I have been a fan of the website site, "Smart Bitches, Trashy Books" (herein known as SBTB because that is a buttload to type) for about 10 years, which is as long as the site has been around. I took a break from them when life and motherhood took priority over my web browsing (mainly when my son started moving) but recently I resdiscovered them and my love for all the sassy smartness these ladies have.

I hadn't heard about this book until I started listening to their podcasts, again very recently, and when when the 'Read Harder Challenge 2018'came up I decided to take the advice of a contributor there and treat this one as my book of social science (dont't judge it counts). This book is a short read. I finished it in a day. But it does go into depth about how some of the tropes in romance novels do translate into real life and relationships, such as reading about the various heroes and knowing what will work for you in a real life partner. It also touches on the way the genre has evolved from literal bodice ripping and "love scenes" that were basically rape to what it is now which is where women and men both are honest about what they want. It has even evolved to include memebers of the LGBTQ community that aren't hidden or veiled under the guise of being an eccentric spinster aunt or bachleor uncle's "lifetime companion".

The chapters are broken down for one specific topic with numerous examples of it and how reading romance novels helps us to learn what we liike in sex, what we like with partners, how it helps us to solve problems in our relationships, etc.

One thing I enjoyed about the book were the interviews with long-time readers and writers of the genre. Everyone had a different story or reason as to how, when, or why they started reading the genre. They mentioned how it shaped the way they grew up; for some women it kept them from engaging in sex before they were probably really ready since they had something that described it for them. This was very interesting to me since a lot of naysayer's issues with romance is thinking that it may do the opposite.

This book was also chock full of Wendell's signature wit that you get from her blogs and podcasts. I think alot of people would pass this up because there is a reference to romance novels on the cover and that is a shame since it is a very interesting read. Even if you don't like romance novels I think there is a bit of wisdom for everyone in here that they can use in their own relationships.