Reading · Catherine’s Substack

There’s no doubt about it.

BookTok saved the reading industry. Reading books is the new trend and to be honest, that’s not a bad thing. It’s magical, fun, and depending on what you’re consuming, good for the mind. It sharpens the imagination and can also enhance your own writing abilities.

As a kid, I mostly read clean historical fiction and non-fiction. My parents were very strict, so I was not allowed to read just anything and to be honest, I didn’t care for fantasy or sci-fi at the time so that suited me just fine. Even as a teen, I was pretty much unaware of the BookTok trends/favorites. I didn’t have an interest in sampling any of the popular books within those genres until this last year. Writing a Sci-fi series of my own changed my brain. I wanted to compare my writing to what everyone else was creating, and I realized I actually enjoyed branching out. Now Fantasy and Sci-fi have become my new favorite genres, not just to write, but to read!

However, there’s a trend I noticed that I don’t particularly like, and that’s the portrayal of romance in many of these popular books. I will refrain from giving particular examples, but I noticed that what is classified as ‘romance’ in these books (many of them YA/NA) is not so much romance as lust. The focus is heavily on the body, sensations, feelings, passion, and arousal, and while all those things are part of a romantic relationship, they are not the sole factors, and I would argue that if they are the predominate factors that’s not real romance. (Infatuation, cough) It would make sense to me if this ‘romance’ was coming from perhaps a villain who couldn’t tell the difference or perhaps who could and just likes to label lust as love but unfortunately it’s coming from the stories’ heroes! (I can’t help but think that the way many of these hero-protagonists describe their love interests reminds me of Frollo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame when he’s obsessing over Esmeralda. Probably NOT a good thing.)

Another lesser but equally common problem is the lack of variety in romantic relationships. Nearly every books I’ve ever read is a slow burn or enemies-to-lovers. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE both of those. When well done, they will absolutely keep me hooked on a story from beginning to end. Annoyingly, many of them are NOT well done. The enemies-to-lovers is often a bratty, spoiled girl and grumpy, obnoxious guy who are both prejudiced. It doesn’t give enemy to me, just immature. It’s also giving mIsCoMmUnIcaTiOn.

EW.

Adding to that, I’ve noticed many readers think those two types of romance tropes are the only ones to exist. When I first published my Sci-fi Thriller, some people complained about how the romance was unrealistic. This rather shocked me. I had created a dynamic between my two protagonists where both of them met each other and immediately felt an attraction and showed it. I am baffled as to how that is unrealistic as I know it happens to many people and has also happened between me and a guy in my own life. While we never reached a relationship stage, I decided to write a story where the couple actually moved forward with the initial attraction and started a friendship, which will then eventually turn into a relationship further on in the series. They don’t get down and dirty by chapter 20 and you know what? I think that’s ok.

The Romantic Timeline in my Sci-fi Series

Book 1 = Crush Stage - We’re interested in each other, and we’re not going to hide it. I’m attracted to you and you to me, but let’s be friends first so we can get to know one another better.

Book 2 = Relationship Stage - We get along great and the attraction is deepening. New physical boundaries have been crossed. We’ve undergone some scary stuff and that’s only deepened our connection. We’re definitely boyfriend/girlfriend.

Book 3 = Together for Life - We’ve gone through hell together. We NEED each other. Emotional and physical attraction have hit a new level. We have one purpose - one mission- and were completing it side by side. There’s no way we’re letting the other go.

Please know that I do not think every romance should be like mine. I love a variety, and we need MORE variety. My biggest gripe with Romance & BookTok is that toxic or unhealthy relationships are glorified and sadly, many of them have NO variety. If you’re going to be toxic, throw it at me in a new way ;)

And on that note, I will now share with you a sneak peak of what romance in Book 2 will look like:) Javeer is one of my most loved characters and whew, ylanast did a good job on him! (Laeli ofc, is adorable.)