Welcome to the dark side: My K-drama addiction

I’m not the first romance author to write about their love of K-dramas and won’t be the last, but this is my space so I'm going to fill it with lots of K-drama love!

I was first introduced to K-dramas (South Korean TV dramas) at a virtual conference run by Contemporary Romance Writers (CRW) in 2022, at which author Priscilla Oliveras presented a workshop called K-dramas and Romancelandia Reader Expectations. I have to confess that, while her workshop inspired me to give them a try and I added a few of her recommendations to my Netflix list, it was another full year before I actually watched my first K-drama.

The drama I’d heard recommended the most was Crash Landing on You, but I usually prefer light RomComs that don’t get too serious and this show’s subject matter felt a little dark (A South Korean heiress has a paragliding accident and is blown across the border into North Korea where she is found by a North Korean soldier.) But late one night, browsing Netflix for something to distract me from thinking about my aunt (who was also my godmother) who was slowly dying of cancer, I saw this on my list and it seemed to fit my mood.

I ended up binge-watching the entire 22.4-hour series in three days.

Crash Landing on You broke me. I had never before watched a TV show that took me on such an emotional roller coaster ride. Only books had that power before.

Since then, I’ve watched another 30+ dramas, most of them fluffy, light romances that, while they’ve certainly manipulated my emotions, haven’t wrung me out as completely as Crash Landing on You. I've also watched comedies, crime thrillers, and psychological dramas - even one horror, which was way out of my comfort zone! As most of these shows consist of a single season of sixteen hour-long episodes, yes, that's a lot of screen time over the past 18 months! Hi, my name is Romy and I’m a K-drama addict.

On this blog, I'll be sharing my reviews of the K-dramas I've watched, partly as a way to keep a record of my thoughts on them, and partly to help you decide which you might want to watch next. Join me on the dark side and discover a wonderful new world full of gripping stories, quirky characters, and emotional thrill-rides.

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