February has come around once again, and that means that the season of love is upon us.  Whether you have a significant other, are hopelessly (or happily) single, or have a great family and/or group of friends, now is the time to be celebrating love in all of its forms! 

With that in mind, here are a couple of my media recommendations if you’re looking for a book or movie to help ring in the season.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

After seeing how popular this book is and absolutely loving Red, White, and Royal Blue, I knew I had to finally sit down and find out what the hype was all about.

August Landry is a college student who doesn’t exactly make many social connections. That is, until she moves to New York City. After moving into an apartment full of new and quirky roommates, August meets an unbelievably attractive woman named Jane on the Q and can’t help but fall in love. Except, Jane is from the 1970s and is trapped in time. August is the only one who can figure out what happened and get her back to her rightful time period.

In retrospect, I probably should have read the summary, because I spent the beginning chunk of the novel convinced it was just a really cute LGBTQ+ romance novel with leagues of representation and cute, heartfelt moments–then they sprang the time trap. Nonetheless, I adored the novel.

The characters are charming and distinct, creating a little community that you feel connected to almost from the start. There are a few mildly explicit sex scenes, so if you’re not a fan of those, like me, I suggest skimming them. Otherwise, it’s a fantastic story about making connections, discovering the meaning of love, and celebrating it in all forms.

The book’s focus on college students and their challenges may also hit home for those of us still searching for our purpose in life and what we want to do when we leave campus. And, I promise that there’s a happy ending–believe me, I was worried too.

I.Q. (1994) starring Meg Ryan and Tim Robbins

This has been one of my favorite movies for a long time. If you’re looking for a cute, fluffy rom-com to watch, this one is definitely it.

Ed Walters, a mechanic, falls in love with Catherine Boyd at first sight when Catherine’s fiance’s car breaks down nearby. When Catherine accidentally leaves her pocket watch behind, it gives Ed the perfect opportunity to see her again, and also discover that her uncle is famed scientist Albert Einstein. After listening to Ed’s plight, Einstein and his other scientist friends band together to help Ed impress Catherine by passing him off as a genius physicist.

One of my favorite tropes in rom-coms is the group of older people supervising the budding romance and occasionally interfering. This movie fits right in with that concept; Einstein and his group of scientist friends are delightfully eccentric and nosy, providing much of the comedic elements of the film.

The longer the film goes on, the wackier it gets. Plans go awry almost from the start, with the stakes rising ever higher. If that’s not enough to convince you to watch this movie, Stephen Fry plays Catherine’s fiance (James) and he does a marvelous job.  

Plus, with so many highly intelligent characters, there are many references to mathematical, scientific, and mechanical concepts – Ed takes an IQ test, Catherine discusses Zeno’s Paradox, and the discussion of the meaning of time threads through the entire film. It’s a sort of subtle educational experience, which I quite enjoy.  

Overall, it’s a delightfully fluffy film that never really gets too serious, which is perfect if you just need a cute movie to relax to. The more I watch it, the more delightful I find it, so definitely give it a chance if you’re looking for a fun rom-com!