I first introduced to romance novels in middle school (grades 6-8). My friends and I would share books – reading one and then passing it to the next person so they could read it, discussing our likes and dislikes along the way without spoiling it too much for whoever hadn’t read it yet. I don’t remember the title of my first romance novel – we mostly read YA – but I do remember that it was a Harlequin book because it had the red edge and, back then, it would have a scratch card in the middle, usually where the smut occurred. The first time I read one I was shocked. I hadn’t read such adult content before. The second time I skimmed the smut scene. But over time, as my friends and I read more YA and romance stories, I got used to it. And by the end of eighth grade, a few of my friends and I were reading erotica and not being particularly impressed 😂 (there comes a point when you realize that an author includes smut to seem “scandalous,” but the scene(s) do nothing to further the plot).
I’ve been thinking about the origin of my romance journey because I’ve been in such a reading slump.
Of course I can turn to YA, but it seems like many of the books I come across (the popular stories) are watered down versions of some other popular story. If every author tries to write the next The Hunger Games or Harry Potter, when will I come across something new and engaging and original.
Part of my bittersweet relationship with Harlequin novels was the formula: the introduction to the two love interests, whatever tension between them and reason they must be in close proximity, the scratch card signaling the literal climax, and the falling action that consists of confessing each other feelings and resolving the problem. Admittedly, I don’t want the formula all the time, but there’s comfort in knowing that if I make it halfway through a story, I will be presented with a climax and subsequent falling action. However, I’ve been reading these books recently where everything seems too drawn out, which is exhausting. Unless I am knowingly committing myself to an epic fantasy trilogy, I don’t want to read a story where the author spends 25-30% of the beginning of the first book introducing the characters, history, and world building. I need a story that provides just enough detail that when my phone goes *ping*, I’m in no rush to check the notification.
I wonder if the answer to my reading slump is to go back to the beginning – to go to the library and pick up a Harlequin romance novel. Seems a bit cringe, but how else do I find the next great story? 🤷♀️
Do you read romance novels? How did you get into them? Or did you start with romance and move into YA? What was that transition like?
What Am I Reading? 