If you, like me, grew up in the golden age of romantic comedies (aka the 1990s/early 2000s), then you have probably noticed the absurd lack of feel good love stories gracing our screens in recent years. Despite some stellar streaming offerings (looking at you Set It Up), there has been a noticeable dearth of rom-coms to go see in the theaters. Whereas we used to receive multiple comedic contributions a year (did you know 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s All That, Runaway Bride, AND Notting Hill all came out in the same year?!?!), now we’re lucky if we get one good rom-com annually.
So what happened? Greater film critics than I have expounded on that very question (the simple answer boils down to one man: Judd Apatow), but that’s not why we’re here today. Today, I want to focus on the good news. We are on the verge of a rom-com renaissance, and I for one, cannot wait. Last year we saw new romantic comedies from our queens Sandra Bullock (The Lost City), Jennifer Lopez (Marry Me), and Julia Roberts (Ticket to Paradise), and while none of them achieved 1990s perfection, they were all extremely entertaining and fun to watch. (The Lost City is probably the best of the bunch, but as a romance writer, I might be a tad bit bias.)
And 2023 is going to be bringing us a whole new slate of rom-coms to fall in love with. We’ve got Your Place or Mine (starring queen Reese Witherspoon) coming to Netflix, Shotgun Wedding (another JLo flick) coming to Amazon Prime, and we’re even getting theatrical releases like Maybe I Do (starring Emma Roberts—the next gen of rom-com royalty?) and Love Again (starring Priyanka Chopra and Sam Heughan).
But is that enough? If you, like me, are still searching for some hot hijinks to fill the rom-com void while you wait for these new films to be released, there is only one place left to turn: books. While there may have been an absence of rom-coms in the theaters lately, there certainly hasn’t been one in bookstores. The past few years have brought us some truly unforgettable rom-coms. Some of my favorites are You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle, The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon, Heartbreak for Hire by Sonia Hartl, Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, and the Brown Sisters trilogy by Talia Hibbert.
I personally was inspired by the rom-coms of my youth, particularly How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, when writing my newest release Just My Type. A second chance romance that pits two former high school sweethearts against each other in a competition to win their dream job, Just My Type contains all the banter and shenanigans a true rom-com requires.
Here’s hoping 2023 is just the beginning of the rom-com renaissance!
Just My Type is available from Amazon and Bookshop.