Romance novels shape teenagers’ views on love and relationships – thanks to social media
For Ariel, discovering romance novels was like discovering a new world.
At 15, she is part of a new generation of romance readers who fell in love with the genre after discovering it online.
Instead of browsing her parents’ bookshelves or strolling through the aisles of a bookstore, Arielle took a more contemporary approach to the world of love: a book recommendation on YouTube.
“I had never read a romance novel before,” she said.
“Until two years ago, I wasn’t a reader at all.”
Given Ariel’s floor-to-ceiling bookshelf filled exclusively with romance novels, this is hard to imagine today.
Ariel’s newfound fascination with romance not only sparked her love of reading, but also broadened her understanding of love itself.
She realized that the books were not just about the feeling of love, but about the connections and complexity of relationships.
She was suddenly addicted.
“Love can mean different things – it’s not just infatuation or lust,” she said.
“It connects people’s lives and it gives me joy to see two people come together, even if it’s just platonic.”
Although it was the plot that initially caught Ariel’s attention, she said it was the insights into the lives of others that kept her turning the pages.
The novels confronted them with real-life scenarios and encouraged them to reflect on their own experiences.
“I like to see people’s decisions and reactions and the sacrifices they are willing to make for the people they love,” she said.
“When I read how a character handled a situation, I wonder if I would do the same.”
Like more and more young people, Arielle relies on social media for recommendations on what book she should read next.
She often turns 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 have yet to experience love, but I mean, one day, why not?”
Contrary to all clichés, Ariel believes that reading romance novels did not create unrealistic expectations about love.
“Some people say, ‘Of course you like romance’ … these are the stereotypes that teenage girls are obsessed with love and don’t want anything more than a boyfriend,” she said.
“You think you are delusional – that these unrealistic expectations will make it difficult for you to find true love.”
But Arielle disagrees and emphasizes that she is not an idealist.
It’s about exploring feelings and relationships on a deeper level, told from different perspectives.
Arielle says she doesn’t read “for advice on how to find a boyfriend,” but for the pure joy of reading.
Attract new readers online
For Arielle, who lives in Tullera in northern New South Wales, her passion for romance is hard to imagine without the influence of social media.
“We are definitely the social media-focused generation, so having these recommendations and resources online plays a big role,” she said.
Platforms like BookTok, Bookstagram and BookTube are thriving sub-communities where book lovers share their thoughts on their latest reads.
The casual conversation with a fellow book lover in the aisle of a bookstore has evolved to include people all over the world.
It is not only a place to share the latest book releases, recommendations and reviews, but also a place for networking and community.
“I think discovering these platforms really enhances the reading experience – it did for me,” Arielle said.
“If you’re young like me and love to read but don’t have access to a book club like I did, BookTubers can foster that sense of community.”
A happy ending provides consolation
The idea that romance novels will suddenly become popular is wrong, says romance novelist and academic Jodi McAlister.
“Romance has been popular for a very long time, but what romance has become is more visible through platforms like TikTok and Instagram,” she said.
“People are starting to talk about it more, and we’re seeing an influx of younger readers into the genre.”
Despite Dr. McAlister’s extensive research on romance novels, she says there is limited scientific evidence for the genre’s psychological impact, whether positive or negative.
But she has her own theories.
When defining a romance novel, Dr. McAlister reduces it to two essential components: a central love story and a happy ending.
“So when you read a romance novel, you know that everything will be okay in the end,” she said.
“And sometimes it’s psychologically very useful to know that.”
Although stories of romantic love date back thousands of years, the forerunner of modern romance novels is generally considered to be Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, published in 1740.
The role of romance novels in providing comfort in times of uncertainty has been evident throughout history.
“Mills and Boon was one of the few publishers in Britain during World War II to maintain its paper ration, on the grounds that it boosted the morale of women in the factories,” said Dr McAlister.
“If we look at the current boom in romance, which in some ways ties in with the rise of TikTok, this is also happening in 2020 and 2021… and what was the pandemic if not a time marked by great uncertainty?”
Dr McAlister said that despite often being dismissed as cheesy or sloppy, romance novels contained meaningful themes that were relatable and relevant.
“We’re all about hope, love, joy, comfort and pleasure – these books are about things that people really, really care about – something very human,” she said.
And although it may sound cynical to be a “hopeless romantic,” she sees it as a positive thing.
“The criticism we often hear about romance novels is that they create unrealistic expectations about love in people, especially young women,” she said.
“But why shouldn’t young women have high expectations of their romantic partners?”
Romances help you find your way in real life
Chelsea Pinkard, 22, and Carter Dolman, 23, from Narrm, Melbourne, are the only two romance readers on their team at work. They hit it off immediately.
Both began reading exclusively romance novels in their late teens and early twenties respectively.
“Everyone in my life was starting to get involved in romance and enter into their first relationship,” Chelsea said.
Romance novels not only helped Chelsea transition into adulthood, but also played a role in shaping her expectations for her own relationships.
“It helped me think about what I want from a relationship, whether platonic or romantic,” she said.
“It helped me to think about what expectations I have of the people I want to have around me in my life.
“And since I recently entered into a serious relationship, I’ve realized that the expectations that romance novels placed on me were actually not so unrealistic.”
For Carter, romance novels were invaluable in building new relationships and mastering social interactions.
“I found that it was a way for me to connect with people because, as a human, I find it quite difficult to connect with others,” she said.
“Romance novels are a great way to do that. It’s been really good to be able to build a bond over the books, the authors, the storylines and the tropes.”
Chelsea says it’s very comforting to read about “normal” people navigating everyday situations – like life and work – just like she and Carter do every day.
“We see a lot of ourselves reflected in these books,” she said.
“With so many different jobs, career choices, people and identities portrayed, it’s nice to see someone fall in love with a character like you.
“You experience being loved by a fictional character.
“Romance novels make us feel loved, even if it is not our love story.”
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