The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
6 — Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Are you a hopeless romantic who is 

always reading about all things love? 
Whether you’re single or in a relation-
ship this Valentine’s Day, the Daily Book 
Review has you covered. Some of these 
books are fantasy, while others are con-
temporary romances that deserve all the 
hype. With a wide variety of romances 
and tropes galore, here are six books we 
think you’ll love.

“Love and Other Words” by Chris-

tina Lauren 

“Love and Other Words” by best 

friends and co-writing duo that go by the 
pen name “Christina Lauren” will not 
only bring you to tears but will restore 
your faith in the friends-to-lovers trope.

Macy Sorensen is the woman with a 

plan. All she needs to do is focus on her 
job, marry her older (and financially sta-
ble) fiancé and, most importantly, shove 
the mere thought of Elliot Petropoulos to 
the back of her mind. Her plan goes per-
fectly fine until she runs into him for the 
first time in 10 years. 

After Macy’s mother died, her father 

bought a summer house outside of San 
Francisco where she spent all her week-
ends and summers growing up — with 
Elliot. Forever holed up reading and dis-
cussing words together, the two formed a 
seemingly everlasting friendship. When 
their friendship turned into something 
more, it wasn’t long until everything was 
ruined in just one night. 

Told in dual timelines — starting from 

the moment Macy and Elliot meet as 
teenagers to when they meet again as 
adults — “Love and Other Words” is a 
heartwarming story of second chances, 
first love and loss. As we root for Macy 
and Elliot to find their way back to each 
other, we too are left yearning for love 
that can withstand the test of time.

— Ava Seaman, Daily Arts Writer
“Take a Hint, Dani Brown” by Talia 

Hibbert 

“Take a Hint, Dani Brown” by Talia 

Hibbert tells the story of how one woman 
who doesn’t believe in romance finds her-
self in a fake relationship with her friend 
from work after they accidentally go viral. 

As a PhD student, Danika Brown is 

a focused, career-driven woman. She 
has no time for relationships, especially 
after the way things ended with her last 
girlfriend. Besides, she’d rather have 

something casual with no commitment 
required. Ex-rugby player Zafir Ansari 
works as a security guard at Dani’s uni-
versity. Although he has a brooding exte-
rior, he is a hopeless romantic who just 
wants his own happily-ever-after. His 
heart, however, has been guarded ever 
since an accident that left his family dev-
astated. 

Dani and Zaf are just friends, but after 

Zaf heroically saves Dani during a fire 
drill and the rescue is captured on video, 
the two go viral. With everyone — includ-
ing the universe — encouraging them to 
make it official as #DrRugbae, they start 
to fake-date. Zaf needs the publicity for 
his children’s sports charity, and Dani 
could certainly benefit from the friends-
with-benefits situation they agree upon. 
What do they have to lose? 

This hilarious and sexy contemporary 

romance explores the idea of vulnerabil-
ity in relationships while also tackling 
heavier topics like anxiety and griev-
ing the death of loved ones. Filled with 
diverse and loveable characters, “Take a 
Hint, Dani Brown” is the rom-com you 
won’t want to put down. 

— Ava Seaman, Daily Arts Writer
“It Happened One Summer” by 

Tessa Bailey

“It Happened One Summer” by Tessa 

Bailey is perfect for anyone looking for 
a fun and spicy romance in the vein of 
“Schitt’s Creek.” 

Piper Bellinger is a Los Angeles 

socialite known for her partying and 
short-lived relationships. After her lat-
est adventure goes awry and she ends up 
behind bars, her stepfather puts his foot 
down. He sends Piper and her sister Han-
nah away for the summer to learn some 
responsibility in a small fishermen’s town 
where their late father grew up. When the 
sisters arrive, they meet the local fish-
ing boat captain, Brendan Taggart, who 
doesn’t take a liking to the newcomers 
but can’t seem to stay away from Piper. 
Brendan is too grumpy for her, and Piper 
is too spoiled for him — they are the per-
fect match. 

As Piper finds herself living in a mouse-

infested apartment above their father’s 
old dive bar, she sets out to restore the bar 
to its former glory and prove to everyone 
around her, especially Brendan, that she’s 
capable of making something of herself. 

“It Happened One Summer” is a worth-

while summer romance sprinkled with 
authentic self-discovery and characters 
with chemistry that dance across the 

page. 

— Ava Seaman, Daily Arts Writer
“Five Tuesdays In Winter” by Lily 

King 

(TW: sexual assault)
Lily King’s fifth novel is just as enam-

oring and well-delivered as her previous 
work and perfect for anyone hoping to 
read about love but also loss, grief and tri-
als.

“Five Tuesdays In Winter” features 

10 short stories all focusing on differ-
ent characters who are written with 
immense care and complexity. Among 
other enthralling characters, the reader 
learns about a bookseller who tries to 
love again, a mother-daughter pair work-
ing through a loss and a woman pulled in 
two different directions when it comes to 
her love life. “Five Tuesdays In Winter” 
doesn’t just cover romantic love — though 
there’s plenty of that — but rather looks at 
desire and the need for love at all costs, 
whether platonic, familial or unrequited.

This book isn’t an easy read — far from 

it. Some of the stories are difficult to read 
as the characters are overcoming the 
sometimes violent events of their past and 
present. However, what shines through is 

King’s ability to leave the reader hope-
ful, not only for the characters, but for 
humanity itself.

— Isabella Kassa, Daily Arts Writer 
“Carry On” by Rainbow Rowell 
For fans of Harry Potter, “Carry On” by 

Rainbow Rowell is the romance that J.K. 
Rowling never gave her readers.

Simon Snow is the “chosen one” 

returning to wizarding school for his last 
year. While everyone is hoping Simon 
can save their world from the evil Insidi-
ous Humdrum, Simon is upset because 
he just went through a breakup and his 
vampire roommate Baz, who he claims 
is his “nemesis,” has been absent for the 
first two months of the school year, much 
to Simon’s dismay. The story really begins 
when Baz makes his entrance and joins 
forces with Simon to help defeat evil — 
all while the pair become “friends” and 
eventually, more than that.

If any of that sounds familiar, you’ve 

probably read Harry Potter. While “Carry 
On” can stand alone just fine, it is bet-
tered with some background knowledge 
because it’s essentially well-written fan-
fiction — superior to anything you could 
ever find on Wattpad. While the plot is 

interesting enough, what really shines 
through is the relationship between 
Simon and Baz, which is every bit as 
romantic as a good enemies-to-lovers 
trope should be. 

— Isabella Kassa, Daily Arts Writer 

“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” 

by V.E. Schwab

“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” 

stands out not only as a solid addition to 
the fantasy fiction genre but also as a love 
story worthy of the hype it has received.

Told in flashbacks between early 1700s 

France and present-day NYC, “The Invis-
ible Life of Addie LaRue” spans many dif-
ferent historical events and time periods. 
When Addie LaRue is forced into a mar-
riage she doesn’t want, she makes a deal 
with the god of the night that will allow 
her to escape the nuptials and give her 
all the time and freedom she desires, on 
the condition that no person will ever 
remember her — until someone does. 

“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” is 

a testament to the power and intimacy of 
truly being known by another person and 
is a perfect read for someone seeking an 
epic love story with plot to back it up.

— Isabella Kassa, Daily Arts Writer 

Six romances to read this Valentine’s Day

Marketing films the ‘Spidey’ Way

‘Murderville’ is comedy gold

Writer’s Note: Spoilers for 

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” 
ahead.

Today, it is hard to imagine a 

blockbuster movie hitting the 
big screen without an extensive 
promotional campaign. From 
interviews to ad spots to teas-
ers and trailers, production 
houses make sure that going 
into the weekend of its release, 
everybody is talking about their 
movie. Having said that, until 
not too long ago, films didn’t 
consider an extensive promo-
tional campaign a priority, much 
less a crucial part of their suc-
cess.

That all changed in 1975 when 

the marketing team at “Jaws” 
released a poster that would 
reverberate around the world 
for years. At the time, “Jaws” 
looked like it was going to be 
an expensive disaster, with the 
movie taking 159 days to shoot, 
almost three times longer than 
what was planned, and its pro-
tagonist, a robot shark, barely 
working. In order to rescue what 
seemed like a lost cause, Univer-
sal, the production house behind 
“Jaws,” poured over $1.8 million 
into the film’s marketing cam-

paign — an amount that took its 
production budget up to $9 mil-
lion, more than any other movie 
released that year. The result: 
It went on to become the first 
American movie in history to 
cross the $7 million mark, pav-
ing the pathway for how produc-
tion houses market their movies 
to this day. 

On Jan. 17, exactly one month 

after its release, “Spider-Man: 
No Way Home” beat “Avengers: 
Infinity War” to become the 
fifth-highest grossing movie in 
the U.S. box office, making more 
than $650 million. As of Feb. 3, it 
sits fourth on the list of highest 
grossing films in the U.S., mak-
ing over $730 million. Presum-
ably, those $730 million will go a 
long way towards making up for 
the reported $202 million spent 
by Marvel on the film’s market-
ing. Although it is commonplace 
for movies to use the wide range 
of social media sites at their dis-
posal for promotional purposes, 
the latest installment in Peter 
Parker’s misadventures pulled 
out all the stops, raising the 
question: How much marketing 
is too much marketing?

The answer varies from one 

situation to the next, but the 
marketing campaign for “No 
Way Home” most definitely 
split opinions before its release. 

Between 
the 
movie’s 
Twit-

ter and Instagram, the Official 
Daily Bugle TikTok and the 
countless 
interviews, 
trail-

ers and promo videos posted 
by Sony and Marvel, fans were 
treated to a barrage of content 
in the weeks leading up to the 
film. In the 40 days before its 
worldwide release, the movie’s 
Instagram made 59 posts, and 
has made a further 63 since, 
averaging roughly three posts 
every two days. Even online 
communities far removed from 
the world of comic book mov-
ies found the likes of Tom Hol-
land and Zendaya popping up on 
their screens, with the duo mak-
ing appearances at the Ballon 
d’Or (aka the Oscars of the soc-
cer world) and even interview-
ing players from Tom Holland’s 
favorite soccer team. Spidey fan 
or not, if you were on the inter-
net in the month leading up to 
the movie, at the very least you 
heard about it. 

There is an argument to be 

made that such an extensive, 
in-your-face promotional cam-
paign could discourage some 
viewers from avoiding them 
and potentially even the movie 
entirely. Prior to watching the 
film, LSA sophomore Arjun 
Arora said, “I haven’t seen any 
of the trailers. I don’t know any-

thing … and I actually like that.” 
Nevertheless, Marvel and Sony 
were well aware of who made 
up the majority of their fanbase: 
the comic book community. 
A community that thrives on 
speculation, ardent fans of the 
webslinger and the Marvel Cin-
ematic Universe welcomed the 
barrage of posters and movie 
footage Marvel and Sony sent 
their way. From YouTube to 
TikTok, the internet was rife 
with theories and predictions as 
fans looked into every frame and 
charted out every possibility to 
such an extent that the online 
community became pseudo mar-
keting officials themselves. 

What added to all of the 

excitement were the leaks — an 
eventuality Marvel and Sony, 
with all their experience over 
the years, knew was inevitable. 
However, the spoilers might 
have worked to their advantage 
this time around. People weren’t 
complaining about the amount 
of promotional content being 
released, because with every 
piece of content that did not 
confirm their rumors and sus-
picions, the anticipation grew. 
For example, although Alfred 
Molina’s (“The Da Vinci Code”) 
return as Doc Ock had been 
leaked months before any real 
marketing had begun, Marvel 

and Sony were still able to capi-
talize on it. Between this leak 
and the release of the movie’s 
first trailer, fan speculation 
regarding the return of not only 
Doc Ock, but a litany of old Spi-
derman villains, was sky-high. 
“No Way Home” obliged, and, 
with said trailer, confirmed all 
the rumors floating around, 
resulting in the most successful 

opening 24 hours a trailer has 
ever had. It was the perfect way 
to kickstart a marketing cam-
paign that would remain flaw-
less from start to finish. 

Yes, a set of innovative post-

ers would do the trick. Even in 
today’s time, not every market-

ing campaign needs to be as in-
your-face as “No Way Home” 
was, and not every marketing 
campaign requires the use of 
social media. However, Marvel 
and Sony showed just how ben-
eficial it can be to a movie’s suc-
cess, commercially and in terms 
of popularity. Not only that, they 
wproved that if your campaign is 
well planned, bombarding fans 

with promotional content isn’t 
all that bad an idea, especially 
when theorizing is one of their 
favorite pastimes. Peter Parker 
may be “Public Enemy No. 1” in 
the Spiderverse, but in the real 
world, the headlines were lov-
ing him.

Murder mysteries have been 

a popular genre in the main-
stream for a long time. From the 
first Sherlock Holmes book, “A 
Study in Scarlet,” to the hit film 
“Knives Out,” the archetype 
of the story remains consis-
tent: someone is murdered, an 
investigation ensues with hints 
pointing toward the true culprit 
and then a final gathering with 
all the suspects convenes and 
a murderer is declared. There 
may be a couple unexpected ele-
ments in the story, but mostly 
they follow this outline. Netf-
lix’s new show, “Murderville” is 

no exception. However, it has its 
own twist: improvisation. 

The show drops the audience 

in an old-style police station, 
with homicide detective and 
main character Terry Seattle, 
played by Will Arnett (“Bojack 
Horseman”). Seattle opens with 
a grizzled-detective monologue, 
alluding to classic openings for 
the genre. However, in the third 
shot, the audience sees he is 
driving a pickup-style Camaro, 
and from then on it’s obvious 
this is not your normal murder 
mystery. Seattle’s internal solil-
oquy is then interrupted by the 
police chief (Haneefah Wood, 
“Nurse Jackie”) to briefly dis-
cuss the aftermath of her and 
Seattle’s divorce. Arnett is abso-

lutely fantastic in his role. He is 
quick-witted with his one-liners 
and joke setups, especially dur-
ing his satires of internal dia-
logues and classic police banter. 
He is able to play out any scene 
to get some laughs, but the main 
draw of the show is the wide 
variety of celebrity guest stars.

There are a total of six celeb-

rity guest stars, one for each 
episode 
released, 
including 

Conan 
O’Brien, 
Marshawn 

Lynch, Kumail Nanjiani, Annie 
Murphy, Sharon Stone and Ken 
Jeong. This isn’t a completely 
new idea — iconic series like 
“Scooby-Doo” also featured a 
number of guest stars ‘playing 
themselves,’ but the most inter-
esting part about this show is 

that the guest stars have to com-
pletely improvise every line. 
The audience gets a wide range 
of experiences from each guest 
star. O’Brien, famous for his 
comedic talk show, was a great 
opening for the show. It was 
obvious that he had experience 
on television and knew how to 
follow an improvised scene, but 
surprisingly it was legendary 
retired Seattle Seahawks run-
ning back Lynch who stole the 
show. He was absolutely hysteri-
cal, throwing out quip after quip 
and keeping pace with the scene. 
Knowing that it was improvisa-
tion made it even more humor-
ous because it seemed like he 
was just being himself. Addi-
tionally, Arnett’s over-the-top 

acting next to the cool and calm 
Lynch made each scene a joy to 
watch. 

Sometimes, the hilarity and 

absurdity of the show gets to 
the actors, and the audience is 
able to see them break charac-
ter. The first time it happened, 
as Terry Seattle covered his 
mouth to hide his laughter in a 
serious scene, I thought it was 
an editing mistake. However, 
as the show went on, it became 
a regular occurrence, with some 
characters laughing out loud 
and having to restart their sen-
tences. This is similar to bloop-
er reels on sitcoms, which can 
often be funnier than the actual 
show. 

If you are looking for a grimy, 

hard detective show like “Sher-
lock,” this is not the show for 
you. While there are definitely 
aspects of classic murder mys-
teries, like searching to find 
clues left by the murderer, it’s 
much more light-hearted, due 
in part to the show’s improvi-
sational nature. It is important 
to note that the entire show is 
not improvised; there are set 
backgrounds and scenes, and 
some jokes were a little too per-
fect. Also, some episodes were 
funnier than others, with the 
guest stars ranging from mildly 
humorous to making me laugh 
out loud. Still, “Murderville” is 
a genuinely hilarious show over-
all, and you should go watch it 
right now.

This image is from the official website for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” distributed by 

Sony Pictures Releasing.

Design by Sarah Chung

 ISABELLA KASSA & AVA SEAMAN

Daily Arts Writers

 RUSHABH SHAH

Daily Arts Writer

 MAXWELL LEE

Daily Arts Writer

