Why Romance? What do you get out of it?

shish_by_design · Post by **shish_by_design** » 02 Jun 2017, 16:08

tough one...unbelievable because i read a lot of romance books. infact 99% of the books i read are romantic. i'd like to say its because am a romantic by nature but that ain't true and i know it. all i can come up with is that i really like to loose myself in other people's love life because mine is a freakin' disaster! no lie...and book boyfriends are also hot and humble(some) and the HEAs give me reason to hope that maybe ill have that one day

Adair Lee · Post by **Adair Lee** » 07 Jun 2017, 14:08

I find romance books a quicker read for me, and I tend to read them when I'm feeling all lovey-dovey, cuddly. But, I'm picky with my romance novels too. I need to have a strong female lead and some plot building long before they fall into that "sickening sweet" romance. And the sex scenes (if any) need to be well-written and not just hardcore repetitive (I have no real way of saying this without being gross). There are some romance novels I have read that have few sex scenes and a good love story that I love way more than those that are cram packed with sex and a poor story.

Serina Vitrino · Post by **Serina Vitrino** » 14 Jun 2017, 03:12

I am a closet romanticist and romances are a guilty pleasure. I am a wrestler and I am grossed out by most couples in real life so people would never guess...

TobiOrNotTobi · Post by **TobiOrNotTobi** » 14 Jun 2017, 05:32

I like to read romance, because it gives me this happy feeling when I'm not feeling okay. I don't know why, but most of the romance stories I read always made me feel better (fyi, I'm not trying to say that I'm a loner). On top of that, it's just fun reading romance novels. I'm not trying to get anything out if it. I'm just looking for something fun to read. You could ask the same for why people read other genres of stories. There shouldn't be anything weird about wanting to read a book that's part of a certain genre.

So if you think about it, why do so many people look down on the romance genre?

Gnome · Post by **Gnome** » 14 Jun 2017, 08:00

TobiOrNotTobi wrote:
So if you think about it, why do so many people look down on the romance genre?

I think it's a combination of things. Some people may honestly be confusing romance with smut like it is some sort of pornography. Yea, you can get some very graphic books but it seems like most people here read romance for the emotions they want to feel. I also feel like it's considered the "easy genre" to write because people expect to be able to write that smutty content and get paid. It might also be culture at this point. Back in the day people looked down on romance for (enter reason here) and children learned that expectation and taught it to their children and so on.

Unless I'm missing something and romance was always expected to be a guilty pleasure

TobiOrNotTobi · Post by **TobiOrNotTobi** » 14 Jun 2017, 11:38

Gnome wrote:
TobiOrNotTobi wrote:
So if you think about it, why do so many people look down on the romance genre?

I think it's a combination of things. Some people may honestly be confusing romance with smut like it is some sort of pornography. Yea, you can get some very graphic books but it seems like most people here read romance for the emotions they want to feel. I also feel like it's considered the "easy genre" to write because people expect to be able to write that smutty content and get paid. It might also be culture at this point. Back in the day people looked down on romance for (enter reason here) and children learned that expectation and taught it to their children and so on.

Unless I'm missing something and romance was always expected to be a guilty pleasure

Erotica is the smutty and graphic genre that many people confuse with romance, but there are a few romance books that are actually good (such as A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks). It's a shame, but people are allowed to have their own opinions.

And romance is a guilty pleasure of mine, because people never think I'm interested in romance. XD

Preciosonic · Post by **Preciosonic** » 14 Jun 2017, 16:15

I am 18,and I agree with what Kate Lewis said, we aren't reading it for the action but because of the emotion involved, sometimes it makes me wish that my future partner will be as the character but let me wait for when am up to age then I will know what to look out for.I just love romance novels,the authors are great.

-- 14 Jun 2017, 16:22 --

Good question Gnome, I think people look down on romance genre because they feel it is porn,but I don't agree,because Love is far different from Porn.

LKCooper · Post by **LKCooper** » 14 Jun 2017, 19:41

If they're well written, with realistic characters, then it's nice to see how love can triumph against different obstacles and in various locations. The challenges love faces for a young couple in New York are going to be completely different than a middle-age couple in Arizona or a yuppie couple in Seattle. It reminds us that love can survive the most difficult times, which is great when our own lives become challenging. Everybody wants a "happily ever after", and romances usually provide this.

Eteru · Post by **Eteru** » 26 Nov 2018, 13:32

It's just that romance is an element which could spice up the story. But, I still don't prefer a book which solely focuses on romance alone. For instance, I have to say that fantasy-romance novels still remain to be my top choice even after encountering several mixtures of genres.

POETIC PACIFIC · Post by **POETIC PACIFIC** » 27 Feb 2022, 21:26

To me, Romance is like the same old story. Like there will always be a Juliet and there will always be a Romeo. But the things that make each romance story to be interesting is to redesigning the plots, characters, and scenes of your story,, These are the things that make romance to be interesting and different. Otherwise, it is the same old story.