My mother always loved reading and constantly tried to put her love onto me. I never picked it up until COVID but I think that was because I did not like the books that she was trying to get me to read. She is a big fan of murder mysteries and other mystery genres that I just never had a liking to. I never actually tried to read a murder mystery but I always figured that because I hated horror movies so much that they would have the same effect on me. Since romance isn't really a genre that you read in school I never even thought about it until it was all over social media. AfterI found my specific genre that I loved, reading became something that I actually enjoyed. 

Reading has become like a vacation for my mind. I think of it as a way to escape from my current reality and be part of whatever story I am reading. Immersing myself into the lives of the characters has allowed me to relax in situations that I was really stressed about. Reading is like an outlet that will always allow me to think about one simple thing for a while. Once I open the books it is like all my problems start to fade away and I just think about the little problems that the characters have, things like what to wear and what to eat for dinner. Thinking about reading in this way makes it so that I will always view it as an outlet to be stress free and relaxed. 

When we started going back into school during the pandemic, I still was reading a ton. I had the kindle app on my phone and my mom has kindle unlimited so I would literally read before class, during class on my computer, and on my way to the next class. I can’t even explain it, the cheesy happily ever afters that came from these just brought me so much joy. Although I was reading a ton the only person I would really talk about books with is my sister. My romance reading community was small; just me, my sister, and the recommendations I got for books to read from random strangers on youtube and tiktok. It honestly took till senior year to find out that my best friend likes reading romance books as well. I was actually in shock but I’m not sure for what reason since I didn’t tell her I like to read either. Anyways, after I found she likes reading I started lending her my books and we would share our thoughts on the same books. It was so fun! That just showed me how powerful and fun it can be to share a common interest like that and now I’m trying to expand my romance reading community; I am trying to get all my friends to start reading more. Almost all of the books my friends want to read either my sister or I have a physical copy of, we are the library of my friends. More than anything I love book shopping. There is just something about reading the books and not knowing what the pages entail, it is my favorite kind of shopping. Although not the most financially great decision, I like to own copies of the books I read to just be able to look back and reflect on my reading journey. I hope somebody has a house with a library in it and I can look at the shelves and every book can take me back to a different point in my life. As I’ve shared above, books tell stories but they also create amazing memories with friends, family, and just personal growth as well. My reading journey thus far shows a different side of me people don’t often see, a side I want to showcase more moving forward.

Romance novels has also taught me how to better show my emotions and affection towards others around me. For inference it has made me more self-aware on how I act and how I view certain situations, which has lead me to communicate with the people around me better . For example, how to say certain things or explain certain things to certain people. Overall, though romance novels has how to value more my friendship and appreciate the relationships I build with others. It has shown me that in life you can put in any scenario as ironic and non-serious as those sounds. But when you are placed in a scenario you have to have a grasp of your emotions and have control over them so you can have a better understanding of a situation . Having reading romance novels has also connected me with people here from Suffolk . I have met three wonderful females. Who I have over time created a bond with over romance novels and have shared common interests.

With each change in my life, I find myself going back to books from before. In high school, with college coming up sooner than I wanted, I re-read the Harry Potter series. This brought me back to the winter when I spent most of the days inside by the fire, reading. It gave my High School self time to get college out of my mind and instead be next to my fire while it was snowing again.

At whatever time I’m reading a book, the writing intertwines with my own life and imagination at that time. When I re-read books years later, they are different, because I am different, but they still hold the feelings that I attached to them the first time I read them. Since moving to Boston for school, there are times when I want to feel like I’m at home again. I started to re-read books. One book I’ve read since being here is Call me by Your Name by André Aciman. I had read this book a few years ago but found myself coming back to it as a form of comfort. I wanted to return to something familiar and from a time when I was back home. When I read this book in the cold weather and busy city of Boston, I felt like I was at home in the grassy spot by the dock. It was my reading spot for one summer and now those memories are connected to Call me by Your Name. 

Re-reading books has helped with the transition to college life, just like it helped at so many other times before. I’m also reading new books here. Milk Fed by Melissa Broder is connected to the comfortable days I spend at my childhood friend's house where we drink London fogs with oat milk and honey and read side-by-side in her bed. When I re-read this book in the future, wherever I am, I will remember Boston, London fogs, and her grandma's house on Waltham street.

I know for a lot of people in my life, booktok is what got them into reading again. When you see aesthetic videos about a book it is almost like a movie trailer, it draws you right in. This kind of advertising for books is so much more enticing than a simple paragraph on the back of a paragraph. Booktok also doesn’t go making people look for books to read. When you see a video about a book and you end up watching it at the end it's a realization like wow I should read this book. Whereas, if you are finding books by reading the synopsis you need to go looking for a book to read, you need to already have that desire to start reading a book. Overall, booktok has transformed the reading community for everyone. It is the first time I have ever experienced when you can just talk about a book you love and people will want to relate and give recommendations and just talk about reading. It is a welcoming place that doesn't require one to physically have friends that like to read. You are able to make connections with people through tiktok and create new friends that way. It is an easy way to find people with similar interests because what I have learned is a lot of people that like the same books like the same movies, music, etc. Booktok is changing the reading community for the better. 

When I first got to Boston it felt like someone had completely tipped my balance. I stopped doing yoga because I didn’t want to freak my roommate out, I stopped reading everyday, and I stopped going to the gym regularly because it started to feel like a chore. All of these things were a part of my everyday life at home. The transition from home to college brought a lot of changes, and although some of them are good—I’m getting used to using public transportation and I appreciate having a kitchen a lot more—I’ve stopped a lot of hobbies that I used to do. 

I thought about why I had stopped so many hobbies that I had been doing for so long and realized that here, one thing was missing. I hadn’t found a close community of people who shared the same interests. I don’t mean a whole group of people viciously dedicated to reading or yoga, but one or two close friends to do these activities with. At home, I was always going to the gym with someone, practicing yoga with friends, or reading the same book as someone so we could discuss it. I knew that I had to work to find those communities here too. 

It really wasn’t hard to find people with common interests. I just started asking people what they did (duh!) and was able to find my communities. I have a group of people who I can go to the gym with so now I go more often because we motivate each other. I also found a community of readers. Some of the girls in my suite are also avid readers and we were able to bond over that, as well as encourage each other to read. If I went into the common area and saw one of them reading, instead of turning a show on, I would grab my book and read as well. We recommend books to each other or talk about what’s going on in the books we're reading. 

Finding these communities at Suffolk has been vital to my well being. When I’m doing something with the support of others, it is inspiring and pushes me to keep doing it. The friends that think reading is weird, are the people who love going out and exploring boston. We are able to bond over this instead. As I go forward, I now have new skills that I didn't know I needed before leaving home. I now know the importance of community.

One of the most significant shifts in the romance genre has been the increasing emphasis on diversity and representation. Authors are now exploring a broader spectrum of relationships, featuring characters from various ethnicities, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds. This departure from the traditional heterosexual narrative has allowed for more authentic and relatable stories, resonating with a wider audience. Readers are no longer confined to a narrow scope of romantic experiences, but instead, they can immerse themselves in narratives that reflect more realistic relationships.

Personally, I like the recent change in romance literature. I have read books like Romeo and Juliet and while older romance books are still good, they do not make me want to continue to read similar types of novels. Modern romance novels are more descriptive and complex than novels that were written years ago. The varying plotlines of modern novels also create a book that caters to more readers than just the middle aged female. Older books had a very standard plotline that most books followed, a woman needs help, the man saves her, and they lived happily ever after. Something like that is just not realistic and readers don’t see that standard in books anymore. There are more plot twists and other aspects that contribute to the relationship in the story. Overall, I believe that the inclusivity that recent romance has been an improvement and the continued growth will be a good thing. Having different types of plot lines be included into modern romance and included at a big scale is beneficial for most readers. Most readers like to relate to characters and with the diverse plotlines the readers are able to do that more easily. 

In conclusion, the recent changes in the romance genre of literature reflect a broader societal shift towards inclusivity, authenticity, and a willingness to explore the complexities of relationships. As the genre continues to evolve, readers will likely see more diverse characters, thought-provoking themes, and innovative storytelling that pushes the boundaries of traditional romance conventions.

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