Friday, July 26, 2019

Discussion: NOT a Romance


This Week’s Topic: NOT a Romance


I rarely do this, but I've got a bone to pick. I requested a book, which I thought I would LOVE. It was labeled as a romance, and me + contemporary romances = a good thing. As I was reading the book, I was laughing and having a great time. I really thought this book was going to get 4.5 - 5 stars. But in the end, the heroine ended up alone.


Sorry, but I expect a coupling at the end of my romance. That's the HEA I read romances for. I mean, it's great that the heroine learned to love herself and whatnot, but I signed up for a romance, and if there is no love match, then it's not a romance in my book.

This seems to be some sort of marketing trickery. I am seeing more and more women's fiction, which may contain some romance, but are NOT romances. I am ok with that, if I elected to read women's fiction, I wouldn't expect it. I remember Nick warning her followers about a book, which was billed as a romance, but was not actually a romance. I was able to manage my expectations given that warning, but sadly, I was caught unawares with this recent read, and I had to wallow in my disappointment.

Was the book bad? No. It was actually a lot of fun, but I was sad to not have it end with the HEA I was anticipating.

Do you think my expectations were wrong? What do you think distinguishes a romance from women's literature? 

Now it's your turn!

What distinguishes romance from women's lit? 
Let us know in the comments!

50 comments:

  1. I agree. If it is labelled as romance, you'd expect romance to be front and centre in it. I get really annoyed when books are not labelled and marketed correctly as it leads to disappointed readers all round. I don't read either genre but I'd say romance books would feature romance as the main thing in the story and women's fiction with romance more of a theme running through it but not necessarily the main event or there in a limited form if at all.

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    1. I felt very deceived by the marketing people. I heard that happening a lot with urban fantasy books, too

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  2. My thoughts exactly, chucklesthescot. I've run into a lot of issues with sci-fi/fantasy books not being labelled correctly. It's too bad the romance genre seems to be having the same problem.

    Honestly, labelling things correctly should be at the top of any publisher's to-do list. How on earth do they expect to find the right audiences for any book if they're misleading everyone about what is (or is not) actually in a storyline?

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    1. Maybe it's intentional? Because I have heard a bunch of grumblings with other genres too (as you just mentioned)

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  3. I would probably assume a romance had an HEA with the couple getting together, too! I feel like I'm being really obvious here, but I would think a romance story would be primarily about the relationship, and women's fiction might have some romance, but be more about other life things (just like Chuckles!).

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    1. Exactly my thinking, but apparently there is some new way to think about romance that I am not aware of (????)

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  4. I get this. If I were reading a romance I think I'd want an HEA too. I mean, I suppose a romance can work without the happy ending one would expect, but it would have to be done very carefully, and even so you're gonna disappoint a lot of readers who are looking for that ending. I'd be irritated also.

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    1. The ending to both the books I am thinking about were happy, but there was no coupling. Just seems to fly in the face of what a romance reader expects.

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  5. I can definitely understand the ending being a let down. When I read a contemporary romance,I am expecting some type of a happy ending. Certainly not a sad one.

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    1. The ending was not sad, but there was not couple at the end. There should have been a romantic joining of some sort if it was a romance.

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  6. I wholeheartedly agree with this post - I love romance, and I 1000% read it for the HEA, which should contain the couple ending up together, because that's the (main) point of a romance novel. Women's fiction can be AWESOME as well, but marketing it as romance is a no. I've been seeing a lot of "bad" marketing recently, tbh, not just for romances, but also in the thriller/horror genre, and I'm very frustrated. There's a mystery/thriller novel I want(ed) to read, but then saw that it actually takes a turn toward supernatural horror... which was NOT part of the marketing. :| Great discussion!

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    1. It seems that the publishers are trying to get one over on more than us romance readers. It just frustrates me, even if I enjoy the book, because it wasn't what I was expecting.

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  7. I read a book a while back that was the same thing... labeled as a romance, but not actually a romance. Just because there is a romantic subplot does not make a book a romance. There should be an HEA AND the romantic plot line should be one of the major plots for a book to be considered a romance in my opinion.

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    1. Yes! Exactly that. A romantic subplot is nice, but there should be a couple at the end of the book if it's a romance. Full stop.

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  8. Ugh, I hate the old bait and switch. When I get a book that is marketed as a romance, I want a romance. If I pick up a book that is marketed as a cute and fluffy romance and then get a lot of heavy issues and drama, it irritates me. I hate the bait and switch tactics. It is annoying.

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    1. I didn't even thing of that, but I have also experienced reading something heavier, than what the synopsis eluded to. There have been times I was not in the right headspace, and had to abandon books, when that has happened.

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  9. i don't run into that very often, but i don't approve of the bait and switch approach either. i don't know about women's fiction. i see that and i pass. but i will occasionally grab a romance, but i usually want some paranormal or suspense with it.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. intentionally misleading us readers is just criminal. In my case, I read a lot, so, one book not being what I signed up for is annoying, but not that big a deal. What if I only read one book a week? It would hit me harder, because I didn't get what I wanted from the book.

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  10. I feel VERY passionately about this. If it isn't an HEA or even an HFN, and the couple isn't together at the end of the story, its not romance. Its women's fiction, or general fiction, or anything else. I have seen so many post post about that Robinne Lee book and it makes me CRAZY because its not romance at all.

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    1. I am glad we agree, and it's not just me. You know I am going to look up that Robinne Lee book....Lindsi just called the ending "sad" and another person said not "your cookie cutter romance", which means NO COUPLE AT THE END, and therefore, NOT a romance.

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  11. I think your expectations are right. It should have been marketed as a woman's fiction, and not a romance. WE DO EXPECT AN HEA!!!

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  12. I can see a book having romance play a major role yet not ending with a happily ever after. At the same time, I tend to associate the romance genre with a HEA, and it's important to consider what readers will expect depending on what you label a book. I have seen publishers overplay (or even underplay) the romance in other genres, such as fantasy or young adult, as a marketing tactic. Recently, I read a book that was labeled as a social issues book without the sci-fi/fantasy tag that I believe should have been added.

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    1. I have read many articles on what defines a romance, and many people were talking about his, when there was this big influx of non-HEA romances (do people really like that?). Wait! An SFF book with social issues was not marked as SFF? See, now, that would have bothered me, because I really only like to read contemporaries. That's just too big a descriptor to omit.

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  13. That's super frustrating! Sometimes books contain romance but should definitely not be marketed as romance. Just because romance exists in a story does not mean that's what the book is. Yikes. That would frustrate me too! I've had similar frustrations with books being marketed as fantasy, but end up being more science fiction.

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    1. I am hearing a lot of that. I guess we have all been duped by the publishers at some point. I am not amused by this.

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  14. I agree with you. Publishers should market correctly and romances are supposed to end with the couple together.

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    1. It seems like they are not only being a little deceptive in the area of women's fiction and romance from what other readers are saying. I am not a fan of the bait and switch. I guess I am lucky, that the books were decent/good reads, but they would have been spectacular had the author given me what I expected.

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  15. Yeah, I think some books are really marketed wrong and that's a shame. If it's called a romance, I'd assume that would be the main focus (or one of the main focuses) and that the MC would be coupled up by the end. Otherwise, it's not really a romance. Just call it straight up fiction. hah

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  16. WHOA! I totally believe a romance should have a HEA! YES YES YES! I don't think your expectations are wrong at all. In fact, expectations play a huge role in whether we enjoy a book or not. That's why marketing like covers and premises are so important. ❤️

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    1. I have read books that can be tricky to classify, but I think the expectation of a coupling in a romance is a given. I have seen some really poor marketing choices with respect to age group, but I am starting to see more and more with the women's fiction, and I would say I am slightly frustrated by it.

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  17. I'm with you. 100% with you. I'd have been so mad sad. If it's romance then I expect a HEA.

    I think the difference between women's fiction and romance IS the guarantee of a HEA. Plus, women's fiction seems to be more grounded in reality? (I'm not sure that's quite the way to describe it but...) In romance, the women get up to a load of crazy shennanigans or have elaborate meet cute moments and then fall head over heels with the romance being integral to the plot of the story.
    Women's fiction, to me, is more serious. More realistic. The plot is not centred around the romance, the romance is just one part of the whole (not at least half of the plot.)

    I'm not going to lie, the reason I read a lot of things (most things?) is for the romantic feels. If they kill the happy buzz right at the end then the book is dead to me, lol. (I guess with some exceptions.)

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    1. I pick up a romance, because I want the hearts and flowers and to see the couple head off into the sunset together. When that didn't happen with this last book, I was downright mad. I was also sad, because the rest of the book was so good, but that's why it was women's fiction, because it wasn't about the romance, it was the woman and her journey to finding herself. Publishers just need to market stuff properly.

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  18. It definitely sounds like the book should have been labeled as Women's Fiction, Chick Lit, or maybe even just Contemporary. If it's labeled as Romance, I know my expectation is that there would be at least one couple, the story would focus almost exclusively on their relationship, and that there would be a happy ending for them.

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    1. Yeah, I was not happy with the ending, but I know a chick-lit reader would probably like it. Look, I was there for romance, I was promised romance, and then you do the "I choose myself" thing. I think NOT!

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  19. I'm with you. There are a few unwritten but hard-and-fast rules about almost every genre. Readers expect them to be followed, and if they aren't followed, the book doesn't really fall within that genre. For romance, those rules are that the plot focuses on the hero and heroine's relationship, and that the story ends with a HEA (or at least a HFN, though I have some trouble with those. I prefer a more permanent commitment, thanks.) You're absolutely right: if the book ended with the heroine alone, that's not a romance. It's women's fiction with some romance in it, perhaps, but it's not Romance. Frankly, I think the publisher made a tactical error in labeling that book as "romance," because it will make romance readers (a sizeable chunk of the book-buying public!) reluctant to trust either the publisher or author in the future... where if it hadn't been labeled "romance," readers like you would have been fine with it.

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    1. It's not the first book I have read this year, that was sold to me as a romance, but was actually women's fiction. They were good books, but they were BAD romances. You're right about trusting the pubs too, because one of the interactions that prompted this post was Nick asking if the book was actually a romance (to which I replied "no").

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  20. Hmmm this is a tough one! Because I can see both sides. I think my biggest thing is, by having the occasional non-HEA ending, it keeps us on our toes? Though I'd also be pretty disappointed, so yeah, both sides 😂

    I think you may be right about the labeling though- why not just call it general fiction? Then, problem solved!

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    1. The ending wasn't sad. I think there are people, who if they elected to read women's fiction, would really like the ending, because it's about the character coming into her own. However, I am not a fan of a so-called romance, that doesn't end with a coupling, which is what I always expect with a romance. I understand the need to slap a label on there, for marketing purposes, but incorrectly marketed books, that although good, can be really disappointing, just because it wasn't what I was looking for.

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  21. I agree with some comments about romance giving you the HEA and women's fiction tending to be more focused on the reality of what the heroine is going through like it's the main dish and romance is just a side dish. Though I won't say I won't be disappointed if there's an obvious romantic thing going on and it doesn't end in a HEA. Like I'm not amused experiencing the romance that was obviously built-up in a good way and was an essential part of the heroine's life for it to just disappear in the end. I'm alright if things between the characters are left in the open but in a positive way where you'd think that they're going to be together.

    Marketing books as romance and not having the HEA we expected is just a poor way of getting that book out there. I read romance for a HEA too. I remember there was this contemporary romance I read that I was rooting for the characters (there was a love triangle but lowkey, and it was obvious who the heroine was going to end up with) ONLY for the hero to die in some accident in the end and the heroine was shoved to the other guy in the said triangle which was so done poorly.

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    1. The two books that come immediately to mind were both solid books for me (4 stars), however, I suffered some disappointment, because of the marketing. I felt duped. I still enjoyed the books, and the endings were sad or devastating, but there was no couple at the end, and I expected that.

      There was a point, a few years back, when "romance" writers were putting out these tragic romances. I had to break up with a few authors because of that. You CANNOT have me ship a couple for two-thirds of the book, and then kill one of them. That definitely deserves a WTF. (BTW, are you talking about Molly McAdams? Because, she scarred me)

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    2. It's another book I've read during my early days of discovering romance but now that you've mentioned it, I have read a Molly McAdams book that sounded just like it (I think it was Taking Chances.....?) and I think the heroine didn't end up with the other guy though. But same, I've been scarred by that Molly McAdams book too lol I was scared to read another "romance" book after that 😭😂

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    3. Her book did end with a coupling, but she put us readers through the wringer. I have trust issues with her now

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    4. WAIT IT DID???? See now this is why I refuse to remember the ending of that book because I still remember I was sad and bitter after the hero the heroine was paired off with DIED ugh

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    5. I was bitter right there with you, but at least we did get an HEA. Still not sure how I feel about that one, even after reading the follow up book.

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  22. Hi, Sam!!! :) YOU ARE NOT WRONG! When a book (or movie) is billed as a romance, it has to have an HEA or an HFN. PERIOD. I hate when pubs and indie authors do this. This is definitely a marketing tactic and if I can, I would return that because just for false advertising!

    There's nothing wrong with Women's Fiction. It's just not my preference, so I would appreciate that be apparent when I purchase a book.

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    1. See. A very experienced romance reader is agreeing with me. There is nothing wrong with women's fiction, and I have read women's fiction that I have loved (Me + Sophie Kinsella = happy reader), however, it was more a matter of my expectations and the disappointment that came from not getting what I expected.

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  23. I agree that if you call a book a romance there should be an HEA at the end. Books without one can be great books, but they're not romances.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. It's funny, because I just finished a book the other day, which went beyond the characters getting together and ending in tragedy. In my heart, I know it's a romance, but I need a new category - tragic romance?

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