💋Do We Really Need Another Romance Novel? (Don’t Hate Me Yet)
Let me just start by saying:
This post isn’t a hit piece.
I’m not here to drag anyone’s favorite trope through the mud.
I’m not anti-love, anti-kiss-in-the-rain, or anti-slow-burn-longing-for-300-pages.
I’m just… tired.
Romance novels have taken over the bookshelves, the charts, the recommendations, the Kindle top 100s—and somehow, also the writing community itself. Every day, someone online says, “I want to start writing. So I’m going to write a romance.” No shade. But also... okay, maybe a little squint.
Because here's the thing—romance has become the default.
Not because it's the only genre that matters. Not even because it’s always the best.
But because it’s the safest.
It’s like going to a restaurant with fifty options and ordering the chicken tenders every time. Reliable? Sure. Satisfying? Maybe. But aren’t you curious about anything else?
Romance Isn’t Dead—It’s Just... On Repeat 🔁
Let’s be clear. I have nothing against romance novels. In fact, I’ve read some that were absolutely breathtaking. Stories that pulled me in, held me hostage, and left me whispering, “Damn. That was love.”
The problem isn’t that romance exists. It’s that every romance looks exactly the same lately.
Enemies to lovers.
Friends to lovers.
Forced proximity.
Second chances.
Grumpy sunshine.
"One of them has trauma but the other one bakes cookies and now everything’s fine."
You get the idea.
The same tropes, recycled a hundred different ways. Same story, different names. You already know how it ends. They kiss, they cry, someone runs away in the third act but comes back in the rain. And then boom—happily ever after. 🌦️💋
It’s not that these stories are bad. It’s just that they’re expected. Safe. Predictable. And they dominate everything. If you’re a new writer and you don’t write romance, it can feel like your work doesn’t even exist.
Is Romance Too Easy? (Cue the Screaming) 😬
Here’s where it gets dicey, and yes, I’m bracing myself for the backlash already.
Do I think romance is easy?
Not entirely. But kind of. And let me explain before the pitchforks come out.
Writing well in any genre is hard. Writing beautifully in romance is an art. I know that. But what I see all too often is that romance is treated like the fast track to “author status.” Especially when you’re new to writing.
It's pitched as the genre you can hop into with little effort and a guaranteed audience. Throw two hot people into a room, sprinkle in some trauma, add witty banter, make them kiss, and slap a pastel cover on it. Ta-da! You're an author now.
Except… are you?
Because while you were busy following the blueprint, you forgot to bring yourself to the story. You wrote what sold. You didn’t write what mattered.
And that’s my real issue. Not romance itself—but the lazy creativity it’s allowed. The way it’s often used as a shortcut instead of a canvas.
Romance Is the Only Genre That Doesn’t Have to Try as Hard (There, I Said It) 😶🌫️
Romance doesn’t have to fight for space. It owns the shelf.
Other genres? They have to earn their spotlight. Horror, literary fiction, historical drama, genre-bending sci-fi—these books get one shot to say something we’ve never heard before or they’re gone.
But romance? You can write the same exact plot as ten other books and still get praise for being “cute” or “addictive.” You can phone it in, and the story will still make waves because… romance sells.
Meanwhile, there are authors writing entire universes, creating languages, building characters with layered generational trauma and nuanced backstories—and they get lost in the shuffle.
All because they didn’t make their protagonist fall in love with the barista who just gets them. ☕
To Be Clear: There Are Incredible Romance Novels 🫶📖
Yes, some romance authors are doing mind-blowing work.
They’re writing stories with heart, complexity, and emotional truth. They’re redefining love in modern terms. They’re challenging tropes and pushing boundaries. They’re crafting romance that makes you feel and think and cry and heal.
I’m not blind to that. I admire that.
I just wish those books were the ones at the front of every display.
Instead, it’s always the same tired love triangle, the same predictable plotline, the same flat characters with quirky jobs and no actual depth.
And I’m bored.
What About the Books That Aren’t Love Stories? 💡📚
Here’s the part that stings the most: there are books out there that will absolutely change your life. Books that aren’t about love. Books that don’t end with a kiss. Books that don’t follow any formula at all—but instead tell the truth in a way you’ve never seen before.
Books about identity.
About loss.
About redemption.
About survival.
About moral decay.
About shame, silence, grief, guilt, rage.
Books that make you uncomfortable. Books that take risks. Books that say something new.
But you’ll never hear about them, because they’re sitting behind 40 romance novels that look just like the one you read last week.
This Is Just My Opinion (But I’ll Stand By It) 🙋🏽♀️
I’m not here to gate-keep the writing community or dismiss the work of any writer. Your book matters, your voice matters, and if romance is your passion—write it. Own it. Fall in love on the page.
But also—ask yourself why.
Why are you writing that story? Is it because you love it, or because it’s what everyone else is doing? Is it your creative truth, or is it just... convenient?
Because if you’re choosing your niche out of fear or trends, that’s not writing. That’s just echoing. And we need less of that.
We need more writers who tell stories that keep them up at night.
We need writers who make us feel something different.
We need stories that haven’t been told 700 times in pink covers.
So if you’re a new writer, take a second to ask yourself:
What do you actually want to write?
Maybe it’s romance.
Maybe it’s not.
But either way—let it be yours.
Final Thoughts (Before I Get Cancelled By #BookTok) 💬📢
Romance isn’t the enemy. Lack of creativity is.
The world doesn’t need one more carbon copy romance novel. It needs you. Your weird, messy, genre-bending idea. Your heartbreak. Your curiosity. Your truth.
So write a book that scares you.
Write something you’re not sure anyone will understand.
Write the book that isn’t marketable.
Write the book you thought nobody else wanted.
And if you do write romance—please, for the love of originality—make it mean something. Make it different. Make it honest.
Because the world doesn’t need another enemies-to-lovers with a predictable third-act breakup.
It needs something real.
Something risky.
Something you.
🖤
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