But I’ve decided to visit this trope a little more in-depth, especially when it comes to complete strangers or people who don’t particularly like each other suddenly finding themselves attached by a legal piece of paper and maybe some jewelry. There’s something about their journey of discovery after the fact that is very different than any other kind of relationship-starter. So here are a few books that I’ve either read or that are very high on my to-read list so I can just keep gobbling up this very specific trope.
Honorable Mentions
I’m going to add an honorable mention for two very different books that are both called Waking Up Married! The first, Waking Up Married by Mira Lynn Kelly, was probably my first experience with this trope in 2013. This one similarly features strangers waking up together after a drunken night, but there’s a twist: he doesn’t want a divorce! (My review of this one also mentions the series Husbands which I need to go in search of. Do y’all remember that show?) Similarly, in Waking Up Married by Reese Ryan, two best friends end up married and decide to stick with it, just because it will help them with some other goals. And there’s plenty of chemistry to take advantage of. (Also, I am wildly in love with this cover, even if friends-to-lovers isn’t my jam. The texture in her hair! The way they’re laying! It’s all so much.) It’s now a goal of mine to find the coolest, most bizarre romance featuring a strangers-getting-married-in-vegas situation. We’ll see how that works.
