Grumpy-Sunshine Romance Reads

They say opposites attract, and within the romance genre, these pairings are foundational. When characters (with contrary personalities or views on life) clash and then overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges to find love together, romance readers swoon (think Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.) One of today's most popular iterations of this opposites-attract trope is that of the grumpy-sunshine relationship.  

Romance, as a literary genre, requires the plot to revolve around the growth of a romantic relationship. There must be some sort of challenge to this romance, and then a resolution of that challenge in a happy ending. Within this framework, the grumpy-sunshine relationship trope focuses on the relationship between a person who generally has a sour, pessimistic, and cynical attitude and a person who has a positive, sweet, and hopeful way of existing in the world. Not limited to just the romance genre, the grumpy-sunshine trope develops as both characters learn to interact with each other and ultimately experience personal growth.  

While fans love to debate the parameters of this trope, here are some things to explore as you surrender to the allure of the grumpy-sunshine relationship:

How to Find More

• Try using these keywords (or their variations) alone or paired with ‘romance fiction’ in your catalog search: ‘grumpy sunshine’, grouch, curmudgeon, grumpiness, cheerfulness, cynicism. Then, filter your results by content (fiction).
• Check out the community and staff lists on the library’s catalog that also include books you liked within this theme.
• Look into Novelist Plus for more suggestions. You can find titles by searching the Themes Field in the Advanced Search using the phrase ‘grumpy sunshine’ or search using similar keywords as your library catalog search (these terms can also be used in a search engine such as Google; your results will vary.)
• Follow Romance fiction online resources for grumpy-sunshine discovery:
  • All About Romance
  • The Ripped Bodice Bookstore’s Newsletter
  • A Love So True
  • BookRiot’s Kissing Books Newsletter
  • Romance.io
  • Use the BookMatch or Book-a-Librarian services to get individualized help, for reading suggestions or tutorials on navigating the library catalog.

Authors who use this trope in at least a few of their novels:

• Tessa Bailey
• Mariana Zapata
• Emily Henry
• Sally Thorne
• Susan Elizabeth Phillips
• Talia Hibbert
• Christina Lauren

Try these next...

Mrs. Nash's Ashes

You're the Problem, It's You

Sunshine and Spice

To Sir Phillip, With Love

A Thorn in the Saddle