the perfect book boyfriend

February 13, 2024by claudia cavaleiro

romantic books often have a reputation for being literarily irrelevant. in many cases, this may be true. but whether as companionship on a beach afternoon or wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa on a rainy day, love stories have a place on the shelf. these novels are mostly written by women and for women (but not exclusively!!), take into account their desires and experiences, and really give us a good time (even when we cry). their characters are usually strong, independent, vulnerable, honest, brave, smart, funny, and headstrong. we root for them until the end and our hearts beat a little higher. if that character were real, we would probably fall in love with them. it's a crush. a literary crush, but a crush all the same. if you give it a chance, you might-it's almost valentine's day! - fall in love.

BETHER THEN THE MOVIES
liz is an incurable romantic who loves romantic comedies and has the perfect playlist for every occasion. her dream is to live a love story like the ones in the movies she loves, and when her childhood crush returns, that plan seems possible. but sometimes fate has other plans, and it's impossible to forget how adorable (and annoying) neighbor wes bennet installed himself in her life. he's kind, sweet, caring, very handsome, funny, smart, protective, and loyal. wes is so swoon-worthy that he definitely belongs in the book boyfriend cathegory.

“enemies-to-lovers—it’s our trope, buxbaum."

LOVE AND OTHER WORDS
this is the story of macy and elliot, who meet in their early teens as neighbors in a small town in the san francisco bay area. macy has just lost her mother to cancer, and elliot, actually the boy next door, becomes her rock. they fall in love - a soul-deep, life-changing, together-forever kind of love, but it has a fallout. 11 years later, her life has settled down: she is engaged and working as a pediatrician, when elliot shows up again. while they've both apparently moved on, neither of them is over their separation, and there's a lot of hurt and pain between them that brings a world of emotion to their emotional reunion.

elliot is this sexy and intelligent bookworm who just wants to make macy happy. he never stopped loving her and has been trying to move on for 11 years without success. who wouldn't want that kind of love?

"I've been waiting for you to come home for eleven years. I'll go anywhere you go."

A LITTLE LIFE
this is not a romantic, bubbly book, it has graphic descriptions of abuse and physical suffering that make it deeply moving. one of those books that stays in your mind.

the horrors that jude endured during his childhood will haunt him for life, but where there's darkness, there's light. and there we have willem. he's not a perfect warrior, he has flaws and sometimes struggles with frustration, but he's also so supportive, fiercely loyal, and kind that he stays in our hearts!

"and so I try to be kind to everything I see, and in everything I see, I see him."

NORMAL PEOPLE

there is something about the story of marianne and connel that not only draws us in and moves us, but at the same time makes us identify with it. that sweetness of young love, with a touch of heartbreak and disappointment thrown in. connel is a quiet, sensitive and intelligent young man, who is also a very anxious person and who finds it very difficult to express his feelings and to act on them. growing up he was a popular student that everyone loved, but when he moves to university things change. the only thing that doesn't change is his connection to marianne.

one of those guys we would probably fall head over heels for in high school. handsome, tall and athletic, yet sweet and sensitive. connell waldron is definitely book boyfriend material.

"marianne, I'm not a religious person but I do sometimes think God made you for me"

OUTLANDER

I know the premise may seem a bit strange... time traveling to the eighteen hundreds through magic stones and meeting the love of your life. but... give it a try, claire and jamie's story is so much more. it has a lot of tenderness, but also a lot of heartache.

be warned, jamie... will steal your heart. this tall, stubborn, redheaded highlander is the bravest and most loyal of men. I have to admit, he is my favorite book boyfriend of all.

“ye werena the first lass I kissed,” he said softly. “but I swear you’ll be the last.” and he bent his head to my upturned face.

JANE EYRE

when it comes to classic novels, the most famous book boyfriend would be jane austen's mr. darcy... but I have a soft spot for charlotte brontee's mr. rochester. even though we only know him through jane's lens, he seems like a dark, complicated, but also very compelling character. although he is not described as attractive, his sardonic and intelligent wit make him the kind of romantic figure that underneath his impetuous temper beats a passionate heart.

“good-night, my-" he stopped, bit his lip, and abruptly left me.”

cláudia cavaleiro the editor in chief for CINCO editorial. born in '82 in coimbra, she is graduated in philosophy from the university of coimbra. passionate about books and podcasts in a geek kind of way, she always find something interesting to research. loves to bring awareness to social problems and loves working at CINCO!