Arts·Commotion

Why the romance genre has such a loyal reader base

Culture writer Kathleen Newman-Bremang, author Farah Heron and BookTok creator Alicia Foshay talk about why romance novels are having a moment right now, and how author Carley Fortune is making Canada’s landscapes sexy.

Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Farah Heron and Alicia Foshay discuss what draws people in to the overlooked genre

A hand holds a book that says This Summer Will Be Different in front of a beach.
Someone holds Carley Fortune's newest book, This Summer Will Be Different, over a scene in P.E.I., where the book is set. (Wool Communications )

When Carley Fortune released her latest novel, This Summer Will Be Different, it shot to the top of the New York Times Best Sellers list.

For her dedicated readers who have followed her for three books now, this may not come as a surprise. But for any readers who haven't yet hopped on the romance train yet, the question lingers: what is it about this genre that attracts such a loyal following?

Culture writer Kathleen Newman-Bremang, author Farah Heron and BookTok creator Alicia Foshay join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about why romance novels are having a moment right now, and how Fortune's books are making Canada's landscapes sexy.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.

LISTEN | Today's episode on YouTube: 

Elamin: Kathleen, why do you think we keep returning to romance over and over?

Kathleen: Oh, I mean they've always been popular. I think it's because women buy them. There's a market of buying power from this specific demographic that we know buys a lot. And then I think they're having a moment right now — getting adaptations, getting picked up for movies and TV shows — and being a bit more in the monoculture I think because of that buying power. But also, I think people just want to see people fall in love. It's that simple. It's why that really bad romcom with Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney did so well, Anyone But You. We just want to see it. And I think we're also in a time where we don't find shame anymore in the things that make us feel good, but I think in general we're all looking for comfort as the world crumbles around us. There has been this renewed value placed on whatever it is and wherever it is that you find that comfort.

Falling in love is something that all of us hopefully will do in our lifetimes. It is universal, but it is also something that feels so specific, and so unique and intimate when you're going through it. It makes you feel like you're the only person in the world having this specific feeling. I think that we keep coming back to this genre because it captures that vulnerability and how singular that feeling is. I also think they are just made up of really good stories and really good writing; people don't say that a lot about this genre.

Elamin: Alicia, what do you think it is that people get out of romance novels that they don't necessarily get out of other genres?

Alicia: I'm going to piggyback on what Kathleen said because I think she made a really good point about how there's a comfort element. There's something inherently risk-free about a romance. Falling in love can scare a lot of people in real life. Or, maybe these tropes aren't something that you would actually do in real life, but you can engage in a darker romance, in a more taboo romance, in a couple of things that maybe you don't get to have in your real life because you're afraid, because your family wouldn't approve — for a million different reasons, and you get to indulge in something that won't hurt you. It's very momentary, and it's very contained, and I think that that makes a lot of people feel really safe.

I've been saying, women control the economy. When women say something is cool, it blows up: Taylor Swift, Starbucks, romance books, romcom movies are back. Things that women find cool, people engage in financially. That's why all these cutesy things are coming back; trends are mostly controlled by women. And so I think that there's a reason that romance is the top fiction genre: it's emotional. It brings out the best in people. It brings out opinions. It also gives women somewhere to go that is safe, when the world doesn't always provide that to them. I love romance. There's something about it that feels like magic.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amelia Eqbal is a digital associate producer, writer and photographer for Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud and Q with Tom Power. Passionate about theatre, desserts, and all things pop culture, she can be found on Twitter @ameliaeqbal.