Sun Is Also a Star

The Sun Is Also a Star

By Nicola Yoon

Coming 04.02.24

The #1 New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist from the bestselling author of Everything, Everything will have you falling in love with Natasha and Daniel as they fall in love with each other!

Natasha:
I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that wil...

Holding Up the Universe

Holding Up the Universe

New York Times Bestseller

From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone—and love someone—for who they truly are.

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “Americ...

A Short History of the Girl Next Door

A Short History of the Girl Next Door

Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this unrequited-love story will appeal to fans of Jennifer Niven, John Green, and Jesse Andrews.
 
Seriously, how can you see a person nearly every day of your life and never think a thing of it, then all of a sudden, one day, it’s different? You see that goofy grin a thou...

A Totally Awkward Love Story

A Totally Awkward Love Story

Some loves are meant to be. Others are awkward. Get ready for the second type in this "laugh-out-loud" (Bustle) romance about missed connections and trying to find—and keep—"The One." Written by a former real-life couple!
 
The summer before college, Hannah swears she’s finally going to find The One...

What to Say Next

What to Say Next

"What to Say Next reminds readers that hope can be found in unexpected places." –Bustle

From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes a story about two struggling teenagers who find an unexpected connection just when they need it most. Nicola Yoon, the bestselling au...

Did you enjoy this story about Valentine’s Day YA books? Get social with us at @getunderlined!

Become a Book Nerd

When you’re not reading books, read our newsletter.

Underlined