Lately, I’ve been annotating my romance books—and honestly, books from other genres, too! Annotating means highlighting and underlining key scenes, memorable dialogue, key themes, significant plot or character development, and favorite moments.

For example, with one of my favorite books of 2023, I had initially highlighted and annotated on my first read through, then went even deeper on my second read-through to capture more insights.

Have you ever tried annotating books? Maybe you have, but you wanted to refresh on how to do it. Maybe you never have before, and want to try! There’s no single, correct way to annotate. I’ll share practical tips on how to annotate romance books—what to look for and how to mark it—so you can enhance your reading experience and connect deeper with your favorite books.

Highlight key passages.

Have you ever found a passage that resonates so deeply, reveals important plot points, or honestly, even leaves you scratching your head? Highlight key scenes and mark passages that reveal character motivations, plot twists, or memorable dialogue. Using different colored highlighters for themes—like romance, heartbreak, or humor—can help you not only commit it to memory, but also understand it more thoroughly. Additionally, highlight quotes that resonate with you! Use different colors to note different themes: one can be for the romance, one can be for ones that make you cry, etc. For example, in romance books, highlight the parts that truly capture the essence of the romance.

Note significant (and insignificant) character development.

Is the main character showing any signs of change, development in behaviors, beliefs, or relationships? What changes are the characters showing? When exactly are they showing feelings? When have the characters stopped arguing and actually realizing they have feelings for each other? (This may be different times for each character.) Jot down first impressions and how they evolve over time.

Pay attention to their beliefs, behaviors, or relationships. Mark moments when characters show new feelings or shift from conflict to connection.

Look for themes and symbols.

Identify the recurring themes such as love, trust, betrayal, or personal growth. Look for symbols that add depth to the story. Underline, underline, underline! These don’t have to be serious or anything. Commenting “omg,” “LOL,” or “this is so cute” are all perfectly understandable (by me, who have written these in my favorite books).

Record emotional reactions.

Did a scene make you laugh, cry, or swoon? (Example: me reacting to anything Will Griffin does in Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams.) Record your emotional responses to these certain scenes or interactions. Highlight or underline key sentences that sparked those feelings. In the margins, you can reflect on how the romance makes you feel and why.

Pick out plot points!

Highlight major plot developments or twists, especially those you want to revisit later. Are there any points in the plot that you want to revisit? You can also note any foreshadowing or unresolved questions—this will help later on when the book has reached that final moment where everything clicks.

Note any favorite moments!

One of the best parts about annotating is highlighting any favorite moments. These are the dialogue and scenes that make me squeal and giggle. I love revisiting these later on, when I’m done reading the book, when I need to smile. Mark your favorite romantic scenes or dialogue. Write about why these moments stand out to you, whether that’s in the margins or in a book journal.

What’s the writing style like?

Pay attention to the author’s writing style and how it contributes to the plot and shapes the story, but also how you like it. Do you like this author’s writing style? Maybe they use an unusual narrative perspective. Maybe they use third person when it shouldn’t be used. Maybe they don’t use quotation marks to note dialogue (hi, Sally Rooney). Note any particularly beautiful or effective prose.

Ask questions or predictions.

Write down any questions that arise as you read. What part of the plot or characters is confusing you? Are there any characters that confuse the heck out of you? What would you ask the author? Additionally, make predictions about how the story will unfold and see if they come true. (This will be REALLY funny when you look back after you finish the book and see whether your predictions will come true.)

Look out for connections to other works.

Try and compare the romance book to other books that you’ve read. Are there any similarities or differences in themes, character dynamics, or plot structures? Note these and determine whether you have a preference for similar tropes or themes.

Finally, personal reflections.

How does the story relate to your own experience or beliefs about romance? How did this book make you feel? Write in the margins, in the back pages of the book, or in your book journal? Write about any lessons or insights you gain from the book.

Annotation can help you understand the text more clearly, remember key moments, analyze the story’s theme(s), and connect more deeply to the story. Plus, it’s a fun way to make every romance book uniquely yours!

What’s your favorite way to annotate? Do you annotate at all? Let me know in the comments!

Other resources:

The Wordy Habitat has a GREAT blog post on annotating books. She writes in detail about tips on annotating books, tools to annotate, and how to annotate when you don’t want to write in the book.
Simone and Her Books gives fantastic tips on what to annotate in books! She writes about what she highlights and writes in books.
Mollie Reads explains how she annotates, in addition to giving tips on how to do so. Love her blog and how she writes in detail in every blog post.
MelReads (on YouTube) gives tips on how to annotate books! She talks about different styles, tools, and flip throughs. She has a couple of videos on annotating books, but this is the most recent one.

How to Annotate Books + Tips To Get Started