I'm pretty sure romance novels have ruined my dating life. It's a pretty big statement to make, and I'm sure as I type this review random things will pop into my head and this post wont end the way that I currently intend it to.
I read a lot of novels with romantic themes and undertones. Everything from contemporaries by Nora Roberts (she was all I read in high school), to books like How to Love by Katie Cotugno and Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover. On top of that, some of my favorite books that fall under other genre's are the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi (Dystopian), Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong (Urban Fantasy) and the Black Jewel books by Anne Bishop (fantasy). Despite the fact that all of these books have solid plots and platforms, there's romance everywhere and I wonder how it affects our minds on a subconscious level (even though I love all the romantic aspects and may die without them).
I'm pretty sure that one of my college professors isn't going to turn into a wolf and bite my finger so that I can become his werewolf wife. I'm also pretty sure that someone wont sneak into a jail cell just so they can rescue me because they fell in love with my kind nature while we were in elementary school. I know these things because no matter how absorbed I find myself in these books, I know their mealy works of fiction (unfortunately).
That being said, the relationships between the protagonists of a book are always so out of this world that I don't know how it's possible for a real man or woman to live up to them. These people are so selfless and understanding that they're willing to go to the ends of the earth and back for their significant other (figuratively and emotionally). In Maybe Someday Ridge is so in love with Sydney that she's the only person he's verbalized to in like 10 years (Ridge is deaf). In the Women of the Otherworld series, Clay is so in love with Elena, that despite the fact that she has literally left the country to get away from him, he still waits for her. Is it so much to ask for to want that kind of dedication in real life... probably.
In conclusion...I don't really have a conclusion. It's really just food for thought.
I wonder what other romance readers out there think. Let me know, I love comments.
I'm pretty sure that one of my college professors isn't going to turn into a wolf and bite my finger so that I can become his werewolf wife. I'm also pretty sure that someone wont sneak into a jail cell just so they can rescue me because they fell in love with my kind nature while we were in elementary school. I know these things because no matter how absorbed I find myself in these books, I know their mealy works of fiction (unfortunately).
That being said, the relationships between the protagonists of a book are always so out of this world that I don't know how it's possible for a real man or woman to live up to them. These people are so selfless and understanding that they're willing to go to the ends of the earth and back for their significant other (figuratively and emotionally). In Maybe Someday Ridge is so in love with Sydney that she's the only person he's verbalized to in like 10 years (Ridge is deaf). In the Women of the Otherworld series, Clay is so in love with Elena, that despite the fact that she has literally left the country to get away from him, he still waits for her. Is it so much to ask for to want that kind of dedication in real life... probably.
In conclusion...I don't really have a conclusion. It's really just food for thought.
I wonder what other romance readers out there think. Let me know, I love comments.
I'm inclined to agree that romance books (sometimes) make actual people look... lackluster. I've also learned from having two older brothers, one an absolute jock and player, how awful romantic interactions in real life can be, so my expectations of romantic interests have been rather low.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great 'food for thought' post!
~Litha Nelle