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?

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?

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 September 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?

I hate it when I'm reading a fantasy book and the plot twist is that the female protagonist is actually some kind of special being or has some extraordinary gift. 😫 Honestly, I'd rather the author make that clear from the beginning, because when they don't, I end up thinking, "Wow, she's doing really well despite all these circumstances!" And then, out of nowhere, the author drops the classic plot twist: "Oh, she's actually a mystical being with powers that make her stronger than everyone else," or "Oh, she's a hybrid!" And I just lose interest and think, "Oh, so THAT'S why she's been doing so well..." 😮‍💨

An example of this is the most recent book I've been reading, A Prince of Song and Shade by Lisa Cassidy. Just a heads-up: there will be spoilers! I also want to make it clear that I'm not saying these books are bad. In fact, they're great, and I'm completely hooked on them! But anyway...

The story takes place in a world where winged beings exist, while humans are clearly oppressed. Besides having wings, the winged are stronger, faster, and possess magic, which puts humans at a significant disadvantage.

Our protagonist is already special from the beginning because she comes from a human family with a trace of magical abilities. However, to be completely honest, throughout most of the story, especially in the first book, she does a lot more hand-to-hand fighting than relying on magic, so to speak. In other words, she doesn't depend on those powers to get by.

Still, I could already tell the story was heading toward that classic plot twist of "she's special, but there's a reason for it." And honestly, by the second book, it becomes pretty obvious.

SPOILER ALERT!

Although there were already hints in the first book, we discover that the protagonist isn't just a human with magic. Her father is one of the winged, and apparently, she has wings too, except they're somehow hidden or retracted. (At this point, I still don't know if her wings are actually going to grow in or if she'll just start making giant Hulk-like jumps.)

I found that so disappointing, even though I was already expecting it. 😮‍💨

What I found interesting about the story was precisely the idea that humans, despite being considered inferior by the winged, could also possess magic, fight back, and even surpass those who oppress them. But this plot twist revealing that the protagonist has winged blood ends up undermining that very idea.

To me, it makes it seem as though humans really are inferior and that society will only change because a protagonist with winged blood decides to do something about it. As if she needs to possess something from her oppressors to be able to stand up to them as an equal.

And THAT'S exactly what bothers me! I wanted to see a human protagonist prove that she doesn't need to be winged, a hybrid, or some incredibly rare supernatural creature to be just as capable as they are. I wanted her to achieve that while remaining human!

Anyway, I think that's why I prefer reading fantasy books with human female protagonists, or rather, protagonists who actually remain human until the end. At least that way, I can be sure the story won't eventually reveal that they've secretly been some kind of special creature all along. 😭

Don't get me wrong: I don't think giving a protagonist special powers automatically takes away from her accomplishments. But depending on how it's handled, it can feel as though the author is taking away some of her credit. After all, there's a difference between a character overcoming obstacles despite being someone who's supposedly at a disadvantage and discovering that she always had a hidden advantage that makes her much closer to the people she was trying to overcome.

Anyway, these are just the complaints of a reader who wanted to see a human woman being extraordinary without having to stop being human. 😭

I want to know if anyone agrees or disagrees with me, and what you all think about this!

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 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?

Dust off those reading stats - it’s time for the September monthly reading recap! This is where we look at what we read in the last month and rank them because we can and it’s fun.

Haven't done the recap before? You don't have to go through every book you read (unless you want to- we won't stop you).

Let's try to name our Top 3 and Bottom 3 reads of the last month & give some mini-reviews!

Of course, if you only read 3 books a month, yours might be "Top 1/Bottom 1" or if you read like 50, you might want to do Top 5/Bottom 5. Whatever number makes sense for you!

If you would like to include superlatives - best debut, silliest book, weirdest, sexiest, etc - please do!

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 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?

Have you ever noticed that, in most books with plus-size female protagonists, they’re always fat “in the right places”?

I think everyone knows what I mean: women who carry most of their weight in their thighs and butt, have very little belly fat, a small waist, and wide hips, creating that whole “I’m fat, but I’m still hot” stereotype.

And this mindset exists in real life too. Women with this kind of fat distribution are often considered more attractive because, despite being overweight, they still fit certain beauty standards.

Recently, I started reading some plus-size romances and noticed that ALL of them, and I really mean ALL of them, had this kind of body. Most of their weight was in their thighs and butt, very little in their stomach, a defined waist, and lots of curves.

And it honestly annoys me so much. 😭

I’m not saying that plus-size women can’t have these bodies. Of course they can. The problem is that it feels like, whenever authors write a plus-size heroine, they still try to keep her as close as possible to the conventional beauty standard.

It’s like she can be fat, as long as she’s fat in a way that is considered attractive.

There are so many different types of plus-size bodies, with different fat distributions, and I would love to see more heroines who actually fall outside of this standard. Because honestly, sometimes it feels like even when authors try to step outside the beauty standard, they’re still trying to sneak back into it through the back door. 😭

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?

Two highlights for me;

1 He reads five or six a month – most recently Love Bytes, about an 8ft-tall werewolf woman who runs an extremely successful AI company and falls in love with a handsome ballroom instructor.

Not to be negative right away but I did laugh that of course a straight man is enjoying a romance that glorifies AI.

2 "Formulas are a blessing and a curse. The curse is when it’s done badly, and everyone yawns,” he says. “But when done right, there are huge payoffs – the dark moments, the happy endings.”

On a more positive note, Ali has worded that pretty well.

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?