Hello Summer 2020

My guilty pleasure: Cheesy YA Romances

Hello Summer 2020. It's been a crazy year thus far, but reading has most definitely kept me sane. One thing I've been rediscovering during quarantine is my love for YA literature, particularly that of cheesy romances.

I remember my freshman year of college being the last time I read a cheesy YA novel. I had two roommates who were rather awful to me. Not only did they think I was satanic because I listen to metal (insert major eye roll here). but they also constantly called me weird and a loner when I chose not to go out on weekends and read instead.

I had been going out with them the first few months, and getting drunk like most college students do. The problem with alcohol is that it's a depressant, and my mental health didn't need any added stress. I tried to go out without drinking, but I realized hanging out with them sober was even more insufferable than the depression. So, for myself and my sanity, I would stay in on Fridays and Saturdays. It was so quiet and wonderful, that I used it as the perfect time to read. Usually, I was in bed before they came home, so what I did while they were gone was none of their business.

Then, one night, I was reading Divergent (not even a cheesy romance like the ones above), and I couldn't put it down! I was up all night trying to finish it, which means I was also when the roommates came home. They immediately told me that I was reading books much too young for me, and that I was in college and needed to grow up. Never once did they stop to think about how reading was helping me cope with unseen struggles. Never once did they ask me why I had stopped drinking so suddenly, or why I was gone from the room for three days before that decision was made. I'd like to say that I was confident and strong enough to stick up for myself, but I wasn't. Their words haunted me. The way they made me feel took away all the safety of the pages. I didn't just stop reading YA novels, I stopped reading altogether because I thought maybe if I did, people would understand me more.

It makes me sad to think that I shrunk myself so much because of a few careless words. I started reading again after I moved out, but even as I switched my major to English, I stayed away from YA. All I could think was that I was too old, and I needed to grow up. So, while I read a lot of books I enjoyed, I passed over many that would have held my interest. It wasn't until I took YA literature for my grad program last semester that I was realized how wonderful the genre truly is.

I will forever be grateful to my fabulous professor Jennifer LaGarde who listened to this story and promptly told me how much bullshit my roommates were full of. I vigorously read YA books for this course and rediscovered my old love. Not only that, but I also realized how beneficial YA novels can be for all ages. If reading is your escape, you are never too old for the release you choose.

So, this summer I am fully immersing myself in these reads that may be cheesy and too young for some, but are the perfect escape for me. Cheesy YA Romances are my guilty pleasure, and no one can stop me from indulging.