The entire time I read I Love RomComs & I am a Feminist by Corrina Antrobus I was convinced this was a joke itself. When I finished, I reread the introduction and realized just how much I misunderstood the content of this book from the start.

It seems silly to me to review the work of a professional critic. I’m a blogger that only read this book. I have not put in the hours Corrina put into watching these romcom movies, writing and now publishing this book on said movies. I hate to put a rating on it. I don’t wish to persuade anyone to think one way or the other. This is worth being read by anyone who loves romcoms and desires to understand their influence.

I find myself contemplating the contents of this book and my own thoughts challenged. I admire the dedication that went into compiling these 100 essays on each of the 100 romcoms. That takes heart. And it shows in this book.

I HATE this for picking apart the bits and pieces of romcoms. I kept thinking “no, you missed the point.”

It might have been me that missed the point, until I understood (I think?).

Romcoms have existed for years and each reflects societal views on “femininity” in that time period. We walk through the history of romcoms and their influence on feminism from Corrina’s critical point of view.

The book is witty, reflective and brutually honest. This isn’t meant to give the “feel good” feeling romcoms often give us with their happy endings. Although, I guess it did for some? Maybe I still missed the point. Or rather, we are meant to contemplate the statement(s) these films make and consider the way they apply to society today. To experience hope for a future of more inclusive entertainment.

It takes a romcom lover through a brutual journey to get there. Maybe just this one.

I admire the writing, the structure, the dedication. I hate some of the knocks on classic romcom movies. That might just be me.

More important, I commend the perspective that romcoms need to continue evolving “with a more roomy heart.”

Thank you NetGalley and White Lion Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review will post on my blog, dandelionlit.wordpress.com, August 27 at 12am for Release Day.

I really enjoyed reading this book as it felt like taking a journey back in time. It was so interesting to see how cinema has evolved over the years, especially in terms of women gaining more visibility and being able to share their stories and important issues with the audience. It's great to see women from all over the world feeling represented on screen.

The primary list features 100 movies, accompanied by stunning illustrations - some of which were quite amusing. While reading, I started a private list on letterboxd to keep track of the ones I've seen. Out of 281 titles, I've watched 83. I've set a goal for myself to catch up on the ones I missed. Some were familiar to me, while others were completely new. I can't wait to watch them all!

I believe the author did a great job bringing a wide range of films with important themes. I’m giving it 4 stars because some of my personal favorites were missing, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to White Lion Publishing for the ARC!

This is such a great primer to feminist theory and film criticism through the lens of romantic comedies! From an educator perspective, the short essays can serve as powerful model texts for students to practice rhetoric and critique. I could also see this as a good starting place or reference text for teachers who are putting together a film class. With one page for each analysis, the writer doesn't have a lot of space to go deep into their feminist analysis of each film, but she is able to present the big ideas in such a way that the reader can run with it when they watch the film. I love that the end of each entry also includes related films to explore as well. This book has given me SO many movies to add to my watch list, or to rewatch now that I've learned more!

tragically, despite the excellent book design, i disagreed with many of the takes in this book. as a romcom aficionado myself, i guess i'm just very particular with my romcom commentary

▪️B O O K R E V I E W▪️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 - "I Love Romcoms and I am a Feminist" by @c_bus (with illustrations by @vulgadrawings)

"𝘛𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘤𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴?"



I love romcoms.

So this was a super quick read of romcoms through the ages - starting in the early black and white movie days!

It talks a lot about how different romcoms did different things throughout history for women and feminists.

It also includes some super amazing illustrations for each of the movies and other movies similar to the one being talked about!

This was definitely a super fun read - thank you so much to @whitelionpublishing and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!

I LOVE ROMCOMS AND I AM A FEMINIST comes out on 8/27/2024! 😍
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #corrinaantrobus #iloveromcomsandiamafeminist #whatsnikkireading #book53of2024 #nonfiction #artsandphotography #historyofromcoms #vulgadrawings #whitelionpublishing #netgalley #advancedreadercopy

I learnt two main things from this book. 1. That although I have seen a lot of films there are still more to discover, and 2. I stopped watching films about the time I had a child. So much for feminism! I like the way the book is written. It made me think about some of the films in ways I hadn’t before. I will be using this list to make sure I see the rest mentioned in the book.

Fantastic read, I love this so much, it was both a great trip down memory lane of films I habe loved and in some cases now ned to watch, but also made me think and also look at these films in a different way, one I found myself nodding along to and agreeing so much. A really refreshing and insightful look into romcoms and how they do and did help the feminist movement, as well as being able to say proudly I love romcoms and iam a feminist

As a thorough RomCom enthusiast I absolutely loved this read! A perfect book to keep on your coffee table! The Illustrations are also such a fun touch, overall I love this and would 100% recommend to others!

This is such a fun way to validate a love for romantic comedies! It also serves as a great little intro to film history. Including some surprisingly recent movies, I loved that way that Corrina was able to identify the most positive themes to come about through the films.

After yet another evening of scrolling through Netflix, Hulu, Max, etc. just to settle back into re-watching Derry Girls (again) I came across this book on NetGalley. I feel the need to preface my review with a disclaimer- I typically do not read nonfiction of any type. I have probably 8 half-read on my shelf as I write this. I Love Romcoms and I am a Feminist was so engaging I finished it over three settings. The formatting, the funky art, the author’s voice, the recommendations- amazing, no notes. I went into this one with the hopes that I would find a movie or two I might want to watch and I left feeling so empowered as a woman who unapologetically loves romcoms. The book starts out with movies from the 1920’s and takes us all the way to 2023 with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Each page follows the same format with the opening “the romcom that…” for example, “reminded women that 30 is still young” followed by a page long synopsis of the movie and what it did for women/feminism as a whole. I will admit I skipped parts of some of the pages to avoid spoilers for movies I knew I wanted to watch. I loved that each page also had 2-3 recommendations for movies that ‘did’ something similar. I will definitely be purchasing a copy of this book on release day for the colorful art alone but it will be nice to have a reference for movie nights moving forward, too.

The book that made me rediscover my enjoyment for romcoms.

Highlighting the feminist messages in romcoms starting in the early 1900s up until last year, this book is a must-have for anyone who has ever dared to refuse the statement that romcoms are just fluff and “happily ever after.”

If you know someone who enjoys romcoms—congratulations, you have found your next gift. Not only does it celebrate romcoms, but it also includes beautiful illustrations, recommendations for similar movies, and spot-on homages to women in the film industry. Plus points for the diversity.

It’s quite possible I will go on a romcom binge for the rest of the summer with all the recommendations received from this book.

I found myself flying through the pages, reminding myself to slow down because I did not want it to finish.

Thank you to White Lion Publishing for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

this book features a lot of discussion around intersectionality, so as a cis white woman, I am not the ideal reviewer, but I did really enjoy it. the aesthetic is super fun and cute, and the content makes this probably one of my favorite film books I've ever read! I was also very gratified that many of my favorite rom coms made it into this book, and I'm excited to check out the ones I haven't seen.

From gentlemen prefer blondes, to when Harry met Sally, to silver linings playbook, to Magic Mike & Barbie. This book has covered it all. For a movie buff like me it was brilliant to learn more about the underlying feminist themes in many of my favourite movies. This book focuses on the positive impact these movies have - specifically around female sexual empowerment. “I’ll have what she’s having” - a quote that is culturally as significant now as it was then.

Corrina Antrobus is a force to be reckoned with. Her fantastic knack of film critique coupled with a variety of movies that transformed the female identity is a winning combination. This book is witty, clever and fast paced - alongside its BEAUTIFUL illustrations which made it very easy to zoom through in an evening.

Thank you as always NetGalley, Corrina Antrobus & Quarto Publishing Group for the advanced copy ☺️

As a romcom lover, this book is amazing. I want to buy the physical copy for my new apartment at some point. Some of my favorite romcoms were featured in here, like Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate about You, Notting Hill (my personal favorite), Miss Congeniality, and so much more. I loved the images and how much the author focused on the positive impacts these movies had on sexual empowerment. Romcoms are more than "chick flicks". They changed the way people viewed their own sexuality, despite gender. This book is important and I am so happy I found it!

Thank you Corrina Antrobus, NetGalley, and Quarto Publishing Group for an early copy of this book! These opinions are my own.

Such a cute book! I was drawn in by the cover and the book did not disappoint. The drawings were very cute and I loved that it included recommendations for other rom-coms. I read this digitally and can't wait to get a physical copy. Definitely a book I will want to keep out for guests to look over! I also think it did a great job at including a diverse set of romcoms from ones that focus on black love to queer relationships!

As a romcom-loving feminist, I was excited to read this book and I wasn’t disappointed. Love the variety of films chosen and the illustrations are great too. I’m going to curate a feminist romcom film festival for myself with this book to hand.

I loved this book far more than I expected to. I expected that I would like it, it would give me Mindy Kaling vibes maybe, and that would be it, but this is definitely a book that I would both proudly display and give as a gift to the feminists/film buffs in my life.

The book is essentially a series of short essays about 100 different films - most fall neatly into the “romcom” heading, while others are more… adjacent, but no matter. I like a number of romcoms, and my absolute favorites are some of the ones that graced these pages, but I would not say I am a devotee of the genre by any means, and I typically prefer a book over a movie. HOWEVER… I walked away with the realization that there are a lot of great movies out there that I haven’t even tried to see, and there are plenty I have never even heard of.

I really loved that even though many of these films will have elements that have not aged the best from an intersectional feminist lens in 2024, the author mentions those aspects but does not lose sight of the forest for the trees. Her essays are written with love, affection, and care for her subjects, and are not as critical as I would expect a review to be. I also loved her dedication to showing allllll the different stars and stories that make up the much more multifaceted genre - black, white, Asian, Bollywood, lesbian, trans, bi…?, fat, divorced, older, teen, Nia Vardolos, etc.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this ARC. I loved it - so rare for me to read a book that actually makes me want to… stop reading and fire up Netflix!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Very fun book!

This is a fun and cute book full of nostalgia and feminist empowerment. Very enjoyable for any millennial who grew up loving romcoms and now living and teaching non romcom ideals! Thank you so much for this ARC

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book.
What a lovely, colorful book. Beautiful to look at such a well informed text. A wonderful text for the movie-loving feminist. It takes the tropes of romcoms and flips them on their head to point out the positive messages for young viewers of the films.