basically what's in the title. i want recommendations for an incel-friendly romance novel, i.e. one that meets these criteria:
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heterosexual. (as in superstraight. im sure lgbt people enjoy lgbt novels but i would like something i can place myself into.)
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the male must not be a billionaire, mafia boss, serial killer, or anyone with an exceptional status.
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the male must not be physically exceptional. he has to have an incel-like or average height, incel-like or average face and so on.
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the male may not commit any actions in the storyline that i can't get away with in real life. if he's a stalker, the plot has to lead to him getting arrested and NOT getting the girl because it's a crime and i can't get away with it in real life. i don't want to read a novel about a guy committing sexual assault and being praised for it. if the male MC does something that you won't recommend to men in real life, i would like comments to skip it.
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the man may not be significantly more attractive or higher status than the woman. i.e. if she's a single mom, he's a single dad. if she's fat, he's fat. if she's old, he's old.
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the woman needs to actually desire being with the guy.
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toxic traits are taken to their conclusion. if someone's, say, a smoker, they get sick or it reflects poorly on their health later on. if somebody's abusive or controlling, they are disliked for it and not rewarded.
by coping_man
6 Comments
No.
I don’t think you’re using the word incel here appropriately.
I think you just mean realistic and average. That’s a different meaning and connotation than incel.
I really, really do not think you are going to find what you’re looking for.
Romances are about the fantasy, not realism.
Also just the way you phrased this is super messy and I’m not convinced this isn’t trolling or baiting.
Revenge of the Nerds movie in script form. Not even joking. “Their time has come!”
Your requirements are very specific and it is difficult to remember everything about books.
So I am focussing on heterosexual love among normal people without hypergamy (as your incel community tends to focus on) and no focus on illegal activities, mafia boss etc.
This is my list (do note I am not a romance reader, so my suggestion are limited).
1. The Choice – Nicholas Spark. – This perfectly suits your requirment , it is a cute love story between normal people where no focus is on a person’s physical trait , social standing etc.
2. The notebook – girl settles for an economically weaker guy cause she loves him.
3. Dear John – this is more like a tragedy but really sweet characters.
4. The Unhoneymooners .
5. PS. I Love You – this is going to leave you in tears.
6. You can try out pride and prejudice or other Jane Austen books . Though those usually have a richer male character and a sassy women character so most probably will reinforce your hypergamy narrative.
Tell me how you found it if you manage to read any.
While I think your post is worded poorly (to put it lightly), I am going to assume good or at least neutral intent. Romance novels about exceedingly normal people are hard to find because romance novels are meant to be an escape from the norm. The other side of this is that certain elements will be normal/average but those will not be advertised that way. Let’s look at height. You can find a lot of books tagged for height difference or MMCs over 6’2″ but readers or marketers will be less likely to note same height partners or MMCs who are 5’9″. In my experience, average traits are not remarked upon in the writing. This is logical because you are likely to remember someone as being very tall (6’4″) but less likely to remember if they are an usual height. I choose to visualize characters as average in those instances, but other readers may take that opening to imagine them as beefy and tall. Maybe a short reader would imagine them as closer to their own height. I would imagine authors do this on purpose so that the reader is free in their escapism. Also regarding height, a character could remark on height difference, “he is a good half foot taller than me” which may lead the reader to think he is tall, but later through context, you learn the woman is short, so he is only tall to her. In reality he is like 5’7″, but it wouldn’t be stated explicitly that he is on the shorter side because that is stereotypically less desirable and editors would advise on making the book more marketable to all readers.
One thing that romance authors would never do is describe the MMC (assuming M-F romance) as unattractive or incel. because it does not make sense to do so. The closest you will get to that is an initial reaction where the FMC is not attracted to them because of untidiness or context, but then of course they shave or put on a suit or shower and are seen in a whole new light. so much of male attractiveness is context and styling and the female gaze in romance novels understands that.
I am not sure what you mean by “the woman needs to actually desire being with the guy.” Are you referring to dubious consent or arranged marriage or something? Wanting to be together is basically a given because true romance novels require a happy ending where the main characters are together. There are many novels that prominently feature romantic storylines but the leads don’t end up together, but they are not considered Romance (looking at you Nicholas Sparks). Also the way you wrote superstraight leads me to believe you do not want any LGBTQ characters at all even if the romance couple is M-F. I will not confirm if my recs don’t have any non-heterosexual characters because I do not track my books for that and a lack of these characters wouldn’t be normal.
I really am trying to be informative in good faith. I have been reading romance only for the last couple years and there were a lot of things I did not realize about the genre when I first starting reading it. You should look into romance-specific websites, blogs, search engines, etc because you can find that many romance readers have searched for normal, average, and versions of atypical attractiveness (eg rat man).
Now on to what I can recommend. You did not state but I assume you are looking for contemporary romance. You are not going to find exactly what you are looking for because as stated above, your perspective is a bit off. So here is what I thought of that fits parts of what you are looking for.
Dream On by Angie Hockman FMC had a coma dream about the love of her life only to wake up and find he doesn’t exist. Except she runs into him. right after she meets and starts to make a connection with his brother. This is kind of golden brother vs seemingly average nice guy brother. The FMC has to make the grand gesture.
Role Playing by Cathy Yeardley, I haven’t actually read this one, but have seen it recommended as average middle aged people falling in love.
A Holly Jolly Ever After by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy, both MCs are semi-famous and are looking to make a comeback for needed cash. both are on the chunky side.
Mail Order Vow by Cassie Mint, novella with a mail order bride who gets 24 hours to decide if she wants to marry the reclusive lighthouse keeper.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry, I remember reading this and thinking that Charlie seemed very average but also very perfect for Nora. They are similar heights, similar careers, some good competence porn.