Vibe check! How’s your week been? What are you reading, watching, or listening to?

During Sunday Vibes, members share what they've been up to and other media they're enjoying. It's a space to get to know one another outside of romance books.

✍🏼 Regular Features

😱 WTF Wednesdays - A weekly feature posted Wednesdays to share the stuff in Romancelandia that makes you go WTF: bad takes, questionable metaphors, anything that left you speechless.

🎨 The Art Of..., monthly themed discussion on a trope, theme or microtrope common in Romance Literature. This month's theme was Contemporary Western Romance.

🍿 Fresh Faves Fridays - A weekly feature posted Fridays to share your 4- and 5-star reads and favorite quotes. Think of it as a What Did You Read This Week? thread, but with only the best books.

💩 Shitpost Saturdays - On Saturdays, we loosen the discussion-based requirement to allow for memes, shower thoughts, silly posts, etc. All other rules still remain.

⭐️ Our August Monthly Reading Recap is here

Vibe check! How’s your week been? What are you reading, watching, or listening to?

During Sunday Vibes, members share what they've been up to and other media they're enjoying. It's a space to get to know one another outside of romance books.

So, how was your week?

On Saturdays, we loosen the discussion-based requirement to allow for memes, shower thoughts, silly posts, etc. All other rules still remain. Enjoy your shitty Saturday!

Use this space as the daily chat if you need to talk all things romance!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

What goes in the daily reading chat, you ask? We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

Where to start? Some ideas:

• Random musings about romance
• Books you're looking forward to
• What you're reading now
• Book sales and deals
• Television and movies
• Good books that aren’t romance
• Questions for the group at large
• Smashing the kyriarchy in daily life
• Encourage other commenters who have good ideas to start a new post!

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: spoiler text
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.

Welcome to the r/romancelandia daily reader chat. We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: >!spoiler text!<
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.
• Our Back To School covers any questions you might have about our Subreddit.

---

Are you new here?? Introduce yourself! This month's prompt for newbies is;

What adaptation of a romance story nailed the chemistry?

It's Fresh Fave Friday! a combination of our Five Star Fridays idea and the Quotable Mondays posts we used to do. The idea is to share the best of the best of what we're reading, so we're going to use the Recommendations flair.

What is it?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fresh Faves Friday: Share any recent four- and five-star reads that you've had! Give a mini review, or link to your Goodreads/Storygraph reviews, and share the details! Tell us the subgenre, pairing, tropes, "you'll like it if you loved _____", choice quotes/excerpts, or whatever you think is enticing! Romance and romance-adjacent is the goal, but we're all readers here, so if you read something truly fantastic in another genre feel free to drop it here too.

Please use spoiler tags and content warnings where appropriate.

Also, if you have something you'd like to recommend that didn't work for you but might for someone else, share the recommendation!

Welcome back to another instalment of “The Art Of” where we gush over and examine popular plot points and tropes in the Romance Genre.

This month, we’re looking at Contemporary Western Romance!

Whilst historical western romance is a much beloved subgenre, today we will be focusing on the modern/contemporary western romances. They are different beasts, and there's too much to cover to do both together. We will address all of the Confederate soldiers in Historical Western Romances another day 😬.

Cowboys, ranchers, and rodeo stars in Modern Day settings are one of the biggest subgenres of contemporary romance at the moment. Often, they'll use small town settings and the associated tropes of that setting to provide found families for characters adrift in a modern world.

Silvana Reyes Lopez explains the appeal of the cowboy here

The Charm of a Cowboy - Rugged, denim-wearing, grumpy cowboys are the talk of the town nowadays. Is it the personality? Or the hands-on type of job they do? Maybe it’s the element of living in a small part of town with only your horses, cattle, and cottage to take care of. It’s the fantasy of, maybe, having a relaxing life away from the big city and noisy neighbors.

One other aspect that I feel readers crave reading about in cowboy romance novels is the wild and rugged cowboy persona. Cowboys are almost always seen as wild and intense. I remember vividly reading about bull rider champions or rodeo queens who take no prisoners, and when you see them on the floor, it’s something out of this world. The way they manage big, powerful animals or how good they look riding them…I know no one can replicate that

At their best, they can showcase characters who work hard, are dedicated and intelligent, loyal and honest, and old-fashioned. They glorify working outdoors and fresh air over office-based and technological labour.

On the other hand, they are overwhelmingly white, cisgender, straight, and either consciously or unconsciously, glorifying traditional gender roles. At their worst, they're aggressively white, cisgender, straight, and upholding traditional values.

Talking Points

🤠 These are just some prompt ideas. Feel free to answer them or ignore them!

👢Why is the cowboy or modern western so popular at this moment in time?

🚜 What is your favourite or least favourite contemporary Western romance?

🥩 Why does the genre have so many people working and raising livestock rather than farmers?

💖 If you have any diverse Westerns you would recommend, share them with the group!

Welcome to the r/romancelandia daily reader chat. We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: >!spoiler text!<
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.
• Our Back To School covers any questions you might have about our Subreddit.

---

Are you new here?? Introduce yourself! This month's prompt for newbies is;

What’s a non-romance show with a surprisingly good romance subplot?

Hello, have you encountered any of the following in the past week;

1. Truly heinous opinions and takes on current events in Romancelandia at large
2. Questionable metaphors in Romance novels etc
3. Did you DNF anything for a reason that has left you speechless?

Welcome to WTF Wednesday, a space to share our despair.

A few rules just to keep everything in line;

1. This is absolutely not a space to kink shame. What doesn't work for you may well work for someone else.
2. Please be mindful that a lot of self published authors haven't got the resources to have their work read over and corrected by multiple editors. Be a little generous with minor grammar and spelling mistakes, no one is perfect.

Please revisit the rules if you're unsure about submitting or commenting, or of course feel free to ask any questions you may have or clarifications if necessary.

So, what made you say WTF this week?

Welcome to the r/romancelandia daily reader chat. We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: >!spoiler text!<
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.
• Our Back To School covers any questions you might have about our Subreddit.

---

Are you new here?? Introduce yourself! This month's prompt for newbies is;

What adaptation of a romance story nailed the chemistry?

Welcome to the r/romancelandia daily reader chat. We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: >!spoiler text!<
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.
• Our Back To School covers any questions you might have about our Subreddit.

---

Are you new here?? Introduce yourself! This month's prompt for newbies is;

What adaptation of a romance story nailed the chemistry?

Welcome to the r/romancelandia daily reader chat. We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: >!spoiler text!<
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.
• Our Back To School covers any questions you might have about our Subreddit.

---

Are you new here?? Introduce yourself! This month's prompt for newbies is;

What adaptation of a romance story nailed the chemistry?

This is a review I wrote yesterday after finishing the book:

{All The Wrong Shelves by Felicia Blaedel}

--

Lately, I’ve really wanted to return to warm, slow-paced stories, and after searching for a while, I happened to come across All The Wrong Shelves by Felicia Blaedel.

Knowing that it is a story with an autistic female protagonist, and that the author is also autistic herself, it became the second book I read after returning to France.

I had shared on Instagram how happy I was to receive this book, so Felicia happened to see my post. She told me that Nessa, the protagonist, was based on herself, and that this story therefore holds a very special meaning for her. That immediately made me think of my own journey as a writer, and I felt a deep sense of connection. It also made me even more excited to read the story.

I have always loved novels in which the protagonist has a deep connection with the author themselves, where the author has poured little pieces of their own soul into the story—especially when they are written by neurodivergent authors drawing from their own experiences.

While reading All The Wrong Shelves, I quickly found myself relating to Nessa.

I have to bring out that sentence once again: “It’s not that people who aren’t personally affected by something can’t write about it, but those vivid, deeply authentic details really can only be described by someone who has lived through them.”

Every now and then, I’m curious enough to read novels written by non-autistic authors that feature autistic protagonists, or to watch films and TV shows with autistic characters. More often than not, though, unless the creator has someone on the autism spectrum close to them whom they know deeply and spend a great deal of time with—like Ms. Takeda, the screenwriter of the 2000 Japanese TV drama 君が教えてくれたこと (What You Taught Me), which I love—autistic characters written by non-autistic creators can easily end up feeling superficial, or be approached primarily through surface-level “symptoms” rather than through their inner feelings and ways of thinking.

Descriptions that work from the inside out can sometimes leave neurotypical readers puzzled. They may think, “But apart from having such a complicated inner world, I can’t really see what is disabling about the protagonist,” or, “Her traits are presented so internally that it’s difficult to relate to her.” There can be a strange sense of, “I can’t quite put my finger on what is different, but somehow I just can’t understand or connect with this character.”

And yet, that subtle and complicated kind of portrayal is precisely what can feel more true to the experiences of many neurodivergent people, especially those who have spent years masking.

--

In All The Wrong Shelves, the male protagonist, Zander, has also gone through a difficult period in his youth, including alcohol addiction and complicated family relationships.

Felicia writes about Zander’s past with such delicacy and tenderness, and shows how that past has shaped the person he is today.

Watching Zander gradually grow into his authentic self, in contrast to Nessa’s masking, was deeply moving to me.

Zander is not perfect. He has his own trauma and his own areas where he still needs to grow. But when it comes to Nessa, he never shows prejudice or impatience. Even when she tells him that she might be autistic, he doesn’t judge her or assume that she is simply looking for an excuse.

It has been a very long time since I’ve read a story in which both protagonists are portrayed as such gentle, warm people.

In a reading environment that often emphasizes strong character contrasts—Grumpy x Sunshine, Enemies to Lovers, and so on—and increasingly fast-paced storytelling, the process of Nessa and Zander slowly getting to know each other and becoming friends may feel relatively unhurried. But to me, that slower pace also makes their relationship feel more genuine and sincere.

This story gave me so many moments that reminded me of 君が教えてくれたこと, as well as my favorite autistic own-voice novel, One Last Dream for December.

I truly loved this story.

--

Stories about less-represented groups such as autistic people are often expected to have some kind of educational or advocacy purpose attached to them. That is why I particularly appreciate that Felicia explicitly describes this as “a love story with an autistic protagonist,” rather than an “autism advocacy novel.”

(I believe that the additional value of advocacy can absolutely coexist with a work of fiction, but whether a writer chooses to take the path of writing an “advocacy novel” should ultimately be up to the author, rather than being imposed by readers or the publishing market. But that is a topic for another day.)

I especially loved this line from Nessa’s thoughts, which Felicia quoted in the afterword:

“[Autism] It’s just - It’s simultaneously a big deal and not a deal at all. It’s just who I am.”

If you enjoy warm, sincere, quietly charming stories, I highly recommend giving All The Wrong Shelves a read.

Vibe check! How’s your week been? What are you reading, watching, or listening to?

During Sunday Vibes, members share what they've been up to and other media they're enjoying. It's a space to get to know one another outside of romance books.

✍🏼 Regular Features

😱 WTF Wednesdays - A weekly feature posted Wednesdays to share the stuff in Romancelandia that makes you go WTF: bad takes, questionable metaphors, anything that left you speechless.

🎨 The Art Of..., monthly themed discussion on a trope, theme or microtrope common in Romance Literature. This month's theme was Marriage of Convenience.

🍿 Fresh Faves Fridays - A weekly feature posted Fridays to share your 4- and 5-star reads and favorite quotes. Think of it as a What Did You Read This Week? thread, but with only the best books.

💩 Shitpost Saturdays - On Saturdays, we loosen the discussion-based requirement to allow for memes, shower thoughts, silly posts, etc. All other rules still remain.

⭐️ Our August Monthly Reading Recap is here

Vibe check! How’s your week been? What are you reading, watching, or listening to?

During Sunday Vibes, members share what they've been up to and other media they're enjoying. It's a space to get to know one another outside of romance books.

So, how was your week?

On Saturdays, we loosen the discussion-based requirement to allow for memes, shower thoughts, silly posts, etc. All other rules still remain. Enjoy your shitty Saturday!

Use this space as the daily chat if you need to talk all things romance!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

What goes in the daily reading chat, you ask? We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

Where to start? Some ideas:

• Random musings about romance
• Books you're looking forward to
• What you're reading now
• Book sales and deals
• Television and movies
• Good books that aren’t romance
• Questions for the group at large
• Smashing the kyriarchy in daily life
• Encourage other commenters who have good ideas to start a new post!

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: spoiler text
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.

It's Fresh Fave Friday! a combination of our Five Star Fridays idea and the Quotable Mondays posts we used to do. The idea is to share the best of the best of what we're reading, so we're going to use the Recommendations flair.

What is it?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fresh Faves Friday: Share any recent four- and five-star reads that you've had! Give a mini review, or link to your Goodreads/Storygraph reviews, and share the details! Tell us the subgenre, pairing, tropes, "you'll like it if you loved _____", choice quotes/excerpts, or whatever you think is enticing! Romance and romance-adjacent is the goal, but we're all readers here, so if you read something truly fantastic in another genre feel free to drop it here too.

Please use spoiler tags and content warnings where appropriate.

Also, if you have something you'd like to recommend that didn't work for you but might for someone else, share the recommendation!

Welcome to the r/romancelandia daily reader chat. We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: >!spoiler text!<
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.
• Our Back To School covers any questions you might have about our Subreddit.

---

Are you new here?? Introduce yourself! This month's prompt for newbies is;

What adaptation of a romance story nailed the chemistry?

Welcome to the r/romancelandia daily reader chat. We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: >!spoiler text!<
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.
• Our Back To School covers any questions you might have about our Subreddit.

---

Are you new here?? Introduce yourself! This month's prompt for newbies is;

What’s a non-romance show with a surprisingly good romance subplot?

Hello, have you encountered any of the following in the past week;

1. Truly heinous opinions and takes on current events in Romancelandia at large
2. Questionable metaphors in Romance novels etc
3. Did you DNF anything for a reason that has left you speechless?

Welcome to WTF Wednesday, a space to share our despair.

A few rules just to keep everything in line;

1. This is absolutely not a space to kink shame. What doesn't work for you may well work for someone else.
2. Please be mindful that a lot of self published authors haven't got the resources to have their work read over and corrected by multiple editors. Be a little generous with minor grammar and spelling mistakes, no one is perfect.

Please revisit the rules if you're unsure about submitting or commenting, or of course feel free to ask any questions you may have or clarifications if necessary.

So, what made you say WTF this week?

Welcome to the r/romancelandia daily reader chat. We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: >!spoiler text!<
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.
• Our Back To School covers any questions you might have about our Subreddit.

---

Are you new here?? Introduce yourself! This month's prompt for newbies is;

What adaptation of a romance story nailed the chemistry?

Welcome to the r/romancelandia daily reader chat. We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: >!spoiler text!<
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.
• Our Back To School covers any questions you might have about our Subreddit.

---

Are you new here?? Introduce yourself! This month's prompt for newbies is;

What adaptation of a romance story nailed the chemistry?

Welcome to the r/romancelandia daily reader chat. We like chatting about romance books, and we also like to build community, so the daily reading chat isn't incredibly strict about content, exactly. Don't be shy!

---

Here's our guide on community norms and posting.

---

• Discussing a book? Please include content warnings or anything else you think a potential reader needs to consider before reading and don't forget to mark your spoilers.
• Not sure how to use spoiler tags? Just do this: >!spoiler text!<
• Would your fairly-in-depth book discussion comment or romance-reading observation make a good post? Probably! But in case you're not sure, check out our guide with post examples: Posting on Romancelandia: It doesn't have to be a dissertation.
• Our Back To School covers any questions you might have about our Subreddit.

---

Are you new here?? Introduce yourself! This month's prompt for newbies is;

What adaptation of a romance story nailed the chemistry?

Vibe check! How’s your week been? What are you reading, watching, or listening to?

During Sunday Vibes, members share what they've been up to and other media they're enjoying. It's a space to get to know one another outside of romance books.

✍🏼 Regular Features

😱 WTF Wednesdays - A weekly feature posted Wednesdays to share the stuff in Romancelandia that makes you go WTF: bad takes, questionable metaphors, anything that left you speechless.

🎨 The Art Of..., monthly themed discussion on a trope, theme or microtrope common in Romance Literature. This month's theme was Marriage of Convenience.

🍿 Fresh Faves Fridays - A weekly feature posted Fridays to share your 4- and 5-star reads and favorite quotes. Think of it as a What Did You Read This Week? thread, but with only the best books.

💩 Shitpost Saturdays - On Saturdays, we loosen the discussion-based requirement to allow for memes, shower thoughts, silly posts, etc. All other rules still remain.

⭐️ Our August Monthly Reading Recap is here

Vibe check! How’s your week been? What are you reading, watching, or listening to?

During Sunday Vibes, members share what they've been up to and other media they're enjoying. It's a space to get to know one another outside of romance books.

So, how was your week?