My 20 or 25 year old self would never have imagined me reaching out for a romance book. In fact shocked and aghast.

Since I started reading English books, my bookshelf has been stacked with thrillers, spy stories and mysteries that thrive on tension. And who dunnits and cliffhangers. I always liked my books sharp, fast-paced and filled with danger.

That remained the same, or rather heightened, during college days. Though I did manage to widen my taste to books like Pelican Brief and Fountainhead. And later, when I started working a few non-fiction were added to my list, but largely it was fast-paced thrillers. Spy, crime, even slice of life.

I still like them fast paced, but something shifted some 3 years ago. My elder once calls it After Corona effect!

Between the endless reps of daily life and the constant challenge of responsibility, I found myself craving a softer escape. On a whim, I picked up a contemporary romance. And to my surprise, I didn’t just read it, I enjoyed it. It was from Andaleeb Wajid and I think over the next 6 months or so, I read all her novels available on Kindle Unlimited. I think that was almost 90% of her books. Which reminds me to go back and check if the rest have been made available on Unlimited 😜

What I liked about the books was that they had been written so well in Indian context. Before that I had tried reading a few English books by Indian authors and was highly unimpressed. Most of them had been inspired from American bestsellers without the author even trying to adapt it to Indian culture. Or maybe I am not aware of how Indian billionaires live. I seriously need to find a few and ask them about it. Else I will continue judging those books and authors harshly!

And I paused to think about it only after I had read 5 in a series and had to pay for the rest. I of course chose not to pay. Because by then I had realised that tonnes of amazing books were available on Kindle Unlimited and it was time to put the subscription to good use.

Like I said, personally it was a busy time for me but I still wanted to continue reading. Anything. As one of my friends puts it, I can read anything as long as it is printed words on paper 😂. Or on screen, as it turns out.

And read I did. Many many many books. My only criteria was they should have 1k+ 4 star and above rating. I discovered Colleen Hoover, Nadia Lee, Catharina Maura (my fave till now), Serenity Woods, Julia Wolf, T L Swan and so many more.

But of late I have been wondering why I have found romance so easy to read. A well written romance, of course. There have been countless books I returned after a few pages despite the good reviews. That’s when I started looking for books with reviews in thousands. It’s difficult to fake that many.

So, like I said, of late I have been wondering why romance has been easy comfort read for me. The emphasis here is on me since the choice of genre is completely personal.

Romance doesn’t demand the same attention thrillers do. You don’t have to track every clue or hold your breath at every twist. You can even skip a few pages, glide past the smaller details, and still settle comfortably back into the story. The narrative flows like a warm current, carrying you to an ending you already know will be happy.

In thrillers, every missed detail feels like a mistake. In romance, letting go feels natural. For me, that has been liberating. The stories leave me lighter. They may not keep me on edge, but they lift my mood, and for a while, that optimism rubs off on me.

And maybe that’s the whole point. Knowing that there is always a bright light at the end of the tunnel. And no, I do not necessarily mean the “cliched” walking into the sunset holding hands kind of happily ever after. I have read happily ever afters where partners chose each other despite knowing the other one was brokem or they couldn’t have kids together or would have to take care of the other one due to a degenrative disease. No, the happily ever after is about choosing happiness and having that choice.

I’m learning that sometimes the best book isn’t the one that challenges your mind, it’s the one that soothes your heart. Books that you are reading reflect who you are at that slice of time. And since we keep changing as our personality and circumstances change, our choice of books change.

Right now I am laughing and crying and thinking with My Friends by Fredrik Backman.