With February being the month of love, students will surely see Valentine’s Day-themed items like chocolates, stuffed animals, flowers and more. Because the day is so closely associated with love, you may be in the mood for a good romance story. However, it is important to remember the classic rom-coms as well. There are many options of romantic comedy movies on the big screen and thousands of stories wrapped in a good book, so it can be difficult to decide. This Valentine’s Day, The Paw Print has a recommended a list of hidden gems

The Seven Year Slip

“The Seven Year Slip” is a magical realism book about the main character Clementine meeting with a man who exists in the past. Her aunt had always said her home was a pocket in time, but Clementine had never known what she meant until she found Iwan in her home, who lived seven years in the past.  

“I love that it has some unexpected twists, it’s a happy romance with a little bit of time travel,” librarian Kasey Watanabe commented. With over 380,000 reviews on the popular book website Goodreads, “The Seven Year Slip” is a popular romance novel that’s perfect for a little fun. It is a great fit for “readers who like an easy breezy read, who like to smile,” Mrs. Watanabe recommended. 

(500) Days of Summer 

 While most romantic comedy viewers seek out an everlasting couple in a movie’s resolution, “(500) Days of Summer” challenges this trope while still having a happy ending. If viewers are looking to spice up their February watch list, “(500) Days of Summer” is a popular pick considering its score of 86% from the well-known movie ratings website Rotten Tomatoes.

Viewers who have watched this movie enjoy the short glimpses of Summer and Tom’s relationship from start to finish. For example, you get to see their first meeting at a karaoke night. Freshman Leah Farahdel explains, “It goes through a lot of romantic events in the story and it helps people get in the mood for Valentine’s Day because one, it’s about love, and two it shows heartbreak and redemption.” 

The movie revolves around Tom, a hopeless romantic and professional writer, recounting the last 500 days he spent with a girl named Summer. Throughout the journey, Tom reflects on the relationship whilst learning more about himself. 

“(500) Days of Summer” shows that love is not one-dimensional. It revolves around the idea that a life partner is not completely necessary to celebrate love.

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You 

Set in a high school, the novel “I Hope This Doesn’t Find You” centers around a girl named Sadie and her academic rival. Always needing to be perfect, Sadie copes with her anger and emotions in a unique way. Her emails are the one place she doesn’t have to worry about holding back…until they’re leaked. As her life is thrown into chaos, one person grows to appreciate the real Sadie, her rival.

“I think what sets this book apart from others is that the transition from Julius and Sadie hating each other to liking each other is paced perfectly,” freshman Angeli Garcia expressed. Natural progression in a relationship is important to many readers.  Garcia explains that she often “finds some enemies-to-lovers books a little too fast, but ‘I Hope This Doesn’t Find You’ is not too fast and you can really see the two characters slowly falling for each other.” While discussing who she feels would enjoy the story, Garcia recommended this book to readers who previously enjoyed writing by author Jenny Han. 

A snarky and fun book for young adults, “I Hope This Doesn’t Find You,” is perfect for any romance lover looking for a good book. Inspired by the hit books and movie “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” it’s a familiar yet popular title, with an average rating of 4.16 stars, it stands as a widely read and adored story. 

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days 

Next, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” is a movie with great wit and chemistry between actors Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. Sophomore Niya Biden commented, “I like the story because I’ve never heard of something like it. I think it’s good for Valentine’s Day because it shows how their connection is so strong.”

The romantic comedy revolves around Andie Anderson, a passionate journalist who is writing a story about the things women do that repel men away from them. She decides to experiment on executive Ben Berry; however, Ben is attempting to have a woman fall in love with him in ten days as a bet.

Freshman Kristen Shaw added that she found the movie, “so funny to see her basically mess with him the entire time, trying to break up with him, and eventually it will get to the point where they’ll finally show each other their true personalities.”

As the two both try to achieve their goals, their relationship takes another direction. Their two conflicting experiments create a humorous and classic movie for Valentine’s Day. 

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

“Juliet, Naked” is a contemporary romance centering around Annie, who is in a relationship with a man with obsessive tendencies. He is “obsessed with a singer-songwriter, and more specifically, an album from decades ago,” yearbook and photography teacher Ms. Kornfeld explained. She proceeded to elaborate on how the book had strong themes about parasocial relationships between consumers and celebrities as well as technology. “It’s about how we see our idols and internet culture like all of Hornby’s books,” elaborated Ms. Kornfeld elaborated. In this modern age, online community and behavior are interesting topics of discussion.She went on to explain that “…it doesn’t reference the modern connection to technology. It refers to internet culture that existed prior to the big apps that are used now.”

Written in 2009, “Juliet, Naked” is from the unique perspective of technology just before modern large social media platforms and the establishment of influencer culture, yet the book is also romantic and laugh-inducing. “The most important romantic relationship sort of sneaks up on you; I was completely surprised,” Ms. Kornfeld remarked. 

Perfect for music lovers or avid readers, “Juliet, Naked” is a novel that can incorporate a range of plot points from technology to human connection.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before 

Passionate readers tend to agree that the book is always better than the movie, but in this case, many fans love the movie as well.

“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” is based on Jenny Han’s popular book series of the same name. It is about Lara Jean, a high schooler who writes letters to her crushes but never mails them. One day, however, the letters are mysteriously leaked. 

“It’s just so sweet how he treats her and the whole thing is so cute. It’s enjoyable and just a  cute romance,” freshman Mai Dang said. Deriving from the book, the movie has familiar tropes, great wit and emotional chemistry.  

There are so many rom-com titles in literature or cinematography, and it can be difficult to discover something new. Because we are upon the month of love, it’s the best time to take a moment from your busy lives and settle down with a great love story!