>

Nah I don't comment in cmv often because people do feel attacked, and I get where you are coming from.
Let me hit you with another angle though - what if people are only reading these because they are advertised and trendy? People like to belong to a group, and if enough people do, they have that group to discuss the book together.
Case in point - TONS of people historically read ANYTHING Oprah recommended. And much of it was considered trash by the literary world. But people listened to her endorsement, and felt like part of her "book club" buying and reading the books.
While I stick by my first assessment that some people just like them, FOMO may be hitting others and are just reading what they here, and the enjoyable part is gossiping about the books or the company of others who have read them too? I could see that desire driving people to read something they might not completely like.
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I think it's because anyone could write them so it's probably relatable.
If you think about it, badly drawn comics are often the most popular probably for the same reason. >

Uh, interesting 

If you think about it, badly drawn comics are often the most popular probably for the same reason

I never thought it that way and i'm not sure i agree, but it's definitely an interesting point of view. 
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From my understanding a lot of what makes these books popular is that the women are actually treated well by their lovers and romanced really indulgently. That stands in contrast to a lot of other literature and media as well as women’s experience of romance in real life. Maybe since you’re not a woman with this perspective, that aspect of the books doesn’t appeal to you enough to make up for all the other crap? >

Interesting.
So you're saying It could be some sort of light hearted escapism, which i can actually see.
Thx for the opinion.
!delta >

No problem. Thanks for the delta! My first :) >

It may or may not be any good, that's an opinion of the reader. And like they say, there is no accounting for taste.
But think of this - as long as it's not literature of hate or absolute misinformation, shouldn't we celebrate anyone reading? Even if it's something we don't like. A man or woman reading a romance novel in front of their children is reinforcing the habit of reading in their kid. I believe the net benefit is so high, it doesn't matter at all the content (excluding the previous examples.)
Plus just walking into a book store, or browsing books online can expose you to all sorts of other books. And even reading romance novels can help you branch out into even nonfiction.
So you may not like the content, but some people are going to read it, and there's no reason to try to discourage or denigrate the particular genre, don't you think? >

I agree, which is why i'm not denigrating a whole genre (i'm not talking about the whole romance novel genre, i'm talking about the pattern of the best sellers in a subgenre of the genre).
Also, i have nothing against people reading, people CAN and SHOULD enjoy every book they want.
Maybe it's the wording, but i didn't want this to be and attack, i wanted to express my view (which Is, in Truth, VERY ugly atm) and see if anyone can share theirs on why they're so well liked by so many people. >

Nah I don't comment in cmv often because people do feel attacked, and I get where you are coming from.
Let me hit you with another angle though - what if people are only reading these because they are advertised and trendy? People like to belong to a group, and if enough people do, they have that group to discuss the book together.
Case in point - TONS of people historically read ANYTHING Oprah recommended. And much of it was considered trash by the literary world. But people listened to her endorsement, and felt like part of her "book club" buying and reading the books.
While I stick by my first assessment that some people just like them, FOMO may be hitting others and are just reading what they here, and the enjoyable part is gossiping about the books or the company of others who have read them too? I could see that desire driving people to read something they might not completely like. >


Let me hit you with another angle though - what if people are only reading these because they are advertised and trendy? People like to belong to a group, and if enough people do, they have that group to discuss the book together.
Case in point - TONS of people historically read ANYTHING Oprah recommended. And much of it was considered trash by the literary world. But people listened to her endorsement, and felt like part of her "book club" buying and reading the books.

This is actually really interesting and probably spot on.
Considering that most of the readers are probably young and follow influencers that recommend these on socials, i can 100% see It.
It also could trigger some kind of feedback loop between advised and advisors.
!delta >

Yeah the Oprah thing is true, books that were just bad got a huge boost in salsa. But you're absolutely right about who they are aiming at. Younger people are still developing their understanding, and may not realize how much better material there is out there.
I don't do TikTok but there are a ton of youtubers talking about good books. But algorithms go to trendy. That's the saddest part of all this. >

People like different things. I don't like them, but I'm not going to be a bit snobby and wonder how on earth anyone could like them.
I do like to read "crap" (IMO) books from time to time though, hate reading can be entertaining, but it's mostly from a "what not to do in my own writing" POV. On the point of it being entertaining, it can be a case of "omg, how bad can this get?"
The books you're describing could be like a popcorn film. Or people genuinely like them, it's not really that deep. >


I do like to read "crap" (IMO) books from time to time though, hate reading can be entertaining, but it's mostly from a "what not to do in my own writing" POV. On the point of it being entertaining, it can be a case of "omg, how bad can this get?"

While i don't feel the same, i get that, but it's not what i'm talking about because usually people are conscious of the fact that they are hate reading.

The books your describing could be like a popcorn film. Or people genuinely like them, it's not really that deep.

I also get that. The thing is, usually when people like something they can answer the question "what did you like" with something that makes sense (ex: i don't really like Marvel movies, but if someone says "i like them because of the special effects", i totally see It. If you tell me "i like them because of the insightful dialogue", i don't).
I'm Just trying to see if there Is something other than "selling a fantasy" that i'm missing. >


If you tell me "i like them because of the insightful dialogue", i don't

You don't really have to get it though. It's a different opinion. >

It's a different view. Which is why i'm here to see if someone can share theirs and help me adjust mine, or atleast expand my understanding of what others may like. >

But you just said if someone said they liked the insightful dialogue you wouldn't understand that, presumably because you don't think it's insightful. When would it be a good enough answer for you? >

I would then ask 
"Really, why did u feel that way/do you have examples" 
And if they're willing to talk about It, then i would express my point and try to see if either i can change mine accordingly, they can change theirs or if at the very least we both can understand what the other means, even if unable to agree.
It's not always possible, but it's what i would like to happen irl and here. >

But why would you want to change their mind? Why can't you both have different opinions? Would your opinion of what you like changed because someone came and explained its shortcomings to you? 
~~Why is it that they'd change their mind or you'd understand each other in this scenario and nothing about you changing yours?~~ Ignore that, I can't read apparently
If I'm discussing a book with someone I want to talk to them about their feelings and thoughts towards it, not convert them because I think I know what's good objectively. >

I feel like you're trying to come at me from a weird angle because you're missing the point (which i feel i  addressed in the very last message).
I don't want someone to make me enjoy these books.
I want someone to Shine light on what they like so that i can either grow to appreciate these qualities or i can at least understand when they express their feelings about It. >


And if they're willing to talk about It, then i would express my point and try to see if either i can change mine accordingly,

Oh, sorry, I must have missed that bit. Ignore that bit of my comment.
So overall, I guess my point is that it doesn't really matter if you don't understand why they like it. You don't have to, but just appreciate that they do. We don't have to understand everything about why someone likes something. I don't think we really can. It's not really something that has to be justified. >

I disagree.

We don't have to understand everything about why someone likes something.I don't think we really can. It's not really something that has to be justified.

We don't have to, but while we can't directly share our enjoyment, we should be able to explain It and understand It.
I'm trying to see if, aside from liking things because of subjective reasons, there might be things that i'm missing.
If someone tells me that they like them because they get the butterflies from these books, i can't feel it, but i can understand It.
If someone tells me that they like the realistic dialogue then i can't see It and i can't understand it (unless they are able to explain why they feel like It Is,  and at that point i should either agree or explain why It isn't in my opinion and so on). 
If that's what happen, i'll maybe never really understand It specifically, but i Will have a new layer in the understanding of other peoples tastes, which is a win. >

I'm surprised nobody has pointed this out, but... A book recommendation from Tik Tok? Tik Tok is an app that is most popular amongst teens, with short attention spans, who don't have an interest in deep content. Tik Tok is essentially the anti-book. So what appeals to users on Tik Tok is highly unlikely to be what a genuine enjoyer of books would enjoy.
Tik Tok is not an authority on good books and I don't see why anyone might think it would be. Users of Tik Tok are not an unbiased cross-section of the world. They are a very particular subset of people, primarily teens, and I'm really sorry teens but y'all are really not authorities on quality literature. (I was a teen too and I freely admit that I didn't know what a great book was until I had simply lived enough life and read enough books to be able to identify them) so the fact that a book is popular amongst this very specialized subset of people should NOT tell you anything about the objective quality of any book. 
All you know is, amongst people who are very young, who have likely read very few books in their life, who are really into short-attention-span content, the book is popular. And in no way should that ever lead you to conclude that the book is, in a general and objective sense, a quality book. >

Here’s the thing about those kind of stories, they aren’t meant to be at all realistic. They are meant to evoke an emotional reaction. They want “dangerous thing happens to character A and character B saves them” and they don’t care how that happens. 
This works better on readers and writers who haven’t spent time with “better” media, either because they are young or because they don’t enjoy literary analysis, hence the “16 y/o fanfic” feeling. They suspend their disbelief and glaze over the exact wording and logic in exchange for scene after scene of imagined cinematic emotions that hit exactly what they are craving. 
They are able to do this because they don’t make a habit of paying attention to the kind of details  and inconsistencies you dislike. Therefore, they never experience that harsh discord that yanks you out. 
This happens in every field of expertise. Have you ever looked at something you thought looked good only to have a friend point out flaw after flaw you didn’t see? For example, spend some time in r/Aquariums 
r/designmyroom 
or r/stainedglass 
and see how quickly you develop the ability to judge something you never noticed before. 
Remember, not refining your taste isn’t always a bad thing. It’s a lot cheaper to get drunk when you can enjoy the $10 wine. >

This is a good answer. Thanks. >

Thank you :) >

The people who read those books usually know that they are trash. I read them sometimes. It's like watching Sharknado or a sitcom. You know it sucks, but it lightens your day. In addition, if you have a rich imagination, your brain fills in the details from the author's shitty writing. >


You know it sucks

Ye but by looking at reviews, this doesn't seem to be the case, i think it's genuinely liked. >

Well yeah, I genuinely like a lot of things but acknowledge that they aren't the most refined or quality goods. The two aren't mutually exclusive.
Outside of romance: I liked the Harry Potter series so much as a kid, I read the entire series at least 15 times. At some point, I realized that Rowling's writing style wasn't really that great, but I still enjoyed the world and the characters.
Back to romance: The content may be shallow, but if you as the reader are enjoying yourself reading it, then that's all that matters for most people to decide that they like it. I like shitty romance novels. I never claimed that they were good writing. Very few truly well-read people think that mass market paperback writing is really good, but they still might read it for fun. Fun things don't have to make a whole lot of sense. They might be associated with happier times for the otherwise well-read reader, the reader might have a lower reading level and so they genuinely think the writing is good, or a number of other reasons. Think of it like daytime television. People know it generally sucks, there's a hidden gem here or there, and a lot of people just watch it for fun/to pass time without fully mentally engaging themselves.
​
Sorry for wall-of-texting you lol >

There are really only two possibilities -  
The people buying romance novels en masse don't actually enjoy them, and are just doing so to mess with you.  
The people buying romance novels en mass enjoy them, its just not your cup of tea.    
You say its like 16 year old fanfiction, which it may be. But its hard to gauge the writing quality of an entire genre based on the few books that you tried to read. I have read bad books in fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction, but don't use those as a condemnation of the entire genre. >


The people buying romance novels en mass enjoy them, its just not your cup of tea.

I have addressed this in another comment.
Usually when people like something, they can point out something that they like in that thing that makes sense.
Ex: 
I don't really like Marvel films, but if someone tells me "i like them because of the special effects", i get that, or "i liked the plot" i can also get that, it Just means that they give different weight to different qualities compared to me (because, as you said, they're not my Cup of tea).
However, if they tell me "i like their insightful dialogue" or "i like the neo-impressionist approach to ..." I don't get It, because i don't see those things at all, which is what i'm asking here:
What Is the thing that i'm not seeing/glancing over that could be It? 

. I have read bad books in fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction, but don't use those as a condemnation of the entire genre

I'm not "condemning" a genre, i've read and enjoyed romance novels. I'm "condemning" a pattern of best Sellers inside the genre. >

I should add, maybe some people don’t have just one big thing they like about a thing. I like a lot of the things I do because of small details >

I agree, but those are also things you can express. There are literally books i only liked because of a small amount of sentences in them. >

That’s a very interesting stance. I like things because they have a large variety of small details I like, for example; steam engines, they don’t have one defining feature I like, they have many smaller qualities I like >

Exactly (cool example btw), the thing is that if a lot of people like the same small details, then they're probably not that small.
Which is why i'm here trying to see them. >

I’m not sure, details don’t become smaller or larger based on how many people like them >

If a lot of people note and like a specific detail that becomes a selling point imo. >

Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. I’m that case, I agree >

Mainstream entertainment is rarely ever an accurate or artistic enough a depiction of the craft itself.This happens with books,music,filmmaking etc. Most things that make it to the 'mainstream media' are made to be palatable to the majority of people,and that majority also accommodates people who don't necessarily have any skill or experience in said craft.
My point is,things don't have to be good to be popular:they just have to be easy to consume,and that is what the tiktok books you refer to are.There's lots of amazing,well written romance books out there for people like you who want them.I personally enjoy dissecting well-written literature but I know I'm in the minority.Books like these are 'hard' for some and boring for others because their writing style sometimes flies right over their heads. 
An easy way to think about it is how in high school we have certain setbooks that we read specifically for their literature.In my class ,everyone was bored to death by these books.Now imagine if you substituted these for a popular romance book on tiktok,the class would have been a hundred times more lively,because it's easy,and hence more enjoyable to read.
Essentially,what I'm saying is,everyone has their own tastes,and sometimes you will be in the minority of them . >

I completely agree.
However, as i said in other comments and mentioned quickly in the post, mainstream media does have some redeeming qualities usually.
Everyone can enjoy a random Superhero movie. I'm confused and trying to understand why someone would enjoy a random Superhero movie with bad cgi and without any apparent quality. 
I want to understand what are those quality in these books that i either don't see or i weight so Little that i can't consider. >

I don’t enjoy most random superhero movies honestly. And the writing in them is usually not the best either. I‘ve only seen a couple marvel movies and I don’t need to see more. >

You admit you aren’t the target audience so of course it doesn’t appeal to you. The truth is that in most media, the majority of stuff that gets made is unremarkable at best. Romance novels keep the lights on in the publishing industry just as cheap horror schlock provides easy cash for a movie studio. This base allows studios or publishers to put out more prestige material that won’t make as much money. >

Well I don't think you can necessarily just read a book from a genre you're not familiar with and judge the prose according to standards from the genres that you are. Vocabulary, realism, and descriptions are all going to vary wildly depending on the intended audience and conventions of the genre. People might just whisper a lot because that is an expected convention of the genre, part of the standard vocabulary. It's like watching a film and remarking that there is a lot of shot/reverse-shot in the dialogue scenes; yes there is a lot but it would only ever stand out to you as odd and therefore "not good" if you were used to a genre that hardly used them >


Well I don't think you can necessarily just read a book from a genre you're not familiar with and judge the prose according to standards from the genres that you are. Vocabulary, realism, and descriptions are all going to vary wildly depending on the intended audience and conventions of the genre

That is a good point. I didn't consider that maybe the book i read also may have some recurring/repetitive words that i'm not bothered by because i'm used to It.
And i Guess that if you're not bothered by the writing, then also you live the plot differently.
!delta >

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Quality is not really an indicator of how popular something will be, or why something is popular, so it doesn't really matter if the books are technically good. It's irrelevant. All sorts of low-quality products are wildly popular (think about a shitty action move or McDonalds food).  Sometimes people don't want quality. They just want something that makes them feel good, and that's not something you have control over. Live and let live ✌️ >

Seeing the amount of comment about it, i feel like i should have expressed myself Better.
Low quality products are popular and it's fine, i enjoy them too. However they also have apparent qualities that you would have to be blindly hating to not see.
I don't see those qualities here, and i don't think i'm blindly hating so i'm trying to see them with the help of others. >

My other thought is that honestly, a large majority of the population does not actually have very high level reading and writing skills. Perhaps the books you're referencing are written at a level that is accessible to a lot of people. >

Yeah i get why younger people would like them.
I'm more confused about people with a Reading background liking them this much. >

My guess is that reading high-level writing is more mentally taxing. Sometimes people just wanna let their brains be mush. A lot of people do it that by watching TV or scrolling their phone. But some people read bad novels! :) >

Porn doesn't need a great plot if it tickles your fantasy >

Do you remember jersey shore? Reality tv often has great ratings while being unrealistic trash. The books you are describing are a hold over from “Pulp Fiction” (where the movie got its name). They are sold cheap and are reality tv / hallmark movies of books. They sell you a simple romance to someone who just wants to consume a simple fantasy story. They’re comfort food books. They probably cost $2 in paperback only so they can sell a lot and get “bestseller”. Pulp Romance Fiction >

Welp, time for me to start mass producing shitty romance novels using AI. Money! >

Maybe it's just fantasy fulfillment?
I'm a huge bookworm, and I feel like I struggle to not be a book snob because of it. I don't always understand why a story seems to scratch an itch for so many people when I think it's just bad, and while I actually like a lot of genre fiction, romance is pretty low on my list. Even the best of those is hardly ever going to be my first choice for something to read on any given day. (On the other hand, I can't get enough of ghosts and monsters and demons and haunted houses and possessions, and plenty of people probably don't get that, either, so who am I to talk?) 
But I feel like... I read enough to know that I'm usually giving things a fair chance. I rarely just don't finish a book, I just probably won't pick up another one in that series or by that author. But I don't avoid whole genres. I like good writing and good plots, and while ideally you get both in one place, I'm also fine reading for one or the other - there's absolutely room for both on my neverending reading list. If something doesn't work for me but is popular... It just doesn't work for me. And maybe I'm just not going to get what other people see in it. If other people are reading it and enjoying it, that's still a net good in my book, so I try to not question it too hard, because I think it's more important to let people like what they like than it is for me to understand why they like it. The stuff I like isn't going anywhere just because something I hate is popular. I could pick up only amazing, fantastic books that I love for the rest of my life and I still wouldn't even make a dent in all the amazing, fantastic books that I would love if I had unlimited time to read them all - there are just too many. I feel like at some point, that has to be good enough. 
If you like to read for beautiful prose, that is a specific thing you can point to. You love the dialogue, or the message conveyed through the way the language is used. I think if you're reading for story and plot, it's a bit harder to pin down exactly what's doing it for you. "I like the relationship dynamics in this romance." Why? "Because I think they're fun/sexy/exciting/relatable." But why? "Because... I just do, OK?" It's like trying to explain why you're in love with a person to someone who sees that person as absolutely unacceptable as a romantic partner. You could go into more detailed reasons, but someone who sees that person completely differently than you do is still going to be left with "but why do you think that?" Or "how can you interpret it that way?" I don't think it's totally logical. >

They often are toxic as fuck too. 
Like pretty common the male lead kidnaps the female lead or something but it's OK cus he's really sweet or something. 
I've never paid for one but have read anfes.i found at  tiny.library or such. Last one was a woman is trail running in the wilderness to prepare for a marathon. 
She gets kidnapped by a guywho turns out to be a profezssional killer hiding out in the woods who didnt want her.reveling his presence. 
Over the course of the book he kills  bunch of.people for revenge reasons and also sort of to 'protect' her. 
But he doesn't rape her and cares about her.feelings sometimes so he's a great guy. 
Besides the plot holes it's just an absolutely unbeleiveiabke character. Like two completly different people crammed into one character. >

The romance genre has a lot of tropes and conventions associated with it, so as someone already commented you can’t judge it in the same way as other genre fiction. 
One such convention is the happily ever after (in some form) ending - it’s nice. No matter the shit the characters are going through or the wacky social missteps or any such thing, the couple gets together. People like reading happy endings, especially in an escapism kinda way. 
Another enjoyable quality is the representation that can be found in romances (especially from more contemporary authors). There’s LGBTQ+ romances, people with invisible disabilities, messy relationships, autistic people finding love, BIPOC romances, etc. There’s all kinds of sub-genres too like supernatural romance or fantasy romance, etc more about wanting to enjoy a particular world or setting. People have preferences. People want to see characters like them find love. 
Lastly, imo there’s an aspect of you not being the target audience. In many cases it’s women writing for women. There’s a ton of pulpy romances out there that, sure, aren’t award winning prose, but they’ve got an audience and a demand. >

Something that a lot of people don't understand is that there's a huge difference between being a good writer and a good storyteller. A lot of people are good writers; few people are good storytellers. But here's the thing: some genres (like Romance) are really just cookie-cutter, lowbrow pandering to childish fantasies. So you can write a "good" romance novel much easier than you can write a good story in other genres, since it really just panders to childish fantasies that a lot of women (sorry, it is overwhelmingly women) have. Readers will be very forgiving of any number of errors, so long as it scratches the itch they're looking for.
I hope that makes sense. >

Sorry, u/Indy_Anna – your comment has been removed for breaking Rule 1:

Direct responses to a CMV post must challenge at least one aspect of OP’s stated view (however minor), or ask a clarifying question. Arguments in favor of the view OP is willing to change must be restricted to replies to other comments. See the wiki page for more information.  

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It’s driving me nuts that OP didn’t give an example I could check out for myself >

If u want i can give un in DM, didn't want to name any particoular one here because i don't want It to be and open critique to a single piece. >

Sure >

I personally believe that of all the genres, romance is the only one which is throughly enjoyed and embraced only when one has the connect to the characters more than the story, also the liking really fluctuates on your current state of mind. Unlike a proper thriller where , the narrative and the twists make for it, romantic stories are all about the essence and entirely based on the central characters. >

Not sure if this Is what you meant, but the fact that the dialogue is irrealistic and that everything feels off May actually be a selling point because It fits in a lot of readers'fantasies (that are, by nature, often irrealistic and off).
So what is a lack of realism/writing skill ends up making it more enjoyable to those who want to buy a fantasy.
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I have asked myself this often but for movies/tv shows and here is my experience that will make me look like an ass but whatever. 
In my experience many people don't think analytically about what they are consuming and don't care about the quality as long as it passes time and appeals to the most basic of needs. Its the same as genuinely enjoying shitty cgi action movies with simple power fantasies or some other tropes. If you don't think about what you are seeing you can consume anything and it will appeal to you as long as it gives quickly gives you that emotion you are after. So you might have higher lows but by the same logic also lower highs since you cant appreciate something if you don't understand it..  
So its obviously impossible to show to you that some literature is not good because we would need to agree on a metric but this is my experience and view >

People are reading. Never a bad thing >

Have you ever walked into a used bookstore and seen miles and miles of beaten-up romance novels with cheesy, formulaic covers, generic titles, and predictable endings? This is the modern, younger equivalent. It turns out teenagers who read fanfiction just got older. 
I say this as someone who was a teenager who read fanfiction and got older, haha. It's cheesy but it's cute. Light, fluffy escapism. 
Sometimes you hit one that handles bigger themes in a way that resonates with the people who have experienced that, and it can make those books really important them. That's probably where the glowing reviews come from. >

I am a literature professor who is trained (and published) in literary creative writing. I almost exclusively read romance novel for my pleasure reading. Here's why.


It's low stakes. I don't have to worry about whether I'm going to be emotionally devastated by a book. They're going to live happily ever after.


It's fantastic escapism. Most romance is the grown-up version of the fairytale, only with a lot more sex...the focus of which is a woman's pleasure delivered by an emotional available man.


I teach and have published on great literature. When I read at home, I don't need to feel intellectually stimulated by it. I want to turn my brain off and read a book about alien dick for the sheer joy of it.


Also, just for the record, most romance readers are fully aware of the absurdity...they're just not in it for the craft of literary art. They're in it for pure delight. >

You touch on this a little, but within every genre, people are going to look for some features and ignore others. The example you used is fantasy. People care for plot and character development, and don't seem to care as much about prose (of course there's still fantasy with gorgeous prose). In literary fiction, which you claim to read, people care about prose and character development at the expense of plot. I can't tell you how many lit fic books I've read where nothing interesting happens. But that's okay! That's not the point of the book. With romance, people look for good characters and good relationships, at the expense of prose and realism. 
In the best romance novels I've read, there are two super well developed characters that have amazing chemistry together. It is a major feat of writing to pull that off. I've read so many books that try to get me to care about the dynamic between two characters but fall flat. If a writer can get me to care about the dynamic between two characters, I don't care whether the prose is pretty or whether the plot is 100% realistic. I will be completely entertained and impressed. 
Now the trick with romance novels is that a lot of is incredibly PERSONAL. What makes a relationship dynamic feel amazing is affected by your own experiences with romance, your own love languages, and what you're personally attracted to. That's probably why you didn't feel that when reading. These books are aimed at young women, and if you aren't a young woman, it's highly unlikely that you will think the dynamic between two characters is well done.
Ultimately, the point of art is to make us feel. Fantasy may not always have beautiful quotes, but it has a plot that comes together perfectly and makes me feel triumphant. Literary fiction may sometimes have no discernable plot, but the quotes and prose will make me feel seen and understood. Romance may not be realistic or beautifully written, but if an author can make me really FEEL the love and commitment between two characters, I will be happy and consider it a good piece of literature. We might read the same romance book and have different opinions about whether the romance was done well, but that's the great thing about art. It's subjective! >

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I think it's because anyone could write them so it's probably relatable.
If you think about it, badly drawn comics are often the most popular probably for the same reason. >

Uh, interesting 

If you think about it, badly drawn comics are often the most popular probably for the same reason

I never thought it that way and i'm not sure i agree, but it's definitely an interesting point of view. 
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Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/Chameleopard (1∆).
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From my understanding a lot of what makes these books popular is that the women are actually treated well by their lovers and romanced really indulgently. That stands in contrast to a lot of other literature and media as well as women’s experience of romance in real life. Maybe since you’re not a woman with this perspective, that aspect of the books doesn’t appeal to you enough to make up for all the other crap? >

Interesting.
So you're saying It could be some sort of light hearted escapism, which i can actually see.
Thx for the opinion.
!delta >

No problem. Thanks for the delta! My first :) >

It may or may not be any good, that's an opinion of the reader. And like they say, there is no accounting for taste.
But think of this - as long as it's not literature of hate or absolute misinformation, shouldn't we celebrate anyone reading? Even if it's something we don't like. A man or woman reading a romance novel in front of their children is reinforcing the habit of reading in their kid. I believe the net benefit is so high, it doesn't matter at all the content (excluding the previous examples.)
Plus just walking into a book store, or browsing books online can expose you to all sorts of other books. And even reading romance novels can help you branch out into even nonfiction.
So you may not like the content, but some people are going to read it, and there's no reason to try to discourage or denigrate the particular genre, don't you think? >

I agree, which is why i'm not denigrating a whole genre (i'm not talking about the whole romance novel genre, i'm talking about the pattern of the best sellers in a subgenre of the genre).
Also, i have nothing against people reading, people CAN and SHOULD enjoy every book they want.
Maybe it's the wording, but i didn't want this to be and attack, i wanted to express my view (which Is, in Truth, VERY ugly atm) and see if anyone can share theirs on why they're so well liked by so many people.