Meet Disasters

Whatever the opposite of a meet cute is what happened for these poor lovers

Not all great romances start with hitting your future love interest with your car (although many do!! Read to the bottom for a list), but some of my favorites start at the bottom so we truly have a place to grow with the characters. These are three particularly rough starts to what will ultimately turn out to be incredibly important and lasting loves.

Psst- are you a writer, especially one of the romance or historical fiction persuasion? Check out The Rogue MFA, a new Substack (+ educational community) I’m co-launching with Kelly Chastain, a prolific writer, fellow MFA-haver, and dear friend.

Where You’re Planted by Melanie Sweeney. During a hurricane/storm, librarian (and single mom) Tansy Perkins has one last task before attempting to evacuate; get the birds out of the library. The library pets, you see. Jack Reid, a gardener from the nearby botanical gardens, happens to intercept her, finding her timing and her priorities absolutely wild, and they get into a bit of a loud, stress-induced argument… made all the more awkward when she refuses his help, then has to be rescued by him later when the flooding gets too high to leave by car.

Of course, the aftermath of the storm is where the real trouble begins- Tansy can’t just slink off and pretend the interaction didn’t happen because while the library building is drying out, they need somewhere to go… and isn’t it convenient that the botanical gardens have a small empty space from them? Jack, being groomed to take over for his boss, isn’t thrilled, because of course he isn’t, but soon comes to understand the benefit of a community coming together for a common cause: bringing people together, whether it’s over the environment, reading, community organizing, or the hundred other things their joint situation leads to.

I really loved this book; lots of great DIY/renovation sequences which I’m a total sucker for, rivals/enemies to lovers vibes with genuine tension but without you ever disliking either character, and it’s an optimistic, yet still realistic, love letter to free spaces to gather and learn and be together as a community.

How hot? 🔥🔥🔥🔥

The Irish Goodbye by Amy Ewing. After her father dies unexpectedly, famous street photographer Cordelia needs a break from her real life, so she takes the summer to spend in a remote Irish cottage to get her head on straight. But as soon as she gets off the ferry, a collision with a stranger leads to her camera — of course the camera her dad got her before he died — getting smashed on the docks. Then there’s some yelling and whatnot and they go their separate ways… for a little while.

Niall, aka Camera Smasher, isn’t a tourist like Cordelia, but he’s not quite a local anymore either. He’s been away for years, building his career as a chef elsewhere but after some disasters and heartbreaks he’s back to lick his wounds. Since both Niall and Cordelia are at a crossroads, and they share a community for the summer, they start spending time together, and it quickly becomes apparent that perhaps they’re both looking for the same thing- a fresh start without forgetting what came before and how it shaped them.

Read this book in the summertime somewhere cozy, like a picnic blanket under the shade of a tree, or on a bench by the water. It’s heartwarming as much as it is heartbreaking, and full of big feelings about grief, creation, destruction, and finding your place in the world.

How hot? 🔥🔥🔥🔥

The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson. Daphne just signed her divorce papers and decides to celebrate with a beer (or ten) and a baseball game, even though she’s not at all a baseball fan. While tipsy, she heckles a player so bad he cries, not EXCLUSIVELY from her but, you know, she’s not helping. Feeling wretched about it, she agonizes over a DM apology, but after its sent and he replies, she realizes she never actually identified herself as the heckler. But now they’re chatting on the reg, so there’s simply no natural or painless way to backtrack, and she’s in WAY too deep.

And then… so is he. Wink. Chris Kepler is having a rough time even before a drunk lady heckles him to tears, so his new internet crush is a big win for him. He’s grieving, he’s dealing with panic attacks, and he’s in need of someone with as much presence and personality as Daphne… if he can ever forgive her for the unintentionally nasty way they connected in the first place. Once she can bring herself to admit it, that is.

I’m just such a fan of Alicia Thompson’s character interiority- she writes people so complexly, with such rich detail and inner lives, and even when she promises a slightly over-the-top framing device, her books are so grounded and rich. This might be my favorite of hers yet!

How hot? 🔥🔥🔥

---

Next time, I’ll be recommending books with bisexual lead characters!

What should I be reading next? Let me know in the comments!

Follow me on social: Twitter | Instagram | Bluesky

Available now: my debut marriage of convenience romance Rehabbing the Billionaire! Buy your copy on Amazon, or snag it on Kindle Unlimited! Then, rate it on Goodreads to help more people discover it!