Almost a decade after its release, a beloved romance novel has just earned an impressive new distinction.
Sally Rooney‘s 2018 book Normal People was crowned as the “Greatest Romance Book of the 21st Century,” according to a new ranking from Collider, published on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Praised for its authentic presentation of a modern, intricate romance story, Normal People is described by Collider as “perhaps the defining romance book of the 2010s.”
Set against the backdrop of Ireland, the novel follows Connell and Marianne as their complicated on-again, off-again love story unfolds between their small hometown in County Sligo and Dublin. Though they come from very different worlds, the two form an intense connection that follows them from high school to college, bringing them together and pulling them apart time and again.
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Normal People has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, and it boasts an average Goodreads rating of 3.81 out of 5 stars.
Rooney’s breakthrough novel was later adapted into a hit television series, premiering as a Hulu original in the U.S. in April 2020 after airing on BBC Three in the U.K. and RTÉ One in Ireland. The series starred Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones as the two central characters, while Rooney helped co-write the script alongside screenwriters Alice Birch and Mark O’Rowe.
The series ended up earning four Emmy nominations, including a Lead Actor nod for Mescal. It was also nominated for Outstanding Casting, Outstanding Directing, and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special.
The 10 Greatest Romance Books of the 21st Century, According to Collider
- “Normal People,” Sally Rooney
- “The Fault in Our Stars,” John Green
- “Call Me By Your Name,” André Aciman
- “The Amber Spyglass,” Philip Pullman
- “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” Taylor Jenkins Reid
- “The Song of Achilles,” Madeline Miller
- “Brooklyn,” Colm Tóbín
- “Twilight,” Stephanie Meyer
- “The Time Traveler’s Wife” Audrey Niffenegger
- “Lover Awakened,” J.R. Ward
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