The Romance Genres discuss age gap #booktube

[ChildrenOfTheDarkness]

"I call it the Sarah J Maas rule"

*Excuse me while i go die on the floor!!! 🤣🤣🤣

[EllaHanson-ko]

That’s what I love about The Cruel Prince. “Here’s your wise old fey, he’s 19 and dumb as shit.”

[evelynisland]

For a historical romance she’s right 9 years is nothing

[TheOtakuKat]

Contemporary Romance: "What about the age gap?"

Other romance genres: "What age gap?"

[ZwarteKonijn]

I think the worst part that it's so often an agegap with one of them being either a teenager, or barely out of their teen years.
Like if one of them is 30, or 45, and the other is in their 100+, they're both adults. Still an age gap with things that can cause problems, but less creepy then an 120 years old (or for the same manner, a 30 year old) someone with a 17-18 year old.

[Lilwitchyreads]

As a teenager (cough twilight) it didn’t bother me at all. But now I just can’t get fully into any romantic plot with a young girl and a love interest. Like, don’t you think Rhysand would be like “your generation and their music and politics. Why I oughta!” 😂

[goeldicotton]

Please just make the younger party an adult that’s all I ask TwT

[Apledore]

At 33, I married a 42 year old, so the modern day concerns about 9 years cracked me up. We were both professionals, homeowners, well established in our adult lives. It has struck me a few times, though, that if we had met when I was 16 and he was 25, I would probably seen him in a different light! (Incidentally, we're 7.5 years in, now, going strong!)

[banannakis]

Age gaps don't bother me as much when they are both adults. (Doesn't matter if someone has been an adult for hundreds of years. They're adults.) But wide age gaps, like fifteen-plus, even when they're adults do somewhat. The experiences are different, the mindset is different, the needs and wants are different, how they see the world.

[kathyhenry]

To be fair my grandparents had an 11 year age gap. Married when my Grandma was 23 and Grandpa 34. Married after a year of knowing each other. I think age gaps matter more if the younger is dangerously close to fresh out of being a minor when the relationship starts.

[Goshdarnet]

My parents were nine years apart and were happily married until my father died at the young age of 54. And my husband and I are 8 years apart. I didn't realize I was living in a historical romance novel!

[Here.To.Watch.Chaos.]

My parents: that’s an age gap?! We’re eleven years apart!

[kotlcbooknerd]

The Sara J Maas rule is accurate Rhys and Rowan are both old as dirt

[assussinanimeobssessive]

The Sarah J. Maas rule is so real. Rhys and Rowan are ANCIENT at this point

[TheMidnightstar]

Oh sarah j maas. My thoughts immediately went to anime. Ya know "she looks 7 but shes actually 3000 so its k". Its literally one of the worst things about loving anime. I have absolutely no defense nor do i wish to find one.

[lulolie]

The way you get away with it is by having them be a different species. Elves, dragons, demons, dwarves, all ya gotta do is mention their aging is slowed and you're gucci


Edit: unfortunate that I have to add this but like others have said, also make the human/younger an adult. 15 and 500 don't match even with slowed agung imo

[Odyssey]

If they’re both adults it doesn’t bother me, but 16/17/even 18 for some age gaps really bothers me (and I am 18). Tho tbh twilight doesn’t bother me so much because the vampires are frozen at the development/maturity they were turned at (ergo the immortal children)

[SCP-]

Did not expect a shot at Sarah J Maas but I’m here for it

[theredcenturion]

Considering that Paranormal and Fantasy have beings that can live for millenia(Vampires or Elves) this makes sense. That being said I'm not a big fan of romance novels, I just prefer the romance to be a side effect of the plot.

[Joel--yrme]

I remember I had a conversation with someone about age gaps in stories, and he said that what makes an age gap messed up is the difference in knowledge. Like an 18-year-old in comparison to a 40-year-old, the 18-year-old is incredibly naive and innocent, and isn't able to judge their relationships or have awareness in the same way a 40-year-old is, setting up an unequal power imbalance. As long as one isn't clearly older, wiser, more experienced, more controlling, while the other is innocent, naive, and younger; that feels almost predatory. But if the author makes an older character (like hundreds or thousands of years older), but sets them up as an equal to the more human-aged character in what they know and their maturity level, I don't tend to have issues with it.
Just an opinion.