The sale of romance novels has been on the rise since 2020. Readers love the sense of hope and escape from reality that romance books bring to life. However, books can set unrealistic expectations for love and friendship. The OHS bookworm community chimed in to share their opinions on romance novels. “It’s interesting to hear what happens next. There’s a roller coaster of emotions,” freshman Joanne Pendleton shared. “I like how the relationship slowly builds over the course of the books,” junior Kaitlin Donovan said.

As the saying goes, “to each their own.” Everyone has their own reasons for having a favorite romance novel. “My favorite romance novel is Dance of Thieves because the pace isn’t too fast or too slow, the story has a well-thought-out plot, and the FMC [female main character] isn’t dependent on the MMC [male main character], which I absolutely love,” freshman Navi Kaur said. “I don’t have a favorite romance novel, but I really enjoyed books like Dance of Thieves, Better Than the Movies, and The Naturals. I like these because I really like it when there is an engaging plot that goes with the romance,” freshman Emma Husband shared. “One of my favorite romance novels is titled I Hope This Doesn’t Find You. I like it because it is slow-paced and realistic,” senior Kunta Achraya said.

A trope is a recurring or significant theme in a story. Tropes, like fake dating or friends-to-lovers, lay the groundwork for many romance novels. “I really like slow burn, and forced proximity is really funny sometimes. I think it can be realistic in a way sometimes, but definitely not always,” said Husband. “My favorite trope is doomed relationships. They are just so good. Normally, the story is beautiful, and the love is tragic. Unfortunately, I know my trope is very real,” freshman Maliyah Stewart said. Pendleton said, “I like the enemies-to-lovers because a lot of them are a lot more emotional, and it makes it more exciting.” “I like academic rivals the most in romance books. I think this is somewhat realistic, but would probably not happen often,” said Achraya.

Love at first sight is another common trope, but real life doesn’t always hand us a meet-cute. Can we really fall in love from across a room? Husband shared, “I do believe that something can just click with someone and you immediately have a connection, although I do think true love takes a little bit of time.” “I think love at first sight is bologna! While yes, you can determine if a person is attractive to you or not, for me, that’s not what love is. You need to know a person, how they act, what they do, and don’t like. They could have a pretty face but an awful personality,” said Stewart. “I do believe in love at first sight because I feel like sometimes you just look into someone’s eyes, and you just feel that instant connection, you feel it in your guts that yes, this is the person for me,” Kaur said. Achraya said, “I do not believe in love at first sight. If you like someone at first due to their appearance, it is lust.”

Romance novels are not real life, but are they setting standards? The disappointment of reality can hit hard after a good book. Samantha Encalada Rojas, a senior, said, “I think they actually are raising my standards. I have turned into a hopeless romantic that sometimes ends up disappointed.” “Some of them, right now, I think we’re in a girlboss slay-queen era, where the man doesn’t instantly sweep her off her feet, but instead builds a lasting relationship with her, and it’s not just “they’re royalty and hot,” said Stewart. Husband shared, “I was always a hopeless romantic, but reading has definitely enhanced that quality in me while also making me aware and cautious of conflicts that could happen.”

There are so many swoon-worthy book boyfriends out there, and everyone has connected to a book in a different way. “I really like Marcus from the Daybreak series. He’s just so sweet and treats his partner right. I love him and Cog (his partner), they’re so cute! I think Daybreak is very well written and realistic with conflicts other than miscommunication,” said Stewart. Husband said, I don’t have a favorite above all of the others in a special way, but if I could pick one to be real, I think it would be Wes Bennett from Better Than the Movies. All of the guys in romance books I read definitely raise my standards, although they don’t close my mind off from anything.”

“Keefe, Grayson, and Kai are characters in some of my favorite books right now, and I really connected with them,” said Pendleton. Kaur shared, “My favorite book boyfriend is Jase Ballanger because he doesn’t do too much or too little, but he does just enough that the FMC feels special but not overprotected. Also, he admits when he did something wrong and apologizes for it. It does set a standard for the future. I also love how he stands up for the FMC and trusts her.”

You don’t have to go far to find some of these books. The OHS library has countless romance novels, romantasy works, and books with romantic subplots. Ms. Lavallee, a librarian, said, “It’s one of our most popular genres. Right now we have 19100 items, out of that 38% is fiction. Romance is a large chunk of that.”

Share your favorite romance novel or book boyfriend in the comments!