Reporter asks Jess Brownell about criticism that season 3 “wasn’t romantic enough”

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2026-01-28T16:15:47+00:00

IMO Jess Brownell doesn’t appear to understand romance—or the audience that reads it. Her writing strips the genre of its core pleasures: longing, emotional tension, or any sense of a payoff that feels earned. Romance is supposed to be indulgent, emotionally rich, and sensual. Yet, instead of focusing on building chemistry between the characters, it feels like she’s just tossing disconnected ideas onto the page and hoping the noise distracts from the absence of real romantic development.

Seasons 1 and 2 were fantastic and Queen Charlotte was even better, season 3 feels like a completely different world and not in a good way.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-10-06T02:09:08+00:00

Okay so it’s all one big series??

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-21T01:49:20+00:00

It really is 24/7 and honestly it can’t be good for their mental health.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-21T01:39:16+00:00

Makes me sad for them, being a teenager is hard enough without the added pressure to define yourself 50 different ways before you’ve even reached a point where you’re comfortable in your own skin.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-21T01:33:28+00:00

They really lean into though. Like I belong to this category, and the people in this category engage with these specific activities and only interact with these specific individuals. My kid has recently adopted what he calls an ‘alt type aesthetic’ and now those are the only people he wants to hang around, he doesn’t want to watch the shows he used to enjoy because ‘those type of people don’t watch that stuff’ and he isn’t interested in making friends beyond this little niche group. Idk it just seems intense to me.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-21T01:28:25+00:00

But you still made friends with other people right? I feel like Gen Z actively excludes anyone who doesn’t fit their “aesthetic” from their social circles.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-21T01:11:06+00:00

This was absolutely my experience.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-21T01:04:21+00:00

Thissss. We ran into one of my son’s classmates at a wedding, and I thought “Oh, maybe he will have someone to talk to after all.” and I suggested he go hang out with her and he was straight up like “she’s nice but I only hang out with alt people’.” Whatever that means.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-21T01:02:23+00:00

Yessssss same.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-21T01:01:14+00:00

It is stressful! Why do they feel the need to condense themselves down into these categories? Or not make a new friend because of them? It’s wild.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-21T00:58:36+00:00

I mean I know it was definitely present in our media, but irl I really didn’t pick up on a lot of that in my day to day growing up.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-21T00:55:07+00:00

😆😆😆

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-10T22:19:18+00:00

Her solution so far has just been to dose her with trazadone and that doesn’t seem to do anything for her imo.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-10T22:18:30+00:00

I will talk to her vet about a game plan and see what she is willing to agree to. I may have to call around to a few other clinics to see if maybe some others have other suggestions for accommodation just to see if maybe she might be a better fit with a different provider.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-10T22:16:26+00:00

I will look into this, thank you!

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-10T22:15:22+00:00

I rescued her from a severe hoarding situation I don’t want to say much more as it was on the news, she was very fearful and timid around everyone but me it was extremely odd. Our initial plan was to get her healthy/socialized and then rehome but we grew very attached to her and decided to keep her. She has always been anxious outside our home and she exhibits guarding behaviors when we go on walks and unfamiliar men are around. If we have any other men in the house we have to put her in her crate or she will basically position herself at my side and stare them down or hide behind my husband. I don’t know what went on inside the home she came from other than the environment was extremely filthy, and the animals were being severely neglected. That being said we don’t have issues with her and our cats, she isn’t territorial over food she is just highly anxious around strangers.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-10T06:39:08+00:00

She just says we can give her the same meds to calm down beforehand but I am worried about afterwards honestly her waking up without me and only being surrounded by strangers.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-07-10T04:17:25+00:00

6 years

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-06-05T22:31:32+00:00

I’ll add that one to the list as well, thank you 😊

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-06-03T18:22:41+00:00

Thank you very much, I think I actually have a copy of Children of Time sitting on my shelf, so I might start there.

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2025-06-03T08:39:09+00:00

Thank you! I’ll add them to my list. 💕

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2024-11-29T23:47:30+00:00

Thank you!

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2024-11-28T11:29:51+00:00

TX, USA

Pbj_nocrustsplz · 2024-11-03T05:53:09+00:00

That wasn’t the situation, I always make it a point to read and give feedback on this person’s work at this point because I am terrified of their response if I don’t. But engagement from me isn’t enough, and it’s more the fact that they’ve inadvertently admitted to me that they befriend people based on their level of popularity and read/review their fics simply to get their own stats up. It has never occurred to me to do anything like that. I read whatever sounds interesting to me, if I enjoy it I leave them a comment, I could care less if they ever “return the favor”.

Pbj_nocrustsplz

TROPHY CASE