A Completely Comprehensive and Totally Unbiased Introduction to Romance (the genre) (Part 1)
Since summer 2018, when I started unironically reading romance, I have read over 100 romance novels by 43 different authors. So you could say I have a passing familiarity with the genre.
Next week, E and I are going on the road trip to Paris that I mentioned in a previous newsletter and attending a romance author book signing event for my birthday. With that in mind, today felt like a good day to write a short guide to why I love this genre so much and recommend some of my favorites.
What makes romance so great?
The HEA, of course! HEA/HFN are abbreviations you might encounter in marketing copy for romance novels or reader reviews and they stand for "Happily Ever After" and "Happy For Now," respectively. A happy ending for the couple (or triad or whatever combination of lovers the book follows - there is a whole subgenre of polyam romance) is a key part of what makes a romance novel a romance novel instead of a love story. There are lots of books that contain sweeping romances and beautiful love stories, but which I wouldn't define as 'romance novels' because they lack an HEA/HFN.
Happy endings are part of the romance novel formula and, if you just read that and wondered, why would I want to read a formulaic book? the answer is simple: it's comforting. There is an unwritten contract between romance authors and romance readers that promises no matter what goes wrong in the course of the book, it will all work out in the end. As a romance reader, you can trust that the book you're investing your time in will be a respite from the real world.
This doesn't mean romance novels never deal with challenging topics. I've read a lot of romances where the main characters struggle with their mental health in ways that feel relatable and authentic (and don't worry, they aren't magically healed by falling in love or having really great sex). I have also read some romances set during the US Civil War and they are, understandably, heavy.
Romance, as a genre, has a reputation for being poorly written, or at least it did. The genre has always sold incredibly well, but in the last few years, it's seen more mainstream success as people realize it's not all old school Harlequin bodice rippers. To be clear, I'm not knocking old school Harlequin bodice rippers, but they are just one part of an incredibly diverse genre. I think the trend in romance cover art away from shirtless men and swooning women and towards cartoon versions of the main characters has helped casual readers feel less embarrassed to be seen reading romance. But I've digressed a bit from the original point of this paragraph, which is this: as with all book genres, some romance novels are well-written and some aren't. And whether or not you enjoy an author's writing is partly just personal preference.
Okay, Emma, you've convinced me to read romance! Where do I start?
What a great question! Thanks so much for asking! The answer depends on your reading interests and I'll tackle it in tomorrow's newsletter.
Thanks for reading!