Good romantic comedies make you feel happy and light. They’re page-turners that you can’t put down until you get to that happy ending. When one of the leads is a movie star, there is an extra element of fantasy lent to the genre. It’s a world that’s fun to visit, with different complications, elements, and difficulties that are uniquely its own and bring a freshness to beloved tropes.
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Hannah Brooks is a top-of-the-line bodyguard who’s been hired to protect movie star Jack Stapleton. Jack is in town for his mother's cancer treatment and doesn't want to worry his family about having a deranged stalker, so Hannah ends up having to pretend to be his girlfriend and come stay on the Stapleton family ranch for a month.
There is all the confusion you could hope for from a fake-relationship, with real feelings made even more complicated by one of the party being an actor, which makes those blurred lines even blurrier. There is also plenty of angst, humor, and some truly touching scenes, as Hannah grows closer with the Stapleton family. The Bodyguard is quintessential romantic comedy, and the genre at its best.
The Reunion by Kayla Olson
As teens, Liv and Ransom were best friends. They were also stars of a popular TV show. They have barely spoken since the show ended, when their friendship disintegrated during the final season. Now, several years later, the cast and crew are brought back for a reunion episode and the two find themselves thrown together once more and rediscovering their intense connection.
A second chance romance, The Reunion is a low-key cozy read. It is more about two people figuring out who they are and where to go next in life, than a high-stakes drama. It is thoughtful and relatable, despite the Hollywood setting, and the result is a pleasant, happy read with two likable leads that you’re quickly rooting for as you watch them fall back in love.
She Went All the Way by Meg Cabot
A screenwriter and a movie star, whose exes ran off with each other, crash-land in the Alaskan wilderness after their helicopter pilot tries to kill them. Now the pair not only has to avoid being murdered; they also have to survive in the arctic wilderness to make it home alive.
With lots of bickering and frothy back-and-forth, She Went All the Way is fun and fluffy. Meg Cabot is excellent at writing that enemies-to-lovers transition and all the banter that goes with it. In this case it comes with a little bit of peril thrown in to up the stakes and keep the plot moving along at a brisk, satisfying pace.
- Submitted by Naomi.
