This article was originally published in YARN: the Young Adult Review Network.

On Thursday, April 25, Elizabeth Vail published an article in The Huffington Post called “Lovesick and Tired: Unnecessary Romance in YA.” In this article, Vail claims that there is nothing wrong with a good young adult romance, but not all young adult novels, particularly ones with main plots that have nothing to do with love, need to include romance. Vail concludes, “If a romance doesn’t directly contribute to your central narrative, don’t add one. In literature, as in life, you shouldn’t embark on a romance unless you mean it.”

E. Lockhart, author of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, the Ruby Oliver Series, and other books for children and young adults, tweeted about the article, which garnered so much feedback that Lockhart eventually created a hashtag for the conversation: #yaromance. I contributed to the Twitter conversation with, “Some authors seem to think that teens won’t buy their books if there isn’t a romance plot. This is not the case!” E. Lockhart retweeted this comment, inviting her followers to discuss what I had said. I wanted to further explain my comment, but I couldn’t fit my thoughts in 140 characters, so I figured a blog for YARN would be the perfect place to share my thoughts on the article.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

I like romance. Some of my favorite YA novels focus almost entirely on romance. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick is, first and foremost, a romance novel. Samantha Reed has spent years of her life watching the Garretts from her roof, but she has never spoken to any of them. That is, not until Jase Garrett climbs right up and sits down next to her. Once that happens, it doesn’t take long for a relationship to start between Samantha and Jase. All of the other events in the novel are driven by Samantha’s relationship with Jase. Samantha’s friendship with Nan. Samantha’s mother’s candidacy for mayor. Jase’s father’s life. If Samantha and Jase were not together—if I was not waiting for their first date, their first kiss, their first time—I would not have liked My Life Next Door anywhere near as much as I did. But My Life Next Door is possibly my favorite contemporary young adult novel because Samantha and Jase’s relationship does exist. I kept reading for Samantha and Jase.

I like a good romance plot, but that doesn’t mean every novel I read has to have romance in it. I am also a HUGE fan of dystopian and sci-fi YA. These books keep me glued to the page like no others. I recently devoured MILA 2.0 by Debra Driz. MILA 2.0 is not a romance novel; it’s a science fiction novel about a girl—a robot—who was built in a computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do. I could not tear myself away from MILA 2.0 because of my desire for Mila to survive. When Mila was on the run with her mother, I could not wait to read of their escape from the man who created Mila and the men who wanted to steal her. When Mila learns of MILA 1.0 and MILA 3.0, I could not believe the torture the three girls were put through. I kept reading for Mila.

MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

I would have read MILA 2.0 with just as much urgency if it did not have a love plot, but it does have a love plot. Before Mila learns of her true identity, she attends high school in Minnesota, where she quickly falls for Hunter. Despite Hunter’s absence for most of the novel, Mila thinks of him frequently, believing that her feelings for Hunter prove that she is human. Driza develops the relationship between Mila and Hunter to the point where it adds to her main plot, proving that it is possible—but not at all necessary—to write romantic subplots into main plots.

But what was it that I tweeted again? Oh yeah, I would buy a young adult novel with no romantic plot. But I just counted my young adult novels, and there are 262 of them. All those books, and I CANNOT think of one that doesn’t have any romance in it. Authors, please stop being afraid that teens won’t buy your books if there isn’t romance in them! We don’t need romance. We need characters that we can’t get out of our heads. We need fast-paced plots that keep us turning those pages. We need settings that make us feel like we are in the world of the book. But romance—with all its drama and insecurity, its insta-love or heartbreak? We can live without that sometimes.

Huntley Fitzpatrick would not have a novel without Samantha and Jase’s love. But Debra Driza would still have a story without Hunter. And it is possible, if not entirely uncommon, to write a young adult novel without any romantic aspects to it at all. So to all of the writers out there, next time you’re sitting down to write a romantic scene, ask yourself, “Do I have a story without this romance?”  If the answer is yes, take the romance out! You may be surprised by just how powerful a story you will have written.

Whenever I find myself feeling overwhelmed by everything I have lost because of this pandemic, I try to remind myself of everything that I have gained. And one of the best things that has happened in 2020 is obviously that Taylor Swift dropped her best album to date, folklore.

I mean, we all know the only thing we’ve been doing since folklore came out is listening to it on repeat. And this is some of Taylor’s best lyric writing, so I figured we might as well start reading some books that relate to it. Here are books that pair with Taylor Swift’s folklore.

the 1

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

Lydia Bird knows exactly what it feels like to have someone who would have been the one. Lydia has been with her fiancé, Freddie, since they were fourteen. When Freddie dies in a tragic accident on Lydia’s twenty-eighth birthday, she has no idea what her life looks like without him. But right when she tries to put herself out there with the help of her sister and Freddie’s best friend, Jonah, something happens that makes her think she might not have to move on at all. Every night when she falls asleep, she enters a world where Freddie is still alive. Lydia then has to choose between living in a fantasy world where Freddie is still her one and moving on with her real life.

cardigan

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

To me, “cardigan” is about a special person in your life who always feels like they’re there even when they’re not. In The Light We Lost, Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on September 11, 2001. That night, they decide that they want their lives to mean something. And then they don’t see each other again until a year later.

It seems fated—perhaps they’ll find life’s meaning in each other. But then Gabe becomes a photojournalist assigned to the Middle East and Lucy pursues a career in New York. What follows is a thirteen-year journey of dreams, desires, jealousies, betrayals, and, ultimately, of love.

the last great american dynasty

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor’s “the last great american dynasty” is the story of Rebekah Harkness, a woman who inherited a Standard Oil fortune and Holiday House in Watch Hill, RI, after her second husband of just seven years died from a heart attack. Rebekah’s lifestyle and the way she was viewed by others reminds me so much of Evelyn Hugo.

In this novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the story of aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn’s tale is one of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love.

exile

99 Days by Katie Cotugno

“exile” is about feeling like you don’t belong in a place that was once your home. And that’s exactly what 99 Days is about, too. Will Molly Barlow make it through one long, hot summer—99 days—with the boy whose heart she broke and the boy she broke it for… his brother?

my tears ricochet

Normal People by Sally Rooney

“my tears ricochet” is all about the push and pull of two people in a relationship, which is exactly the story of Connell and Marianne that Sally Rooney tells in Normal People. Connell seems to have it all, and Marianne doesn’t care to. Their roles reverse as they leave high school for college and continue to have an on-again, off-again relationship. Over the course of several years, we see the power that Marianne and Connell have to both hurt and help each other.

Note: If you’re not a big reader or want to experience this story in more ways than one, Hulu did an excellent job with the adaptation of this.

mirrorball

What Happened To Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

In “mirrorball,” Taylor Swift sings about being able to change everything about herself in order to fit in. And that’s exactly what Mclean in What Happened to Goodbye has spent the past few years of her life doing because her family has moved frequently. This time, Mclean is determined to be herself. But first she has to figure out who that is.

seven

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

I get so many summer camp vibes from “seven,” and while Love and Other Words doesn’t take place at summer camp, it does tell the story of a young boy and girl who fall in love in a house in the woods.

Macy Sorensen has spent her adult life keeping her head down and her heart tucked away. But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos—the first and only love of her life—the careful bubble she’s constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy’s entire world—growing from her gangly bookish friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother… only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.

Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more—spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Will Macy and Elliot be able to get back what they had as teenagers?

august

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand is about a woman who has a one-week-per-year affair on the island of Nantucket every summer. Although Labor Day is in September, I always think of Mallory and Jake when I listen to “august.” Lines like “’cause you were never mine” and “canceled my plans just in case you’d call” remind me so much of Mallory and Jake’s situation. But believe me when I say that 28 Summers is about so much more than romance.

this is me trying

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

“this is me trying” is all about how hard it can be to be a person in the world, especially when you’re struggling with a mental illness. So if you can relate to this song, then I highly recommend reading Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. In my opinion, this is the best of John Green’s novels, and he does an amazing job of portraying Aza’s anxiety.

illicit affairs

Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman

At any given moment in other people’s houses, you can find repressed hopes and dreams, moments of unexpected joy, and someone making love on the floor to a man who is most definitely not her husband.

In Other People’s Houses, Abbi Waxman tells the story of how one illicit affair affects four families in one neighborhood.

invisible string

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Camino and Yahaira are sisters, but they don’t learn of each other’s existence until their father passes when they’re in high school. Their father is definitely the invisible string that ties these two girls together. Clap When You Land is the story of how Camino and Yahaira deal with the tragedy of their father’s death and the discovery of each other.

mad woman

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

I could have picked so many thrillers to pair with “mad woman,” but I think that the woman in The Escape Room is the maddest I have ever read. Told in two timelines, The Escape Room is the story of four colleagues who will do anything to get ahead and a fifth they already ruined.

epiphany

This song makes me think of two such different things, so I had to pick two totally different books to pair with it.

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

Taylor has said that this song is about her grandfather’s time in the war, and the best book about war that I have ever read is The Things They Carried by Tom O’Brien. As the title says, this novel is all about the things that soldiers carry with them in war, both literally and figuratively. It’s also about the things they carry for each other. It’s been a long time since I read this book, but I can totally picture rereading it with ‘epiphany’ on repeat.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Every time I hear the second verse of this song, I think of Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. Taylor sings about holding hands through plastic and the relationship between a mother and daughter. In Everything, Everything, Maddy has a physical condition that prevents her from ever leaving the house she lives in with her mother.

betty

“betty” is the ultimate song about friendship and betrayal. So of course I picked the two best books I have ever read about friendship to pair with it.

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

Cleo and Layla have been best friends for years. Until they’re not. When Layla joined chorus, Cleo Layla has joined chorus, and Cleo now feels like Layla doesn’t have time for her.

Alternating between leading up to when Cleo and Layla’s friendship imploded and the aftermath, When You Were Everything is a heartbreaking novel about the beauty of self-forgiveness, the promise of new beginnings, and the courage it takes to remain open to love.

Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman

Big Friendship is the story of how Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman became friends and everything they had to do to stay friends. It’s about that pure sense of joy you feel when you first connect with someone. And how hard it is to feel that connection fading, especially when only one of you thinks there’s a problem. It’s about how no one would blame you for ending a friendship, but friendships are worth fighting for anyway.

peace

Happy & You Know It by Laura Hankin

This might seem like an odd pick for “peace,” but its theme of feeling like you aren’t good enough for someone and cannot give them peace reminds me so much of the relationships Laura Hankin depicts.

Happy & You Know It is the story of a struggling young musician who takes a job singing for a playgroup of overprivileged babies and their effortlessly cool moms, only to find herself pulled into their glamorous lives and dangerous secrets. There is perfect hostess Whitney who is on the brink of social-media stardom and just needs to find a way to keep her flawless life from falling apart. Caustically funny, recent stay-at-home mom Amara who is struggling to embrace her new identity. And old money, veteran mom Gwen who never misses an opportunity to dole out parenting advice.

In particular, I loved Amara and her husband. Their relationship perfectly embodies this song.

hoax

Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios

In my opinion, “hoax” is the most serious breakup song on Taylor Swift’s ‘folklore’. It’s about how hard it can be to pull yourself away from someone, even when you know they’re not good for you. And that’s exactly what Grace must do when she realizes the mistake she’s made in dating Gavin.

When Grace and Gavin fall in love, Grace is sure it’s too good to be true. She has no idea their relationship will become a prison she’s unable to escape.

A deeply affecting and unflinchingly honest portrayal of a destructive relationship, Bad Romance is a young adult novel about spiraling into darkness—and emerging into the light again.

the lakes

Beach Read by Emily Henry

“the lakes” gives me all the writing by the water vibes, and Beach Read by Emily Henry is about exactly that.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. 

They’re polar opposites. 

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

What do you think of these books that pair with Taylor Swift’s folklore? And what books would you pair with it?

When my husband and I had to make the decision to cancel our October 2020 Connecticut wedding with less than three months to go, we had no idea if we’d still be able to get married in 2020. The fact that we pulled off the perfect day on our original date is a testament to the small businesses in Charlotte and the truly amazing people who run them. Our Charlotte micro wedding was the best day thanks to these vendors and having our three favorite people by our sides.

Charlotte Micro Wedding

The Venue: UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

I love nature and had always pictured getting married with trees behind me. So when we were trying to get married in Charlotte, I immediately started looking up all the outdoor spaces in the area and searching Instagram hashtags for beautiful locations.

I quickly fell in love with the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, which are a short drive from our house. But when I first reached out, I was told they were booked. I kept getting the same response from other gardens and figured we’d hold the ceremony at the restaurant we planned to have dinner at or in a nearby park.

Then, just a few weeks before our date, I heard from April at the Botanical Gardens who told me that she may have a location for me available at my date and time. We landed on the Stone Bridge in the Van Landingham Glen. I had wanted to get married with trees behind me, but now I was going to do even better and get married with trees all around me.

Bridge and Groom on Stone Bridge

But about a week before the wedding, the rain forecast appeared. We hadn’t had a rainy weekend in months, and I had been hoping that having to deal with a pandemic meant that I wouldn’t have to deal with rain. But it was looking like that wasn’t going to be the case. I discussed options with April, and Nate, Mike, and I walked around the campus looking for a back up plan the day before. But we were still hoping that we’d be able to hold the ceremony at the Stone Bridge.

It started raining Friday night when me, Nate, Mike, and Amy were having our first fire in our backyard. It rained most of the night and on and off throughout the morning. But as the day went on, the chance of rain at 3PM got less and less likely.

With a bit of luck, we were able to hold the ceremony and get some pictures in the gardens before the rain started. We headed back to our cars just in time, made it in just as the rain was starting, and got home just before it started really coming down.

The Flowers: Iris Blossom

I first heard of Iris Blossom when Food Lauren posted about it earlier this year. Rob, a Trinidadian-American millennial, discovered his passion for flora while studying for his PhD at UNC Charlotte. He then made it into a business.

I reached out to Rob to tell him we were looking for a bridal bouquet, potentially two bridesmaid bouquets (hi, COVID), and two boutonnières. I let him know that the men would be wearing blue suits and the bridesmaids would be wearing burgundy dresses. He took that and ran with it, creating beautiful bouquets with whites and greens and fall colors like reds and yellows that popped perfectly in the gardens.

Bouquets by Iris Blossom

Nate had the idea of also asking for a centerpiece, and Rob created an absolutely beautiful one. For the centerpiece, he focused more on fall colors than whites, which worked beautifully at our ceremony location.

Floral Centerpiece

After the wedding, Rob even told me how to preserve the flowers, and I’m currently drying out all three bouquets. These flowers were such a gorgeous part of our wedding, and I’m so happy that I’ll get to continue to enjoy them.

The Officiate: Reverend Don Morphis

Officiate

In the state of North Carolina, you cannot have someone fill out a form online and then be able to legally marry you. Which means that we had to find an officiate. I put Nate in charge of this, and he ended up having to reach out to three people before he found someone who was responsive and available. Don ended up being the perfect officiate for our wedding (we were the second of three weddings he had on our date!). We worked with him to select a ceremony that fit our relationship, talking about how this wasn’t the start of our love story but a continuation of it. I could not stop smiling throughout the entire ceremony because I was just so happy to finally be marrying the man I had shared my life with for almost eight years.

The Meal: Bonterra Dining and Wine Room

The most important part of our CT wedding plans was the food. We’ve been to weddings where all of the food was vegan, where there wasn’t enough food for every guest, where the bride and groom never had a chance to eat themselves. And we knew that none of that was what we wanted for our wedding. So we had planned to have a coursed meal at Millwright’s, which is run by Chef Tyler Anderson, who was on Top Chef Season 15 and has been nominated for the James Beard Best Chef Northeast award six years in a row. When we were figuring out if we could have a wedding in Charlotte, food was a huge part of it. But we didn’t just need a good meal; we needed a meal we could safely enjoy during a pandemic.

Thankfully, we had spent a lot of time going out to eat before COVID-19 hit and had several restaurants and breweries with private event spaces in mind. When we checked out Bonterra Dining and discovered that they do private dining in their wine cellar, we knew we’d found the perfect place. Because nothing says micro wedding like a room that seats only ten people.

When I reached out to Bonterra, I learned that we’d be able to use the wine room and work with the restaurant to create a coursed meal with wine pairings. After looking at some sample menus, we decided to go with five courses. We provided Melanie with notes on our food and wine preferences and worked with her to build a menu catered to our tastes (and also largely dairy free for my bridesmaids).

Dinner Table at Bonterra

Duck Course at Bonterra

Table Setting at Bonterra

The dinner was truly amazing, and that’s not just because it was the first time we’d eaten out since before everything shut down in March. Each dish was cooked perfectly and delightfully flavorful. Our favorite course was the BBQ South Carolina Peaches with Benton’s Country Ham and Clemson Bleu Cheese.

Peach Course at Bonterra

The Cake: Wentworth and Fenn

Cake by Wentworth and Fenn

We first had some treats from Wentworth and Fenn when they were at an event in Triple C’s Barrel Room. When we learned that Bonterra wouldn’t be able to make a cake for us and confirmed that it was okay for us to bring one in, Nate immediately wanted to get a cake from Wentworth and Fenn. We worked with Sam on a lemon cake with a berry compote, gave her some ideas about designs we like, and told her to run with it. Not surprisingly, she delivered a gorgeous and delicious cake. Per tradition, we saved a piece in our freezer, and we’re already looking forward to eating it next year.

The Dress: J Majors Bridal

When I was home for the holidays last year, Amy, Katrina, and I went dress shopping. The salon we went to had the best owners, but they had a limited selection and didn’t have the main thing I was looking for: a low back.

So in February, I flew back up to Connecticut to shop with Amy and Katrina again. This time, we went to two stores. We came close at the first store, but the dress I liked the most would have required some changes in alterations that I found extremely hard to picture. At the second store, I was so stressed about finding something that I could barely focus.

I flew home without a dress. But I knew a lot more about what I was looking for: still a low back but also a lot more fabric than I had anticipated. To my surprise, while scrolling through dresses on Pinterest for the hundredth time, I was pretty sure I had found the one. And it was available at J Majors Bridal, which is a short walk from our old apartment.

I made an appointment for the following weekend, and when I arrived at J Majors, Martina Liana #906 was waiting for me. The second I had it on, I knew it was the one. The staff at J Majors was so accommodating, completely understanding that Amy and Katrina lived far away and helping me Facetime them.

Martina Liana #906 from J Majors

Once my dress came in in July, J Majors recommended Anna’s Alterations in Pineville for alterations, and I’m still so impressed with how the women there were able to make the dress fit me perfectly without sacrificing any of its beauty. I felt beautiful in my dress. But even more importantly, I felt confident.

The Hair: 8 the Salon

I am notoriously bad at finding a new hair dresser when I move. So when COVID-19 hit, it had already been over a year since I’d gotten a haircut. Thankfully, I had heard of Amber at 8 the Salon. Once the restrictions lifted, I checked with 8 the Salon on their precautions and decided to go in for a cut and highlights. Amber brought life back to my hair.

By the time I decided to make an appointment, Amber wasn’t available on my wedding day, but she recommended Erin for an updo. Erin talked through different options with me, looking through my Pinterest board and playing around with my hairpiece, which was my something borrowed from Katrina. We decided on a half up style because that would feel more natural than a side swept style.

Bridge and Groom Holding Hands

I don’t do much with my hair, so I’m always weary when I have to do something with it. But I ended up absolutely loving what Erin did. She kept my hair out of my eyes while still letting it frame my face, and I love the way the twist and hairpiece look in all the photos.

The Rings: Windsor Jewelers

Heidi at Windsor Jewelers was the absolute best to work with when Nate and I went engagement ring shopping. She even worked with their representative for Gabriel & Co. to receive a sample of the ring I ended up going with. So when it was time to pick out our wedding bands, we knew we’d be going back to Windsor Jewelers.

Rings in Mustard Yellow Flower
Rings in Burnt Orange Flower

Not surprisingly, Heidi was extremely helpful again, recommending styles that would pair best with my engagement ring and letting me try them all. Gabriel and Co. recommends an additional twisted band with my engagement ring, but when I tried on a band designed to fit flush against my twisted engagement ring, I knew I had found the one.

Heidi was also extremely helpful when it came to selecting Nate’s wedding band. She explained the different materials and styles to him and let him try them all. Nate went with a simple white gold band, and I seriously love looking over at him and seeing it on his finger.

The Photography: Ashley Lester Photography

I met Ashley when she worked with a company I previously worked for on a brand shoot. Although there were a lot of cooks in the kitchen at that shoot, I could tell that we had similar styles and ways of working. When I reached out to Ashley about our wedding and learned that she reads books while her husband watches football (just like me and Nate), I knew it was meant to be. Thankfully, she was available on our date.

Ashley did an amazing job of making us feel comfortable throughout the shoot. She had us laughing during the portraits in the garden. She felt like another guest at our dinner, chatting with us and eventually taking a seat at the table and having a glass of wine to close out the night.

Wedding Party

We are absolutely in love with our photos. I find myself going through them multiple times a day because that’s how happy they make me. We have the sweetest photos of me and Nate and the best photos of our three favorite people. I can’t wait to get these photos of our Charlotte micro wedding printed and hung around our home here in Charlotte.

All photos in this blog post were taken by Ashley Lester Photography.