WHY do romance books keep giving us “romantic” moments that are actually just full-body ICKS 😭😭 like sorry but if he’s glaring at every guy who so much as breathes near you… that’s not hot, that’s controlling I get the jealously if she or he posted a picture with others and its like a close pic but really🤨?? Your gonna kill anyone who breathes the same air as her... 🚩

like NO, I don’t want a love interest who can’t take no for an answer and keeps “persisting” until she caves. that’s not devotion, that’s harassment with extra eyeliner.

also? when they never communicate their feelings but somehow expect the other person to read their mind??? EW. imagine falling in love with someone who acts like a puzzle box with bad Wi-Fi.

don’t even get me started on the dudes who neg the girl constantly and it’s framed as flirty banter. no bestie, that’s just rude.😒

romance authors pls understand: BASIC RESPECT IS SEXY. listening?? hot. apologizing?? hotter. actually supporting their partner instead of sulking like a man-child?? scorching.😍

I want green flags, not emotional constipation dressed up as mystery. if your love interest acts like a red flag factory🚩, I’m throwing the whole book across the room.

I have to admit that i always skip prologue and jump to read chapter 1 👀 edited: Why do I skip prologues and jump straight to chapter one?

I mostly read 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, and after reading a few prologues, I noticed they often 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹 things — like the 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮, 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗲’𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲 — all of which 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 anyway. (This happens not just in dark romance, but in romance in general.) For 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀, I tend to skip prologues because they usually 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.

So for me, whatever’s in the prologue usually gets mentioned again in the chapters, which makes it feel unnecessary to read!

you ever look at your bookshelf like. wow. love of my life. eternal soulmate. emotional support collection. and still be like… “yeah but not right now” ??

CONGRATS YOU’RE IN A READING SLUMP 😭

idk what it is about reading slumps but they sneak up on you randomly. one day you’re devouring 500 pages in a sitting, and the next??? you just can’t get urself to sit down and read 50 pages without quitting.

and the worst part?? you STILL want to read. you still love books. you’re just sitting there, staring at your TBR like it personally betrayed you and expecting it to fix itself.

🧠 it’s giving: — “i want to read but nothing sounds good” — “i’ll read after this episode” (10 episodes later: still no reading) — “i just need to find the right book” but the right book is in another dimension apparently

and then there’s the guilt. the unread books judging you from the shelf. the unfinished series. the friend who lent you a book six months ago and keeps politely asking if you’ve “had a chance to start it yet” 🫠

🚨 but here’s the TRUTH: reading slumps are NORMAL. they don’t make you less of a reader. they don’t mean you “lost your love for books.” it’s just your brain hitting ✨ burnout ✨ and saying “let’s chill for a sec.”

🤍 WAYS TO GENTLY UN-SLUMP YOURSELF (WITHOUT PRESSURE):

📖 reread an old favorite — nostalgia is a powerful drug. find the book that made you feel unwell in the best way and revisit it. comfort reads are undefeated.

🎧 try an audiobook — especially if you’re in your ✨ i-have-no-attention-span ✨ era. listen while walking, cleaning, or laying in bed staring into the void. it counts.

📚 read something short — novellas. graphic novels. poetry. books under 300 pages. we’re rebuilding momentum, not running a marathon.

🛋️ romcoms will save you — zero braincell reads with ✨banter, chaos, and pining✨ are a CURE. you will read 200 pages in one sitting and feel ALIVE again.

💀 lean into the chaos — mood read something unhinged. messy main character? fake dating? one bed? whatever sparks a little serotonin.

🔁 accept the slump — sometimes you just gotta ride it out. watch a show. romanticize playlists. organize your bookshelves for no reason. it’ll come back. it always does.

📉 WHAT NOT TO DO: — force yourself to finish a book you’re not into — start five books at once hoping one will “stick” (you’ll just feel overwhelmed 😭) — guilt trip yourself like you’re failing at a hobby

YOU’RE NOT FAILING. you’re literally just a tired reader. take a break. your books will wait for you. and when that one scene or that one quote finally hits again?? oh we’re BACK. we’re READING. we’re OBSESSED.

📣 ROMCOMS THAT HAVE GOT ME OUT OF SLUMPS: (warning—these books may not work for some ppl so don’t get mad)

💘 The Love Hypothesis — fake dating, grumpy x sunshine, STEM girlies, and an emotionally constipated man who is secretly obsessed with her?? YES MA’AM

🎧 Better Than the Movies — childhood friends, romantic playlists, iconic YA energy, and a scene with a slow dance in the rain that lives in my head RENT FREE.

👟 The Cheat Sheet — best friends to lovers, football star with a secret crush, and fake dating (again bc it always works). SO CUTE IT WILL HEAL YOU.

📚 ANYTHING BY LYNN PAINTER — literally pick one. — Mr. Wrong Number? ✨chaotic texting & messy girl rep✨ — The Do-Over? ✨time loop romance and emotional growth✨ — Better Than the Movies (yes again)? ✨peak romcom nostalgia✨ — Love Wager? ✨pure banter, zero stress, full joy✨

Lynn Painter writes books that feel like your favorite comfort movie.

💬 drop your favorite slump buster books below — like the ones that made you feel giddy, unwell, and suddenly fluent in book quotes again. we’re building a ✨ healing list ✨

#ReadingSlumpSurvivor #BooksWillWait #RomcomsSaveLives #ZeroBraincellReads #BanteryAndBeautiful

Does anyone else feel like that applies to everything but books??😂 For example, when i’m on my kindle looking for stuff to read im not gonna pick the book that has a real person on it. I just can’t do it hahah it has to be a cover that draws me in!! Same thing for book titles - i feel like i judge them heavily based on their titles too

What is your opinion about spicy scenes in books? I personally do not really like it. I don't mind allusions to intimacy between two characters but explicit scenes make me cringe a little bit .. especially because the description are so vulgar??? I happened to read few books that had sexual scenes in it and MAN I skipped the part after reading few lines because the descriptions were TERRIBLE 😭

I started this year with reading 60 books but i read 105 books so far! this is my first year to read 100 books, i usually read between 20-50 books no more past 50!

Mine i would say:

• private chat
• reading buddies club
• more emojis (not sure if someone noticed that some emojis we add under the book not all of them available)
• same colors theme but dark mode (i would love to see this)
• sharing our thoughts on feed about books in general - not just in book post forum
• more quests in different genre (halloween themed books quest 👻, dark romance quest 💀 or stalker themed books quest 👀)

It’s Your Turn to Share Your Opinion ☕️

Okay. In honor of today's featured emoji, it's time for me to set aside my pride and ask... 😔

What does 🥀 mean?? How/when is it used?? I've tried googling it and have not received the help I need, it still feels like I'm missing something and seeing it in contexts I don't understand.

Also for another other late 20s folks around, pls lmk if y'all do or don't feel like you're with the times on little communication things like that. For the record, I feel confident with my understanding of 🤏 right now so that's definitely a win, but on the other hand I am absolutely mystified by the diving/parting/coming out of curtains(??) move that I see the love island folks doing nonstop beyond having a suspicion its suggestive in nature. If y'all are also lost maybe we can have threads in the comments to explain these things finally...