November 1, 2021 by mosaiconline

Here’s Why Romance Will Be Your New Favorite Literary Genre

By: Emma Liarikos | Staff Writer

If you’re like me and love to read, you know that there’s so many genres out there to choose from. However, the more you read, the more limited your selection in Barnes and Noble becomes. You know where to find your favorite genres, authors, and tropes, and could probably do it with your eyes closed. For me, it’s a beeline straight to the romance section. I’m going to share with you a list of reasons why you should show a little love to the romance section and break the stigma around these “cheesy” novels.

I don’t necessarily think that romance novels have a bad rap, but there’s definitely some underlying doubt there for a lot of people, and honestly, I understand why. When you think of the romance genre, you probably think about Nicholas Sparks and The Notebook: kissing in the rain and unrealistic expectations on life and love. While this is present in some romance novels, there’s a whole other sector that a lot of people may have overlooked: a space where authors talk about mental health awareness, real-world troubles such as infertility and invisible illnesses, love and loss, or even empowering self-discovery.

The first novel I want to talk about is Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz. When I first looked up this book’s Amazon reviews, I was shocked. It was the first and only book I’ve ever come across that had a full five stars, and I soon learned why. The novel follows two main characters, Isabel and Sasha, who both live with non-terminal invisible illnesses. Isabel lives with rheumatoid arthritis (a joint inflammatory disease) while Sasha faces Gaucher disease (a genetic disorder causing severe anemia and bone weakness). The author uses Isabel’s perspective so the reader can gain some insight into what it’s like to not only live with an autoimmune disease, but also understand what people with invisible illnesses face on the daily. As someone who does not live with an illness like the ones that Isabel and Sasha have, it was eye-opening to understand the realities of day to day life of those who do. The reader follows Isabel’s journey to acceptance of her illness, and learns that it’s okay to not be okay 100% of the time. The reader watches her grow from the person who pushed herself to keep up with her friends, to when, with the help of her love interest Sasha, she accepts that her circumstances are different and even though not everyone will understand, she needs to put her own needs first and stop ignoring her reality.

After finishing the book, I went back to check out some of the Amazon reviews I had first started reading prior to opening up the novel. It’s clear that Moskowitz succeeded in representing those who live with these invisible illnesses. One Amazon reviewer writers, “I felt like I was reading a narrative of my own life, and it was kind of weird. I quickly realized why: never in my life have I had the experience of reading about a character who is similar to me in this way. I have never encountered a fictional person, whether in tv/movies or books, who has RA. I have never read a book that speaks to this part of my life experience.” There are so many others in the review section who share the same experience as this. I encourage everyone to pick up Sick Kids in Love and gain a new perspective that maybe you hadn’t considered before.

The second novel I would like to call to attention is The Friend Zone by Abby Jiminez. This novel deals with issues of the main character, Kristen, trying to find love while battling with infertility. This novel contains all the beautiful aspects of your typical romance: the meet cute, the banter, the enemies-to-lovers trope; while also spreading awareness on an issue many women face but are ashamed to talk about. According to the World Health Organization, around “48 million couples and 186 million individuals have infertility globally.” So why, then, aren’t there more conversations on this issue? Why isn’t there more support for women and couples who face this?

Abby Jiminez uses Kristen to spread awareness and give women who struggle with infertility the empowerment they deserve. The story follows Kristen and love interest Josh, who first meet in a little fender-bender on a rushed morning for the both of them. The connection they have is instant, and it only intensifies when their paths intertwine even more. Kristen’s best friend is a fierce woman named Sloan, who you will come to adore if you choose to read the novel. Sloan’s fiancé is Brandon, a tough, loving firefighter willing to offer her the world. But who’s Brandon’s best friend? You probably guessed it — Josh. The novel follows the foursome through their day to day lives and interactions. The more we see of Josh and Kristen, the more we want them to be together — and they want to be together just as much.

However, the roadblock arises when Josh reveals how much he wants a family: he grew up in a huge family and wants the same for himself. Kirsten, aware that her chances of conceiving are slim to none, decides that she can’t let herself be with Josh. She feels as though she’s taking away his dream of having a family, and that their relationship will only lead to resentment. The story continues to complicate itself as Josh and Kristen continue to love each other from afar, with Josh unaware that his words are the ones that caused Kristen to push herself away from him in the first place.

Kristen doesn’t like to talk about her infertility; she understandably struggles with the reality that she will not be able to be a mom, nor give Josh the life he’s wanted for so long. She suffers in silence, while Josh tries to figure out what exactly went wrong. We follow Kristen’s journey through-and-through, and our hearts ache for both her and Josh, the star-crossed lovers that we want to prevail in the end. How can Josh help Kristen see that she’s worthy of the love she’s always wanted, regardless of her issues with infertility? You’ll have to read to find out 🙂

Storyline aside, Jiminez really works our heart strings in this novel. We have a look into what it’s like to struggle with something as difficult as infertility, and those who have had the same experience read their own true emotions through Jiminez’s words. She broke through the silence of this real-world struggle, showing that it’s important to talk about this issue, that we need to talk about this issue, and that we, as women, are not alone and should stick together.

I could go on and on about all the things I love about the romance genre, and even more so about all the romance novels I love, but I’ll leave off with a few popular recommendations that you should definitely check out:

If you’re interested in these novels and are looking for more, I encourage you to download the app GoodReads where you can find recommendations based on your preferences or look under the hashtag “#BookTok” on TikTok. Happy reading!