It’s February, and once again I’ve found myself wondering why my book boyfriend is setting the bar so high. He remembers important details. He communicates. He says exactly the right thing at exactly the right time. He shows up during emotional moments and never “forgets to text back.”
Meanwhile, my real-life boyfriend just asked me if I was “almost done reading.”
Is it unreasonable to expect real people to compete with fictional characters written specifically to be charming, emotionally available, and deeply devoted?
Sincerely,
Emotionally Invested in Chapter 27
Dear Emotionally Invested,
Ah yes—the classic dilemma. Book boyfriends are crafted with care, perfected over hundreds of pages, and designed to meet us exactly where we are. Real boyfriends, on the other hand, are wonderful… but occasionally forget birthdays and don’t always deliver sweeping monologues on rainy nights.
The good news? There’s room for both. Real love has its own magic, and book love is always there when you need comfort, drama, or someone who just gets it. When one falls short, the other is happy to step in—no apologies required.
So this February, embrace the balance. And whenever you find yourself in need of a new book boyfriend, a fresh romance, or just that feeling of falling in love all over again, the library doors are always open.
Here’s to happily-ever-afters—on the page and beyond,
Dear Bookworm