There’s a long history in Hollywood of cross-cultural rom-coms — films and TV shows such as “Keeping the Faith,” “Bend It Like Beckham” and “The Nanny” that mine clashing traditions to find hilarity and heart. Colliding heritages naturally lend themselves to moments of comedic gold: Just think of a nonplused Andrea Martin in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” reassuring John Corbett’s vegetarian leading man, “That’s OK: I make lamb.”
The series “Nobody Wants This,” which premieres on Netflix on Sept. 26, is the latest entry into this oeuvre. Joanne (Kristen Bell) is an agnostic, sex-positive podcast host with a history of toxic relationships; Noah (Adam Brody — Mr. Chrismukkah himself, no stranger to interfaith high jinks) is a pot-smoking rabbi with a fiercely protective mother who spends his free time playing basketball with the Matzah Ballers. Their story is as much about the universal awkwardness and hilarity of a budding romance as it is about the complex differences in their worldviews.
Interfaith and cross-cultural romances are nothing new in the literary sense, either. If you’re craving more stories about clever people drawn together by chemistry and circumstance who also face the difficult work of navigating disparate backgrounds, these romance novels have got you covered.
I think hot rabbis may be the new hot priests
The Intimacy Experiment
By Rosie Danan
Naomi Grant is a bisexual adult film actress with a master’s degree who runs a successful online sex-ed platform; she wants to expand into live seminars, but she’s having trouble finding an institution to support her. Enter Ethan Cohen, an unconventional (and very attractive) straight rabbi who invites Naomi to teach a course on human sexuality and relationships at his synagogue — a gamble aimed at reaching more young Jewish people and saving his dwindling congregation.
This novel is the sequel to Danan’s forced-proximity charmer “The Roommate,” but you don’t need to have read the first book to appreciate this one. Naomi is funny and confident while Ethan, a former scientist who entered rabbinical school after his father’s death, is earnest and big-hearted. His consistent advocacy of Naomi in the face of a community backlash makes this a very satisfying story that explores the intersection of sex and faith.
Give me enemies to lovers with a twist
The Chai Factor
By Farah Heron
Amira Khan, an engineering graduate student, decides to return to her family home to finish her thesis in the peace and quiet of its basement apartment. Things start to go downhill at the train station, where she clashes with Duncan Galahad, an unfortunately sexy lumberjack. When Amira gets home, she finds out her grandmother has rented out her study sanctuary to a barbershop quartet in town for a competition. Is Duncan among the singers? Of course he is.
It doesn’t take long for Duncan, a charming baritone with banter to spare, to realize that prickly, brilliant Amira is perfect for him. Their story is a nuanced blend of classic romantic comedy tropes — fake relationships; there’s only one bed — and thoughtful consideration of topics such as Islamophobia, homophobia and sexism.
I like fake relationships that tackle real issues
Sunshine and Spice
By Aurora Palit
Dev Mukherjee is desperate to avoid his mother’s matchmaking — a challenge considering she has hired a professional … without consulting him. She’s also thinking about hiring Naomi Kelly to rebrand the Mukherjee family’s failing store, but Naomi’s lack of connection to her Bengali heritage is proving to be a roadblock. So Naomi and Dev join a long line of romantic duos by embarking on a fake relationship: Naomi will pretend to be dating Dev, his mother will stop trying to set him up, and Dev will teach Naomi about Bengali culture so she can win the bazaar contract. What could possibly go wrong?
This trope is a classic for a reason. To the surprise of exactly no one (except Dev and Naomi), the faux lovers’ feigned connection soon starts to develop into something real.
How about a cross-cultural twist on a classic?
Sex, Lies and Sensibility
By Nikki Payne
Nora Dash is having a Very Bad Time. Her father recently died. At the reading of his will, she discovered that she and her sister, Yanne, were his secret second family. And an intimate video of her, leaked by an ex-boyfriend, went viral. There is one silver lining: Their dad left Nora and Yanne a beach house in Maine, which they decide to turn into an inn.
When the sisters arrive, they discover that the house is a wreck. Not only that, but there don’t seem to be any other Black people in the vicinity, and a smoking-hot Abenaki tour guide named Ennis Freeman — better known as Bear — has claimed the house as his unofficial headquarters. This retelling of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” features complicated family dynamics, crackling chemistry and plenty of shenanigans.
Get me in the holiday spirit
Season of Love
By Helena Greer
Greer was inspired by Hallmark Christmas movies when writing her debut novel: She wanted to explore what happens when someone returns home and tries to reintegrate into a family business. In this case, the family is Jewish, and the business is Carrigan’s, a Christmas tree farm.
Miriam Blum has spent 10 years building an art business in Charleston, S.C., and avoiding her great-aunt Cass’s farm. But when Cass dies, a devastated Miriam goes home to sit shiva. Noelle Northwood, the farm’s manager, resents Miriam for missing her aunt’s final years. When Miriam and Noelle discover that Carrigan’s is failing — and that, along with Miriam’s cousin, they’ve inherited it — they must navigate loss, a slow-burn sexual attraction and the incongruous hilarity of saving a very Jewish Christmas tree farm.
The post Loved ‘Nobody Wants This’? You’ll Want to Read These Books appeared first on New York Times.
