A Deep Dive into the Genre of Romance

Romance and erotica are the most popular book genres worldwide– but why? Is it possible that everyone is looking for the same thing? What is it that romance gives us that we can’t get from anywhere else? In this article we’ll be taking a deep dive into the genre and finding out what it is that we love about love.  

Connection and Romance  ​

Arguably, romance’s largest selling point is its capitalisation on the innate human desire for connection and intimacy. We are, by nature, social creatures. As such, romantic relationships play a special part in our lives. Our partners often become our closest companions, and the ones we dedicate most of our life to. They offer us the chance to learn another person in their entirety, and in return, become fully seen and fully vulnerable to someone else. This mutual understanding is what we spend our lives looking for, and looking forward to, so it’s no wonder why we love to read about it. Romance novels let us dream of what true love could be like and inspire us to find every drop of magic and intimacy hidden in the world around us. In a world where more and more of us are valuing our independence and online presence, a little more love could be exactly what we need.​

Conflict, Complication and Complete Chaos

Thinking about it, nothing brings us more joy than when a romance begins in the midst of drama. A main character has lost their job, or their childhood sweetheart of 10 years has just left them, and you see them lose everything they once loved. Their whole world comes crashing down and they start thinking, “Well, it can’t get worse than this”–and then it does! Until they meet their NEW soulmate, and suddenly the birds are singing, the sun is shining and once again there is joy in the world… until they find out they can’t be with their soulmate because there’s a NEW problem and the world becomes “oh so grey” again. As painful as it may be to first watch, we love to feel like our happy ending is deserved, and we love to watch our characters suffer hardships and then come out on the other side. It makes us feel seen, as very real humans with very real problems, and gives us hope that we too will be rewarded for our efforts. 

Happy Ever After

We often read romance for the happy ending. Because we know everything will work out, and the main characters will end up together, and all the bad will right itself. This soothes our worrisome brains, invites hope back into our hearts and reminds us that the world isn’t always so bad (and if it is, there’s always some good to be found in it). Research has shown that reading stories with positive endings can make us more positive in life by training our mind to have positive expectations, thus making us happier. Romance novels aren’t boring just because you know how they will end, and they won’t always be the unrealistic fairytale that haters tell you they will be. The genre gives us space to hold out hope for a better world, and if we live with optimism we’re more likely to make that world a reality.

Romance, and subsequently its novels, play a big role in our society. The number of stories sold each year will speak for itself. If you’ve been tempted to dip your toes in the pool of romance and want to give writing one a go, email [email protected] to find out more about our Writing Advisor Service and how we can help you. ​