WHO MILLENNIALS IMAGINE WHEN READING ROMANCE NOVELS COMPARED TO GEN Z

Newsweek Exclusive Feature

A new study has revealed which celebrities millennial and Gen Z readers secretly picture when reading romance novels.

A study has found there is a surprising difference in the famous faces millennial and Gen Z readers picture when reading romance novels.

The Talker Research survey, commissioned by ThriftBooks, interviewed 2,000 American adults who read at least three to four romance novels per year. It found that when millennials open a romance novel, many picture the chiseled features of Channing Tatum or the captivating charm of Angelina Jolie. Meanwhile, Gen Z readers reported envisioning Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya as their literary love interests—signaling their interest in more recent waves of celebrity.

The study shed light on how different generations interpret romance, revealing key shifts in cultural preferences. Millennial readers, for instance, often imagine real-world celebrities as their ideal romantic protagonists, with choices varying greatly by generation.

For Gen Z, Zendaya was discovered to be the most popular female love interest, with 39 percent of respondents sharing that they picture her while reading swoon-worthy novels. Chalamet, best known for Dune and Wonka, topped their list of male characters, with 25 percent of respondents favoring him.

Millennials, on the other hand, favored Jolie and Tatum, reflecting preferences rooted in pop culture icons of their formative years. The top celebrity to visualize while reading for baby boomers, who were born between 1946 and 1964, turned out to be Brad Pitt.

"Our crushes inform a lot about what we find attractive," Kristin Trame, a sex and intimacy expert, told Newsweek. "If you found a particular celebrity attractive, you may use the features you are drawn to in that celebrity to visualize a character in a romantic novel or when you are fantasizing.

"We are often given a lot of direction via mass media in terms of what is attractive and what is desired, so it only makes sense that we would bring these standards and features into our fantasy lives."

The intimacy expert also said that the unattainable allure of celebrities makes them more attractive to their fans, and thus more appealing material for a fantasy or visualization.

The research highlighted a significant, yet often overlooked, demographic insight: men are more devoted romance readers than women.

Sixty-three percent of male respondents identified as "die-hard romance fans," compared to 60 percent of women.

Not only are men more likely to be passionate about the genre, but they also spend more time indulging in it—an average of 364 hours per year compared to women's 312 hours.

Barbara Hagen, vice president of marketing at ThriftBooks, expressed surprise at the depth of men's involvement in the genre.

"The study found that romance tropes are not limited to books," Hagen said in a statement. "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."

The study also explored how readers set the mood for a good book.

Forbidden romance, friends-to-lovers, and enemies-to-lovers emerged as the most popular plot lines, while love triangles and office romances were the least favored. While the ideal setting for reading was found to include a cozy blanket and a snack, 44 percent of respondents admitted they prefer complete silence when reading.

The study learned that misconceptions about romance novels still persist, even among avid readers. Before fully diving into the genre, many believed the books were formulaic or always ended happily.

But after exploring the genre, 54 percent were pleasantly surprised to find that many romance novels are well-written, 46 percent surprised by the inclusion of "spicy" content, and 37 percent appreciated unexpected plot twists.

Hagen emphasized how the study showed romance's literary diversity.

"It is heartwarming to see that readers are still actively reading and recommending classic romance novels as well as contemporary ones," she said, citing popular modern picks like The Notebook and It Ends with Us alongside classics like Pride and Prejudice and Gone with the Wind.

The study also examined how long readers are willing to commit to a book before giving up on it. On average, readers need only 33 pages to determine whether a book holds their attention.

Gen Z proved to be more patient than their older counterparts, reading up to 45 pages before making their decision. When seeking recommendations, younger generations showed a tendency to prioritize plot-driven suggestions, while baby boomers preferred to follow recommendations based on authors.

As romance novels continue to dominate late-night reading sessions—67 percent of readers reported staying up all night to finish compelling stories—the survey suggests that romance literature's appeal transcends generations.

The way readers interpret romance on the page may vary, but the desire for complex characters and emotional depth remains universal.

As Hagen put it: "Many readers found romance to be more nuanced than originally thought, making it a genre capable of constantly surprising its audience."

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