Men are more engaged in romance novels than women, a survey suggests, challenging perceptions of the genre’s audience.
A poll of 2,000 American readers found 63 percent of men identified as dedicated fans, compared to 60 percent of women. Conducted by Talker Research for ThriftBooks, it showed men spend 364 hours annually reading romance, while women spend 312 hours.
Gen Z readers had distinct preferences, picturing Zendaya (39 percent) and Timothée Chalamet (25 percent) as leads. They also read up to 45 pages before deciding on a book, longer than other age groups.
Top tropes included forbidden romance (45 percent) and friends-to-lovers (44 percent), while least favorite were love triangles (23 percent) and office romances (22 percent).
Readers favored cozy setups, with 65 percent preferring a blanket and 44 percent reading in silence. Romance was the genre most likely to keep them up all night, with 85 percent willing to lose sleep over a gripping story.
Notable book recommendations included The Notebook, It Ends with Us, and classics like Pride and Prejudice.
