One True Loves

Lenore Bennett plans to spend the summer before college on a European grand tour with her family, determined to find romance abroad before starting pre-med at NYU in the fall. Her strict parents have high expectations, but Lenore dreams of becoming a professional artist instead of following their chosen path for her future. During the trip, Lenore keeps crossing paths with Alex Lee, a quiet boy from her high school who's traveling through Europe with his grandmother. Despite her initial resistance and their different personalities, their repeated encounters across multiple countries begin to shift her perspective. As Lenore explores historic cities and creates art in her travel sketchbook, she grapples with major decisions about her future plans and identity. The distance from home gives her space to question what she truly wants versus what others expect of her. This YA contemporary romance examines themes of family pressure, cultural expectations, and the challenge of choosing between security and passion when planning one's path forward. The European setting provides a backdrop for a story about finding the courage to be honest about one's dreams.

Readers praise the authentic teen voice and realistic portrayal of anxiety in the main character Lenore. The romance develops naturally, and many reviewers connect with the depictions of family pressure and college decisions. Several readers highlight the music references and inclusion of classical compositions throughout the story. Common criticisms include a slow first third of the book and repetitive internal monologuing from Lenore. Some readers found the resolution predictable and noted that the side characters needed more development. Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (3,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (280+ ratings) BookTok: Frequent mentions, mostly positive Specific reader comments: "The anxiety rep is spot-on" - Goodreads reviewer "Classical music elements add depth to the story" - Amazon reviewer "Takes too long to get going" - StoryGraph reviewer "Would have liked more scenes with the friend group" - Barnes & Noble reviewer

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🌟 Author Elise Bryant was inspired to write diverse rom-coms after noticing a lack of Black teen girls in romantic stories during her own adolescence 💫 The book explores the complexities of being a high achiever while dealing with parental expectations, a theme drawn from Bryant's experience as a former teacher 🎨 The main character Lenore's passion for art and animation reflects Bryant's own creative background in theater and performing arts 🌺 The story takes place during a European cruise, but Bryant wrote most of the travel scenes without having been on a cruise herself, relying on extensive research ✨ One True Loves is part of a loose series of interconnected books set in the same world as Bryant's other novels, Happily Ever Afters and We Deserve Monuments, with some overlapping characters