Absolutely. Please check out our definitions for each subgenre below - we’ve also included some example books, movies, and tv shows to help illustrate other content with the same subgenre.

Romance Subgenres

Romantic Comedy: The central relationship(s) are explored with a humorous, lighthearted or fanciful tone.

Examples: My Best Friend's Wedding, Crazy Rich Asians

Contemporary Romance: Set in modern times, or the very near past. The course of the relationship and trappings of the story are in line with the world the reader lives in.

Examples: A Walk To Remember, The Vow, Love Actually

Dark Romance: A romance that deals with terrifying, desolate or scary/unnerving themes as an influence on the central relationship.

Examples: Dracula, Crimson Peak, The Phantom of the Opera

Fantasy Romance: The relationship is set against - and enhanced or propelled by - a world where fantastical, non-scientifically ruled properties are the norm (magic, creatures, etc).

Examples: Stardust, The Shape of Water

Historical Romance: Set in a past time, where elements of that time period - customs, language, etc - influence the work.

Examples: Brokeback Mountain, Titanic, Sense and Sensibility

Erotic Romance: Sexual interaction and explicit sexuality is key to the story, and depicted frankly. However, unlike Late Night, sex is not the main focus of the story.

Examples: 50 Shades of Grey, Blue is the Warmest Color, Bound

Late Night: Essentially, pure sex. The focus of the story is on sex and sexual interactions, with little focus on romantic developments, character or plot.

New Adult Romance: The central relationship involves one or both parties in their 20s, where the complications of new adulthood play a large role in defining the romance.

Examples: Reality Bites, Friends with Benefits, Queen and Slim

Paranormal Romance: Mythical or supernatural creatures play a key role - and are often the (or part of) the central relationship.

Examples: Ghost, Warm Bodies, The Shape of Water

Religious Romance: Religious or spiritual beliefs - of the characters and influencing the characters - helps define the love story. Profanity and sexuality are usually avoid.

Examples: I Still Believe, Yentl

Romantic Mystery: An investigation into unanswered questions plays a central role in the narrative, often undertaken by those in the (or developing a) romantic relationship.

Examples: The Janet Evanovich novels, The Lovebirds, Hart to Hart

Sci-Fi Romance: The relationship is set in the future or a reality with futuristic/scientifically plausible elements, and influenced by it. This can include aliens.

Elements: Arrival, Jupiter Ascending, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Romantic Suspense: An investigation into unanswered questions plays a central role in the narrative, often undertaken by those in the (or developing a) romantic relationship. Can include more Thriller narratives as well - with a suspense driven plot with high stakes for those in the central relationship.

Examples: The Janet Evanovich novels, The Lovebirds, Hart to Hart, Sliver, The Handmaiden

Soap Opera: A serialized story marked by large casts, a focus on romance and family and larger-than-life situations and melodrama..

Elements: Melrose Place, Grey's Anatomy, Riverdale, Dynasty

YA Romance: The main relationship is between teenage characters, and deals with coming-of-age type matters. Explicit sexuality is usually avoided.

Elements: The Fault in Our Stars, To All The Boys I've Loved Before, Love, Simon

Fantasy Subgenres

Dark Fantasy: Stories with the intent to scare, terrify or thrill within a fantastical world. Overlaps with horror, but its main defining characteristic is it takes place in an unrealistic world.

Examples: Legend, Pan’s Labyrinth

Erotic Fantasy: Explicit sexuality plays a large role in the narrative.

Examples: The Sleeping Beauty series by Anne Rice

Epic Fantasy: Features a sprawling world, a large struggle between good and evil, a large cast of characters and multiple installments. All epic fantasy is (usually) high fantasy, but not all high fantasy is epic fantasy.

Examples: Lord of the Rings; Game of Thrones

Fairy Tale: Often told from the point of view of a younger character, the main thrust of the story is about imparting a moral or a lesson.

Examples: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Fantasy Thriller: A work set in a fantastical world or with fantastical characters, but whose primary impact is to instill suspense in the reader.

Examples: The Old Guard, Death Note

Hard Fantasy: The most extreme version of high fantasy. Specifically, the details of the world are laid out in extreme, often lengthy, detail.

Examples: Game of Thrones; The Mistborn series; The Kingkiller chronicles series

Historical Fantasy: Set in an actual historic period, but with fantastical elements (ex: The American Revolution where goblins fight alongside the colonists).

Examples: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

Paranormal Fantasy: Mythical creatures (werewolves, vampires, ghosts) feature heavily, or drive, the narrative.

Examples: True Blood

Romantic Fantasy: Romantic relationships play a primary role in driving or shaping the narrative.

Examples: The Shape of Water, Love and Monsters, House of Earth and Blood

Urban Fantasy: Set in a contemporary (or near contemporary) urban setting, but featuring fantastical elements (creatures, magic, etc).

Examples: Hellboy; Supernatural; Big Trouble in Little China

YA Fantasy: A fantasy where the protagonists are teenagers/young adults and the story deals with their coming of age.

Examples: The Harry Potter series; The Percy Jackson series

Historical Subgenres

Historical Comedy: A humorous story set in the past.

Examples: Monty Python’s Life of Brian, The Favourite

Historical Erotica: Explicit sexuality plays a large role in the narrative.

Examples: The Handmaiden, The Tudors

Historical Fantasy: Set in an actual historic period, but with fantastical elements (ex: The American Revolution where goblins fight alongside the colonists).

Examples: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

Historical Mystery: The primary thrust of this story is a mystery set in a time period in the past.

Examples: The Alienist, Sherlock Holmes

Historical Romance: The primary thrust of the story is a romance between two figures.

Examples: Bridgerton, Titanic

Historical Saga: Follows a core group of characters - often a family - over a distinct, often multi-decade, period of time.

Examples: North and South; Pillars of the Earth; I, Claudius

Western: Takes place in the American west from a period of the late 1700's to early 1900's

Examples: Unforgiven; High Noon; True Grit

Historical YA: The coming of age journey happens in the past

Examples: Anne of Green Gables

Horror Subgenres

Comedy Horror: Horror stories with comedic or satirical overtones or moments.

Examples: Shaun of the Dead; The Dead Don’t Die

Dark Fantasy: Stories with the intent to scare, terrify or thrill within a fantastical world. Overlaps with fantasy. For the purposes of here it's a fantasy horror story.

Examples: Legend, Pan’s Labyrinth

Erotic Horror: Horror that features explicit sexuality.

Examples: The Hunger

Gothic Horror: Horror written in a literary style that features romance as a central plot element.

Examples: The Haunting of Hill House; Crimson Peak; most Edgar Allen Poe

Paranormal Horror: Uses non-scientific and unrealistic elements - most usually ghosts and monsters - to instill terror and fear.

Examples: Dracula, Godzilla, IT

Psychological Horror: Uses mental or emotional states - of the characters and the reader - to instill terror or fear in said characters or the audience.

Examples: Get Out, Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining

Sci-Fi Horror: A terrifying story set against a futuristic or probable (i.e. scientifically based) reality different from our own.

Examples: Event Horizon, Alien

YA Horror: The coming of age experience has a dark or terrifying element to it.

Examples: It Follows, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween

Mystery Subgenres

Comedy Mystery: Humor is an intentional, recurring characteristic of the mystery.

Examples: Knives Out; Janet Evanovich novels

Cozy Mystery: Sex and violence occur off page, and the setting is frequently in a small, intimate community. Other common characteristics include broad supporting characters and focus on traditional, non-aggressive locales and activities.

Examples: Murder She Wrote

Erotic Mystery: Explicit sex plays a large and recurring role in the narrative

Examples: Basic Instinct

Historical Mystery: Mystery set in the past, where said era plays a heavy role, at least atmospherically.

Examples: The Alienist; Sherlock Holmes

Romantic Mystery: A love story between two people (one is often the detective/investigator) plays more than a tertiary role in the story.

Examples: Janet Evanovich, Manhattan Murder Mystery; Vertigo.

Paranormal Mystery: Supernatural creatures or phenomenon play a central role in the narrative.

Examples: The X-Files; Supernatural; Angel

Mystery Thriller: Tension and stakes remain throughout the story (not just the ending).

Examples: The Girl on the Train; Searching; Gone Girl

YA Mystery: The teenager(s) in question deal with or solve a mystery)

Examples: Pretty Little Liars, The One of Us series

New Adult Subgenres

New Adult Comedy: Humor defines the tone of the work.

Examples: Legally Blonde

Erotic New Adult: Explicit sexuality plays a large role in the story

Examples: Fifty Shades of Grey

New Adult Fantasy: The protagonist's story takes place in a fantastical setting or with fantastical elements.

Examples: Wonder Woman (2017 movie)

New Adult Historical: The protagonist's story takes place in the past.

Examples: Emma, Jane Eyre, Elizabeth

New Adult Horror: The protagonist's story, tonally, is intended to scare, thrill or terrify.

Examples: Midsommar

New Adult Mystery: The protagonist gets wrapped up in a mystery of an investigation as part of the story.

Examples: Search Party

New Adult Paranormal: The protagonist’s story involves, or is about, mythical creatures (vampires, werewolves, etc).

Examples: Warrior Nun, Supernatural

New Adult Romance: The protagonist's romantic life plays a substantive role in the story

Examples: Insecure, Reality Bites

New Adult Sci-Fi: The protagonist's story plays against a fantastical setting that has a foundation in reality or scientific accuracy.

Examples: Fringe, The 100

Sci-Fi Subgenres

Hard Sci-Fi: Stories overly concerned with scientific accuracy and logic, often going into deep detail to describe it in the course of world building.

Examples: Most Isaac Asimov stories, Gattaca, Blade Runner

New Adult Sci-Fi: The trials and tribulations of new adulthood are described within a fantastical - but plausible - setting

Examples: Most Sarah J. Maas novels, Ready Player One, The 100

Sci-fi Comedy: A humorous story set against a different - but scientifically plausible - reality.

Examples: Galaxy Quest, Downsizing

Sci-Fi Horror: A terrifying story set against a futuristic or probable (i.e. scienfitically based) reality different than our own.

Examples: Event Horizon, Alien

Sci-Fi Romance: The relationship is set in the future or a reality with futuristic/scientifically plausible elements, and influenced by it. THis can include aliens.

Examples: Elements: Arrival, Jupiter Ascending, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Space Western: The story details exploring new, sparsely populated frontiers

Examples: Cowboy Bebop, Battlestar Galactica, The Martian Chronicles, Westworld

YA Sci-Fi: Coming of age experiences are told against - and influenced by - a futuristic and/or plausibly altered reality.

Examples: The 5th Wave, The Hunger Games, Divergent

Thriller Subgenres

Climate Thriller: The suspense comes from a ecologically based disaster (or impending disaster) and the protagonist(s) trying to prevent it or escape it.

Examples: The Day After Tomorrow, The Poseidon Adventure, 2012

Conspiracy Thriller: The suspense comes from a protagonist(s) confronting a large, secretive organization or threat that the rest of the world remains unaware of.

Examples: 24, Dan Brown novels, Prison Break

Crime Thriller: The suspense comes from crime - either committing it and evading capture or solving it in some capacity. Can include forensic thrillers.

Examples: No Country For Old Men, Traffic, Oceans 8

Erotic Thriller: The suspense comes from a number of factors, but overt sexuality plays a large role in the story

Examples: Wild Things, Basic Instinct

Fantasy Thriller: A work set in a fantastical world or with fantastical characters, but whose primary impact is to instill suspense in the reader.

Examples: The Old Guard, Death Note

Legal Thriller: The suspense comes from the action in and around the courtroom and/or the particulars of working on the legal proceedings of a specific case

Examples: Most John Grisham novels (The Firm, The Pelican Brief)

Medical Thriller: The suspense comes from a medical related calamity, and either preventing it or stopping it. Most frequently deals with viruses.

Examples: Outbreak, The Andromeda Strain

Mystery Thriller: The suspense comes from the investigation of a mystery of some sort. Much more fast paced than a traditional mystery.

Examples: The Girl on the Train; Searching; Gone Girl

Paranormal Thriller: The suspense comes from fighting or dealing with a threat or crisis caused by a supernatural being or force of some kind.

Examples: The Sixth Sense, Paranormal Activity

Political Thriller: The suspense comes from a government related crisis, with the protagonist(s) needing to stop, uncover or otherwise solve said crisis.

Examples: The Manchurian Candidate, Scandal, Designated Survivor

Psychological Thriller: The suspense comes from threats - real or perceived - that are mental in nature. Solution comes from thinking and talking, as opposed to physical battle

Examples: Fatal Attraction, Black Swan, Rosemary's Baby

Romantic Thriller: The main relationship(s) evolve, grow and strengthen amidst any suspense, tension and threats encountered, which are usually faced by the couple(s) featured.

Examples: Sliver, The Handmaiden, The Adjustment Bureau, Rebecca

Spy Thriller: The suspense comes from the dangers associated with espionage.

Examples: James Bond movies, John Le Carre novels

Techno Thriller: The suspense comes from the use or misuse of technology, with the protagonist(s) trying to prevent a crisis - often using technology itself.

Examples: Jurassic Park, WarGames

YA Subgenres

YA Comedy: The coming of age elements have a humorous twist

Examples: Mean Girls, Booksmart, Pen15

YA Contemporary: A coming of age tale where the setting (in current times) is relevant to the narrative. Romance is an element but as important as self-discovery.

Examples: The Hate You Give, Simon vs. The Homo Sapien Agenda, To All The Boys I've Loved Before