I’ve always thought that “forced proximity” was not a particularly sexy sounding romance trope. “Forced” isn’t a good start, for obvious reasons, and “proximity” has a vague air of contagion about it. But the plot device the term refers to — throwing two romantic leads together and then, either literally or metaphorically, locking the door and seeing what happens — is beloved for a reason.
It’s one of my favorite tropes, and one I take to the extreme in my new novel, “Swept Away,” which is about two strangers lost at sea on a houseboat after an ill-fated one-night stand. But the proximity doesn’t need to be quite that proximate to count: As long as the characters are required to spend a lot of time in each other’s company, I’d say the novel fits the bill. The force holding them together can be as everyday as a family obligation or as dramatic as a prison sentence but, whatever it is, it must be unimpeachable. The trope is only satisfying when we really believe that these people have no choice but to spend time together; any sense that they could walk away instantly ruins the fun.
All of the following novels showcase this trope at its best — playful, knowing, original and deliciously satisfying.
The Rogue Not Taken
by Sarah MacLean
This hilarious Regency romance tackles a classic forced proximity sub-trope: the road trip. Facing societal ruin after very publicly pushing an aristocrat into a fish pond (he deserved it), Sophie Talbot attempts to escape by stowing away in a random carriage leaving the party. Unfortunately, this is not just any carriage: It belongs to the Marquess of Eversley, an infamously charming rake. He believes she’s trying to engineer an engagement; she’s convinced he’s the last man on earth she’d ever want to marry. But he can’t very well abandon this lone woman on the roadside (he’s not that much of a rogue), so he’s forced to travel onward with her. And it’s a very long way to the nearest inn …
How to End a Love Story
by Yulin Kuang
When Grant and Helen are thrown together in a Hollywood writers’ room, it isn’t their first meeting. They have a difficult, painful history — their lives bound forever by a tragic accident that occurred when they were teenagers. But the opportunity to help adapt Helen’s hugely successful novels for TV is one Grant can’t turn down, and Helen doesn’t have the power to kick him off the project, so they have no choice but to work together. I love the added element of history between these two; both of them arrive in Los Angeles determined to leave their past behind, only to come face to face with the living embodiment of it.
Wild Things
by Laura Kay
The power that holds El and Ray together in this smart, witty, queer rom-com is actually their friendship — an ingeniously simple way to create forced proximity. The two have been friends for years but El has always had a huge crush on Ray, and when the women move into a ramshackle house in the English countryside with a couple of other friends, it becomes painfully difficult for El to ignore her feelings. Still, scared that sharing those feelings would end their friendship, El resolves to keep Ray in her life by settling for being roommates. This novel captures the intense longing of a crush so beautifully it almost hurts.
Read our review.
By the Book
by Jasmine Guillory
This charming, modern retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” part of Disney’s Meant to Be series, brings a very old forced proximity love story up to date. Izzy is an editorial assistant sent by her boss to the imposing California home of a troublesome author who won’t deliver his manuscript. But Beau isn’t the gruff monster he initially seems, and as sunny Izzy gets to know him better, his mansion becomes exactly where she wants to be.
Eight Perfect Hours
by Lia Louis
This warm, thoughtful rom-com begins with Noelle getting stranded in her car during a snowstorm with a dead phone, a broken charger and no way out. Luckily, Sam, a fellow snowbound driver, spots her and offers to help, and they end up spending the night in his car, until the blizzard lets up. The chemistry between these two is instantaneous and powerful, but then traffic gets moving again and their normal lives restart. If they’re not forced together, will their connection survive?
Funny Story
by Emily Henry
The genius of this romance novel is not so much in how Henry traps her characters together, but in who they are to each other: Miles is the ex-boyfriend of Daphne’s ex-fiancé’s new fiancée (that may take a couple of reads to understand, but I promise the book makes it easy). Freshly dumped by their now engaged exes, Miles, a bartender, and Daphne, a children’s librarian, end up moving in together. At first, it’s a matter of practicality, and then it becomes a way to exact revenge on their exes, who are rather tellingly uncomfortable with the situation. It’s a hilarious setup, but also a surprisingly poignant one, showing the fallout of a breakup from an entirely new angle.
This was one of our 100 Notable Books of 2024.
The Gentleman’s Gambit
by Evie Dunmore
Dunmore initially confines her characters to a stunning Scottish castle in this fresh, sexy romance set in the 1880s. Catriona, whose father owns said castle, loves solitude and is extremely irritated to have hers disturbed by the arrival of a handsome young academic, Elias Khoury. Things only get worse when Catriona’s father instructs her to accompany Elias to Oxford, where he will be cataloging a collection of ancient artifacts; Catriona is tasked with assisting him. But Elias has an ulterior motive — he actually plans to repatriate the items — and the last thing he wants is a meddlesome young woman interfering. This book is part of Dunmore’s League of Extraordinary Women series, and it perfectly balances well-researched history with tropey romantic fun.
The post The Best Forced Proximity Romance Novels appeared first on New York Times.
