#PrincessBride
#TheUnabridgedEditionIsOutThere
Romance and Romantasy are very popular right now. I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum, but that’s just not my thing.
I’ve been burned by a few books lately where the story has sounded great on paper, but the reality is that it’s a flimsy vehicle for a romance. Recently, (Mostly) Human Resources by Grace Viall.
To be clear: I’m not advocating for censorship or in any way judging what other people read. I’m also not a prude. I’ll read literotica if I’m in the mood. I don’t have negative feelings towards the romance genre or its followers.
But…I do find myself yearning for the pre-mainstream days of romance. When it was its own genre, and readers could either choose to engage with it or not.
Personally, 9 times out of 10 I would prefer a narrative-driven story with characters that are more complex than the uglies they would like to bump.
Conversely, the person next to me on the bus may want to read about sexy werewolves and tight-laced Victorian monster hunters overcoming their differences and ending up in a rapturous embrace.
There’s room for both.
I just wish they’d either stayed as separate books, or that there was a more reliable way right now to determine in advance what kind of story you’d signed up for.
Am I alone?
Edit: The example I gave (Mostly Human Resources) was just that - an example. Genuine thanks to those who have suggested ways to research new titles. But I still think it would be better if there was a way to tell if a book was “3 romance tropes in a coat” masquerading as a story in advance without having to look up multiple websites.
submitted by /u/madwomanofdonnellyst[link] [comments]