My Favorite Books That Helped Shape 15-Love ❤️

Hey friends,

I’ve never been the kind of reader who picks books because they’re on a bestseller list or because everyone’s talking about them online. I’m more of a “fall in love with the story” type. It’s never about the author’s name or the hype, it’s about the vibe. You know that feeling when you open a book and instantly get pulled into someone else’s world? That’s the magic for me.

Give me the eerie, glitter-soaked wonder of A.R. Kahler’s The Immortal Circus. Faeries, secrets, and big-top drama? Absolutely. I love when a story feels a little dangerous but still full of heart, like there’s beauty hiding under all the chaos. That balance between sparkle and shadow stuck with me when I started writing 15-Love.

Then there’s Luanne G. Smith’s The Vine Witch. Honestly, the world-building is so lush you can taste it. You can practically smell the vineyard air and the spellwork simmering in the background. That book taught me how setting can be its own kind of character. I wanted 15-Love to feel like that too, like you could hear sneakers squeaking on the court or feel the summer humidity in the air.

And I can’t forget Kristy Boyce’s Dungeons and Drama. A total comfort read. High school theater, fake dating, and D&D? Come on, that’s a perfect mix of chaos and charm. It reminded me how much I love stories that don’t take themselves too seriously but still sneak up on you with all the feelings. That’s the energy I tried to bring to 15-Love: heartfelt, awkward, funny, and a little dramatic, in the best way.

Basically, I’m a sucker for books that feel alive. The ones that make you laugh, ache, or see yourself in a character who’s just trying to figure it all out. Those are the stories that shaped 15-Love, the ones that reminded me that messy can still be beautiful, and that connection always beats perfection.
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More soon,
Vincent
#VincentRussoWrites

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