5 best rom-com books, selected by rising star novelist Alex Sarkis

Looking for a rom com novel? Look no further than first-time novelist Alex Sarkis’s top five heartfelt and hilarious reads.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

A blueprint for all rom com and romance writers. Takes the top spot, because of its timelessness (over 200 years old!) and because it gave us Colin Firth as Mr Darcy.  

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding 

A modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and therefore a natural second. Also, again, Colin Firth as
Mr Darcy. 

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The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

The perfect rom com – both heartfelt and hilarious. A story about an autistic genetics professor who puts together a questionnaire in order to screen any future potential partners. Enter: Rosie. A completely ‘unsuitable’ match, and yet Don can’t seem to get rid of her. 

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton 

A very witty, easy read. Super relatable for single girls in their late twenties or early thirties. Lots to do with modern dating and general millennial angst. One of my favourite ‘chick-lit’ books, with a good amount of depth.  

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason 

I’ve included this one as a bit of a curveball – not exactly a ‘rom com’, but a poignant love story, and very darkly funny, nonetheless. Martha, who is 40 and suffers from a long-term mental illness, separates from her husband, Patrick. Over the course of the book, they weave in and out of each other’s lives as they struggle to save their marriage.  

Something Blue by Alex Sarkis is out now (Ultimo Press, £14.99). You can buy these titles from The Big Issue shop on Bookshop.org, which helps to support The Big Issue and independent bookshops.

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