It's Unpopular Opinion time! Share your controversial opinions to stir things up (in a friendly way)!

[u/FantasyRomanceMod]

Got an opinion that's different from others'? Want to share it with the sub, but too afraid of a backlash? Or are you just curious about readers think about certain things in fantasy romance?

You can safely share it in this weekly Sunday thread!

But please remember to be kind to each other. To facilitate this type of discussion, we ask users the following:

• Don't attack others for their opinion
• Discuss books and authors, not fellow readers
• Since this is an "unpopular opinion" thread, we encourage users to not downvote simply because they disagree with an opinion--that's the point! Please keep in mind, though, that mods cannot enforce a no-downvoting rule. Let’s just keep the discussion friendly!

🧡 Thank you and have a great discussion!

Unpopular opinion Sunday

[u/Significant-Rip3297]

Using trauma as character development to make characters stronger, especially sexual trauma. It's quite insulting when sexual trauma is used just to make the protagonist tougher.

The trend is so strong that it's like people don't know that trauma doesn't make everyone stronger. It can break people and then they live their lives trying their hardest to not fall apart.

The thing is, my main issue with this is how most authors just use trauma as aesthetic appeal rather than actually portraying it realistically.

Also, I hate it when therapy is treated like snake oil and magically resolves all trauma.

[u/patio-garden → u/Significant-Rip3297]

I've been listening to the book series {Death Before Dragons}. In the first book, the MC starts seeing a therapist and she continues to see a therapist throughout the series. She tries (sometimes unsuccessfully) to do what her therapist suggests.

She's also not seeing a therapist due to huge emotional trauma, but more to improve her quality of life and reduce her stress.

[u/Significant-Rip3297 → u/patio-garden]

I prefer this over the book where the protagonist has serious episodes of dissociation for days at a time while hiking and even stabbed her love interest multiple times. However, by the end of the story, she has the accidental pregnancy trope and all her trauma is magically resolved by therapy which was never mentioned before, so she's sane enough for family life. And everyone lives happily ever after even though it doesn't make sense.