Outgrowing Genres | Book Discussion

Hello, book lovers! 💕

I didn’t know it was possible to outgrow a genre until recently. I always thought that anyone could read any genre. I mean that’s still true, but I thought I wouldn’t have to one day transition to solely reading adult fiction. Not that that’s what I’m doing now; I’m still reading YA fiction for the most part, but lately I’ve kind of been feeling like I’ve outgrown YA romance.

I know that since I’m no longer in high school or 16 years old (it’s been quite a while since I was), it’d be natural for me to be outgrowing certain genres; while it’s bittersweet, it’s also opening me up to some new genres. I’m able to read a more wide variety of books that I didn’t think I’d fully appreciate or relate with until now.

But honestly, I’m kind of sad that I’m not enjoying YA romances that much anymore. I mean, that’s been my go-to genre for years. Whenever I felt myself going into a reading slump, I’d pick up a YA romance/contemporary, and I’d pretty much be out of the slump by the end of reading the book. But I have. I’ve outgrown a majority of YA romances, or at least I’ve gotten tired of certain authors and certain tropes that I read about mainly in that genre.

I feel like I’m rambling, and maybe I am. But my brain is a jumbled mess right now with how I’m supposed to feel about outgrowing a genre I have loved for so long. Maybe I haven’t fully outgrown it. I kind of feel like there are certain authors in the genre that I will never grow tired of reading books by, but at the same time, I might be less tempted to pick up books by new authors in that genre.

I think it stems from the fact that I recently read a couple of books by Kasie West that I wasn’t a big fan of. And in the past, I had no issues with her books. But that was because I was younger and could relate more to the characters. It made me think about the fact that I haven’t really been reaching for many YA romance/contemporary books lately. And the ones that I do reach for are ones that I’ve already read and know I love. I also feel like the ones that I’ve been reading and loving have more diverse characters. The stories don’t feel stale or overdone. And that’s a major component to whether or not I enjoy a story.

I hope that I’ve made some semblance of sense in this post. At the very least, I think I’m starting to understand my feelings when it comes to outgrowing a genre.

So there you have it. Have any of you guys felt this way where you outgrew a genre? If so, how’d you deal with it? I’d love to discuss this in the comments below!

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