Romance books with origins in fanfiction are increasingly common on bookstore shelves. The most common are those with origins in established IP fandoms like Star Wars and Harry Potter. But that’s not all. Beyond that horizon is the real person fanfiction, stories inspired by real-life relationships.
When a relationship blows up in the zeitgeist, whether it’s a fleeting viral meet-cute captured on a bystander’s social media or celebrities falling in love publicly, some authors get to typing. And the books they write can be controversial! Whether an author was deeply inspired by a love story or they are taking the parasocial nature of celebrity culture to an extreme is not always going to be an easy distinction to draw. And one thing about me: I’ll happily read reviews, but I like to read the source material and make my own call about whether a touchy topic is handled well in a book.
What I think we can do is take a look at these books on their own merits. Does the story rise above the inspiration? Does it go to an imaginative place, or examine a relationship in a thought-provoking way? Each of the following romances based on real-life relationships takes the initial inspiration to destinations I found really interesting. I hope you will, too.
American Royalty by Tracey Livesay
Tracey Livesay is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, so I was excited to see her take on celebrity romance. This book’s marketing materials say the book “evokes the real-life romance between Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle.” Frankly, however, there aren’t many similarities between the characters in the book and Harry and Meghan. Yes, there’s a white English royal and a Black American woman. But Prince Jameson has a day job as a professor and leads a somewhat reclusive life. Danielle “Duchess” Nelson is a bold and sexy rapper who needs some good press. She’s more Megan Thee Stallion than Meghan Markle. The two end up in a forced proximity bubble that allows their relationship to unfold. Ultimately, I think this book is about how people respond to extraordinary pressure, an experience that can translate well beyond the inspiration.
The First Date Prophecy by Kate Tamberelli and Danny Tamberelli
’90s kids may remember the classic Nickelodeon show The Adventures of Pete & Pete with its indelibly quirky cast of characters. The actor who played the younger Pete grew up, got married, and wrote this book with his wife. And it’s inspired by their actual love story! In the book, former child actor Rudy Riziero is ready to be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t think of him as that child star. He matches on a dating app with aspiring writer Lucy. The psychic they meet on their first date makes it unclear whether they’re headed for the altar or for certain doom. Either way, they’re in for a ride. Any book that meditates on the weird world of child stardom is one I’m likely to pick up.
All access members continue below for more romances inspired by real people.
Heavy Hitter by Katie Cotugno
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce started dating in 2023. By August 2024, this book, about the romance between a pop star and a professional baseball player, hit shelves. The marketing material called this a “ripped-from-the-headlines romance” and name-dropped the pairings of “Taylor and Travis. Jennifer and A-Rod. Marilyn and Joe.” Maybe you’re inclined to think this project was lazy. I’ll encourage you to read Rena Rani of Smart Romance’s Substack post about the book and reconsider. She argues that the book paints a compelling portrait of how a celebrity might show up in a relationship when broader society has reduced them to a content factory. Reducing this book to a quick cash grab kind of rhymes with that theme, doesn’t it?
That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
This novella is from the trio of linked stories collected in Hamilton’s Battalion. This story is a sapphic romance between two free Black women in the orbit of Eliza Hamilton. Mercy is Hamilton’s maid, and she’s trying to avoid love and hope, which is to say she’s trying to avoid pain. Then, flirtatious dressmaker Andromeda shows up at the Hamilton Grange and changes everything. In the author’s historical note, she mentions the book Charity and Sylvia as a helpful resource. That book details a real-life same-sex marriage between the titular women in early 1800s America. This novella is an affirming and heartfelt story about opening one’s heart to the possibility of love.
Ultimately, I am always curious about the zeitgeist. As I write this, I’m seeing jokes online about the Omegaverse energy between World Cup stars Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. Omegaverse is yet another romance subgenre that has broken fanfic containment for traditional publishing deals. So if in a year or two, we are seeing celebrity sports Omegaverse romances hit shelves, please remember that I saw it coming.
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