I'm such a romantic person, but have a hard time enjoying the Romance genre because of how formulaic it often is. I get that that's the appeal for a lot of people, but it sort of takes the romance out of it for me, because I think a crucial part of the experience of falling/being in love is how surprising and uncertain it is. I know a lot of people reach for a romantic book when they want the comfort of predictability, but I want to be surprised! I want to be uncertain!
Here are some examples of the kind of thing I'm looking for, but don't feel limited by this list:
- You are introduced to an ensemble of characters, and it's not until several books into the series that things unexpectedly take a romantic turn between two of them.
- You genuinely have no idea for most of the story if the protagonist is going to end up with Person A or Person B or neither or both or a surprise Person C.
- You think you know who the main character's only love interest is going to be, or it seems that they aren't going to have a romance at all, but then a side character suddenly emerges as romantically significant, or an entirely new love interest is introduced in the third act.
If this post made you think of any books/series, I'd love to know! Just try not to spoil the love story aspect, obviously!
I tend to gravitate toward Classics and "Literary" fiction, but I'm open to reading any genre as long as it's excellently written and "beginner-friendly" for someone who isn't immersed in that particular genre.
If you took the time to read this post, even if you don't leave a suggestion, thank you, and I hope you have a lovely day!
by ellietomtom