Why do readers and filmgoers enjoy romantic comedies or Rom/Coms so much? According to movie web, pleasantries felt while enjoying Rom/Coms elicit dopamine and serotonin, aka "happy hormones." Different from a straight romance, the central romantic relationship in a Rom/Com creates comedic tension. In Jessica Q. Sutanto's Didn't See that Coming, an outspoken gamer girl, poses online as "DudeBro" to avoid harassment. When she transfers to a new school, she realizes her online best friend "Sourdawg" goes there and is either her crush or her nemesis who are both gamers. Eric Smith's With or Without You pits two teens whose parents own rival cheesesteak trucks against each other, even though they are secretly in love. Mindy Kaling's book club pick this month, Amy Lea's Woke Up Like This, is an adult/YA crossover about two battling teens who are transported 13 years into the future where they are engaged to be married. Unaware of what happened in the last 13 years to change their feelings for each other, they struggle desperately to get back to their teenage years and high school prom.
In Didn't See that Coming, Kiki Siregar, who lives in South Jakarta, Indonesia, games under the name "DudeBro" to avoid being objectified by guys in the gaming universe. Worrying that Kiki is too liberal, her parents transfer her to a traditionally Chinese school, where she immediately draws negative attention when she stands up to a bully, Jonas Arifin, and is branded on TikTok as #Crazy Kiki. She confides in her online best friend "Sourdawg," but later finds out he goes to her new school. She wonders if he is her sweet sensitive lab partner Liam, or Jonas, whose delusional attraction to her is making her life miserable. She enlists the help of the Li'l Auntie's dating service to solve the mystery. Although serious subjects of gender bias and STEM related topics are explored, they are dealt with in humorous ways. As Kiki struggles to stand up to aggressors and be true to herself, she also recognizes that she doesn't want to alienate her crush Liam. Readers will find Kiki's entertaining hijinks a fun romp that of course, leads to a happy ending.
In With or Without You the legendary rivalry between cheesesteak trucks Plaza Steaks and Ortiz Steaks is fueled by high schoolers Jordan Plaza and Cindy Ortiz, whose escalating insults go viral. What spectating customers don't realize is the bickering is a marketing ploy. Jordan and Cindy have been secretly in love for years. Hoping to put the antics behind them when they graduate, they are conflicted when TV executives propose a reality show based on the rivalry. The two families are scheduled to compete in a "Truck Off!" food fair and as competition heats up, real grievances begin to arise. Jordan wants to buy his own food truck and set off across the country with Cindy, whereas she would rather attend college to study the television industry The story is told in alternating perspectives with reality TV-style confessionals. Will Cindy and Jordan find a way to make their relationship work, yet keep their families and TV executives happy, especially when their dreams are diverging?
Woke Up Like This introduces high school senior Charlotte Wu, who has despised golden boy J.T. Renner since he stood her up for Freshman Homecoming. Adding insult to injury, he runs against her for student council president and wins effortlessly, after she has devoted four years to student service and clearly deserves the job. During a prom decorating accident, Char falls off a ladder into Renner, and they slip through a wormhole to 2037 where they wake up in bed together a week before their wedding. They now work at their former high school (She is a counselor, and he is a gym teacher.) and must keep up appearances as they try to figure out how to get back to 2024. As they spend time together, trying to unravel the mysteries of the past, they learn more about each other. Char, who narrates the story, becomes desperate to get back to the past and make changes in decisions she made. Their chemistry and witty bickering, as they evolve from enemies to lovers, make this a widely appealing rom/com.
