Task #14: Read a romance starring a single parent

[Bonnie G.]

It is worth waiting for the Bride Test IMO, but the Duchess Deal is also fun.

[ChezJulie]

I'm honestly curious about who people are considering as the starring single parent in About a Boy, since the main character is childless.

[Katrisa]

I think What the Wind Knows would work for this. It has romance listed as a genre and Dr. Smith has been raising his deceased friends' child when Anne finds herself in rebel Ireland. At least, that is what I am reading for this task because I am not a fan of the romance genre, but this one sounds interesting and more like historical fiction with a love story

[Tracy]

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

[Breehasbooks]

Genuine Lies by Nora Roberts has a single parent and isn’t just a romance book for those who don’t like romance novels.

[Lesley]

I just read The Bookshop by the Shore by Jenny Colgan and this would fit for this prompt.

About a Boy has been on my TBR forever so I may go with that.

[Tamara]

I appreciate the romance challenge is part of the overall goal to broaden our reading, but I do wish BR would list a 'literary fiction' genre challenge each year, too, in the same way it does with the romance genre. I have seen plenty of readers on GR who won't touch a literary fiction novel, or who gripe about it when they do make it through one. I say, fair is fair: more lit fiction challenges, BR--broaden everyone's reading! :D

Alas, until it does so, I'll approach the romance challenge with a loose interpretation. 2019 was the first year I went with a book in the true-blue-romance-in-the-traditional-genre category, and it was indeed a challenge. But I want to make sure my reading is more vast--it's why I try RH every year--so if a romance comes up with an additional caveat (POC, queer, historical), I will at least seek one out. The 2020 challenge, however, seems more general romance, so I will be returning to my loose interpretation and read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, as others have suggested.

[Bonnie G.]

Mrs. Fletcher is not in any way a romance.

[Bobby]

I will probably read Katherine, by Anya Seton.

[Maddy]

Evvie Drake Starts Over would qualify here and was definitely one of my favorite reads of 2019!

[Juliet]

I might stretch the prompt a bit and use Frederica by Georgette Heyer while the main charcter isn't technically the mother of the children she is their guardian and has all the limitations/responsibilities they bring

[Katrisa]

Juliet wrote: "I might stretch the prompt a bit and use Frederica by Georgette Heyer while the main charcter isn't technically the mother of the children she is their guardian and has..."

I'd say that anyone raising a child without a partner counts - I also used a book with a guardian raising a child

[Alinea]

I’m trying to use books from my TBR pile more this year, with that being said I’m counting Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks for this prompt.

[Emma]

Every Dog Has His Day
Sweet Tea and Sympathy
Any Duchess Will Do (I believe Griff has a hidden daughter?)

[Jenn]

Anyone know of any queer books that could fit this one?

[Debbie]

I'm really struggling to fit something for this. I really do not enjoy reading romance novels, any tips.
I have just finished The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë. That's a romantic story with a separated/single parent, would that count?

[Octavia]

I read an old Gothic romance for this one - Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt. It was okay, actually - not outstanding, but likeable enough. One of the other Goodreads reviews called it "a poor man's Jane Eyre", and honestly that's pretty accurate, though I'd throw a heavy dose of Rebecca in there as well.

It's of the governess-goes-to-rural-mansion-with-attractive-employer-whose-wife-disappeared-under-dodgy-circumstances type.

[Teresa]

Popcorn Love has been in my TBR for years, ever since I read a M/M romance by the same author that I really liked.

[Brandy]

Maddy wrote: "Evvie Drake Starts Over would qualify here and was definitely one of my favorite reads of 2019!"

I liked it too but does it star a single parent? Oh... wait? Her friend? The one who introduces them?

[Ira]

I really don't like romance books either. They tend to be full of cliches and stupid reasons for the couple to not be together before the end of the book. I would be interested to see a relationship between two people develop over time and that they get to know each other. Maybe I will read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, but I am open to other suggestions. I really would like to avoid giving something one star, just because I am forced to read it. I have tried reading that genre and have found I don't like it. The closest I have come is Jane Austen

[Sue]

Ira wrote: "I really don't like romance books either. They tend to be full of cliches and stupid reasons for the couple to not be together before the end of the book. I would be interested to see a relationshi..."

If there is a genre that's not my favorite in Read Harder, I typically choose a novella, a graphic novel version, a double-dip for categories, or some other way to make it palatable. Here are some suggestions that might work:

Jojo Moyes has a book that fits (disclaimer: I haven't read it): One Plus One

More on the fiction side than romance, but I think it would qualify (up to you!) and I really enjoyed it: Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

Fanning the Flames by Victoria Dahl is a 66 page novella, it's 100% romance genre but it's short and the main characters are in their 40s which is different from most romance novels.

[Alyssa]

I listened to the audiobook for I Found You by Lisa Jewellfor free on Hoopla this year and absolutely loved it! It follows three storylines that are all mysteries leading into one another. One of the storylines follows a single mom who ends up finding romance! So great.

[Bee]

Re a queer book for this challenge, I'm going to read Flaunt by E. Davies

[M]

Re another queer book for this challenge, Olivia Waite has an f/f book coming out in June that fits the bill—I’m very excited for it!

And re romance that’s full of cliches and bad reasons they aren’t getting together—absolutely, that’s a plague! Just as every genre has its massive oversupply of bad writing. But the best of romance is none of that, just as the best of lit isn’t middle-aged English profs having affairs with their students.

I don’t think either has a book for this category, but for anyone who wants to see what really, truly fantastic romance is and should be, Courtney Milan and KJ Charles are, IMO, the very best of the bunch. Wonderful plots that have a lot more going on than just the romance plot.

[Mya]

M wrote: "Re another queer book for this challenge, Olivia Waite has an f/f book coming out in June that fits the bill—I’m very excited for it!"

I don’t think I have read Olivia Waite. Thanks for the recommendation!

As for this challenge, Courtney Milan’s Unraveled involves a single parent/guardian. It’s not the theme of the book, but it is driving factor for why the protagonist is in her particular situation. It’s also the last title of the Turner series, for those who double dip.

[Deb]

Clay wrote: "Romances aren't typically my thing, but that's the point of the challenge, right?

I liked the idea of a 'romantic comedy' book as described in the BR post, but The Bride Test has g..."

If you download Libby by Overdrive and your library has it you may be able to get The Bride Test as an ebook. It is available in a few days on mine.

[Sherri]

I just downloaded The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms from Amazon Prime. It was free on Prime.

[Jen]

Octavia wrote: "I read an old Gothic romance for this one - Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt. It was okay, actually - not outstanding, but likeable enough. One of the other Goodreads reviews calle..."
I loved this book when I was a teenager! I think it deserves a re-read for this challenge.

[Theresa]

Candace wrote: "Whiskey & Ribbons: A Novel sounds like it might fit the bill for this one. But I can't tell if it's about a single parent or not"

Yes, it counts. And it's good!

[Jennifer]

While I do not know anything about the author, Going Down Easy (Boys of the Big Easy, #1) by Erin Nicholas is about a romance between two single parents. The kids are an integral part of the story. .The issues and concerns they faced were real and relatable. It was an enjoyable read.

[Lisa]

This may be really stretching the prompt but I just finished To Night Owl From Dogfish https://g.co/kgs/cQnRqh (sorry, haven’t figured out links yet), a YA friendship book involving two girls whose single dads’ romance is core to the plot development. Highly recommended for a fun read.

[Mya]

Lisa wrote: "This may be really stretching the prompt but I just finished To Night Owl From Dogfish https://g.co/kgs/cQnRqh (sorry, haven’t figured out links yet), a YA friendship book involving two girls whose..."

The embedded links to a goodreads page can only be done on the full/desktop site, not from the mobile site. There’s tiny text above the comment window that reads “add book/author.”

To Night Owl from Dogfish

[Lisa]

Thanks Mya. I love goodreads but don’t get why the mobile version is so different in little tiny ways! I see it now though. I appreciate your help.

[Sarah]

I'm reading The Overdue Life of Amy Byler and hate it. Almost everyone in the story (ex-husband, daughter, friends) treats the main character like she's a mess when if fact she's highly competent - the issue is that she's a doormat surrounded by assholes.

[Sherri]

I also read The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms. I ended up giving it 3 stars but there were definitely periods where I didn’t like any of the characters & felt the plot was to predictable. The best part was I downloaded it for free from Amazon Prime.

[Heather]

Megan wrote: "The category I skip every year. This year is no different. Not a romance reader. Never will be."

This is a very helpful comment.

[Elizabeth]

I read Scrooge McFuck by May Sage. This was absolutely NOT what I INTENDED to read for this task. It was free on Amazon and I couldn't resist the silly title. It's pretty short, and I feel like it needed to be longer to really work as well as it could have. The dude is something of an asshole (I mean, the title makes that pretty clear), and I feel like his redemption arc definitely needed more time to really hold a lot of sway for me. The loose ends were a bit frustrating in general. It was pretty fun and cute for the most part, so I enjoyed it overall despite being a bit of a mixed bag.

I will still read the book I intended to read for this task for my own pleasure since I do suspect I will enjoy it more.

[Cheryl]

Yeah, I don't see myself reading a genre romance, tried several over the decades and just had enough for awhile. But a love story? For example, I dunno, something about a single parent going through the process of telling his only child about the woman he loved, who died giving birth to that child? I could see reading something like that, for example.

[Karen]

This year I'm refusing to read another gd romance novel. For the past three years I've suffered through it, basically forcing myself to finish each one. Why a romance novel every year? Isn't the whole point of this challenge to read something different? Well, I've done that, three years in a row. At this point I'm not being challenged, I'm being pissed off.
So I decided this year in lieu of this tired category, I'm going to choose a prompt that interests me from other reading challenges. These are the ones I'm considering:

A book I meant to read in 2019
A bildungsroman
A book that passes the Bechdel test
A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade

[Kathy]

Cannot get past the covers...

[Riah]

I read The Overdue Life of Amy Byler for this. It's about a single mom who spends the summer in New York City while her ex, who's been out of the picture for three years, watches their kids. She's a librarian and very nerdy, and I thought the whole book was pretty sweet.

[Rosemary]

Thanks for this recommendation. Its's already in my Kindle library, a definite plus!

[Aingeal]

This one will be tough for me as I avoid romance novels. If I can find something with an actual story and is short, I can do it. I find the recommendations on this Read Harder Challenge very good and a good variety.

[Heather]

Karen wrote: "I see in the Read Harder Plans section that several people are going with The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Still trying to read more of the Canon, so I may switch to this. Great Idea!

Bu..."
What an interesting idea! I prefer romances that are more on the sweet side than the "steamy" side, so I was wondering what I might do for this prompt. Thanks for the light bulb ;)

[Sarena]

Emerging wrote: "Not trying to be a grumpface, but I don't think With the Fire on High would particularly be considered a romance. Having said that, you are free to interpret the prompt any way you'..."

No problem! I hadn't read the blurb in a while, but it looks like your right.

[Emerging]

Kathy wrote: "Cannot get past the covers..."
Some are illustrated. Does that help? ;)

[Emerging]

I am undecided for this task as of right now, but am leaning towards Summer's Cove by Aurora Rey or another f/f option.

[Lex]

Mandie wrote: "For anyone who needs a few shorter reads in their challenge, I found Bewitchberry Cottage and Grinder."

Thank you so much this was just the sort of book I was looking for.

[Cheryl]

I read A Special Kind of Love by Tamara Hoffa. It's short and features a single mom whose son is on the autism spectrum and has Native American representation. The only thing I don't like is the author's characterization of autism as mental illness. As the mother of a son on the spectrum, she should know better. But it's still a good book.

[Emerging]

Sarena wrote: "No problem! I hadn't read the blurb in a while, but it looks like your right."
Actually, Sarena, I have since seen With the Fire on High categorized by some as a romance, so you may actually be right! I apologize. I hadn't seen anything to indicate that until recently.