Why Choose?: Romance For Those Who Want More

Thanks in part to BookTok, a little-known romance subgenre called "why choose" is gaining in mainstream popularity. "Why choose" romances star a protagonist who finds their happily ever after (HEA) with multiple suitors instead of just one. Most often the main character is a woman or nonbinary person. Many "why choose" novels are published independently or as eBooks only, but some titles are finding homes with traditional publishers.

Many fans of "why choose" enjoy this subgenre because it allows readers to explore a new and complicated relationship dynamic that they may find freeing. As polyamory becomes more socially acceptable, those in that relationship dynamic can see themselves represented in a positive and emotionally complex light in romance fiction. Expand your knowledge of the romance genre this Romance Awareness Month with these new and exciting titles.

A mental health counselor, Charlie, is struggling with burnout and rents an Airbnb in Ontario but arrives to find a couple and their daughter have double-booked. After a snowstorm forces the family to extend their stay, Charlie begins to develop feelings for the couple. Will Charlie find the family they've longed for in these Really Cute People?

In Katee Robert's latest Greek mythology retelling, Midnight Ruin, Eurydice has been dumped by her boyfriend Orpheus and goes on the rebound with her friend Charon. When Eurydice gives Orpheus a second chance, he and Charon will have to work out their dislike of one another or lose Eurydice. 

Mason Ertz-Scott is hesitant to enter a relationship with married Diego, but as sparks fly between the two, he begins picturing his happily ever after. Diego's wife Claris is supportive of Mason and Diego's budding romance from a distance in Kris Ripper's The Life Revamp.

A winter storm helps nudge this throuple along in T.J. Alexander's Triple Sec. Bartender Mel is convinced there's no such thing as love until happily married Bebe walks into her New York city bar. When sparks begin to fly between Mel, Bebe, and Kade, love seems more real and within reach than Mel ever imagined.