A “good” romance novel (thinking EmHen, maybe “Practice Makes Perfect” by Sarah Adams, “the bodyguard” by Katherine Center) does not (completely) contribute to brain atrophy, it makes you believe in romantic love even though you haven’t seen it in a while, it makes you cry because wow to be known by another, how special.
But a shitty romance novel (thinking more along the lines of Romantic Suspense, “The Obsession” by Nora Roberts, “The Crush” by Sandra Brown)… now these are fun to read, and not in a Colleen Hoover Hate Read kind of way. The stories are ridiculous, but they have HIGH STAKES. These people are GOING THROUGH THINGS. And the authors do a great job of telling a compelling story. Romance with Stakes! How fun!
