Sonia M. Rompoti, MSc, Bsc

Nobody teaches you how to be a romance reader.

There isn’t a handbook. Nobody sits you down and says, “Welcome. Here are the rules.”

And yet… after reading enough romance novels, we all start behaving in exactly the same way. It’s almost like joining a very cosy secret society where the membership fee is one sleepless night and an emotionally damaged Kindle.

See if any of these sound familiar.

Rule #1: If Someone Says “I Don’t Like Romance,” We Immediately Start Looking for the Right Book

Not every reader likes every romance. That’s completely fair.

But romance readers have an almost unreasonable amount of optimism. Someone says they don’t enjoy romance, and our brains immediately go into matchmaking mode.

“Well… have you tried slow burn?”

“What about enemies to lovers?”

“Okay, but THIS one is different.”

We’re convinced there’s a romance novel for everyone. Honestly? I still think we’re right.

Sometimes people don’t dislike romance. They’ve just met the wrong romance…. which means it is time they read ACOTAR, and that’s a hill I’m ready to die on.

Rule #2: We Judge the Hero Very Quickly…

…and then spend the rest of the book hoping we’ll be proven wrong.

One sarcastic comment? Interesting. One unnecessarily rude comment? You’re on very thin ice, my friend. One tiny act of unexpected kindness? Well… Now we’re listening.

Some of the best romance heroes don’t make a brilliant first impression. But they do something much more satisfying. They earn their redemption.

And we’re absolute suckers for that journey.

Rule #3: We Read With Our Facial Expressions

Romance readers are terrible at hiding what chapter they’re on.

The little smile? They’re flirting.

The raised eyebrow? Someone said something ridiculous.

The gasp? Either someone finally kissed… or they almost did and then got interrupted by a phone call. Again.

The silent stare into the distance? Book hangover. Please approach with snacks.

Rule #4: We Will Absolutely Forgive Sleep Deprivation

There comes a point in every good romance where common sense quietly leaves the room.

You know you should go to bed. You know tomorrow morning will arrive with absolutely no sympathy. You know Future You is going to regret this decision. But then the chapter ends with: “He opened the letter.”

No. Absolutely not.

Sleep can wait. Answers cannot.

Rule #5: We Pretend We’re Reading for the Plot

And to be fair… We are. Mostly. We genuinely care about the character development. The emotional growth. The themes. The beautifully written dialogue.

But let’s not pretend we didn’t immediately message a friend after chapter twenty-seven with, “OH MY GOODNESS, IT FINALLY HAPPENED.”

The plot is important. The emotional chaos is… also important.

Rule #6: Every Reader Has That One Scene

Ask ten romance readers about their favourite book. You’ll probably get ten different answers. Ask them about the scene they still think about years later. Now we’re having a proper conversation.

It probably isn’t the biggest moment in the book. It’s the tiny one. The shared umbrella. The dance in the kitchen. The coffee made exactly the right way. The sentence that quietly changes everything. Those are the scenes we carry with us.

Not because they’re dramatic. Because they feel true.

Rule #7: We Never Really Leave the Story

Finishing a romance novel is a strange experience. The book ends. You close the cover. Life carries on. Except… not quite.

For a few days, the characters are still with you. You wonder what they’re doing. You imagine little conversations that happened after the final chapter.

You recommend the book to complete strangers with slightly alarming enthusiasm. That’s one of my favourite things about romance readers. We don’t just read stories. We adopt them. For a little while, they become part of our own.

And I think that’s rather magical.

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Whenever I write a romance novel, I secretly hope it earns a place on someone’s mental bookshelf. Not necessarily as their favourite book of all time. Just as one they’ll occasionally think about while making coffee or walking the dog or standing in the supermarket wondering whether they really need another novel. (They do. I have reader emails proving it.)

That’s the feeling I chased while writing Confessions of a Curvy Heart, The Billionaire’s Curvy Match, and The Widow’s Curse.

Different stories. Different characters. The same hope. That somewhere, sometime, one small scene might stay with a reader long after they’ve turned the final page.

Because if romance readers have one unwritten rule above all the others…

It’s this:

We’re always looking for our next favourite story. And somehow, we’re always hopeful we’ll find it.

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