Love is embarrassing!!
Romance in the Month of April
It feels fitting that we’re getting a new Olivia Rodrigo single this week. April’s late enough in the year that we’ve got enough to shake off from the first few months of the year, but early enough that we still have time to course correct!
And what a year it’s been so far, for us in particular! We want to take this moment to thank everyone who supported us last month as we crowdfunded for our film. It truly meant the world to us!
Without further ado, let’s get into our April agenda!
ROM-TALK 💬
This month’s rom-talk is focused on cheeks-burning, cringe-inducing, stomach-rolling mortification in romance. Some love it, some hate it. We’d argue that it is essential for a good romance, whether it leans more rom-com or rom-dram. We want to see characters put themselves out there, and inevitably, when someone puts themselves out there, it’s kind of embarrassing.
These scenes tend to be our favorites because they’re oh so relatable. We all know what it feels like to put a foot in our mouths or accidentally admit to someone else that we think they’re sort of attractive. Hugh Grant in Notting Hill comes to mind, babbling about apricots in his kitchen or telling Julia Roberts it was “surreal but nice” to meet her.
One thing we’ve noticed in reading all kinds of romance scripts is that oftentimes, things are too easy. We don’t feel that secondhand embarrassment and we kind of miss it. Because, here’s the thing, love is embarrassing…and we LOVE IT!
ROMANCE WE RECOMMEND 📚
For our archive title this month, we are highlighting the spin-off series to VAMPIRE ACADEMY…BLOODLINES. The mid-2000s supernatural YA fantasy series follows Sydney, an alchemist, tasked with helping to hide and protect a young vampire royal at a boarding school in Palm Springs. She’s been taught to fear vampires, to hate them! So who does she fall in love with? A vampire, of course!
Madison had thought she’d read before, but when she realized she hadn’t, proceeded to plow through the first half of the series in less than a week.
If you haven’t read this series, we’re jealous! If you have, they’re worth a re-read. You can buy here!
For our new title, we’re recommending THE PARIS MATCH by Kate Clayborn. Kate is a master of the romance genre and every time we get a new read from her, we are a lucky reading public. And this one is no exception - an escape to Paris, a messy divorce, a hot man who’s very distracting! Highly recommend! You can buy a copy here.
ROMANCE FILM & TV RECS 🎞️
For our archive title this month, we’re recommending an oldie but a goodie. THE SPECTACULAR NOW. With Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller, this film is almost unbelievable in the talent it attracted - Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kyle Chandler! It doesn’t do anything new, per se, but there’s something in its unvarnished style that makes it feel like you’re watching this plot for the first time.
You can watch on HBO Max now!
For our new title, we’re recommending YOU, ME, AND TUSCANY, a theatrical (hallelujah!!) rom-com that just released this past weekend with Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page. A little WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, a European destination, and lots of swooning. Let’s all go see this so we get MORE theatrical rom-coms ASAP.
LOVE LIST WRITER PROFILE: Marissa Dow ✍️
Marissa wrote one of our absolute favorites this year, a feature rom-com called THE LAST FIRST DATE following a woman who goes on a mediocre date only to find out the world is ending in a few hours…and romance (and truly insane plot things) follow!
What was the inspiration behind your script?
In 2018, the citizens of Hawaii accidentally got an emergency text that read: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” When thinking about how quickly my stomach would’ve fallen to my ass after receiving such a text, I next pondered where the worst possible place to receive the message could be. After being stuck in a dentist’s chair, it occurred to me: an awful first date.
What is your favorite romance movie/tv show and why?
I’m a firm believer that Bridget Jones Diary is the most perfect romcom ever made, and genuinely is one of the most important modern films for women.
What drew you to writing romance?
I was obsessed with watching 90s and 2000s romcoms after school as a kid. I think, as a tiny little black girl in monolithic suburbia, it was my dream to be swept away into a dramatic, grandiose romance. So much has changed over time, but in a lot of ways, that’s still true.
Until next month!!
