But I also love the fresh twist new voices are putting on the genre. Books and movies like Crazy Rich Asians, Ayesha At Last, and Always Be My Maybe feel refreshingly modern in their diversity and their clever takes on classic tropes. Characters are complex and less than perfect (SO great to see in heroines especially). Dialogue is witty, subtle, and laugh-out-loud funny. And most of all, the emotions are genuine, and genuinely moving. Which makes the romance incredibly, deliciously satisfying.
You see, I’m all about the feels. It’s what made me romance fan in the first place—that yummy ache you get in your chest and stomach reading an especially real and raw and, hopefully, raunchy novel (I usually, though not always, prefer my romance scorching hot). I recently devoured Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, and my God did I get a serious case of the feels. It made me realize just how swoony that combo of laugh-out-loud/cry-your-eyes-out can be. And the distinct sizzle that Tessa Bailey brought to Fix Her Up definitely upped the ante. Throw thoughtful, explicit sex into the mix, and y’all—I am total goner.
Not only did these books and movies turn me into a mushy, swoony, teary mess. They also made me think. They opened my eyes to the possibilities of what a romance could—and should—be. As a writer myself, it’s sometimes painful to inhale such exquisitely done goodness. The ache it gives me is delicious, yes, but it can also hurt. I want to write like that, I can’t help but think. I want to be brave and honest and take chances in my work, because look! Look how amazing, how moving, how important this stuff is!
I love how books and movies like the ones I mentioned are pushing the genre, and the entertainment industry as a whole, forward. We need more like them! And I hope to see more romance novels turned into TV shows or movies. I can’t help but think they’ll be an essential part of continuing this rom-com renaissance.
Because, I’ll be honest—if I have to see one more super-hero movie, I just might scream. Of course there are exceptions (Black Panther, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel, I’m looking at you). But having movies in theaters that actually speak to me, to my experience and the craving I have for smart, sexy, self-aware content, is awesome. I’m very much hoping the movie/TV adaptations of The Kiss Quotient and The Hating Game happen. I will be the very first to stream Mindy Kaling’s new take on Four Weddings And Funeral. And don’t even get me started on Shonda Rhimes’s upcoming Bridgertons series (technically not a rom-com, but as a lifelong Shonda and Julia Quinn fan, I had to mention it!).
Needless to say, I’m besides myself with excitement. I hope that by supporting (more like devouring) these romances, I’m helping pave the way for more like them to be written and produced. Romance, and romantic comedies, can be inclusive, thought-provoking, and hugely, hilariously intelligent. They are important. They change lives.
They’re powerful and empowering.
Now that I think about it, my rom-com kick is less a phase, and more of a life-long love affair. Not a guilty pleasure. Not something I “indulge” in. But something I absolutely, whole-heartedly love. I hope audiences also continue to embrace the breath of fresh air this new crop of writers has injected into the genre.
I, for one, can’t wait to see what awesomeness comes next.
Rom-Com Recs (Books Only):