Special Report: Why I Don't Read Romance

I could probably list out a million reasons why I don't read romance. If you read enough of my reviews, you notice a trend. I talk about action or plot or characters. And, almost always, romance.
Yes. I am not a fan of romance. To me, writers make romance this quick and easy thing. Which it is not.
I can't stand romance. The kissing. The mush. The gush. The people clinging to each other. It is rare to find a couple that I can stand.
I mean...Mac and Wesley Ayers from 'The Archived'. And they aren't really a couple anyways. Giddon and Bitterblue from 'Bitterblue'. (Not cannon. But Sapphire is simply rude. He leaves more Bitterblue!)

Here are some reasons why I hate romance:
1: Romance characters, if the book is just romance, can't be separate/not thinking about each other.
They cling to each other like Velcro. They can't do anything but cling to each other. They have to be with each other. Nothing can come between them! To me, that isn't right. They have jobs. Or school. Or work. Something. Anything.

2: Romance=sex. For some reason.
No. Not all teenagers have sex. Not all teenagers dream of sex. Why is it always in books? And typically during the relationship. A perfect example is the Graceling series. Sex. In. All. Three. Books. Why? Just why?

3: Great heroines turn clingy.
This refers to one, but it's different as well. The heroines start to lose their toughness in exchange to be sucking face...I mean kissing a guy. This doesn't always happen, but it's not uncommon. Tough girl turned weakling for love. (For 'love'.)

4: The guy is typically this buff, tall guy who gets all the ladies.
Muscles. Don't you just love them? Why aren't they nerdy types? I would prefer a nerdy guy to one with bulging muscles and ripping abs. Seriously! And players. Why do authors think readers love players? I don't. I know I don't.

5: The girl puts too much effort into a relationship when the guy doesn't.
The guys put little to no effort. Maybe a nice ring or a necklace. But anything else? Not really. It's the girl who tries. Who puts her heart and soul into a relationship. Is that how real life is? No! Guys put effort as much as girls do. Why is it portrayed this way?

6: Two words. Instant. Love.
Quick. Sudden. Kissing within a day. I don't like this. You need to develop a relationship. Sure. A week is...quick. Do I like week relationships? No. Do I want someone to say I love you that soon in real life? No. I want to know the person. Be their friend. Talk to them. It makes no sense why this has to happen. A perfect example is 'The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight'. Do I believe in love at first sight? No. You can't judge someone by physical looks alone. You need to see their personality. What commonalities you share.

7: The plot seems to be abandoned for rescue missions for the girl.
By this, I mean all the action is tossed out of the window for the romance. Kissing scenes take up half the book. You get more of the lip action than fighting. Why? I adore action. I know it doesn't make everyone happy, but the world isn't just kissing and love. It's action. Fighting. Drama. I would take DRAMA  over romance. Really. And I don't like drama that much anyways.

8: The characters seem to forget about everyone but their lover.
Their focus narrows from the world to him/her. They forget their friends. Their family. Why can't they focus on other things? The world isn't comprised of one person. It's many people. Billions of people. People of all races and genders.

9: It is unrealistic that you just find your true love the first time you look at people as baby makers-I mean people.
I know that isn't common. You don't just fall in love the first time. It's typically the girl that goes through that. I can't tell if it's too crazy to hope for that. You don't have that happening. You try. You look. You don't just get your true love the first time. That would be impossible. Your true love might not have been born yet.

10: True love's kiss.
WHY? This just annoys me. Why can't this not be a thing? Why is this a cure for curses? There has to be science backing a cure. Reasoning. Understanding. My rational brain isn't comprehending how a kiss could cure anything but a magical spell. And that doesn't even make sense. At all. Thankfully, I don't read many fairy tales or retellings of fairy tales.

Do you love romance? If no, why? If yes, why?
Comment below! Or email me. I would love to hear your opinions.