Why Romance?
I tend to keep my blog posts to topics that give writers tools they can implement immediately. But today’s post is a little different. I want to talk about romance as a genre and why I love it.
Romance is consistently undervalued—besmirched by men and looked down upon by women who don’t read it—and said to be formulaic and trite. However, the past few years have shown that the genre makes big money for publishers.
I wanted this post to be a stats-driven, research-based article. Unfortunately, reliable industry statistics are hard to come by, so this has become a love letter to romance novels and an exploration of the genre.
Why do people read romance?
Humans yearn for connection. We’re social animals, and that is reflected in how relationship-driven much of our narratives are—even in genres that don’t focus on romance. For example, what does Elizabeth Holmes’s story about creating healthcare technology and lying to people about it matter without the people she worked with, dazzled, and hurt? And we love to get invested in fictional people’s love lives. (Who didn’t choose either Team Peta or Team Gale when reading The Hunger Games?)
I love romance because I love vicariously experiencing people falling in love. As a demi-sexual person, I don’t experience attraction or romantic connection in my real life often. But I love being able to step into someone else’s shoes and feel what they feel.
Romance novels are also a safe way to dip your toe into something new. Because they have a set format and you know there’ll be a happy ending, you can explore books that include tropes or kinks you’re curious about exploring or ones you wouldn’t seek out in real life.
I asked a few of my friends why they read romance, and here’s what they had to say:
“I read romance because I think it is a beautiful way to look into the human mindset and how each relationship can be different but how we can overcome so many problems and choose to be happy. It lets me deal with problems in a way that makes me feel seen and appreciated.”
“I love watching their relationship grow, the characters develop individually, it has the best dialogue humor, and they make me happy reading!”
“I read romance because it brings me joy.
It lets me experience the world through diverse viewpoints. Romance books can challenge me and make me face difficult realities of the world we live in, but I still know that I'll get my HEA at the end.”
Who reads romance?
Despite human connection being a ubiquitous experience, there’s this idea that romance is read by bored housewives who don’t have their own sex lives. Or at least by middle-aged women in the south. Honestly, I read that on an editing blog. I think it was supposed to be a positive because it means the author knows exactly who their audience is, but it’s incredibly reductive.
From my (again, very non-scientific) survey of the readers I know on Instagram, it’s evident that the genre is dominated by women, with men and non-binary pals scattered around. However, the women who read romance vary greatly. Some are middle-aged; some are in their twenties. Most started reading romance in their teens. Some are queer; some are straight. Some are white; some are PoC.
There is so much more diversity in romance than that article indicates. Could it be more diverse? Of course. Publishing is incredibly white. But it isn’t accurate to say that the people who read romance comprise only middle-aged women in the south.
Why is the genre so often overlooked?
The short answer: The patriarchy.
The long answer: Because they are primarily written by and for women.
People dismiss many things that women love. Reality TV (tell me how that’s different from sports!), romance novels, rom com movies, fashion, boy bands, Taylor Swift. If it’s something consumed or created by women, it tends to have less status compared to the male equivalent. See the mystery novel.
I sometimes hear that romance novels are formulaic and, therefore, don’t count as real reading. Have you read a mystery novel? Both of these are considered genre fiction, but one is looked down upon for being formulaic. (Personal preferences aside. This is a societal stance.) The joy of reading a mystery is knowing that you’re going on a journey where a crime is committed, an authority figure or vigilante crime solver goes on a quest to solve said crime, and in the end, the reader gets to learn who committed the crime. Everyone knows that’s how the genre works. No one goes into a mystery hoping the protagonist doesn’t solve the crime. The joy is in how the protagonist gets there. The same is true of romance novels.
We all know that the two (or more) people in the relationship will meet, there will be attraction and a reason they cannot get together, there will be some false wins where we think they’ve worked it out only for a final problem to occur, and then, once they solve that issue, there will be a happy ending where they’re together. It’s simple structurally. But that leaves so much room to explore characters and deeper themes.
On top of that, there are so many different subgenres, you can hardly call the genre uniform. For example, you’ve got your historical and your contemporary, which is a huge divide as it is. And I’m sure there are a decent chunk of subgenres there within. However, I’m more versed in the contemporary subgenres.
Some prominent ones are:
The Rom Com: The most mainstream of all romance subgenres. Books like Penny Reid books, and Chloe Liese.
Sports Romance: One or both of the characters is an athlete and this plays into their story somehow.
Paranormal Romance: Usually has paranormal themes and characters, like werewolves, vampires, and other paranormal humans.
Sweet/Clean Romance: Romance without any allusions to sex. Not even closed doors. Sometimes religious.
Fantasy romance: Has urban or high fantasy elements, but the focus is on the romance.
Erotic romance: Very steamy. Lots of sex scenes with little plot that specifically furthers the relationships.
Dark Romance: Romance that contains dark themes, which could include rape, kidnapping, mafia, etc.
Romantic Suspense: Romance that heavily features mystery, intrigue, or suspense.
YA Romance: Romance written for young adults. Generally, touches mature themes in an age-appropriate way. Any sex that occurs is fade to black.
Western/Cowboy Romance: A romance that often takes place on the American frontier and features activities such as ranching.
Why is furthering diversity in romance important?
Romance still has a long way to go in terms of diversity. However, I’m seeing many positive changes in the industry, mostly (but not entirely) led by indie authors. Talia Hibbert, Chloe Liese, and Chip Pons are just a few Own Voices authors in four different realms: BIPOC authors, LGBTQ+ authors, male authors, and neurodivergent authors.
More people are beginning to see themselves in fiction. And if you’re part of any minority group, you know how much that means. I realized I was queer through reading queer books and fan fiction. Not only does reading about a wide array of experiences give meaning to and inspire people who identify this way. It gives us community.
Reading widely is also beneficial for every person. Being exposed to people who are different from you allows you to learn about other cultures and to empathize with people you may not meet in your day-to-day life. I live in a small town that’s very white. I don’t get to meet many people who didn’t grow up here, who are not white, who are not Christian. However, I make it a priority to read books by Muslim authors, authors of colour, queer authors, and disabled authors. Reading, empathizing, and raising our voices have power.
It’s our responsibility to acknowledge and honour the diverse voices in the world. I love that I’m able to do that through the lens of romance.
The Power of Romance
According to Glamour, romance novels take up about 23 per cent of the book market. That’s huge. And that’s an increase of 5 per cent from a 2006 study. This means that people find themes and characters they connect to in romance novels. I don’t care what any dude tells me about romance being silly or “not art;” romance matters.
The concept of art is so abstract that we’re not going to get into it now. Suffice to say that whether something is art is not the point. A book doesn’t need to be art to matter or to have important things to say about culture, humans, and what it means to love in the world.
People find joy, comfort, and community in romance novels. That is enough. The power of words has never been in doubt. The ability for some people to overcome their biases, however…
So tell me: Why do you love romance?