Romance Books Are A Love Letter To Womanhood
Let me introduce this new little format, Lexie’s Letters. To clear up any confusion: this isn't my newsletter (I have yet to figure out a better name - if you have suggestions, pop them into the comments). Instead, this is a dedicated space where I want to share more personal thoughts, experiences, and things I’ve found and loved - or hated, as a matter of fact. Think less philosophical essay, and more casual chatting.
Now, for today’s note, I want to talk about ROMANCE BOOKS.
I deeply fell in love with this genre in autumn 2024. It is completely responsible for getting me back into reading regularly.
Actually, that’s a massive understatement - I completely refound my old personality trait of being a full-blown bookworm, and I’ve easily read hundreds of books since. But beyond the escape, there are a few deeper reasons why I have absolutely fallen for this genre.
First of all, at least with the series that started it all for me (Chestnut Springs by Elsie Silver), it gave me a deep appreciation for the power of womanhood and female friendships.
It showed me that strong men and strong women are not a contradiction, but can actually complement each other perfectly. I knew that logically, of course, but it is so refreshing to see that dynamic painted beautifully in fiction - especially in today’s world, where we face such a massive gap between destructive feminism and the terrible, distraughtful reality of machismo. I think these books can actually serve as a great educational tool, showing how strong women can absolutely accept gentlemanly manners and hold high standards without undermining their own power.
Second, it helps immensely with reconnecting with your feminine energy.
As a highly ambitious woman who values her independence a lot, reading this genre felt like a therapy session. It allowed me to rediscover that softer, feminine side of myself. It was always there, but reading romance has made it so much easier to access and live out in my everyday life without overthinking it.
Third, if you have ever struggled with low libido (which so many women do, though it’s rarely talked about), this HELPS.
Speaking from personal experience here! ;) I used to have a lot of trouble with this, and as it turned out recently, it was heavily tied to my contraceptive pill. To be clear: I am not anti-hormonal birth control at all. Many women benefit from it, and that is perfectly fine. I wanted it to work so badly because I likely have endometriosis - I've never had the official surgical diagnosis because I don't want to undergo the procedure, but my gynecologist and I heavily suspect it based on very conclusive symptoms. But no matter which pill I tried, I always struggled with the side effects.
There is a lot of skepticism and criticism out there about romance books, especially because of the "smut scenes." But when you look at it through the lens of the points above, I hope you can see the real power in this genre. Ultimately, it’s just a question of taste. You either like the genre, or you don’t. For example, in feminine energy circles, people often claim that thrillers are bad for your nervous system. Personally, I just hate horror stories because, quite frankly, they give me nightmares. I also deeply dislike stories without happy endings because real life already has enough sad realities, and I don't need my fiction to make me sadder.
But that is just my opinion! I’m not saying it’s a bad genre; it’s just not for me. At least for now.
To close out this first note, I want to leave you with a few of my absolute favorite books so far (just a few picks, because I've read far too many to list!):
Elsie Silver: Chestnut Springs series (especially Heartless and Flawless)
Ali Hazelwood: Not in Love, Bride
Nalini Singh: Slave to Sensation
Do you have any romance recommendations for me? I would love to hear them in the comments!
