Love is the Worst!

Whatever the reason (let’s not blame the pandemic for everything) (but it’s totally because of the pandemic), I am already 85% through my Goodreads reading goal of 150 books for this year. I have only read romance this year. And every year for the past six years, with maybe 5-10 non-romance books sneaking in sideways during that time.

My point is that I am currently at Maximum Romance. 

This makes it easy for me to spot trends. Crutches. Whatever you want to call it.

Based on my reading, and I have to operate based on my reading due to my limited personal experience, it is my understanding that everyone who has ever had a bad experience in love has sworn off love forever because it is a very bad thing. Also based on my reading, I must conclude that this is the case for at least 50% of the single population. Maybe also the non-single population, I don’t know. They’re not typically featured in romance, so the data set there is unreliable.

Here’s what I know:

• Ex-lovers are assholes who’ve definitely ripped out your guts and ruined you forever, and, let’s be honest, probably cheated on you, too. 
• And if you’ve got money and status, that’s the only reason anyone has ever wanted you.
• One time is definitely enough times to be burned.
• Being unhappy sucks so much that swearing off love is better than going near that mess again. 
• If love even exists. I mean, experience clearly tells us that love is probably a hoax.
• Treating sexual partners like pieces of meat isn’t disrespectful, it’s self-preservation, because even though love is definitely not real, we must take extreme measures to ensure that we do not fall prey to it. 
• Even if a new sexual partner demonstrates none of the behaviors or characteristics of an ex, let’s be honest, they’re all the same, and giving people chances is just dumb.

I got it all, right? Nobody’s out there just, like, dating around, right? Or, like, recovering from a breakup but open to new romance? That’s not a thing, as I understand it. 

And of course we would never base our understanding of a person off their own actions, right? Only the actions of others from our pasts. Pretty sure I got that one loud and clear.

I don’t know, maybe I didn’t get this right at all. Maybe we need a poll: