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Romance is one of the most popular book genres, but new research suggests that the idea that it’s mostly women doing the reading is wrong.
Men are bigger fans of romance than women, according to a new survey.
The poll of 2-thousand romance readers in the U.S. reveals:
- Nearly two-thirds (63%) of men consider themselves die-hard romance enthusiasts compared to 60% of women.
- Guys also spend more time reading romance, at an average of 364 hours a year, while women spend 312 hours a year reading the genre.
- The survey also uncovers who readers imagine as the love interest when they’re immersed in these books. For married readers, 17% picture their spouse, while 21% envision their celebrity crush, and 7% admit they usually imagine their ex.
- For Gen Zers who picture celebrities, Zendaya is the most popular when the love interest is a woman (39%), while Angelina Jolie is the celeb both millennials (26%) and Gen X (26%) imagine, and for baby boomers, it’s Halle Berry (19%).
- When the love interest is a man, Gen Z readers picture Timothee Chalamet most often (25%), Channing Tatum is the celeb both millennials (34%) and Gen X (26%) imagine, while baby boomers see Brad Pitt (25%).
- Romance readers’ favorite storylines include forbidden romance (45%), friends-to-lovers (44%), and enemies-to-lovers (42%), while the ones they don’t like reading about are love triangles, office romance,s and fake dating scenarios.
- On average, respondents can tell whether they’ll like a romance novel just 33 pages in.
- Ready to give romance a try? Fans of the genre recommend modern titles including “The Notebook,” “It Ends With Us” and “Fifty Shades of Grey,” along with classics like “Gone with the Wind” and “Pride and Prejudice.”
Source: SWNS Digital