Too often, dating dialogue starts and ends with what goes wrong – the unread messages and “what are we?” conversations that make up romance today. But what if, through the path of postponed dates and miscommunications, is a perfectly real love story? Someone to share the journey with while navigating through the roadblocks of life. Hinge’s new No Ordinary Love anthology poses that question, answering it through modern romantic prose, challenging love story tropes and cliched narratives by celebrating the plot twists of real love.

No Ordinary Love features the stories of six real Hinge couples, written by six groundbreaking authors: Roxane Gay, R. O. Kwon, Oisín McKenna, John Paul Brammer, Brontez Purnell, and Isle McElroy. Hinge facilitated the conversations between the couples and authors, who brought to life real stories of compromise, acceptance, and growth – all camouflaged in chaos. Each story is entangled with the challenges, (almost) missed connections, and unmet expectations faced in today’s dating landscape.

Despite the connective tissue, each story is as expansive as love itself. The real couples have even inspired each author to reflect on their own approach to romance and connection during this collaborative process. Ahead of the release, we asked Roxane Gay, R. O. Kwon, Oisín McKenna, John Paul Brammer, Brontez Purnell, and Isle McElroy to share their six unexpected takeaways from their No Ordinary Love stories.

Roxane Gay

“A lot of times, when we talk about dating and romance, we talk about how to love someone else. But I find that what's even more challenging is allowing yourself to be loved and allowing yourself to be treated with care, respect, and tenderness. No matter what your gender or orientation is, you become a little brittle after too many heartbreaks. So how do you carry that while also allowing yourself to be loved, while letting someone in, while allowing yourself to be spoiled and taken care of? I actually find that much more difficult than actually loving someone.”

R. O. Kwon

“My partner was the first person I’d ever seriously dated. It’s not that I believe at all in one soul mate, but I don't know that we get that many people that we're intensely compatible with. Some of what Sivitha felt, like feeling comfortable with **Suraj** the first time she spoke to him, I felt with my partner, too. When we come across these people, it’s such a miracle, and, to the extent of what’s possible, we should hold them close.”

Sunburn aesthetic tan lines
BeautyHow sunburns and tan lines became an aspirational aesthetic

Oisín McKenna

“London is a perfect backdrop for a romantic story. True, it can be a difficult place to find a partner and the dating landscape is complicated for many reasons, but I also find it really romantic. Even when you're not necessarily in a romantic situation, the backdrop of a city can be exciting. Then, when you are in a romantic situation with another person, the city really bolsters it. I think it’s the most romantic city in the world, which is probably not a popular opinion, but it is for me.”

John Paul Brammer

“Sometimes, to get a good ending, you have to engage with things that feel like mistakes. Like Maura doing a social media cleanse, which a lot of people suggest, and the idea that you should remove people who didn’t give you the right time of day. It was good that she didn’t because it reminded her that he existed. Sometimes, we make exceptions here and there, and that squishiness and indecisiveness can actually lead to a future that we much prefer. Life is complicated, and the moments when we act a little bit out of character can change everything.”

Brontez Purnell

Conflict is just the other side of the coin of passion, right? So, the things that draw us together and make us hold each other passionately are the same things that will lead us into a fight. So it’s more about how we handle it. I think how we handle ourselves within a conflict determines the longevity of how our relationships will go.

Isle McElroy

“I think there are certain dealbreakers that should be non-negotiable, such as abuse. However, I do think that, oftentimes, dealbreakers prevent us from ever really knowing a person. To me, that’s what’s most exciting about the pieces of art I love and the people who I love. How do I come to know them in ways that surprise me? You change and evolve over time, and your perspective of people changes, so I think it’s important to have a sense of both what you think you want while also being open to discovery. That’s what’s most powerful about any kind of love – we can surprise ourselves with the things we wan't from another person, and that can allow us to grow so much.”

You can read the full No Ordinary Love anthology at No-Ordinary-Love.co. Those in London or New York can also get their hands on a physical copy from September 9-16.