There’s nothing like spring in the city after such a long and unforgiving winter. The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and everyone’s bustling about. Here are some spring movie and book recommendations to romanticize the season.
Movies:
#1 Pride and Prejudice (2005): This absolutely has to be on the list. Jane Austen’s writing can be felt so deeply, and the movie adaptations are remarkable as well. She tackles many topics that are still relevant today, such as marriage, social class, misjudgment, true love, and more. There are no DM’s, no reposts, and certainly no snap scores. Instead, we get the best tension: gazes across rooms, hands brushing against each other. All the while, I can feel the spring breeze of the beautiful English countryside hitting my face in every corner of this movie.
#2 Moonrise Kingdom: As with most Wes Anderson movies, this one is pleasantly colorful and curated. It is nature-centered, which creates the perfect spring atmosphere. This is another movie about love, except this one follows two twelve-year-old misfits who fall in love and devise an intricate plan to run away together into the wilderness. A search party ensues on a small fictional island off the coast of New England as a hurricane approaches.
#3 Drop Dead Gorgeous: A hilarious satire with a stacked female cast and a wicked spin on beauty pageant culture. This has a Midwestern, small-town spring aesthetic with all of the ’90s fashion and witty humor. The movie follows a “documentary crew” as they cover the Mount Rose American Teen Princess Pageant. While it sounds pretty, things get ugly, and some contestants will do whatever it takes to win. If you are looking for a movie for a cozy night with your friends, this is the one.
Books:
#1 The Little Shop of Grand Curiosities by Iris Lake: This is a cozy fantasy romance novel about a shopkeeper, Nepheli, who is trying to preserve the last bit of magic in her city, Elora. One day, a mysterious traveler named Apollo arrives, and she leaves the comfort of her magic shop to join him on a dangerous journey away from the monsters attacking her city. A whimsical, enemies-to-lovers story with enchanted forests, centaurs, and fairies. Need I say more? It is also a standalone, so you are not committing to a ten-book series.
#2 Ready Or Not by Cara Bastone: A contemporary romance novel set in Brooklyn about Eve, a woman who is unexpectedly pregnant from a one-night stand and reevaluates her life. At the same time, there is a friends-to-lovers storyline with her best friend’s brother. Many readers say that this book feels like a warm hug. It has positive reviews for its realistic characters, humor, and emotional depth. The book cover is also one you will want on your shelf because it adds such a beautiful pop of color.
#3 The Austen Affair: Spring is all about romance, right? This time-travel romance novel follows two actors, Tess and Hugh, who do not get along. While filming a Northanger Abbey adaptation, they are suddenly sent back to the Regency era. Together, they must navigate 19th-century society while trying to find their way back home. Of course, an enemies-to-lovers story begins to unfold between spring picnics and galas.