India, May 2 -- Stock markets soar and plummet. Orange Presidents get elected in and out of office. Hemlines rise and rise. Vinyls give way to cassette tapes, which give way to CDs, which give way to iPods, which give way to streaming and vinyl again. And through it all, love has been a constant. Romance novels have sold steadily. Because, who doesn't love a good love story? Who doesn't want to see a hero melt, a feisty heroine meet her match, a star-crossed pairing, a meet-cute, a tender first kiss and a promise of forever?

We asked too soon. In 2025, none of those tropes are cutting it with Indian readers. No one wants engineering students grappling with careers and love. No one wants the nerdy girl to land the campus hero. No one want...