Plus, 29 of our favorite forced proximity book recommendations
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Forced proximity is a popular trope in novels, especially romances and thrillers, but what is it, exactly? In this article, we take a deep dive into the forced proximity trope, including what it is, why people love it so much, and which books feature it.
Forced proximity is a popular trope in novels where two main characters are forced to be in the same area together because of circumstances outside of their control. In romance novels, this often leads to the two main characters falling in love.
Flawless by Elsie Silver Flawless follows Summer Hamilton, who works at her father’s public relations company after being assigned to a professional bull rider named Rhett Eaton. A PR controversy puts Eaton in hot water and Hamilton is responsible for pulling him out. Rhett is initially annoyed with Hamilton, but as the novel progresses, the two begin to develop a romantic relationship.[2]
- Flawless is the first installment in Silver’s Chestnut Springs Series.
Heartless by Elsie Silver Heartless is a follow-up to Flawless and follows Rhett’s brother, Cade Eaton. Cade is a grumpy single dad who hires a live-in nanny named Willa. Throughout the course of the story, Cade and Willa get to know each other and form a deep, heartfelt connection. This story explores family dynamics, fatherhood as a single man, and finding love throughout it all.
Lease on Love by Falon Ballard Lease on Love is a slow-burn that follows Sadie, a hard-working woman who is forced to leave her dream apartment after being passed over for a promotion. After leaving, she becomes roommates with a man named Jack, who isn’t initially her type. As the two go from strangers to roommates, their friendship slowly develops into an intimate romance.
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake Delilah Green Doesn’t Care is a steamy romantic comedy that follows Delilah Green as she returns to her hometown for her stepsister Astrid’s wedding. At the wedding, she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid’s best friends, and pursues her for casual fun. As the novel progresses, Claire and Delilah develop a relationship that goes from frenemies to lovers.[3]
The Godparent Trap by Rachel van Dyke In The Godparent Trap, the main character Colby is a popular food blogger who travels the globe. When an accident leaves her as the co-guardian to her best friend’s children, Colby finds herself staying in a house with Rip, an accountant and fellow co-guardian to the children. The two can’t stand each other, at first, but soon discover that they need each other if they want the children to have good lives.[4]
When in Rome by Sarah Adams In When in Rome, Amelia (aka Rose Ray) is a pop megastar who is tired of her lifestyle. To clear her head, she drives to Rome, Kentucky, but her car dies 15 kilometers (9.32 miles) outside of town, and right in front of Noah’s house. Noah is a grump who just got out of a relationship. The last thing he wants is a superstar in his front lawn, but as he gets to know her, he begins to open up and their relationship starts to blossom.[5]
The Right Move by Liz Tomforde The Right Move is the second installment in Liz Tomforde’s Windy City Series and follows Ryan Shay, an NBA player, and Indy Ivers, his sister’s best friend. The two are forced to live together and even pretend to date. Although Ivers disapproves of Shay, sparks begin to fly as their fake relationship develops into something full of uncovered emotions and secrets.[6]
The Unhoneymooners by Lauren Billings and Christina Hobbs The Unhoneymooners centers around Olive Torres as she prepares for her sister’s wedding. During the wedding, Olive is forced to spend time with Ethan Thomas, the groom’s brother. He throws jabs at her during the wedding, but once everyone but them gets food poisoning, they are given two non-refundable honeymoon tickets, where they discover new sides of each other.[7]
- This faux-honeymoon takes their relationship from one of adversaries to one of lovers.
Twisted Games by Ana Huang Twisted Games follows Princess Bridget von Ascheberg and her bodyguard, Rhys Larsen. The two initially start as enemies, but as they navigate their guilt, social expectations, and royal duties, they begin to develop a romance that’s forbidden, but blossoms into something special.[8]
Unbound by Cara McKenna In Unbound, the main character Merry is struggling with the loss of her mother and goes on a hike in the Highlands to find new meaning. But disaster strikes and she is forced to seek refuge in the hands of Rob, who moved to the Highlands to escape his self-destructive tendencies. As Rob nurses Merry back to health, the two begin a flirtatious journey into a steamy, passionate relationship.[9]
Last Light by Claire Kent Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Last Light follows Travis and Layne. Travis used to be Layne’s mechanic, now he’s her only companion. He’s a gruff, unfriendly guy who fights to protect Layne. Although their relationship starts as an unlikely partnership of acquaintances, it develops into something completely different by the end of the book.[10]
Managed by Kristen Callihan Managed follows the manager of the rock band Kill John, Gabriel Scott. He’s handsome and arrogant, the last type of guy Sophie Darling would fall for. The two are sat next to each other on a plane, and although Gabriel complains to the airline about Sophie being in a seat he paid for, she still introduces herself. As they get to know each other over the course of the flight, an odd sense of intimacy begins to develop, taking them through an intense romantic journey.[11]
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik Set in the far future, Polaris Rising follows Princess Ada von Hasenburg and ex military fugitive Marcus Loch as they fight for their freedom from the oppressive Royal Consortium. What begins as a paid for alliance blossoms into a flirtatious relationship that dares to tow the line of a relationship, making for the perfect forced proximity read.[12]
Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle In Twice Shy, Maybell Parish feels stuck in life. To cope, she leaves her life behind and moves into a mansion she inherited from her great-aunt for a fresh start. It’s at this mansion that she discovers Wesley Koehler, the mansion’s groundskeeper and co-inheritor. The two clash on what the property should become, but soon realize there are feelings beneath the surface that are bigger than their property dispute.[13]
Closer Than You Think by Karen Rose Closer Than You Think follows Faith Corcoran, a psychologist who’s being stalked by a serial killer. When FBI Agent Deacon Novak is sent to track down the killer, he meets Corcoran and soon falls for her. The two realize that there’s more than meets the eye with this case and work together to solve it, developing feelings along the way.[14]
Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare In Lord Dashwood Missed Out, Elinora grew up crushing on George. When George leaves the island, she resorts to writing to him. He eventually returns to find that Elinora has written him off, but once the two become trapped in a cabin during the winter storm, their hot tempers dare to boil over into passionate love.
Bollywood and the Beast by Suleikha Snyder Bollywood and the Beast follows Rakhee Varma, an outspoken bi-racial actress who doesn’t feel accepted by either of her cultures. She is filming a movie in Delhi and stays in the crumbling mansion of her leading co-star. Her co-star’s brother, Taj Ali Khan, haunts the mansion, and he doesn’t like Varma. But, as the novel progresses, the two become closer and closer.
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole In Alyssa Cole’s An Extraordinary Union, former slave Elle Burns returns to a life of enslavement to spy for the Union Army. Malcolm McCall is a detective who is tasked with infiltrating a Rebel enclave in Virginia. McCall comes across Burns when they discover a plot that could lead to a Confederate victory, and the two develop a romantic relationship as they fight to preserve the Union. A fight that puts their relationship to the test.[15]
From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata From Lukov with Love follows Jasmine Santos and Ivan Lukov. The two are talented figure skaters who start as enemies until Lukov offers Santos a chance to get back on the ice after a few rough years. Santos is eager to return to the ice, but has a hard time trusting Lukov. As the novel progresses, the two slowly develop an attachment to each other.[16]
The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas The American Roommate Experiment follows Rosie Graham, a romance author who’s having a hard time writing her next book. It doesn’t help that her apartment is rendered uninhabitable after an accident. This accident takes Rosie to her friend’s place, where her friend’s cousin, Lucas, is also staying.
- The two agree to share the space and go on fake dates to inspire Rosie’s novel. But these fake dates soon blossom into something deeper.
Falling by T.J. Newman Falling takes place on a flight destined for New York. There are 143 passengers onboard, and the pilot learns that his family was kidnapped 30 minutes before the flight took off. If he wants his family to live, he must follow an order to kill everyone on the flight, being forced to trade the lives of one group he’s sworn to protect for those of another.[17]
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins The Wife Upstairs reimagines Jane Eyre as a modern Southern Gothic novel. In this retelling, Jane is a struggling dog-walker who meets Eddie Rochester, a handsome, wealthy man whose wife disappeared months ago. They quickly start dating and eventually move in together, and although Jane is head over heels, there’s something about Rochester that suggests he’s not as squeaky clean as he appears.[18]
No Exit by Taylor Adams No Exit follows Darby Thorne, a college student who finds herself stranded at a highway rest stop during a blizzard. At the rest stop, she discovers a young, caged child in the back of a van. She doesn’t know who owns the van, but nevertheless attempts to save the child, even though she knows any of her fellow stranded travelers could be the dangerous kidnapper.[19]
Getaway by Zoje Stage Getaway follows Imogen, Beck, and Tilda as they travel to the Grand Canyon after Imogen survives a traumatic attack. During their journey, the terrain becomes tough and tensions rise. Once their supplies start to go missing, the trio realizes they aren’t alone, and must work together to survive this mysterious page-turner.[20]
Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay Elevator Pitch follows a journalist and two detectives as they investigate an elevator malfunction inside of a Manhattan office building. What seems like a random malfunction turns out to be a calculated plot to terrorize New Yorkers, as more elevators start trapping their passengers and plummeting to the ground. Emergency calls go unanswered, the economy slows down, and the main characters race to solve the mystery of who’s behind everything.[21]
- This takes the forced proximity trope and flips it on its head, forcing multiple people to be trapped in different confined spaces, waiting to be rescued.
Hostage by Clare Mackintosh Hostage follows Mina, a flight attendant who is struggling with life at home. As the plane takes off, Mina receives a note from a passenger who intends to keep the plane from landing at its destination. It’s 20 hours until landing, which leaves a lot of room for chaos.[22]
Room by Emma Donoghue Room follows a five-year old boy named Jack who lives in a single room with his mom. He only knows his mom and Old Nick, who kidnapped his mom when she was younger. Over the course of the novel, Jack and his mother try their hardest to escape the room by screaming through the skylight and devising a plan for freedom.[23]
Survive the Night by Riley Sager In Survive the Night, Charlie Jordan is a college student who’s grieving the murder of her best friend by a man known as the Campus Killer. In need of a ride home, Charlie hops in the car with Josh Baxter, a stranger who she met through a campus ride board. As they ride down the highway, Charlie slowly begins to suspect that Josh is the killer, but will she survive the night and live to tell the tale?[24]
The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes The Minds of Billy Milligan follows William Stanley “Billy” Milligan, a man who suffers from multiple personality disorder (now called dissociative identity disorder) as he is arrested and put on trial for assaulting three women. This is a unique take on the forced proximity trope, as Milligan is forced to be with different versions of himself, all of whom work towards self-preservation with specific rules and structures.[25]
- The book is based on the real-life story of Billy Milligan, the first person to be acquitted of a crime for having multiple personalities.
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