Julia Quinn brings things up a notch with the fifth installment of the Bridgerton series - Eloise, normally the 'level-headed' sister, runs off to meet a man she's never met! (In fairness, they were pen pals.)⁠
As someone who sails through life with exactly 0 forethought, I enjoyed the setup and impulsiveness. Delving into more 'real' issues than any of the previous ones, her beau Sir Phillip is shown an absent father struggling to come to terms with his wife's death. This book more than any of its predecessors forced the male lead to show actual emotional growth, but it also started with the most stunted man I think I've ever read. Sir Phillip genuinely believes at the start of the book that the best thing he can do for his children is find a wife to mother them and then just... get out of the way. It never once occurs to him that 1) his children also need a father or 2) his future wife might want some sort of an actual relationship with him. Watching the two struggle to connect will be cathartic to anyone who has ever felt like they were 'just roommates' with their significant other.