The romance genre has been flourishing for decades, if not centuries — while some trace the modern romance back to Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice, others put the start date at the outset of Georgette Heyer’s career in the 1920s, while still others only count the books that have been written since the mid-20th century, when Harlequin began publishing romance novels. No matter where you count from, the genre began as very white, very cis-hetero, mostly upper class, and always focused on conventionally attractive heroes and heroines; in other words, no people of color, no queer people, and definitely no fat people get to have a happy ever after!
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This post originally appeared on Book Riot Insiders, now called the New Release Index. Find a curated list of the best new books, all in one place with the New Release Index. 
In the 19th century, books set at school — especially boarding school — were immensely popular. Many of them were sweet coming-of-age stories about girls making lifelong friendships, and often they included (as most “juvenile” books at the time did) some sort of lesson or moral. There were exceptions, of course, such as The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, which is frequently cited as one of the first and best dark academia books (although it is not set in a school).
Memoir is a booming genre right now, with a near-embarrassment of riches in the world of personal nonfiction. People love to feel a personal connection with other people, especially celebrities — and these days, that means the best memoirs cover far more than just actors and musicians, even expanding to include writers of other genres, for example. We humans love a good story, and when those stories are true? It’s a huge bonus.
Since its release in September 2021, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood has been a runaway bestseller, appeared on favorites lists all over the place, and been a darling of BookTok. If you loved it, too, you’re probably looking for more romance books like The Love Hypothesis to scratch the itch. Look no further! I’ve found eight romance novels that will give you the same things you loved about The Love Hypothesis — fake dating, science, academia, and so much pining — while also giving you something different to keep your reading fresh and exciting!
Late fall and early winter arguably have the most dense concentration of holidays, which of course is why we refer to this time of year as “the holidays.” From Thanksgiving to Hanukkah to the Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and finally the New Year, there are many holidays to be celebrated! And of course, there are books that take place on all of them. I’ve assembled nine of the best winter holiday books from the last few years, and it should come as no surprise that many of them are romance! The holidays are, of course, also known as cuffing season.
Looking for some last-minute book gift ideas? Whether it’s the holidays or an upcoming birthday, we all want the same thing: to give our loved ones a thoughtful, personal gift that they will actually enjoy! For some people, this is easy; some of us are naturals at gift-giving, and some people are easy to shop for. For other people, this is a challenge; some people are harder to shop for, and some of us either don’t enjoy shopping or put it off for other reasons, ranging from perfectionism to lack of funds.
Celebrities might seem like they live in a different world than the rest of us — and indeed, in many ways they do! — but it all evens out when it comes to reading materials: the same books are available for movie stars to read as the rest of us can pick up at our local bookstore or library! That’s what makes celebrity book recommendations so fun! In fact, one of my favorite celebrities, Chris Pine, is frequently photographed shopping at his local bookstore!
What is women’s fiction? This genre marker can be confusing, because so many titles that are considered women’s fiction would just be considered fiction if they were written by (or about) men. Like most genres, it is really a marketing term, but it can be helpful to understand what is generally mean by the term, especially if you tend to enjoy books that fall under the women’s fiction umbrella!