(Photo by Drazen Zigic on Shutterstock)

Celebrity crushes, all-nighters, and secret fantasies revealed in new survey

NEW YORK — Move over, ladies. It turns out men are the real hopeless romantics when it comes to curling up with a steamy page-turner. In a plot twist worthy of a romance novel itself, a recent ThriftBooks survey reveals that men are out-reading women in the romance department, with 63 percent of male readers proudly waving their romance fan flag compared to 60 percent of women. And they’re not just casual dabblers — these guys are clocking an impressive 364 hours per year lost in romantic adventures, while women log 312 hours in their literary love affairs.

The survey, conducted by Talker Research, delves deep into the reading habits and preferences of romance enthusiasts. Questions explored everything from readers’ imagination patterns to their favorite celebrity fantasy partners, while also examining common misconceptions about the genre and preferred reading environments.

When it comes to visualizing the characters in their romance novels, readers show interesting patterns in their imagination. While 17 percent of married readers picture their spouses as the love interest, 21 percent admit to fantasizing about celebrity crushes. And in a twist that might raise some eyebrows at the dinner table, 7 percent are still carrying a torch for their exes (at least in their fictional fantasies).

Speaking of celebrity dreamboats, each generation has their own idea of the perfect romantic lead. Gen Z readers are crushing hard on Zendaya, with 39 percent picturing her as their female lead, while millennials and Gen X readers are still swooning over Angelina Jolie (26 percent). Baby boomers? They’re keeping it classic with Halle Berry (19 percent).

When it comes to male heartthrobs, Gen Z is falling for Timothée Chalamet’s charms (25 percent), while millennials (34 percent) and Gen X (26 percent) are still hot for Channing Tatum. Meanwhile, baby boomers are staying loyal to Brad Pitt (25 percent) – proving some crushes never go out of style.

Remember all those eye-rolls about romance novels being nothing but predictable fluff? Turns out the skeptics had it wrong. While 38 percent of readers initially dismissed the genre as a parade of happy endings, and 27 percent expected cookie-cutter plots, they were in for a surprise. These books aren’t just your grandmother’s chaste love stories anymore: 54 percent found themselves impressed by the quality writing, 46 percent were fanning themselves over the spicy scenes, and 37 percent got whiplash from the plot twists they never saw coming.

When it comes to favorite storylines, forbidden romance still makes hearts race at 45 percent, while friends-to-lovers (44 percent) and enemies-to-lovers (42 percent) round out the top three. On the flip side, readers are ready to ghost love triangles (23 percent), office romances (22 percent), and fake dating scenarios (21 percent).

As Barbara Hagen, vice president of marketing at ThriftBooks, points out, these aren’t just fictional fantasies: “The study found that romance tropes aren’t limited to books. Seventy-eight percent said a romance trope has happened in their real life. More than a few had love-at-first-sight encounters, with one respondent saying they married a man after knowing him for just five days.”

Want to know the secret recipe for the perfect reading session? Grab a cozy blanket (65 percent swear by it), your favorite snack (46 percent won’t read without one), and kick everyone out of the house (41 percent need that sweet solitude). While 44 percent prefer total silence for their literary liaisons, 17 percent set the mood with rainfall sounds, and 12 percent opt for white noise.

The average reading session might last 81 minutes, but don’t let that fool you. Incredibly, 85 percent of readers confess they’ll pull an all-nighter if the story has them hooked. And romance novels are the biggest sleep thieves, with 67 percent naming them as the most likely genre to keep them burning the midnight oil.

What makes readers swipe right on a romance novel? Good character development leads the pack (49 percent), while realistic dialogue and steamy scenes tie for second place (33 percent each). Most readers know by page 33 if it’s true love or time to move on, though Gen Z proves to be the most patient, willing to stick it out for 45 pages before calling it quits.

Each generation has their own way of finding their next book boyfriend (or girlfriend). Gen Z (58 percent), millennials (51 percent), and Gen X (46 percent) are all about that plot life, while baby boomers trust author recommendations (50 percent) to guide their literary love lives. The reading list spans from modern hits like “The Notebook,” “It Ends with Us,” and “Fifty Shades of Grey” to timeless classics like “Gone with the Wind,” “Pride and Prejudice,” and “Wuthering Heights.”

“It’s heartwarming to see that readers are still actively reading and recommending classic romance novels as well as contemporary ones,” says Hagen. “And while more than a few had misconceptions before getting into the genre, the study found that many readers found romance to be more nuanced than originally thought.”