As I sit in Good Reading headquarters, pondering the words I want to write, I glance around the room at the piles of books neatly sectioned into months and genres. There are bound pre-publication proofs for our reviewers, finished copies just published, even printed manuscripts. Contemporary and crime fiction dominate – reflecting today’s publishing trends – but another stack has been growing quickly: romantasy.

Romantasy is the genre driving book sales around the world. It has everything – diversity, adversity, romance, adventure, action and a heavy dose of escapism. These books deliver thrills in spades.

Fantasy isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but
I understand the attraction. As a teenager, I devoured it. I loved the excitement, the unreality, the ease of imagining myself in far-off worlds, undertaking dangerous quests. And the pace! Even then, much of what I read was similar to romantasy – there was always a romance, though often only hinted at. I’m delighted to see younger readers embracing it so passionately today.

Some romantasy now takes a more erotic turn, which works well for older audiences. Gothic fantasy – shall we call it ‘gothantasy’? – is making a comeback too, alongside a broader revival of gothic fiction.

Of course, 2025 is a very different world from even a decade ago. Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook now shape our cultural conversations. They’re where many young readers discover their next favourite book. BookTok, in particular, has become a powerhouse for romantasy, with influencers recommending titles and sparking enthusiastic discussion threads. And that’s a wonderful thing.

The rise of romantasy deserves hearty applause. For many readers, it’s their gateway into a lifelong love of books. Like me in my teens – devouring series after series, waiting impatiently for the next release – today’s romantasy readers are building shelves filled with stories and unforgettable characters. This cycle of discovery has repeated for generations, and it’s fascinating, from this point of view of a maybe slightly older reader, to see it happening again.

The real magic is what comes next. Once hooked, readers often branch out into other genres, discovering adventures, authors and writing styles they never expected. I was reminded of this recently when I heard a radio caller say she rarely read. A bookseller had told her, ‘You just haven’t found your type of book.’ I’ve said that myself to many people – and it’s true.

My own father was a lifelong non-reader (apart from the annual beach holiday) until, at the age of 80, he picked up a book that really got him. Now I can barely keep up with him as he stays up late into the night, burning the midnight oil. I still get a little rush when he asks me to find him some books. My old bookseller instincts come alive, and it feels like such a privilege to choose stories for him. Extra good feelings when he tells me about them.

That’s what BookTok is doing for a younger generation – it’s helping them find their book. It might be the books for this time of their life, a genre that will hook them and keep them reading for now. Then they will discover myriad of other genres to explore. And once they do, the possibilities are endless.

The challenge for parents, relatives, teachers, librarians, and booksellers is to keep young readers engaged – from picture books to YA – so that reading becomes a part of them. Yes, they may drift away for a time, with the demands of study, sport and life. But once the reading habit is planted, those deep-seated memories will refire at some point. It’s like riding a bike – it always comes back.

Rowena