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Is Your Relationship With Your ‘Book Boyfriend’ Going Too Far? Here’s How to Tell.

Falling for fictional characters is perfectly normal, but a therapist explains when your attachment might be going too far.

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As both an author and a bookworm, I fall in love with fictional characters practically every week. I mean, why would I create a love interest that I, myself—or my readers—wouldn’t fall head-over-heels for in the real world?

Many of my reader friends have also gushed about their own “book boyfriends,” aka the male characters in their favorite romance novels. While this lighthearted term and parasocial dynamic is completely natural—how many of us adore attractive celebrities and charming characters in RomComs?—it can turn problematic for some people. 

For example, if you’re obsessively comparing every man you meet to your book boyfriend, unable to form a romantic connection in real life, you might be placing too much importance on this fictional character. (Don’t worry, as a writer and reader with OCD, I’ve been there.)

What Is a ‘Book Boyfriend’?

A book........

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