hello, lovelies!
with christmas swiftly approaching (but not quite here yet, you can pry autumn from my cold, dead hands), i'm getting back into the romcom scene. don't get it twisted, though: i'm sticking firmly to my older romcoms from the late 90s to mid 00s (or, the ones that came out around when i was born). but that wasn't always the case.
when i was a teenager, i was one of those pretentious readers that looked down on romance readers. i HATED the genre with a burning passion, and refused to consume any media in it or any related genres. and everyone knew this. i would only (try to) read classics and greek mythology retellings, and the only romances i watched were the disney princess movies. it was widely know that if i asked someone to recommend something to me, they should steer clear of romances, lest the be met with my rage. then, lizzy and i became friends.
she's a lover of all things romance, so much so it's almost nauseating (not really, i love that she loves love so much), and she never got the memo to not recommend romances to me. every time i'd ask her, she'd suggest some romance book or movie, and i'd roll my eyes and say no because i hated romances (in case you didn't catch it the first three times i said it). it went on like that for literal years. then, i turned twenty-one. well, the christmas before i turned twenty-one, actually.
we had gone to barnes and noble, one that has the restaurant in it, and as we wandered the shelves after lunch, she dragged me to the romance section. i was beyond bored until i picked up a book to read the back. it intrigued me. lizzy told me she liked the book i was holding, and that she was excited for the next book in the series to come out. i shrugged, said something snarky about the genre, and put it back. we left, she went home, and i began working on my birthday list, since i like to have lists ready and made so i'm not scrambling for ideas three weeks before. i thought about the book in barnes and noble, and i decided, why the hell not, and put it on my birthday list. i didn't actually think i would get it. and then, about five and half months later, there it was. all pink and pretty and, now, mine. i sent lizzy a text as soon as i got home, and she said she was surprised, and that she thought i wouldn't like it. i was also skeptical, but i decided to give it a shot, especially since someone spent money on it to get it for me.
not even three weeks later did i order the other two books in the series, plus two other romances. i felt... renewed. like i was this whole different person. lizzy couldn't believe it, and she was ECSTATIC. i'm talking bragging, laughing in my face. i'm shocked she didn't pop some champagne in celebration, in all honesty. she still brags about it to this day, that she was the one who "planted the seed" and got me into romance. and she's right.
movies, on the other hand... i was still iffy on them. but, one night, i was up late, sobbing my eyes out at my love life (or lack thereof), and decided i wanted to watch a romcom. i scrolled through every streaming platform i had on my phone for about an hour when, finally, netflix delivered. it was winter, and i was depressed and borderline suicidal, and i was going to watch the holiday. and i loved it. it was so cute, and i loved how light it was, and how it ended so happily. i was hooked. kinda. i didn't go out of my way to watch a lot of romcoms after that, but i wasn't as closed minded as before. my personal favourite is 27 dresses. i love katherine heigl, and james marsden isn't bad to look at, and bennie and the jets is mine and my biological father's song (even if i could only remember the hook of "b-b-b-bennie and the jets' when i was two).
now, let's go back to the christmas before my twenty-first birthday. lizzy and i had spent a whole day together, the day we had dubbed "perfect day". we shopped around, did gingerbread houses, got pizza, and watched several romcoms. and little women. we watched little women first, actually. then, the holiday, because at that point it was the only romcom i had seen and really liked (other than bridget jones' diary, which i had watched the week before), then she made me watch how to lose a guy in ten days, which was so much fun actually (i'm actually rewatching it as i write this; it's what inspired me to write this), and then we finished off the night with 27 dresses. it really was the perfect day, and i can't wait to do it again. (lizzy, if you're reading this, i'm so excited for christmas break this year and the whole day we have planned for it. smooches).
back to books. last year, specifically. i didn't really read much, i was still in a slump that had lasted me YEARS. it started in middle school and persisted until i was a grown adult. the only books i read in 2025 were romances. i became insatiable, and asked lizzy if she had any books i could borrow. i still have custody of the books she lent me, just as she still has the books i've lent her. one of my all time favourite books is a romance. i'm eager to read more, and i actually genuinely enjoy most of the ones i read. same with movies; i'm almost always in the mood to watch a good romcom, especially the ones from when i was born. they just don't seem to make them like hey used to, though i have a few modern ones lined up on my roster for the holiday season, and i'm excited to give them a shot!
i'm glad i'm not a prejudiced and pretentious bitch about romances anymore, and it's (mostly) thanks to lizzy. shout out to her, love that girl.
well, i'm going to get back to watching how to lose a guy in ten days and tidying up my room. and working on christmas gifts, since that's my new never-ending herculean task for this time of year.
until next time!
xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment