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All I Need to Know in Life I Learned from Romance Novels

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Wouldn't it be exciting if your life was like a romance novel? Now it can be. This uplifting guide proves that real life isn't all that different from fiction. Tips for living a fulfilling romantic life True love is worth the risk; If you don't treat your partner right, someone else will; If you stand around waiting for a man, you'll be alone for a long time; Attitude makes all the difference; and Love changes everything.

All I Need to Know in Life I Learned From Romance Novels is the ultimate companion for romance novel loyalists. Johnson's lessons on love, culled from many years as a romance reader, are accompanied by quotes and examples from popular novels, along with words from the authors themselves on why they love what they do. These quotations and excerpts reinforce Johnson's intriguing observations. By examining common themes of romance novels, Johnson has found that truths on finding and keeping romance alive and well are hidden within the pages of these powerful stories.

Despite the common misconception held by nonreaders that all romance novels are pure fantasy, featuring a knight in shining armor who rides in on a white horse to save the helpless heroine, avid fans know that this couldn't be further from the truth. Today's romance heroes and heroines are strong, savvy people who--whether they were looking for it or not--find true love. And their trials and tribulations on the road to "happily ever after" aren't all that different from those of ordinary people. The heroes and heroines in romance novels may often learn the hard way, but this book offers romance readers valuable lessons from these tales. You'll discover how to apply the wisdom of romance novels in your own life.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published May 16, 2013

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Christina.
1,370 reviews
July 30, 2020
2.5 stars. Alternating quotes about the romance genre by romance authors and brief essays that draw life lessons from romance novels, this is something of a love letter to the genre. What I liked was the thoughtfulness and respect demonstrated for romance. The author and some of the quotes break down and combat stereotypes, pointing out that romance heroines are typically independent women living their own lives, not women looking for or waiting around for a man, which is a large part of their appeal.

The author does a solid job of drawing wisdom from what makes these books appealing to so many readers, starting each essay with a quote from a romance novel and often citing a few more. But after the first few essays, I personally found the book a bit tedious. I did press through to the end, and another reader may feel quite differently, but many of the insights were a bit too light to be engaging.

I did find the chart toward the end of the number of romances published by various publishers interesting as it shows an increasing number and then sudden leap from 2,007 romance novels published in 1996 to 2,658 published in 1997. Avon, Bantam, NAL/Signet, St. Martin’s and Warner increased by about 50% In that year, Berkeley/Jove doubled and Dell tripled. Clearly when this book was published, romance was booming.
Profile Image for Karah.
Author 1 book21 followers
August 30, 2023
This book encourages the reader to pursue their artistic and creative desires so that they can attract a genuine mate. For example, if you love the snow, take a trip to Switzerland during the winter and go skiing. Or if you love books, frequent the library and bookshops. What you love holds the source of your pleasure. It is imperative to maintain honesty with one's self so that you immerse yourself in the aura of love.
1,387 reviews
November 23, 2020
This is a book about relationships with a lot of great examples from romance novels. I was busy the whole time writing down the names of books that sounded interesting. A fun read!
Profile Image for Clark.
380 reviews6 followers
February 25, 2015
I am constantly rechecking this book out of our library because I enjoy it so much. Maybe I should just break down and buy a copy. I can't believe that so few people have read it on goodreads.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

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