Romance novels are books that are loved by people of all ages. But what is it about these cheesy romance books that have people hooked? Romance novels offer an escape into romance, and fantasy and teach us valuable lessons about relationships.
Authors who work with romance books know what readers like. However, they draw imaginative pictures that help resonate with readers. Readers who enjoy reading romance books are naturally drawn towards the genre. It provides them with a temporary and emotional distraction. Additionally, it helps provide comfort to readers.
What Can We Learn From Romance Novels?
1. Being Vulnerable
Most romance novels showcase the idea of vulnerability in which the story leads openly express themselves to each other without any difficulty. What we can learn from them is to allow ourselves to be open and communicate with our partners clearly.
Being vulnerable with your partner helps them to truly understand you and help them understand who you truly are. Often people think that being vulnerable is a sign of weakness however, that is not the case. People who gather the strength to be vulnerable are the ones with the greatest strength because they come out of their comfort zone to open up at times.
Also read: How vulnerability helps build trust and intimacy in a relationship
2. Communication
By now, you must have heard that communication is the key to successful relationships, and how it helps build strong relationships. Well, it is true. In romance books, the author beautifully portrays communication between partners and helps us imagine the story with their creative writing style.
“The Fault In Our Stars” by John Green is one of the most popular romance novels loved by many people around the world. In the story, the characters Hazel and Augustus bond on shared experiences about cancer, and this bond slowly turns into love. In the book, readers witness many heartfelt conversations which have both honesty and emotional depth.
3. Conflict Resolution
If you are an avid reader and enjoy the romance genre, you are aware that often these genres portray examples of working together as a couple to find solutions to problems. However, what resonates most is that authors add real emotions such as understanding and empathy which we should inculcate while being in a conflict.
When there is a conflict, people often feel agitated. However, with understanding, empathy and communication one can easily resolve these issues.
4. Embraces Imperfections
Romance novels often portray stories of characters who may not be perfect. For reference, Miles from the book “Ugly Love” by Colleen Hoover which became highly popular.
In the book, the author introduces us to the love story of Miles and Tate. However, Miles is not able to commit due to his traumatic past which he can’t get over. Having this barrier between Miles and Tate was causing strain in their relationship. However, they overcome these problems with communication.
While Miles showed several imperfections, one could see him fighting to be better and working on himself.
Similarly, we can relate this to real life where people with different experiences go through difficult times and may have several imperfections. Nevertheless, with the help and support of their lover, they can overcome their trauma and face challenges.
5. Passion And Intimacy
While romance novels may portray many physically intimate scenes, they also beautifully portray emotional and intellectual intimacy.
Often, authors who write romance books share details which sometimes may also be explicit. However, they also portray respect, being gentle, and giving importance to topics such as consent and many other factors. Moreover, they also build intimacy slowly over time with the bonding of the two characters.
Different books have different stories, some portray enemies to lovers, while others portray forbidden love, and some authors may write about one-night stands. However, in the end, it shows how passionate they are for their partners and what it is like to be intimate with them.
6. Resilience And Perseverance
If you have ever read romance books about forbidden love, you understand that despite facing several obstacles in a relationship, the characters put in all their efforts in order to be together.
One of the many things we can learn from romance novels is that you need to put in all your effort. Life may not always be as you want it to be or as you expected. However, if you are sure about something you should go after it and fight for it.
Moreover, it also teaches us to face difficult challenges and overcome them.
Related blog- Teenage Relationships: Understanding Consent and Boundaries
Importance of Self Love
One thing great about romance novels is that they teach us to prioritise ourselves. They tell us how important it is to love yourself before you love someone else. Some novels such as “It Starts With Us” by Colleen Hoover (spoiler ahead) show us how she prioritises herself and her daughter over her abusive husband.
This teaches you that sometimes we have to learn to let go of things that harm you, no matter how much it mean to you or how much value it holds, it is important to put yourself first and understand your self-worth.
1. Prepare Us For Reality
Life is uncertain and not everything happens the way we want it to be. Unlike the common misconception “Happily Ever After”.
While most books in the romance genre have a happy ending not all of them do, for example:
a) “Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes
b) “One Day” by David Nicholls
c) “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger
d) “The Fault In Our Stars” by John Green
These books show that while things can be beautiful and seem perfect, it is not necessary that they will always remain like this.
2. Setting Realistic Expectations
Many people believe that it causes readers to set unrealistic expectations of a relationship. However, while this might not be entirely true it isn’t completely wrong as every relationship varies on several factors such as connection, communication, trust, bond, and much more.
Some romance books show stories that are both realistic and romantic. Romance novels also have conflicts, fights, and heartbreak. Hence, they don’t necessarily set unrealistic standards, they just show us the gist of a relationship. It is important to remember that every relationship is different. Hence, we should not compare it to others, be it fictional or non-fictional.