Reader discussion: Love Story

Public reader discussion about Love Story in the WeRead Catalog by Irving E. Cox.

What Makes a Book a Romance?

By paleivy

I finally asked a question about how people define book genres, especially on StoryGraph, since the categories there feel pretty inconsistent. I pointed to *Rebecca* (Daphne du Maurier) because, as far as I know, it’s usually listed as romance—though it’s also marketed as mystery/thriller and sometimes horror/gothic (those examples are easy to find). But a lot of the replies basically said romance has to come with a happy ending / happy-for-now ending. If that’s true, then a bunch of “classic romances” like *Jane Eyre*, *Wuthering Heights*, and even *Romeo and Juliet* wouldn’t really count as romance, since they don’t exactly end happily. So now I’m stuck thinking: what does the wider reading community actually mean by “romance”? A few things I can’t stop wondering: - Does romance need a happy ending for real, and if so, are publishers and everyone else just wrong for treating those books as romance? - People said the definition changes over time—if those older books used to be considered romances but aren’t “now,” why did we tighten the rules so much? Helpful, or kind of harmful? - Someone also mentioned that the “happy ending” idea might be more about making romances easier to sell. If we narrow it further, does that just keep widening the genre/lit divide and end up hurting romance instead? Also, I hope I didn’t tick anyone off—my post got downvoted a lot and was locked pretty quickly. Didn’t realize people felt so strongly about this, but I still don’t really have a clear answer. For the record, I personally think *Rebecca* should be tagged as literary, classics, romance, mystery, and thriller (horror feels debatable).

Book recommendations for book club?

By RainyDelta5

What books do you all usually love? I’m in a book club with like 10 other girls and some of them basically read everything that’s popular, so I feel like we’ve been over a lot of the usual picks. We’re not limiting genres though, and our first one was *Tender is the Flesh* by Agustina Bazterrica, which honestly was a lot. I didn’t really enjoy it, and I’m trying to find something totally different, but still really gripping—like I can’t put it down. Any suggestions?

what are some actually well written romances???

By GrandWindowCricket

Can y’all throw me some romance novel recs? I keep running into books where the romance is supposed to be “the plot,” but the actual storyline is held together by dumb, unrealistic stuff. I want the love part, sure, but it should also be genuinely well written and have something going on besides ridiculous inconveniences. I tried *Beach Read* because a lot of “romance” lists end up being basically Emily Henry and it wasn’t offensive or anything—just not for me. I didn’t hate it, but I also don’t really feel like I’d pick up another one of her books. And some of the stuff I see recommended (like the more BookTok-y picks) just does not sound like my vibe. One thing that kills me with a lot of contemporary romances is I can’t take them seriously when the characters are unbearable. Like the girl is insecure in a way that feels repetitive, and then somehow she’s always acting like the guy is the prize and she’s unworthy of him. I get having personal struggles, but when it turns into her worshipping him (the “oh my god he even likes me” thing) it’s just… a lot. Plus so many of these stories are basically: they’re into each other, but they don’t get together because of some totally contrived hurdle or misunderstanding that’s there just to keep them apart. Also, I’m more likely to read LGBT romances in the present-day stuff because it feels like there’s less of that internalized misogyny where the woman is basically there to be admired. I’m not even saying characters have to be confident, but why is it always some conventionally attractive woman meeting a hot guy and suddenly being shy, fragile, and insecure like the whole point is for me to live vicariously through her? I hate that. And on the flip side, I also get annoyed when the woman’s written as obnoxiously confident in a way that feels defensive—like the author is trying way too hard to convince you she’s cool. Sometimes it also feels like the book is less of a love story and more of a fantasy delivery system, where the “romance” is mostly physical attraction and not really something that makes me care. Not that it has to match what I want, but right now I want something different. The last romances I actually enjoyed were *Song of Achilles*, *Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo*, and *Captive Prince* (if those fit the category). LGBT is welcome but not required. M/F, F/F, M/M, modern, historical, tragedy, sci-fi, fantasy—whatever—as long as it’s well written and just… good.

“Lolita” is my favorite novel, in spite of the understandable controversy it has garnered

By Tender_Gynecic4026

I read this about a year ago and I still think it has the best writing of any novel I’ve picked up. I also get the feeling a lot of people don’t read it the way it’s meant to be read. While I was going through it, I felt like Nabokov was showing Humbert as someone really manipulative—like the book makes you see how he tries to twist things so you might start thinking his actions are okay, but it doesn’t seem like Nabokov is on his side at all. The whole topic is pretty disturbing and gross, but the writing itself is honestly incredible. He uses words so well that it’s hard not to respect it. I’m actually thinking about rereading it once I finish “Carrie” by Stephen King, and I remember feeling like, yeah, that’s why it’s a classic. What really stuck with me is that the characters (even the ones you shouldn’t like) feel weirdly real, and I think it’s because Nabokov seems to understand people’s psychology. Humbert is clearly hostile, and I remember clocking how much of his take on women comes off misogynistic, but at the same time, every character is interesting. It also felt different because his whole way of looking at people—his general dislike and the way he describes them—didn’t match most other main characters I’ve read.

Help me pick a book for my book club (ideally romance-related)

By GlimmerOrbit

My friend roped me into her brand-new book club (I guess to be supportive), and I went to the first meeting. Everyone there is her friend, and they’re all really sweet, but I’m not totally sure we overlap on taste. It feels kind of like a bunch of “normal” readers I don’t really know, which is fine. They kicked things off with The Dutch House, and then the conversation went all over the place—some people are really into Sarah J. Maas and other fantasy/sci-fi stuff I’ve never even heard of. One person likes Sally Rooney and also reads things like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. And when someone said the best book they read in 2024 was The Handmaid’s Tale, another person basically said she can’t even try it right now because it’d be “too painful” in the wake of everything that’s going on. Everyone kind of went along with it. So yeah, I’m a little worried we’re not judging books by the same rules, and I definitely don’t want to come off pretentious, but it’s hard not to notice. Still, I like my friend and I don’t want to be weird, so I’m staying in for at least a couple more meetings. Anyway—apparently I’m hosting meeting #2 next month, and I get to choose the book. They said they’d be into something romance-y since it’ll be around Valentine’s Day. Can I get some recs for books that might work for that crowd, but also wouldn’t feel totally out of place? I’m okay with it being a bit edgy, but I don’t want anything too experimental or exhausting, and I’d rather not pick something super long or super old. Please help me out.

What's the best love story you've ever read? (I desperately need a recommendation)

By chilly-window9

I’ve been trying to find a really good love story for ages, but most romance books I run into just feel kinda boring. Anyone have recommendations that are actually moving (or at least fun to read)?

What book or series has the best love story you've ever read?

By story_forest

It doesn’t really have to turn into a romance, and definitely not one of those cheap penny-dreadful things with shirtless guys plastered on the cover.

So I read Super Sad True Love Story. Is it just me or does anyone else find the protagonist a clingy asshole?

By simpledragon

I had to read this for my American Comic Novel class. A bunch of it was actually really funny—the whole lexicon/slang thing, and some of the grossly off-style phrase choices (like “just butt-fucking” still gets a laugh out of me, even if it’s totally lowbrow). But overall, yeah, most of the characters felt pretty flat and kind of annoying. Is this Shteyngart trying to say that fast online communication is messing with people and turning everything into sound-bites and catchphrases? Could be, but if that’s what he’s doing, it felt a little too blunt and lazy to me. That said, the trailer is hilarious. He definitely seems smart and like he’s got his finger on the pulse, so I’m probably going to check out Absurdistan since my classmates said it’s way different from SSTLS.

The most deeply romantic book you've read? (not necessarily from the romance genre!)

By Hidden-Cougar

I’m not really hunting for romcom stuff. I want books that feel emotionally deep and/or kind of romantically beautiful. The ending can be happy or heartbreaking, I’m good either way. Also, they don’t even have to be labeled romance. But honestly, a lot of the “romantic” books I’ve tried didn’t really hit the vibe—too much petty miscommunication angst, insta-lust, too fast-paced, stuff like that. A few that totally worked for me: - *Persuasion* by Jane Austen (still my favorite of hers!) - *A Brightness Long Ago* by Guy Gavriel Kay (the prose is gorgeous and the lovers are… tragically romantic) - Weirdly, *A Song of Ice and Fire* by GRRM too. It’s knights and medieval chaos, so he can set up a bunch of romance tropes and then flip them around. Jaime/Brienne especially is a big fave. I did feel a little let down by *The Song of Achilles*, though—like, the writing is great, but Patroclus and Achilles’ relationship felt a bit too underdeveloped to me. ETA: Thanks to everyone for the suggestions! Some of the ones I already had on my TBR just jumped way higher, and I’m really excited to check out a bunch of titles I’d never heard of before.

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By foxEpilogue

This is a place where you can find book recs from other people based on what you ask for. There are also some handy threads like beginner/veteran/expert suggestions, what to read after Harry Potter, books like Game of Thrones, best books from 2019, and stuff like that. Just make sure spoilers are tagged if you’re talking about plot stuff, and don’t post things that aren’t really asking for book suggestions. Also no spam, piracy links, selfies/self promo, or random low-effort stuff.

"Super Sad True Love Story" by Gary Shteyngart - your thoughts?

By Teacup-Happy1988

Has anyone here read this? I think it came out in 2010, and it looks like it’s basically satire or commentary on the whole “Facebook generation” thing. Not sure if it still feels relevant after all these years though—any thoughts?

I think the love story between Arthur Dent and Fenchurch (So Long and Thanks For All The Fish, Douglas Adams) is one of the most beautifully written I've ever read.

By atlas_stone

Honestly, this story really makes it feel like Adams has a ton of talent. There’s this passage that just hits hard and I keep thinking about it. The part where they just look at each other and the moment stretches out feels weirdly real, like time gets hard to measure. And then it’s like Arthur is suddenly seeing everything differently—almost like he’s been in this confined little world and suddenly the door’s open and there’s this whole bigger space outside. I also like how it builds up that he didn’t even know life had a way of talking to you, answering the stuff you’re always wondering about. Like he’s only noticing it now, and the answer he gets is just “yes.”