I want to see if I am missing out on a genre because I am not usually the largest fan of romance plots. But I keep seeing the same romance books over and over again and I wanted to make sure I am not missing out on anything. So, I'm trying this experiment out. Let's see how this goes.

I decided to do this experiment because every time I log on to TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube I see people talking about romance books. The covers always look so pretty, and people swoon over the stories. I am a romance hater. I think the genre as a whole is great, it’s just not for me. I don’t even really watch rom-com or anything like that. The only romance books I read tend to be queer. But every time I pass these books in the bookstore, I think “what if”? So, I picked out three books. Two books I have seen everywhere, and one book I picked because it looks like something I could maybe enjoy.

I want to clarify that I have no hate, prejudice, or hate against romance novels. My distaste towards romance is purely personal. Romance books have a stigma surrounding them that they are not “real literature” or some other bullshit, and I want to say that rhetoric is absolutely false. Romance is a brilliant genre. I just personally don’t reach for it or often find myself reaching for these stories. That is nothing against the genre it is just a personal preference.

TBR for the Experiment

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

This is the book I am most wary of. I hear people love this book or hate it. I feel like I will hate this book, but I will love to hate it. But, this is definitely the book I am most worried about reading for this experiment.

Prediction: 2 out of 5 stars

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

This is the book I chose because I am hopeful I will like it. I saw it in my Book of the Month options and knew I had to choose it because I love travel stories. Sure, this is a romance travel story, but it may just be up my alley. It just looks like a cute, summer read.

Prediction: 4 out of 5 stars

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Emily Henry is the queen of romance over on TikTok. After looking at her three most popular romances, I thought this would be the most successful. I have no thoughts about this book, but I feel it will be all eye rolls. But, I am willing to try it out.

Prediction: 3 out of 5 stars

Books Read and Ratings

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Well, I was absolutely right to be terrified about this book. When I posted that I was reading this on my Instagram, I got so many messages from people wishing me luck and wondering why I would torture myself by reading this. And let me tell you, this was torture.
The fact that the love interest’s name is Adam is hysterical. This is a Kylo Ren and Rey fanfiction, and this book does nothing to hide that fact. It made me so uncomfortable reading loose fanfiction. Either be fanfic or don’t-don’t be both.
The main character, Olive, is insufferable. Reading from her POV is like getting a root canal. She is annoying and thinks she is quirky but is actually just a pain in the ass. And Adam (the love interest) is the definition of ‘go girl, give us nothing.’ And them together is like a wet sponge kissing a chihuahua. There was no chemistry, and I found myself actively rooting against them.
There are so many important topics in this book- women in science and how men in academia treat women- but they are covered so poorly that I wish it was not written at all. The attempt was poor; it was trying to be something that it wasn’t. I would have rathered the book find a focus. It tried to do too many things at once, and it just fell short.
The only reason I gave this 1.5 instead of just 1 star is that I have to give it points for making me laugh. Not because it was funny, but because I was cackling at how bad this was. The writing was literally laughable.
My hatred for this book knows no bounds. I could talk about how much this book makes me want to yack for ages.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This book surprised the hell out of me. I was not expecting to fall in love with this book as much as I have.
When I started the book, I thought it was entertaining but wildly cheesy; I couldn’t take it seriously. But after the first quarter of this book, I fell in love. It became so much more than an entertaining, silly book. I found myself so invested in the story that I cried in both sadness and joy by the end of this.
I related to Nora, the main character, almost more than any other character I have ever read from. This relation to Nora made me feel much more connected to the plot. And seeing Nora make choices and how they affected the outcome of her story felt deeply personal. Her insecurities and mine are very similar, and reading them was both healing and, at times, hard to read. It really helped me fall for this book and make it an amazing read.
Charlie, the love interest, is amazing. He is complex, sexy, and funny. He is everything I (and so many others) want in a man. I’m not one to swoon at fictional men, but Charlie is swoon-worthy, in my opinion.
I love that this book is equal parts romance and family issues. It is more than just a romance. It has depth without trying to tackle too much. This is not a perfect book, but it is pretty darn close.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Okay, this is barely a romance. I don’t know why I thought this was a light, fluffy romance novel but it was not. This story focused more on grief with a slight sci-fi element than a cute guy.
But, it did have a romance, so I am counting it for this experiment.
I liked this book, but it is pretty forgettable. Even writing this, I forget about half of the events of this book. The most memorable part of this book is the twist. As to not spoil it, I won’t say what the twist is, but it was an interesting one. It was predictable but interesting. And I wasn’t expecting the book to play with time, and I think the author played with the theme well.
I also liked that we follow a married couple, but the marriage issues are not centered around the couple itself- it is centered around the main character’s grief.
There just is not much to say about this book; it is just that average. Nothing groundbreaking, and nothing heinously wrong. It was not even that sad. It just existed. I just have no feelings towards this book one way or another, which makes it hard to even talk about it.

If you want to see my TikTok video about this experiment, click here or watch it below.

Final Thoughts

Well, this was definitely very interesting. But, besides Book Lovers, my prediction were not far off. Sure, I rated One Italian Summer lower than I predicted, but it was not super far different than my guess for my feelings on it.

Genuinely I am just happy I did this experiment because it made me read Book Lovers and that was one of my favorite books of the year and one of my favorite (maybe my all-time favorite) romances.

I don’t think I am a romance lover, but I do think that I am more open to picking up books within the genre. I know what I like in romance and what I don’t, so that’ll make it easier when deciding what books to pick up. Also, I think I realized that it’s not the romance genre I struggle with, it is just the tropes it deals with. Like, if a fantasy book has the miscommunication trope, I am going to be super annoyed. Doesn’t matter the genre, it’s the trope that sucks. So, if a romance novel doesn’t have tropes I don’t like, then I will probably enjoy it.

I’m happy I did this experiment, but I don’t think I could ever read anything like The Love Hypothesis ever again as long as I live.

I Read Romance Even Though I Hate Romance Novels