I was hoping for more curved ball suggestions really to set me off with different writers but I didn’t find anything particularly unexpected.

This was a fantastic well-written guide, filled with a diverse list of recommendations. The publishing date is also included with the name of the author so readers can know how old/recently the book was published. As I've read only a handful from the list (from the top of my head One Day and The Time Traveller's Wife come to mind as a couple of books that were mentioned) I'm pleased I have managed to add many more to my TBR. This was read within a day, I loved the sound of each book, which included a brief but interesting narrative of the main characters and plot, at times supporting information on whether the book was adapted into a film or TV series, or with a titbit or commentary on how the book was received at the time of publication. I can safely say there is something for everyone, with a variety of themes explored across a spectrum, be it classics, books written by POC, LGBTQ+, modern romances or star crossed lovers tragedies. Only downside - I would not buy this as an e-copy as the formatting was all over the place, and although there is a TBR index which is helpful, a checklist at the end would have been a godsend. These are my only qualms though, I can't wait to run through the list again to choose my next read! Thank you @netgalley and @MurdochBooks with the advanced copy in exchange for an honest unedited review.

Where love and romance collide
3 stars

As I started to read this cute little book, I realised that someone had some confusion with what is a love story and what is a romance. Even now, I’m not sure if it was the author who was confused or if it was me. Either way, this is a book for the hopeless romantic, who may or may not be a fan of romance books, but it is definitely not a list of 50 romances. While that’s not a deal-breaker in any way, it’s definitely good to be clear at the start so there’s no failed expectations.

This is a short little gift book - a perfect stocking stuffer - which means the introductory text is short and to the point. I’m not familiar with the author’s blog but I enjoyed his writing style here. It’s friendly, readable and written in a way that shows he really cares about what he’s talking about.

As for his choice of books, there’s definitely an eclectic mix and I would highly doubt that someone who enjoys a love story, or a story with a love element, will not find something that they haven’t read before and would be interested to try. I’d heard of many of the more popular books but maybe didn’t know the premise of them so it was nice to get a little snippet of what to expect. Even for those I’m familiar with and have read, it’s always interesting to get someone else’s take on them and it’s only a couple of small pages per book so you can easily read about that particular book or move onto the next.

But just to reiterate again - very few of these books are romances or romance novels. And as someone who almost exclusively reads that type of story, there really wasn’t one book that was included that I will be picking up and reading as a result. Again, I’m not sure whose fault that is - if anyone’s - but this wasn’t the treasure trove of new books to read that I had hoped or expected it to be.

I like the way that the book was laid out with places to note when you’ve read the book, a place to note the star rating and cute little cartoon and graphics to break up the text. It’s definitely not a heavy book - in any way - but it’s cute and fun and perfect for the hopeless romantic in your life. As for me, I’m giving this book 3 stars only because of the confusion between love stories and romances which raised my expectation of the kind of book I was digging into. If you’re clear on that from the start - I hope you read it and find it worthy of a higher rating than I can give.

I was a bit disappointed by this, having been initially excited to pick up some ideas on new books I would like to read.. However, there really was not anything new here and I think others may well be disappointed too.

I would struggle to be able to review this book due to issues with the file/download. The issues stopped the flow of the book. The issues are:
- Missing words in the middle of sentences
- Stop/start sentences on different lines
- No clear definition of chapters.

Not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps and stops/starts which really ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me. I would be more than happy to re-read the book with a better file or as a physical book as the book topic and genre are of interest to me.

Perfect Inspiration…
You definitely do not need to be a hopeless romantic to read this but if you enjoy the genre then you’ll be made. From classic to contemporary romance and everything in between, this short tome is full of suggestions for the the next big read - or indeed those that you may wish to revisit. The interactive element allows notes, lists and star ratings. A perfect inspiration.

A quick and dirty guide to some fantastic romantic novels. I loved reading the summaries and the author's opinions. I've read a few of the titles mentioned in this book and have discovered many more in this guide, which I will now add to my TBR wishlist. The guide covers books from classics to contemporary novels, global stories and not just romantic love e.g friendship, platonic love.

A really interesting reading list that doesn't just cover the classics, but also very recent and new books including many I hadn't come across before - despite being a hopeless romantic - and have now added to my TBR. The book is nicely designed, with a page of insightful commentary on each book and room to add your own notes.

Lately, I want to get more into reading romance, so I requested this book to give me some fresh ideas. I find that book guides and recommendation lists can sometimes be a little predictable, full of well-known classics and the most popular works from the selected genre. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised as Erich Karl Anderson chose an original and very interesting selection of books. Of course, some of the most influential classics of the genre such as Wuthering Heights (is it really a romantic book? Debatable) or Anna Karenina needs to be featured. Yet the rest is a lovely selection of older and newer books from authors of various backgrounds, some well-known and some more obscure. I have pretty much added every single one I haven’t read yet to my TBR list. The book is designed in a very minimal but aesthetically pleasing way, which makes it a lovely present for anybody interested in the romance genre.

A great book.
50 books to add to your tbr. Each book has a short description, information about the author, as well as the context and legacy of the book and how it has changed today i.e movie, tv series etc.
On each page to a a lovely touch it has a space for you to write when you read it and what star rating you would give it. Also at the end it has a section for you to write your own romance recommendations.

There are such a variety of recommendations including Doctor Zhivago, Wuthering Heights to modern book like The Song Of Achillies, Tin Man and many more.

A great book for those wanting to read more romance novels or to build up their TBR;

I'm not a hopeless romantic but still loved this book. I found it a great way to find some interesting and exciting new author and reads. It helped me identify some new books to purchase and learn more about. I love this as a sampler and feel it would appeal to readers of all genres who want to read more romance.

As a life long hopeless romantic, a TBR list of 50 romance novel I can work through is a must read for me. I loved this guide which features a short description of each book, information about the author, as well as the context and legacy of the book. There's even space to record the date you read it and your star rating. At the end, you can list your favourite books, create your own TBR list and make notes. There's a range of classic and modern literature, so there will be something to appeal to everyone. It belongs on the bookshelf of all my fellow hopeless romantics.