From ghosting to grand gestures: Why ‘storybooking’ trend is making dating feel like Bridgerton again

If you have ever watched a candlelit confession in Bridgerton and wondered why your own dating life feels more like buffering than ballroom, you are not alone. Apparently, half the internet feels the same way. Enter “storybooking”, a dating trend identified by Bumble that is encouraging singles to romance like they are starring in their own period drama.



No more emotionally unavailable soft launches. No more pretending you do not care. Storybooking is about leaning into longing, slow burns, and devotion that is obvious, not cryptic.

In simple terms, storybooking means dating with intention and cinematic energy. Think meaningful gestures, emotional clarity, and the kind of eye contact that could carry an entire subplot. It is less “sorry, I fell asleep” and more “I crossed the city because I wanted to see you”.

According to Bumble’s research, many women admit that love stories on screen influence what they want in real life. Fiction has raised the bar. If a fictional man can pine for three episodes straight, surely a real one can send a thoughtful text without being prompted.



A Bumble expert reportedly explained that this shift shows singles are choosing romance on their own terms and becoming clearer about their boundaries. In other words, chaos is no longer cute.

Let us be honest. Modern dating has been a masterclass in confusion. Ghosting, breadcrumbing, situationships that require emotional spreadsheets. It has been exhausting.

Storybooking flips that script. Instead of playing it cool, people are choosing vulnerability. Instead of mixed signals, they want devotion. Nonchalance is out. Effort is in.



Blame the current obsession with sweeping romance. Between Wuthering Heights starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, and yet another wave of Bridgerton-core yearning, audiences are being fed operatic love stories on loop.

When television normalises grand gestures and slow-burn intensity, it is only natural that people crave that energy offline.

Storybooking is not about delusion. It is about standards. It is about saying you want effort, romance, and someone who is not afraid to feel deeply. Because maybe love does not need to be chaotic to be exciting. Maybe it just needs to be intentional.