Around here, we love love. We love everything about it. We love the sweet notes, the tender caresses and spooning at night. We love the feeling of connection, understanding and support.

But most of all we love the art that it inspires. We love how love is a universal feeling that transcends culture and language; how it’s a something that everyone everywhere longs for. This encourages artists the world over to create some of the biggest professions to love, heartbreak and everything in between.

Megan also lives for a theme and any excuse to make lists, so let’s get right down to it! Here are some of her favorite books, movies and songs (complete with playlist!) to celebrate this joyous day of love!

MOVIES

Flipped-This adorable love story between two middle schoolers is one of my favorite movies of all time and probably my favorite love story. Julie’s been in love with Bryce since the day they met and he’s hated her for just as long. But then he starts to realize that maybe he’s wrong. Only she realizes that maybe he’s not the sum of his parts. It’s so tender and so sweet and has my FAVORITE love quote of all time! It’s also one of the most accurate adaptations from book to movie.

Moulin Rouge-Who doesn’t love Ewan McGregor in full love mode? Did we mention that he’s also singing? He falls in love with Nicole Kidman’s character on a chance trip to the Moulin Rouge and everything is set in motion. It’s beautiful and magical and I love it so much.

Big Fish- Oh my god. What isn’t there to say about this movie? It’s just perfect. Will’s father Edward is dying and he wants to know once and for all that the stories he’s heard his whole life were fabrications. When they tell the story of how his parents met, your heart just can’t take it. Their love is just so sweet and also really real. And the familial love aspect? Ugh. I can’t.

10 Things I Hate About You-It surely doesn’t get much better than this. Especially in terms of Shakespeare modernizations. It’s so 90s and so perfect and I don’t hate it, not even a little bit, not even at all.

Wall-E-Don’t try to tell me that this isn’t one of the best love stories. Wall-E literally clings to a space shuttle to follow Eve to the space cruise. I mean, come on. That’s real love right there.

Like Crazy- Oh my god. Talk about intensity. A British gal and an American guy meet in college and fall deeply in love. She overstays her visa and her being kicked out of the country tears them apart. OR DOES IT? Anton Yelchin will always be a total dream. RIP.

About Time-If this isn’t one of the most perfect love stories, I don’t know what is. It might have to do with my love for Domnhall Gleeson, but I just think it’s perfect. He learns how to time travel and he fixes all of the wrong things until he gets it right to make sure he has the perfect love story and it’s sweet and endearing and the final scene with his dad gets me EVERY. TIME.

Shakespeare in Love-I’ll be damned if this isn’t one of the best love stories. It follows William Shakespeare and Viola De Lesseps as they find themselves locked in a tryst as she’s betrothed to someone else. She inspires him to write Twelfth Night and oh, how I wish this were true. (Fun fact: I extended a stay in London JUST to see the world premiere of the stage adaptation. Worth it.)

Singin’ in the Rain-My favorite musical of all time. It’s perfect. It’s magical. I can’t praise this classic enough.

Other notable films: Pride & Prejudice, Love Actually, Love, Simon, The Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Up, 500 Days of Summer, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Letters to Juliet, Once, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Ruby Sparks and What If.

BOOKS

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King-Everyone who’s ever met me knows how obsessed I am with this book, so it’s only fitting. Astrid can’t seem to figure out her sexuality and how that plays into who she is as a person. It leads to so many spirals, but just the right spirals.

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith-This cross country/across the ocean love story is just….it’s perfect. It feeds your need for love and it feeds your wanderlust. The story of how two people can happen to meet and see where that chance meeting takes them will steal your heart.

99 Days and 9 Days and 9 Nights by Katie Cotugno- Molly Barlow and her triangle with the Donnelly brothers will have you addicted to every page of both books. It’ll tear at your heartstrings and have you screaming that Molly isn’t listening to you when it comes to what to do. It’s perfect, it’s lovely, it makes your heart flutter.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon-This is going to become a movie soon, so read it now! It’s about Natasha, a girl about to be deported back to Jamaica, and Daniel, a boy who is meant to be heading to a college interview, meeting outside and the universe saying, “Today’s the day it happens.”

Persuasion by Jane Austen-I’m not the Pride & Prejudice is the be all, end all type of gal. I prefer Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth. When he leaves her the letter in a crowded room? Oh. OH. My whole heart. That letter is everything.

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Jay Fowler-A group of friends get together to form a Jane Austen book club. One meets another woman at a screening of Sense &  Sensibility and invites her to join. Another meets a man eager to find friends. There are so many love stories in this that your heart just bursts.

The Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty-You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the tangled love story of Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie.

Other mentions: I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, The Intermission by Elyssa Friedland, The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and Anna and the French Kiss trilogy by Stephanie Perkins.

MUSIC

Music is one of the greatest expressions of love, like, crushing, heartbreak and everything else in between. There are so many good ones that it was hard for me to choose! So, here are a few of my ultimate favorites and a link to the Spotify playlist at the end!

End of Time-Beyonce

Still Into You-Paramore

Make You Feel My Love-Adele

Until the End of Time-Justin Timberlake

Hold-Saves the Day

10/10- Paolo Nutini

Fireproof-One Direction

Truly, Madly, Deeply-One Direction

Sweet Creature-Harry Styles

Underneath It All-No Doubt

Time Stops-Broadway Production of Big Fish

Austin-Blake Shelton

Die a Happy Man-Thomas Rhett

From This Moment On-Shania Twain

You’re Still the One-Shania Twain

You Da One-Rihanna

Something-The Beatles

I Will-The Beatles

Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You-Lauryn Hill

I See the Light-Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi

Always Remember Us This Way-Lady Gaga

Nice N’ Easy-Frank Sinatra

Love Hurts-Incubus

These Arms of Mine-Otis Redding

You Make My Dreams-Hall & Oates

Firefly-Ed Sheeran

Give A Little-Hanson

Hurricane-Something Corporate

Falling Slowly-The Swell Season

January Wedding-The Avett Brothers

Kick Drum Heart-The Avett Brothers

You & I-One Direction

It Will Rain-Bruno Mars

Mrs. All American-5 Seconds of Summer

Oxygen-New Found Glory

Thanks-Kevin Devine

I Love You Too Much-Diego Luna

Head Over Feet-Alanis Morrisette

Still the One-One Direction

Listen to the playlist on Spotify!

 

From us to all of you and your loved ones, Happy Valentine’s Day! It made me a day filled with cheese, but who doesn’t love a reason to spread the love?! Squeeze your loved ones, send a love note and do a face mask because self love is the most important love!

We love all of you!