is it getting hot out here??

Romance in the Month of June

Despite the June gloom which refuses to depart, summer is here, and so are all our hot romance recs! No, but really, there is something about summertime which just screams romance. If you grew up with Sarah Dessen, we know you need no explanations!

First things first: thanks to all the execs and producers who reached out to read our first substack spec! We’ve had a great response and we are happy to continue providing you with great romance scripts throughout the year! Please don’t forget, you can submit to us via email for our ongoing SUBSTACK SPEC series!

Without further ado, let’s get into our June agenda!

ROM-TALK 💬

Hot take for your Friday morning! When Harry Met Sally, by all measures one of the greatest rom-coms ever made, is not a story about whether or not men and women can actually be friends. Rather, it’s a story about how romantic compatibility hinges upon a strong friendship.

It’s an interesting discussion, especially as the whole idea feels wildly heteronormative now.

But, even so, this hot take is a perfect segue into discussing a big question we often ask when watching or reading romance…why do these characters like each other? Last month, we talked about why singular character development is important. But, you know what’s equally important: real reasons why characters relate to each other, bond with each other, or feel at ease in each other’s presence.

Too many romances hinge on the protagonists’ being hot. That’s all well and good, but we should see why two characters like each other in a definable and less surface-level way. A good example is While You Were Sleeping. Sandra Bullock has been alone most of her life, aching to belong. In a similar way, Bill Pullman’s character, though he has a boisterous family, often feels on the outside of it, unable to be truly vulnerable with the people in his life. Sure, they’re attracted to each other and he’s great at leaning. But, their conversations are what solidify their romantic arc.

Bottom line: there’s a reason we swoon when two characters relate to each other for more than surface level reasons. True romance is about making another person feel seen for exactly who they are.

ROMANCE WE RECOMMEND 📚

For our May archive title, we’re highlighting Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter. Is this a kind of cheat considering that the book is only a few years old? Yes. But, does it fit the summer romance aesthetic and then some? Yes. This YA romance is like a crash course in charming characters and “just kiss already,” energy. It blew up on BookTok and became a smash hit #1 bestselling series. Oh, and it’s a good time to read it because a sequel is on the way! You can buy it here!

For our new title, we’re recommending The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson. This book, which comes out this upcoming Tuesday, isn’t strictly a summer book, but it is a baseball romance which is almost the same thing. Alicia’s writing is so emotional and raw and funny. Oh, and she knows baseball well so if you like “inside baseball” things, not to be too punny, then this book is for you! You can buy it here!

ROMANCE FILM & TV RECOMMENDATIONS 🎞️

From the archive this month, we’re recommending A Room With a View directed by James Ivory. Is it a period romance? Yes…but it’s also a quintessential summer romance. The film, based on the novel by E.M. Forster, follows Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman played by a young Helena Bonham Carter, as she vacations in Italy with her chaperon and falls in love with an unsuitable man. It is lush and sweeping and Daniel Day Lewis is in it too! You can currently watch it on Max!

For recent titles, we’re recommending Maxton Hall, the new German series on Amazon Prime. This is a great weekend binge and is very much a “wrong side of the tracks” romance. So swoony and soapy, we are eagerly awaiting season two!! You can watch it on Prime!

LOVE LIST WRITER PROFILE: Victoria Male 🖊️

This month’s writer profile is very exciting because we loved Victoria’s pilot script SCULPTED. She uses greek mythology and humor to make a show akin to something in the tone of THE GREAT.

What was the inspiration behind your script?

My script was inspired by a confluence of factors - I've loved Greek mythology since I was young, My Fair Lady is my favorite musical and is based on the myth of Pygmalion, and honestly, I was frustrated. I feel like societally, women have been told we can "have it all", that we should try to balance career, love, and family, but there's no support for us to do so. The myth of Pygmalion has always interested me since it's one of the Greek myths with a happy ending, and at the same time, I couldn't believe it had been retold so many times in pop culture solely from the male gaze. Therefore, I thought it was time to redress the balance, to tell a story that was sexy and a ton of fun, but also truthfully spoke to the high-wire balancing act modern women face.

What is your favorite romance movie/tv show and why?

My favorite rom-com of all time is Bridget Jones's Diary. I think I love it so much because it was one of the first rom-coms I saw that broke the tropes of the genre, but did so in a way that made the film all that much more satisfying and Bridget all that much more relatable. Also, as someone who loves the UK, that movie just feels like a warm hug to me.

Why do you think the genre has been overlooked?

I think the genre's been overlooked because it feels like in the past twenty years, it's been so staunchly gendered. Because this type of media tends to skew female, it's been perceived as less important and less financially viable. I also think perhaps given everything that's transpired in our world in the past twenty years, media that feels fun and doesn't have a clear, actionable message has been dismissed. And while I love a gritty, eye-opening drama based on a true story, we need both. We need the fun and the color along with the somber and solemn. I talk a lot about how rom-coms are perfect vehicles to "hide the vegetables" of messaging in, since I'm of the opinion that people tend to be more open to receiving or changing their mind when they're being entertained, rather than when they're being spoken down or directly to.

SUBSTACK SPEC: MISCHIEF & MATCHMAKING BY EMMA ALBAN(TV PILOT)

We are so excited to highlight a TV drama pilot from writer Emma Alban, based on her novel which came out this past January, DON’T WANT YOU LIKE A BEST FRIEND. The series has duel romances and is similar in tone and style to DOWNTON ABBEY and BRIDGERTON. It’s swoony and fun and invites LGBTQ+ characters to have their happy endings exist in a Jane Austen-style romance. We highly recommend the book as well. It’s wonderful!

Logline: Two debutantes team up in 1857 to get their widowed parents together, instead of finding husbands themselves, and end up falling into a surprising romance all their own. Meanwhile, back in 1835, the second son of an earl and the daughter of a viscount hatch a plan to get their friends together, knowing they themselves can't possibly fall in love... It'll all go perfectly to plan, of course.  

If you would like to read, please email us and we’ll be happy to share a copy!

We have so many exciting things coming up that we’re hoping to be able to share soon. See you all in July!! Read all the romance novels at the beach - that’s what we’ll be doing!