November is here, which means it’s almost time for Thanksgiving in the U.S.! In the spirit of giving thanks, here are ten romance and pop culture things that I’m personally grateful for from the past year!
1. I’m Thankful For Web Comics like Lore Olympus and Miss Abbott and the Doctor
Sure, Web Comics aren’t new, but I feel like this year romancelandia played a special role in putting them on my personal radar.
There are tons of amazing and innovative web comic creations out there, but I am personally most grateful for Lore Olympus and Miss Abbott and the Doctor! The first is packed with eye-popping color and reinvented Greek mythology. The second is sweet, with lovely pencil drawings that bring Victorian characters to life!
2. The Emmy-Winning Comedy Fleabag
I’ll admit it…my friends and coworkers basically think of me as the “Fleabag girl” because I became straight-up obsessed with the depth, wit, fun, and sexiness of the second season. I send up my own prayers of Thanksgiving for Fleabag, Hot Priest, and Hillary the guinea pig!
3. The Final Installments of Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals Series
Alyssa Cole is an auto-buy author to me, so I felt SO lucky to have the chance to read the final novel and two novellas in the Reluctant Royals series! The novels feature women who end up in royal relationships, and the novellas involve side characters from the series who have their own amazing love stories! They were definitely a highlight of my 2019 year in romance!
4. The Series Finale of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
This show has meant a lot to me over the last few years. As a theater nerd, its musical parodies spoke to me on a bone-deep level. Rebecca’s mental health journey also opened up wonderful public discussions about removing stigma. I don’t want to give away the ending, but I will say that the finale of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend tied up the story neatly and created a satisfying conclusion to Rebecca’s personal growth journey.
5. I’m Thankful For A Year Of Great Romance Podcasts!
I’ve always enjoyed good podcasts, and this year was no exception! It was so exciting last month when Frolic launched its own podcast network filled with tons of listening options. Some of my personal favorites are Learning the Tropes, Shelf Love, Tea and Strumpets, and Smart Podcast Trashy Books.
6. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
This has turned into one of my favorite books to recommend to “I’m not really a romance reader” friends, because it’s so charming! The romance between Alex and Henry is completely precious (I still think of them every time I hear “Don’t Stop Me Now”), and I personally found it fun to step into a political alternate universe!
7. Three words: Bridgerton. On. Netflix.
Okay, okay, the show doesn’t even come out til 2020. But just the sheer anticipation from the romance community has been a treat! After the cast announcements, I couldn’t help following some of the leads on Instagram, and Julia Quinn’s behind-the-scenes teases are killing me! Plus, it’s always fun when beloved romance properties get more and more mainstream attention!
8. I’m A Derry Girl!!
This is another pop culture tidbit that isn’t exclusively from 2019, but the buzz surrounding a new season hitting Netflix finally piqued my interest and got me to check it out. Derry Girls isn’t super romantic, but it IS full of funny teen humor through a distinctly feminine lens. PLUS, as Erin from Learning the Tropes shared on her podcast, Sister Michael is one of the best characters to hit TV in quite a while!
9. David and Patrick on Schitt’s Creek May Be The Definitive Pop Culture Couple of 2019!
The love between these two could never make me say, “Ew, David!” If you’re not watching Schitt’s Creek, get thee to Netflix ASAP! This couple forms in the later seasons, and this year brought us important milestones in their relationship together. These two are a triple threat; they’re partners in life, partners in business, and partners in love!
10. Three Cheers for Online Romance Communities!
Of course I’m thankful this year for Frolic as one of these online romance communities, but there are so many more wonderful internet spaces that have blossomed this year. Twitter interactions between fellow readers, Facebook groups for romance-themed podcasts, and lovely author Instagram posts have added SO MUCH to the way we experience romance and pop culture in 2019!
