Meta Romances

Wink wink nudge nudge THEY'RE AWARE

Meta romances, to me, are similar to writer romances. It’s SUCH a fine line between winky fun fun fascinating exploration of a well trod concept and “if you wink at the fourth wall one more time I’m going to freak out.” Because when a meta romance, or a romance that’s either aware it’s a romance or involves characters with a strong sense and understanding of the romance genre, is great, it’s SO GREAT. And when it’s bad, it can sometimes (cough Romantic Comedy by Curti-COUGH) feel like the author is sneering at the genre but still wants to cash in on its popularity. These three, though, were really fun explorations of meta romance by people who love romance. Which is exactly what I’m looking for sometimes.

Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens. This book has strong Sophie Kinsella vibes (erratically type A heroine with too much time in her brain to spin tales, shenanigans galore, closed door) so if you like that sort of thing, give this a go! This book features Laura, who’s on a business trip to the Channel Islands and, uh oh, accidentally takes the wrong suitcase at the airport. But get this… it’s full of stuff that kinda maybe seems like her dream guy would pack? She has to find him! What a story that would be! And she enlists a grumpy local cab driver, Ted, to help her do just that… as well as finish her work, aka writing an article about her parents’ love story as it took place on these very islands many years ago. And luckily Ted, despite his initial grumpiness, is full of stories and local knowledge and might be kinda cute under all that attitude.

Laura is a hopeless romantic who’s far too aware of romance as a concept while being a little dumb about it in her actual life, which is the meta twist I’m often looking for in these sorts of romances. She’s self aware until she really super isn’t, she’s wrangling with the fact that real love is more complex than a neat narrative, and yet she’s endearingly ambitious in her attempts to make love magical anyways. Because would you believe it… when trying to hunt down the perfect meet cute, you might miss the cutie you’ve already met (just in a less artistically appealing way).

How hot? 🔥 (closed door)

The Rom-Com Agenda by Jayne Denker. Leah has been taking care of her sick foster mother for the past year, and now that she’s passed away and Leah’s back to being alone in the world, she has no reason to stay in the tiny town of Winter Cove once she gets the old house cleaned up. But despite her best avoidant efforts, she falls into friendship since she’ll be here a bit longer, and that leads her to meet a group of local women who have rallied around a local man in his quest to win back the love of his life by teaching him how to be the rom com hero of every woman’s dreams.

Eli’s one who got away left for abroad a year ago, but he’s not willing to call it quits just yet. So he inadvertently invites his whole friend group to inundate him with rom coms and makeover schemes to help him get his groove (and his girl) back. But Leah, the new girl in town, is the only one who doesn’t seem to be hell bent on changing him, so when he’s feeling overwhelmed by his efforts he finds solace by her side. Even though all this effort is totally gonna be worth it once his wayward ex gets back. Because that’s definitely what he wants.

A beautiful book about the pitfalls of being “the” ideal when what you really need to be is your own ideal, grief, family, and belonging. The only thing I would change is to OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!

How hot? 🔥 (closed door)

The Devil You Know by Elizabeth O'Roark. This one’s a bit of a detour from the other two on this list, being both Very open door and being a little less ABOUT romance. But there’s still a level of meta romance threading through the narrative, and the epilogue features the hero doing a Hallmark movie scheme (because the heroine says she wants it… wants a wholesome whole deal… even though she’s totally a shark).

Gemma is a kickass lawyer who’s fighting to the top of her boy’s club firm and who has an agenda of protecting women and children from terrible men (because daddy issues). Her work nemesis is Ben, who’s stolen clients and been an all around jerk to her for years. She refuses to take his shit, holding out for a Hallmark hero who’s the opposite of her terrible high powered dad (she and her mom watch a lot of those Hallmark holiday movies together), but when they’re forced together on a big case (sexual harassment and wrongful termination), she starts to see a new side to him. Or, maybe, not a new side to him per se, but a new appreciation for the fact that maybe she doesn’t need a soft hearted small town hunk, because she’d eat him alive. No, what she needs is an equal, who’s just as feral as she is and who can challenge her just as much as he can take care of her.

I love this series. And Ben/Gemma is an all time pairing for me.

How hot? 🔥🔥🔥🔥

HONORABLE MENTION: Go Fake Yourself (from this roundup) by Elle Maxwell. Did anyone else notice that she’s finally posting to Instagram again? Maybe we’ll get a new book!!

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Next week, I’ll be recommending books with autistic-coded heroes who are all determined not to let women (ANY women, but especially the women who end up theirs) change them. Spoiler alert: they are irrevocably changed by love. Is this a bit of a mouthful of a curational conceit? Yes. But if you read all those books, you’ll catch a similar vibe right away.

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

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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!