A lot of times, people talk about the “empty nest” as something deeply sad. Well, Courtenay Rudzinski is here to reassure you: actually, it’s incredible.

“Recently, I ran into an old girlfriend I hadn’t seen in a while at a wedding. Her youngest son had just left for college, and she tearfully told me how quiet her house was,” she writes. “And all I could think was: ‘Oh, you dear sweet flaxen-haired newb. You have no idea the glory that awaits you.’” And she’s gonna tell us all about it. It’s profoundly reassuring on several levels!

Kelly Faircloth, Executive Editor

“Romance novels come in all different shapes and sizes,” writes Emily Weaver today. “There are small-town love stories and big-city meet-cutes. They can be told through different POVs or unfold over the course of the ‘then and now.’ Love stories can take place in the past, future, or present, and center around queer relationships and BIPOC characters…. All of this to say, the romance genre is so vast that sometimes choosing which book you should (or shouldn’t) read next based on a specific romance trope can be your best option.” And she’s got some ideas for where to start!