Would it still be a romance novel if the main character doesn't fall in love?

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CryingKatie

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Would my book be romance, chick lit, commercial or women's fiction?

Plot:
Becky loves being single, but after she loses a bet, her sisters force her into going on a few dates with men.
She doesn't fall in love or anything, in fact, she's actually sickened by the idea of being in a relationship. But she begins to feel guilty when she strike up a friendship with one of her dates. They continue to date, but the guy doesn't know it's a part of a bet. The guy is falling for her, but Becky doesn't feel it.

So would it be romance if Becky isn't in love. She and the guy only end up being friends.Becky just doesn't want a relationship.

When writing a query letter, what genre should I call it?

Also, do you think that sounds boring?

Thanks?
 

Viridian

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There's two requirement for a romance novel:

(1) The main focus of the novel must be a romantic relationship.
(2) The couple must have a happy or at least optimistic ending.

You fail both, so no, it's not a romance novel.

It sounds like women's fiction to me.
 

Queen Yinin

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There's two requirement for a romance novel:

(1) The main focus of the novel must be a romantic relationship.
(2) The couple must have a happy or at least optimistic ending.

You fail both, so no, it's not a romance novel.

It sounds like women's fiction to me.

They could still have a happy or at least optimistic ending that isn't them in a relationship.

But, yeah, I'm not sure this is a romance novel unless there's romantic feelings on both halves. Unless this guy is like, super romantic and she still likes the romance even if she doesn't like him? But that's pushing it. Maybe put it in some other genre :p

Edit: does sound really interesting though
 

Pony.

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Think '10 Things I hate About You' and 'He's Just Not That In To You'. As long as your MC ends up with someone or there is at least a romance 'win' for someone, I would think you'd be ok.
 

Viridian

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(2) The couple must have a happy or at least optimistic ending.
They could still have a happy or at least optimistic ending that isn't them in a relationship.
I think we've veered off-course, here.

The couple can't have a happy ending if there is no couple. "Couple" implies there is an ongoing relationship.

A novel can have a happy ending either way, but a romance novel needs to end with the main couple intact.
 
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LJD

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Not a romance. Could be women's fiction.
 

ElaineA

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]she's actually sickened by the idea of being in a relationship.

This right here oughta tell you this isn't a romance. You can't have one truly reluctant party at the end of the book, much less one sickened by the thought of a relationship. It doesn't feel that WF-y to me either. (WF strikes me as more serious and dealing with deeper issues, but that could just be me.) If it's got a comedy element it might be Chick Lit, but that's a genre that's faded a lot recently, so I'm not sure you want to tie yourself to that. You could try a few with just Commercial fiction, send them to agents who rep WF/chick lit and see what kind of feedback you get. If you start slow, you can make adjustments to refine your query process.
 

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Doesn't sound like a romance to me. To me, romance implies love between two people. If your MC had ended up falling in love with this guy at the end, then it could be a romance. As it is now, it seems more like Chick-Lit.
 

Latina Bunny

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Like everyone said above, this doesn't sound like a genre-Romance story. If I was reading a book that had that plot, and it was (mis)-labelled or marketed / advertised as Romance genre, I would be quite upset.

A Romance-genre novel needs to focus on the, well, Romance, lol. The Romantic relationship is the focus, which is why that genre is called Romance. Also, Romance genre stories also have to have a Happily Ever After or Happy For Now ending for the main couple that the story's about.

Your plot sounds better suited for Women's Fiction or General Fiction. Women's Fiction revolves around a woman's life experiences, and doesn't require a romance, nor a Happily Ever After ending for the romance part. (I don't know much about Chick-Lit, or if it's still an existing genre...)
 
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CryingKatie

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Would it be commercial fiction? Is it okay to write "commercial fiction" as a genre in the query letter? Wouldn't the agent be thinking, "yeah, but what kind of commercial fiction? Mystery? Romance?"
 

Kylabelle

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Would it be commercial fiction? Is it okay to write "commercial fiction" as a genre in the query letter? Wouldn't the agent be thinking, "yeah, but what kind of commercial fiction? Mystery? Romance?"

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about that until you've written the novel. That's job one. Then you decide how to query it.
 

Latina Bunny

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If it's set in present day (not futuristic or in the past), then contemporary could be a good fit.

Also, other choices could be: Women's Fiction or Chick Lit (if that label still exists).

Is it Literary style? A story can be Literary as well, if it fits whatever the definition of Literary is.

Write the story. It sounds like your novel would have no problem fitting in. (It sounds like a common enough story I see on the shelves.)

So, focus on getting it finished and written well enough to query and attract agents.

They could still have a happy or at least optimistic ending that isn't them in a relationship.

You could still have a happy ending, of course, but if they're not together at the end as an actual romantic couple, then it's not Romance genre. It would be another genre.
 
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Marian Perera

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If I was reading a book that had that plot, and it was (mis)-labelled or marketed / advertised as Romance genre, I would be quite upset.

I'd probably write a rant pointing out the book's problem and send that to Smart Bitches Trashy Books so other readers wouldn't be taken in.

Also, Romance genre stories also have to have a Happily Ever After or Happy For Now ending for the main couple that the story's about.

Exactly.

Not "the main couple split up, but she's happy working on an oil rig in the Persian Gulf while he's happy because he met another woman back home in New York."

Not "the main couple never get together, but a secondary couple ends up happy."

Romance requires the main couple to have a happy ending that involves them in a relationship with each other. Take that away and it's not a romance.
 

veinglory

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Definitely not a romance, but also the kind of book I would be interested in reading if i saw it on the shelf somewhere. Probably simply mainstream fiction.
 

Twick

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By definition, a romance is about people falling in love. I'm not sure why you think this would be classed as such.

As others have said, there are other categories that would fit. This might go into ChickLit, if it's funny and satirical, or Women's Fiction/Mainstream Fiction if it's not. But calling this a romance is like saying, "My dessert has no apples in it. Should it be sold as Apple Pie?"
 
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Sonsofthepharaohs

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By definition, a romance is about people falling in love. I'm not sure why you think this would be classed as such.
[...] calling this a romance is like saying, "My dessert has no apples in it. Should it be sold as Apple Pie?"

Yeah, and there's no toad in my toad in the hole!

Yeah seriously, not a romance. I'd pitch it as contemporary fiction or women's fiction.
 

stephsco

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Like everyone said above, this doesn't sound like a genre-Romance story. If I was reading a book that had that plot, and it was (mis)-labelled or marketed / advertised as Romance genre, I would be quite upset.

That's something I've learned since I joined Romance Writers. People who read romance WANT that happy ending. Hell hath no fury like a romance reader scorned by a mis-marketed romance book with a not-happy ending! All of those tropes essentially can work in a romance, but the character who hates relationships would ultimately need to change, or at least be happy with this ONE relationship for a hopeful end. It's like a reverse Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. I agree, go women's fic or commercial literary.
 

gingerwoman

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Definitely not a romance, but also the kind of book I would be interested in reading if i saw it on the shelf somewhere. Probably simply mainstream fiction.

Yeah unless the tone is very chick lit which I'm doubting here, it's just mainstream fiction. It's definitely not romance, and probably not women's fiction, unless she learning some deep lesson. Is it comedy? It sounds like it might be a comedy.

Women's Fiction as a genre tends to be more serious, and deep and meaningful woman's journey type book than this sounds.

It could be Chick Lit if it has a really Chick Lit tone, is snarky and funny. But Chick Lit very often has some type of romance as a lesser sub plot. I don't know that it's a strict requirement though. You should end with them having a really solid friendship in my opinion.
 
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Cathy C

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Would it be commercial fiction? Is it okay to write "commercial fiction" as a genre in the query letter? Wouldn't the agent be thinking, "yeah, but what kind of commercial fiction? Mystery? Romance?"

"Commercial" = "Not Genre". Romance is genre fiction. Commercial also = General Fiction and also = Mainstream Fiction. So yeah, you could say general or commercial. I've noticed that several of the plots you've mentioned in various threads would fit in general fiction. That's perfectly okay. You don't have to try to fit your books into a genre. Just write and consider that what you write will appeal to a wide audience. And if an agent or publisher decides that one particular plot would find a better home in some genre or other, it's all good. :)
 

T.Edgerton

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When I read the title of this thread, I thought: A character might not fall in love in a romance novel if they were already in love at the beginning of the book. (Which happens.)

But as others have said, if there is no romance it's not a romance novel. That would be like a mystery novel without any mystery to be solved.
 

edutton

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Sounds to me like your heroine could be classified as Aromantic. There's a whole bunch of people who would love to have a thoughtfully crafted book starring one of their own, if you feel like doing some research!

Edited to add: Also, you might want to look around on the QUILTBAG forum, you might get some better guidance there.
 
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gambit924

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Well, I figure sometimes, just being together and having a good relationship, being happy, is fine. She doesn't necessarily have to "be in love". Being together is sometimes just as good. I mean, look at arranged marriages that work out just fine.
 
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