For Arielle, discovering romance novels was like uncovering a new world.
At 15, she belongs to a new generation of romance readers who have fallen in love with the genre after finding it online.
Instead of browsing her parents’ bookshelf or wandering down bookstore aisles, Arielle’s introduction to romance was a little more contemporary — a book recommendation on YouTube.
“I had never read a romance book before,” she said.
“Up until two years ago, I was not a reader at all.”
It’s hard to picture now, given Arielle’s floor-to-ceiling bookshelf … exclusively stocked with romance novels.
Arielle’s newfound fascination with romance not only sparked her love for reading but broadened her understanding of love itself.
She realised the books weren’t just about the emotion of love, but about connections and the complexities of relationships.
She found herself hooked.
“Love can mean different things — it’s not just infatuation or lust,” she said.
“It interconnects people’s lives, and I find joy in seeing two people coming together even if it’s platonic.”
Although it was the storyline that initially grabbed Arielle’s attention, she said it was the insights into others’ lives that kept her turning the pages.
The novels presented her with real-life scenarios, prompting her to reflect on her own experiences.
“I like seeing people’s decisions and reactions, and what sacrifices they’re willing to make for the ones they love,” she said.
“When I read how a character has handled a situation, I wonder whether I’d do the same.”
Like a growing number of young people, Arielle relies on social media for recommendations about which book to read next.
She often looks to BookTubers — YouTubers who read books — who love the romance genre as much as she does.
The hopeless hopeful romantic
“I’m definitely a hopeless romantic,” Arielle said.
“I’m yet to experience love, but I mean, one day, why not?”
Contrary to stereotypes, Arielle believes that reading romance novels hasn’t created unrealistic expectations about love.
“Some people are like, ‘Of course you like romance’ … those are the stereotypes, that teenage girls are obsessed with love and all they want is a boyfriend,” she said.
“They think that you’re delusional — that you’ll struggle to find love because of those unrealistic expectations.”
But Arielle disagrees, emphasising that she is not idealistic.
For her, it’s about exploring emotions and relationships on a deeper level, told from various perspectives.
Arielle says she doesn’t read “to get advice on how to get a boyfriend” but for the pure enjoyment of reading.
Recruiting new readers online
For Arielle, living in Tullera, northern NSW, it’s hard to imagine her passion for romance without the influence of social media.
“We are definitely that generation that hones in on our social media, so the fact that we have those recommendations and resources online plays a big role,” she said.
Platforms like BookTok, Bookstagram and BookTube are thriving sub-communities where book enthusiasts go to share their thoughts on their latest reads.
The casual conversation with a fellow booklover down a bookstore aisle has evolved; now those exchanges have expanded to include people across the globe.
It’s not only a space to share the latest book releases, recommendations, and reviews, but a place of connection and community.
“I think discovering those platforms really elevates your reading experience — it did for me,” Arielle said.
“If you are a young person like I am, and you enjoy reading, and you don’t have access to a book club, like I don’t have, BookTubers can feed that sense of community.”
Happily-ever-afters provide comfort
Romance author and academic Jodi McAlister said the idea that romance was suddenly becoming popular was not true.
“Romance has been popular for a very long time, but what romance has become is more visible because of platforms like TikTok and Instagram,” she said.
“People are starting to talk about it more and we’re seeing an influx of younger readers to the genre.”
Despite Dr McAlister’s extensive research on romance, she said that, scientifically, there was limited evidence showing the genre’s psychological impact; whether it be positive or negative.
But she does have her own theories.
When defining a romance novel, Dr McAlister boils it down to two essential components: a central love story and a happily-ever-after ending.
“So, when you go into a romance novel, you know that everything is going to turn out alright in the end,” she said.
“And there are times when that is a very psychologically useful thing to know.”
While stories of romantic love can be traced back thousands of years, the precursor to modern romance novels is widely considered to be Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, by Samuel Richardson, which was published in 1740.
The role of romantic fiction books in providing comfort in times of uncertainty has been evident throughout history.
“Mills and Boon was one of the only publishing houses during World War II to retain its paper ration in Britain on the grounds that it raised morale for women in the factories,” Dr McAlister said.
“If we look at the current boom in romance, which is kind of concomitant with the rise of TikTok, this is also happening in 2020-2021 … and what was the pandemic if not a period characterised by an intense amount of uncertainty?”
Dr McAlister said that despite romance novels often being dismissed as cheesy or trashy, the genre included meaningful themes that were relatable and relevant.
“We all care about hope, love, joy, comfort, pleasure — these are books about things that people really, really care about — something very human,” she said.
And while being a “hopeless romantic” might sound cynical, she sees it as a positive.
“The kind of criticism we often hear of romance is that it’s giving people, particularly young women, unrealistic expectations about love,” she said.
“But why shouldn’t young women have high expectations of what they expect in their romantic partners?”
Romances help navigate real life
Chelsea Pinkard, 22, and Carter Dolman, 23, from Narrm/Melbourne are the only two romance readers on their team at work. They bonded instantly.
Both began exclusively reading romance in their late teens and early 20s.
“Everyone in my life started getting involved with romance and started their first relationships,” Chelsea said.
Romance novels not only supported Chelsea during her transition into adulthood but also played a role in shaping expectations for her own relationships.
“It’s helped me reflect on what I would want out of a relationship — whether it be platonic or romantic,” she said.
“It’s helped me think about what my standards are for the people I want around me in my life.
“And since getting into a committed relationship recently, I’ve found that the expectations romance novels set for me weren’t actually unrealistic at all.”
For Carter, romance novels have been invaluable in forming new relationships and navigating social interactions.
“I’ve found that it’s been a way for me to connect with people because I’m someone who finds it quite hard to connect with others,” she said.
“Romance novels have been a great way to do that. Being able to bond over the books, the authors, storylines and tropes have been a really good thing to have.”
Chelsea says there’s great comfort in reading about ‘normal’ people navigating everyday scenarios — like life and work — just as she and Carter do each day.
“We see a lot of ourselves reflected in these books,” she said.
“With so many different workplaces, career choices, people, and identities being represented, it’s nice to see a character like you having someone fall in love with them.
“You’re seeing yourself be loved through a fictional character.
“Romance novels make us feel loved, even if it’s not our love story.”