Let’s be honest: dating is already hard when the biggest threat is ghosting. Add in surveillance states, caste systems, or societal collapse, and things get messy fast.
That’s what fascinates me most about romance in dystopian fiction—it’s never just about two people falling in love. It’s about who’s allowed to love. Who gets to choose. Who gets punished for wanting more.
When I write relationships in dystopian settings, I think about intimacy as rebellion. In a world where everyone is labeled, categorized, or tracked, love becomes one of the only spaces that can’t fully be controlled. Or at least…it tries not to be.
But romance in dystopias doesn’t offer neat endings. You fall for someone, and suddenly you're not just risking heartbreak…you’re risking your life, your freedom, your place in the world. That’s why dystopian love stories hit harder. Every glance, every secret meeting, every touch—it's charged. It matters more. Because it could be the last time.
I also find that dystopian romance forces characters to confront the truth about themselves. What are you willing to sacrifice to protect someone else? What happens when love clashes with loyalty to the system…or your family? Would you run? Would you stay? Would you betray?
Romance isn’t an escape in these stories. It’s a mirror.
And sometimes, it’s a spark that burns the whole world down.