To the ones who actively avoid the romance genre and its tropes: You’re missing out on some quality reads
The greatest part about reading romance novels is the journey, you’re emotionally stimulated throughout the story and live through the experience of different characters, many of whom are dealing with internal or external problems and challenges while the primary plot of the story or sub-genre is the romantic love between the main character and their person or persons of interest. Reading a good romance novel is an emotionally connective and satisfying experience; It’s inspirational, hopeful, humorous, adventurous, and full of love, lust, fantasy, and self-discovery. Reading romance can leave you with a warm feeling inside, and a happy distraction from the demands and stress of life. Along with providing a safe space to explore different perspectives and insights into troubles outside of our own. One thing we can greatly appreciate about romance is that in a reality full of conflict and unpredictable happenings, romance novels lead back to an overall happy or satisfying ending.
There’s a romance story with everything imagined under the sun. Despite various romance stigmas, I can assure you as a romance novel enthusiast that, like many genres, romance has its elemental similarities and differences. And if you go out there and look, you’ll notice the same thing. One thing I’ve always loved and appreciated about romance novels is that despite it revolving around a romance with the endings much the same, many stories are different in terms of their content: setting, writing style, conflict, characters, and sub-genres that vary in numerous ways. From my personal experience reading romance/love stories for years, and ones of others, you never have to get tired of reading the same things over and over again.
Do you want an alien from another planet to help you survive in a world you crash-landed on while simultaneously falling in love with each other and recovering from past and current traumas? What about a series with characters that explore and express compassionate views on mental health? Maybe you want to read about a character in an apocalypse whose morally conflicted about her feelings for the villain whilst answering and exploring philosophical questions about morals, ethics, and death. Whether you want to read through the eyes or story of single parents, married couples, individuals young and old, homeless, employed, or a struggling college student who has a kink they’re looking to explore, shapeshifters, and supernatural creatures – romance has it all. With endless reading options to look through, and untold characters to love and hate, many authors cover a magnitude of challenges and real-world problems in their novels that are inclusive and filled with diverse representation and perspectives for women and men alike. There’s a love story out there for everyone willing to look, read and enjoy a new world of endless possibilities and experiences.
Now have fun and get exploring.