Writing a Killer First Line - A Contemporary Romance Case Study

Decoding the art of first lines from bestselling Contemporary Romance novels

Hello everyone and welcome back to The Writer Story newsletter,

Today I have something different than the usual writing articles. As the title says, I am doing a case study on writing some great first lines. Technically, I am doing this case study to help me understand what goes into writing a great first line. But since I am already doing the work, I thought why not share with my lovely friends. I hope that you find it useful and it helps with your own writing.

Okay, let’s begin before the day grows weary, what.

---

First lines have been a topic of conversation since the times of yore.

There are some first lines that has been immortalized in the literary society and beyond. Like this one -

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Or this one -

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Since I began my Writerly journey, I have often heard that first lines need to be unique, intriguing, evocative, especially since the modern day human, living in the golden age of Television, has successfully reduced their attention spans to match that of a gnat. How gnatty…

Therefore, the job of the first line becomes ever the more crucial. There’s a lot riding on the first lines of a book, fiction or non-fiction. And I have lost many a precious hours of my life and pulled out just as many hair from my scalp, trying to make the first line for my stories just right.

Make them hit the right spot for the reader. Have the reader engaged and ready to dive into the story.

Basically, read on.

In this post, I am attempting to look at the first lines of some bestselling Contemporary Romance books and analyze their intrigue levels. Also trying to help myself craft the perfect, or as near-perfect, as I can make it for my novel which is soon going on sub. I hope reading through all these first lines together will give you some inspiration to work on your own novel.

If you are a writer in different genre, do not worry. I plan on doing similar case study posts for other genres as well. Do subscribe to stay tuned.

Here are the first lines from some bestselling Romance novels right now.

• Happy Place by Emily Henry - A cottage on the rocky shoreline, with knotty pine floorboards and windows that are nearly always open.

• The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood - Frankly, Olive was a bit on the fence about this whole grad school thing.

• Icebreaker by Hannah Grace - “Again, Anastasia!”

• Practice makes Perfect by Sarah Adams - I am convinced dating was created by an evil villain to torture humanity.

• The Long Game by Elana Armas - The head rolled off his shoulders and halted at my feet with a thump.

• Only When It’s Us by Chloe Liese - I’ve been told I have a temper.

• Exes & O’s by Amy Lea - You know your day is going swimmingly when you’ve been projectile vomited on and someone stole your Greek yogurt from the staff room refrigerator.

• The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren - In the calm before the storm- in this case, the blessed quiet before the bridal suite is overrun by the wedding party-my twin sister stares critically at a freshly painted shell-pink fingernail and says, “I bet you are relieved I’m not a bridezilla.”

• Funny Story by Emily Henry - Some people are natural storytellers.

• It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover - As I sit here with one foot on either side of the ledge looking down from twelve stories above the streets of Boston, I can’t help but think about suicide.

• This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune - I cupped my hands over my eyes so I could gulp down the view.

• Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez - “They are calling him Dr. Death.”

• The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston - “This apartment is magical,” Aunt Analea once said, sitting in her wingback chair the color of a robin’s egg, her hair twisted up in a silver dagger hairpin.

• Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey - I am the number one Wells Whitaker fangirl.

• The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center - Logan Scott called just as I was making dinner, and I almost didn’t answer because my dad and I were singing along to ABBA’s greatest hits.

• Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan - Sometimes you just have to throw shit in the pantry.

• Happily Never After by Lynn Painter - The moment my dad raised my veil, kissed my cheek, and handed me off to Stuart, I wanted to throw up.

• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston - On the White House roof, tucked into a corner of the Promenade, there’s a bit of loose paneling right at the edge of the Solarium.

• The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson - “I’m seeing someone.”

• The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang - “I know you hate surprises, Stella.

• Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert - Once upon a time Chloe Brown died.

• The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore - My dress is red.

• How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang - All things considered, her little sister’s funeral is a pretty boring affair.

• The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary - You’ve got to say this for desperation: It makes you much more open-minded.

• Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter - It started the night after I burned down my building.

• The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling - Never mix vodka and witchcraft.

• Lovelight Farms by B. K. Borison - “Luka, Listen.”

• The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams - The was a reason Gavin Scott rarely drank.

• You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle - I think he’s going to kiss me tonight.

• This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan - I’m sure I loved her once.

• The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest - Lily Greene always imagined that if she were to have the tragic misfortune of doing young, it would happen in a valiant, honorable way.

• Bride by Ali Hazelwood - This war of ours, the one between the Vampyres and the Weres, began several centuries ago with brutal escalations of violence, culminated amid flowing torrents of varicolored blood, and ended in a whimper of buttercream cake on the day I met my husband for the first time.

Okay, so reading all these first lines, what did it make you feel? Did you feel a tug at your heart, a smile slid on to your face, you held your breath for more than a few seconds…

Regard my question here, I asked what you felt like after reading any of the first lines. Not think, feel.

Because for Romance novels it’s all about the feelings, right. Cliche as it may be, but making the reader feel something in the very first line of your book is a great way to keep them reading. I am not saying I’m an expert; I’d much rather be a student for life in the writing business. But going deeper into the first lines, I notice that they are all unique, particular to the story.

Okay tell me which are your fav ones and why you like them in the comments.

I hope this was somewhat helpful. It definitely helped me to craft the first line of my debut novel getting all dolled up to go for it’s first sub journey. It’s exciting and a hella scary. Wish me luck.

Alrighty, here I end for now..

Thanks for reading The Writer Story. If you haven’t subscribed yet, consider hitting the subscribe button below to receive more writerly talks and author interviews straight to your inbox.

Until next week,

~Toodle-oo~