East Hampton has finally seen some warm, sunny days. During the transition period from chilly and blustery weather to bright and blooming spring, I enjoy reading novels that encapsulate the hopefulness of this time. I think of a certain spark that can pull most anyone out of the depths of cold: Love. Romance novels that begin with a hopeless air before a “soulmate” is met have enraptured readers forever, and this month’s column will focus on three stories of love blooming from tragic circumstances: “Divine Rivals” by Rebecca Ross, “Binding 13” by Chloe Walsh, and “Again Again” by E. Lockhart.
“Divine Rivals” by Rebecca Ross
“Divine Rivals,” published in 2023, is a fantastical love story displaying the ever-popular “enemies to lovers” trope. The female protagonist, Iris Winnow, is an 18-year-old journalist at the Oath Gazette. She competes with her rival, Roman Kitt, the male protagonist, to win a position as a columnist at the paper. With a brother fighting in a war between the gods, Skywards and Underlings, and a mother who copes with the danger he faces with intoxication, Iris is determined to bring home money for her family. The prestigious position is her best bet.
Roman, on the other hand, fights for the position to prove his talent for writing to his father, and he isn’t willing to surrender his quest for anyone. That is, until he begins to receive notes from his divine rival. Slipped under his door, from an unknown source, are letters Iris has written to her soldier brother. She spills out her deepest anxieties. Unable to resist their allure, Kit begins to respond. Masking himself as her brother, he writes his own notes to slip under his door, not expecting them to ever reach his Iris. And yet a source of magic seems to carry their messages to one another, with Iris believing her brother is somehow reaching her and Kit hiding behind the veil of a beloved relative. The two begin to forge a connection so strong that the line between hate and hope begins to blur, and the war-torn world around them is forgotten as they pour themselves onto paper. This novel is recommended for teenagers 13 and up.
“Again Again” by E. Lockhart
By the same author as the much loved best-selling “We Were Liars” series, “Again Again” is the tale of a romance that grows from different perspectives and timelines. Adelaide Buchwald, a 17-year-old dog walker, spends the summer before her senior year at boarding school. She buries her feelings about the recent breakup with her boyfriend, her brother attending rehab, and a sense of darkness inside of her. In a funk, with only the dogs she walks for company, Adelaide trudges through the month of July. This is until she meets Jack, a mysterious poem-loving boy with a memory issue and an enigmatic scar.
From the moment she encounters the boy, timelines of her life begin to fragment. In the novel, the chapters of the book often repeat the same incident, with a different result each time. For example, if E. Lockhart was writing about me creating this column she might write, “the girl gave a positive review of ‘Divine Rivals.’ ” But when writing about a different timeline, she may say, “the girl disliked the book and didn’t see why it was worth reading.”
She does the same with Adelaide and Jack. Readers see the two break up, kiss, share a painful conversation, or have the same phone call multiple times. But the way the story is changed slightly each moment pulls the reader in and keeps them engaged. Jack and Adelaide are both doomed and fated to be together, and it is up to the reader to decide which timeline fits the pair best.
“Binding 13” by Chloe Walsh
“Binding 13” is a dual-perspective Irish novel that focuses on the 16-year-olds Shannon and Johnny. Shannon has always been small for her age, and for whatever reason, a magnet for her classmates’ hatred. Ever since the early days of kindergarten, she was bullied and shunned, and this torment didn’t just occur at school. Shannon’s father was her biggest bully. He saw her as a waste of time, the only daughter in the family, without any real talent or passion to bring to the table.
After a particularly violent episode with girls at school, Shannon’s mother decides to transfer her to a local private school, Tommen. On her first day, Shannon dons her too-big uniform and her older brother, Joey, sees her off. The other protagonist, Johnny, is a rugby player, and a good one at that, who also attends Tommen. Ever since he was small, he’s had one goal: Make it as a professional player, and do everything he can to get there.
After a potentially devastating injury and subsequent recovery, he is finally ready to get back on the pitch. On one of his first days back practicing at Tommen he kicks a rugby ball into the ether out of frustration. This ball unfortunately lands on the head of shortcut-taking Shannon, and nearly knocks her out. Johnny takes her to the nurse, and from there, their love story blooms. The two grow closer, despite the crumbling worlds surrounding them.
These three novels mark a transition period from bleak to blooming to blossomed. Iris and Roman, Adelaide and Jack, and Shannon and Jonny all offer each other an escape from their lives. Although each couple has a different fate awaiting them, it is hope that binds them together.
If you have an idea for any other book recommendations or reviews you’d enjoy seeing featured, feel free to email me at [email protected]. As always, feel free to email me with any questions, and happy reading!