5 Great Reasons to Read Romance
Despite the fact that romance is an extremely popular genre, romance novels (and the readers who love them) frequently find themselves the unfair target of chronic, kneejerk hateration from those who profess, strongly, that they aren’t fans. But scratch the surface of your typical naysayer, and you’ll often find someone who has never even picked up a romance novel, and wouldn’t know a Happily Ever After if it got down on one knee and proposed to them. If you’ve always looked askance at romance novels and the readers who love them, but are secretly curious about the genre, here are five reasons why picking up a romance novel could be very worth your while.
1. It will help you recall those heady days when you’ve met someone new and it seems like anything is possible (but especially sexy things)!
Whether you’re single, in a long-term relationship, or somewhere in between, that giddy early period when you’re beginning to suspect you may have finally found your soul mate is a thrilling time. Still, it only lasts so long; eventually you either go your separate ways, or one day find yourselves eating takeout and binge-watching House of Cards together in your pajamas (which is great, but it’s not the stuff of fluttery hearts). So why not get that feeling back again and again—in book form? What’s not to love about living vicariously through someone who’s feeling those initial sparks fly as they flirt with an attractive stranger?
2. Reading romance is like watching a romantic movie, except you get to picture what the hero and heroine look like in your mind.
I enjoy my share of romantic movies, sure—but sometimes they leave too little to the imagination. After all, if the actors playing the leads aren’t your cup of tea (and I’ll be the first to admit, my cup of tea is weird looking), chances are their romance, no matter how torrid, will leave you feeling less than satisfied. So why not dive into a book, where you can tweak the character descriptions to yourself as you go along? Is the hero a tall investment banker? Well, maybe he’s also a Benedict Cumberbatch lookalike with a fauxhawk. The heroine may be a lithe ballerina, but maybe she also looks exactly like me, except taller and with better hair. (Don’t tell me I’m the only one who does this.) Books allow you to let your imagination wander—and it’s especially fun to do that when you’re reading romance.
3. Three words: Happily Ever After
Hey, I feel you: sad stories can be great! Depressing books where the girl doesn’t get the guy, everyone turns into zombies, and the faithful dog dies at the end certainly have their place in the world of literature. But so do stories where the girl does get the guy, he loves all of her flaws and foibles, even her finicky best friend approves of him, and he wants to sweep her off her feet and marry her on the beach in St. Croix. Nice work if you can get it, right? And if you can’t get it, at least you can read about it.
4. So many different genres within a genre!
Do you like your romances with an Amish twist? How about some paranormal flair? Or maybe more contemporary? Young Adult? Historical? Inspirational? Gay, lesbian or transgender? Suspenseful? Sci-Fi? Fantasy? Time travel? Steampunk? Do you like sexy cowboys? Gorgeous billionaires? Smoldering Vikings? …Dinosaurs? Whatever your flavor, believe you me, there is a romance out there for you. Actually, there are probably dozens, if not hundreds. Well, maybe not if you like dinosaurs. Still, no judgment here. You do you.
5. It’s ok to like love. Love is great.
You may have suspected this, but some of your favorite literature classics are essentially romance novels, centering as they do around strong romantic relationships between the central characters. And compelling romance lies at the heart of many popular books today, even though they aren’t branded as romance. Chances are, even if you profess yourself completely disinterested in all things romantic, you’re already a fan of the essential elements of a romance novel. So why not give yourself license to explore that interest further? I repeat: love is grand, and it is a rich, important element of the human experience, and there’s no shame in examining, enjoying, and celebrating it through reading books—whether they involve shy teenagers or swashbuckling pirates.
Are you a fan of romance novels?