I first began reading romance because of Lincoln librarian Lori Lieberman. She recommended a book called Again, But Better. I read this without knowing it would spark my interest in romance novels. 

From that point on, I devoured almost anything I could get my hands on. 

This love of romance novels (the ever-so reliable happy ending, the swoon-worthy moments and everything in-between) has only flourished during the pandemic.

Because I enjoy the genre so much, I started the Lincoln Romance Book Club with the help of Lieberman in early 2020. We wanted to share romance and destigmatize the genre at the high school level. I ended up absolutely loving the genre and club, and it’s been one of the best experiences and decisions I’ve made. 

The main purpose of this column will be to discuss various topics relating to the romance book world. Many people judge romance as “trashy” or not as good as other genres and carefully avoid reading anything classified as romance. My hope is to begin to demonstrate the joy that this genre brings to so many people.

The pieces in this series will include book recommendations, reviews and my thoughts on the goings-on of the romance world.

I know that each person has a different taste in books. I get that. If I can get one person to read a romance novel after reading my column, I have done my job!