Anyone else either looking for love or lucky enough to have found it? I’m truly blessed to say I have. I found my very own book boyfriend. Our story could have been pulled from the pages we read. He was the stoner. I was the cheerleader. We went to a small-town high school, and I had a major crush on him. He couldn’t have cared less. I was the girl you took home to mama. At that age? Oh, I fully admit I was the “pick me” girl and he was not interested. We had all the same friends. Went to all the same parties. But we never really crossed paths.

Fast-forward seven years, and I saw him again. It was wild seeing how much he’d grown into himself. The catch? I was married. With a daughter.

Fast-forward again four more years. I was divorced. Newly sober. A single mom who had survived an unbelievably destructive marriage. I had zero interest in dating. Zero need for a man in my life.

Then came a random Thursday in September. Fantasy Football kickoff. First NFL game of the season. As someone raised in a football family, I added Madden to our lineup for fun. I posted a picture to Instagram. And there he was… sliding into my DM’s.

The rest? It’s history. He’s the love of my life. He’s good to my daughter. He’s everything. And honestly? I still can’t put into words what our love story has grown into. But that brings me to this… Reality VS. Fiction.

The men we read about? They don’t exist. Not like that. Sure, we want them to. And hell, it’s easy to lose track of reality when your subconscious starts chasing book-boyfriend standards. I’ve done it. I’ve caught myself holding real men to unrealistic expectations. And guess what? That resentment? That disappointment? It’s real. But you’re not alone.

If you’re a woman raised on Disney movies, spice levels, or happily ever afters… you’re probably carrying more fictional ideals into your love life than you think. And if you’re a mom like me? Watching your daughter read books where men are perfect can be beautiful and terrifying. Because these stories can inspire, sure but they can also deceive.

A realistic book boyfriend is possible. But it takes realistic self-work to be ready for one. Ask yourself: “Am I a realistic book girlfriend?” Because that’s the mountain I climb every single day.

And girl, I hope you know you are worthy of real love. Messy, flawed, loud, confusing, joyful love. So go ahead and read about those brave, bold, and baffling women. They might not be real, but you are. And you’re already someone’s favorite chapter.

If you have found “him” and he is a good man. Let him be the man he was made to be not the one that came from the mind of a woman and if you are still looking for “him” know that good men exist if we let them and as long as you are ready to receive it, they will love you if you love yourself.

(Doesn’t mean I don’t want to experiment… Am I right 😜)