Gone are the days when romance novels were hidden under the mattress or read with a sense of shame. In a remarkable cultural shift, the genre once dismissed as a 'guilty pleasure' is now enjoying unprecedented popularity and critical respect across Australia.
A Personal Journey from Skeptic to Superfan
Author Leesa Ronald admits she once bought into the outdated notion that romance novels were for 'lesser readers.' Despite adoring the film adaptation of 10 Things I Hate About You, she held an internal bias against the books, a sentiment she now attributes to cultural conditioning. Her conversion happened almost by accident during a family holiday in early 2020.
When her brother borrowed her Kindle, Ronald was forced to scour a hotel bookswap shelf. There, she found Mhairi McFarlane's You Had Me At Hello. Expecting to endure it, she was instead captivated by the sharp, funny, and real writing within just four pages. This discovery led her to devour McFarlane's entire backlist and, soon after, the works of authors like Emily Henry as the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The Lockdown Boom and Social Media Revolution
Ronald was far from alone in finding solace and connection in romantic stories during a period of global isolation. As the world yearned for comfort and happy endings, online book communities on platforms like TikTok and Instagram exploded. Content creators, or 'BookTokkers,' began sharing recommendations with infectious enthusiasm, systematically dismantling the old stigma.
The conversation became open and celebratory. Tropes like 'enemies to lovers' or 'only one bed' are now marketed as selling points, not criticised as clichés. Readers openly discuss 'spice' ratings without shame, and viral reviews cheerfully demand, 'You have to read this too!' This digital word-of-mouth has proven to be a powerful engine for the industry's growth.
By the Numbers: A Publishing Phenomenon
The data confirms this is more than a passing trend. According to Nielsen BookScan Australia, 3 million romance books, valued at $46.4 million, were sold in Australia in 2024 alone. Even more striking is the consistent growth trajectory: romance sales in the country have grown by an average of 49 per cent over the past three years. This surge is occurring against a broader backdrop of declining reading rates, highlighting the genre's unique appeal.
The phenomenon is global. In 2026, thousands queued for the release of Rebecca Yaros's romantasy novel Onyx Storm, which sold a staggering 2.7 million copies worldwide in its first week. The market shows no signs of slowing down.
The Real Happy Ending: Reading Without Judgment
For Leesa Ronald, now a published rom-com author herself with Power Moves, the shift is both professionally and personally validating. She argues that modern romance offers far more than simple escapism; it delivers humour, tackles real-world issues, and features incisive, clever writing that demands to be reread.
The ultimate victory, she suggests, is the freedom to read widely and without guilt. The erosion of the 'guilty pleasure' label allows readers to enjoy everything from high-spice romances to literary prize-winners and outback noir, based purely on personal enjoyment. When readers can choose books without fear of judgement, that, Ronald concludes, is the real happy ending for Australian literature.
