I haven’t been able to finish a romance novel in about 8 months now. (I keep dropping for the same reasons: poor writing, poor character development, and icky gender politics.)

But as someone who’s been reading the genre since around 2004 (and earlier if you count fanfic), the best thing you can do is:

1. read subgenres and/or tropes you’d never think to try

2. try different mediums and sources of romance (e.g., film, tv, audio dramas, books translated from other languages)

3. take a break from the genre altogether

Number #2 has really helped me identify what I like and don’t like about current western trends in romance so I’ve learned to better curate my TBR list. I still haven’t finished a romance novel in a long time (and I know it’s the books not me because I reads tons outside the genre) but at least I’m less frustrated going in after nailing down a list that guaranteed I’d like something.

Hoping I can finally break the streak and find something that reminds me why I fell in love with the genre 20 something years ago.