My favorite genre is very specific and you managed to call out a book from it - yay!

I’ve read Essex Serpent and watched the show. The book is better, but I did enjoy Tom Hiddleston lol. If you liked that, check out My Name is Mary Sutter and The Signature of All Things.

No worries! My favorite books are historical dramas and tend to be filled with romance, though what I crave from them is the women fighting for their independence and getting involved in science.

Hopefully someone else has some different recommendations for you to consider

I feel like I’ve read lots of books that didn’t feature romance as a main plot point… for example, right now I’m reading Life of Pi. The main character was interested in religion and after being a castaway for many days, has held steadfast to his religious beliefs. He also grew by eating meat, due to the circumstances of being stuck on a lifeboat, after growing up as a devout vegetarian.

Other books I can think of are Hatchet, The Council of Animals, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Barn 8… these are just books that I’ve recently read.

I think it is difficult to find books devoid of any romance, but there are plenty where the main characters grow because of something beyond romance.