A smiley hat gift gets picked up on the way for someone’s first birthday
Passing time in a hospital by eating an orange
Touch the cactus if you want
Having toast by the beach with my friend the octopus
Author: Jaqueline
What I plan on doing for my unit 2 opinion piece is writing about how romance has had an impact on it’s readers in a positive way. I plan on discussing this because romance is one of the genres that has been the most looked down upon, if not the most. The reasoning behind this? Because it is the genre that is “most catered towards women and for women.” Many people begin with romance because many of its books are light and fluffy, making it an easy read. The romance industry has fought particularly hard for the acceptance and diversification of the genre and its books for decades. There has been progress for the genre itself, authors, and other genres and their authors as well. This has helped people feel more comfortable and represented in what they read, it is a way for them to be seen and heard. Since the pandemic hit, I have seen how there has been a change and an increase in readers, me included. I had not read since I was in middle school, however, when I had time to read again, I first started with a romance and absolutely loved it. The first book that I read and loved during the pandemic was from the series A Court of Thorns and Roses, I was so amazed with the story and the characters. When I finished the first book, I moved on to the second, third, fourth, and then finally the fifth. I could not get enough of the series and the genre overall. I then picked up other types of books within the genre, I’ve read contemporary romance, fantasy romance, historical romance, rom-coms, and so much more. Over the course of these two years, I have read over 150 books and most of them being fiction/romance. This topic overall is incredibly important to me, and I want others to understand why many other romance readers feel the same way and feel like the genre has had a big impact on them. Romance offers mental and emotional comfort and safety that may not necessarily be present in people’s day to day lives, it may offer a temporary escape, or it may help their view of romance and/or relationships for their own lives.
