Growing up as the only girl and youngest with two older brothers, I was desperate to gain access to their exclusive “boys only” club. As a kid, I swore up and down I hated Barbies and loved Transformers and Star Wars action figures, publicly denounced Hannah Montana at the dinner table, and pretended romance books would never hold a candle to the action greats (which at that age probably meant tossing aside Junie B. Jones for Percy Jackson). Now I’d honestly rather die than pretend to be interested in something for a man, but that instinct to hide or write off my more “feminine” interests as a guilty pleasure has embarrassingly lingered into adulthood, especially when it comes to reading romance novels.
After years of society telling women that romance books are nothing but fluff and lack real substance, it’s hard not to start believing it. But when I picked up Female Fantasy, I’d never had a book that spoke more directly to those exact plights of being a hopeless romantic, book-obsessed girl in the modern age. It’s a love letter to the romance genre (and what’s better for a romance reader than a love letter?) that I think absolutely every reader should add to their TBR ASAP. Here’s why.
Joonie has two great loves. Writing fanfic about her favorite fantasy romance series and swooning over its hero, Ryke, a broody, impossibly perfect merman. No real-life boyfriend has ever come close. But then Joonie discovers Ryke was inspired by a real man, and she’s determined to find him. Cue a whirlwind road trip, complete with her brother’s aggravatingly hot best friend at the wheel.
What is Female Fantasy about?
Female Fantasy follows Joonie, who spends her days writing fanfiction about her favorite romantasy series—and the rest of her time thinking about that same series, specifically the dreamy love interest, Ryke. She can’t help but compare every date in her real life to Ryke, and they just never seem to measure up to the perfect merman that he is. But when Joonie finds out that while Ryke was definitely written by a woman, he was actually based on a real-life man, she knows she has to track him down.
When she embarks on her adventure, she doesn’t expect to run into kidnappers, psychics, or her fellow fanfic writers, and she definitely doesn’t expect her brother’s hot best friend to come along for the ride. He thinks her obsession with happily-ever-afters is rooted in anything but reality, but when sparks fly, they’re both forced to question everything they thought they knew about love.
My review of Female Fantasy
If you aren’t walking through life as a fangirl first like I am, you might find the premise of this book a little out of the box, but the second I heard the synopsis, I was all in. In a world where every new show is about a gruesome murder and reading the news feels like cracking open a Freida McFadden thriller, diving into a campy book about romance and mermaids is the literary treat we all need. In Female Fantasy, romance tropes are dialed up to ten, side characters are so over the top they feel like caricatures, and at times Joonie could probably have a restraining order placed against her—and the book is even better for it. It makes your heart melt on one page and has you laughing out loud on the next.
“Female Fantasy is the kind of book I wish I had when I was growing up, when I was plagued by the pressures of appearing “deep” and “intellectual” to my peers while binge-reading Wattpad One Direction fanfiction at night.”
Iman Hariri-Kia writes everything we love about romance, satirizing exactly what others might criticize as why the genre is “less than,” and proves that those things are what make it special. We’re constantly told that romance books set unrealistic expectations or that with your nose in a book, reading about fictional romance, you’ll never find any in your own life—but Joonie shows just how fawning over a fictional character can help you figure out what you actually desire in a relationship. She shows how fantasy books can teach you a thing or two about self-defense, and how believing in an epic love story, and craving that in your own life beyond the pages, isn’t something to scoff at. When it’s too intimidating for her to open up to those around her or they’re busy with their own lives, the reassuring pages of romance novels remind her that love is out there and she deserves it.
Every word of this book shows how much Hariri-Kia cares about romance books and romance readers. She isn’t pandering or merely writing a romance book; she’s writing the romance book for the romance girlies. She’s able to write such interesting commentary about the genre because, as a true fan herself, she understands exactly who her reader is. Reading it, you not only feel connected to Joonie but also to the author and her voice, because you can tell she just gets it.
Honestly, the commentary on romance alone would be enough for me to give it a rave review, but we also get an absolutely adorable brother’s-best-friend trope that had me swooning. Without spoiling too much, there are years of history, a slow burn that will keep you glued to the page, and a happily-ever-after payoff worth the wait. Not to mention, I loved the unique “book within a book” structure, as we read excerpts of the mermaid fantasy Joonie is obsessed with. It added context, gave us a break in the tension right when the reader needed it, and amped up the anticipation.
Should you read Female Fantasy?
Female Fantasy is the kind of book I wish I had when I was growing up, when I was plagued by the pressures of appearing “deep” and “intellectual” to my peers while binge-reading Wattpad One Direction fanfiction at night. I’m sure my stance is clear by now, but if you love romance books, you need to read it. It’s a hilarious, satirical read that still manages to tug on your heartstrings and voice your deepest insecurities. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that felt like pure fun, and Female Fantasy is just that. The second I finished it, I was texting every single one of my friends to pre-order it because I’m completely obsessed—and now that it’s out, I’m telling all of you to run to your nearest library or bookstore to experience the magic for yourself.
Lauren Blue, Assistant Editor
As an Assistant Editor for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content for every facet of our readers’ lives. Her articles span the topics of must-read books, movies, home tours, travel itineraries—and everything in between. When she isn’t testing the latest TikTok trend, she can be found scouring Goodreads for new releases to feature on the site.
