I owe a lot to the fantasy genre. The Broken Earth trilogy pulled me out of a reading rut during a time when I couldn’t seem to finish anything. Years later, the A Court of Thorns and Roses series met me in a different season of life and brought me back to books again. Fantasy didn’t just entertain me; it helped me return to myself.

Books, people, films, or pieces of art that do that. They become markers in your life. Not because of one specific lesson or plot twist, but because of how they made you feel at the time.

In today’s piece, I explore that feeling through someone else’s story. Jess is a fan. A huge fan. She doesn’t just read the stories. She lives them. And I think you’ll find her story a reminder that it’s okay to love something with your whole life.

Jess was four years old when she first heard the story of The Hobbit. Too young to read it herself, she listened as her grandmother (a Children’s Literature professor) read it aloud from an illustrated edition. “She had a library in her house that made me feel so special when I was visiting,” Jess told me. “I’d never seen that in a house other than hers.”

She would open the book to study the dragon and the maps of Middle Earth. Now, years later, that same book sits in her own reading nook. And when she opens it? It still smells like her grandmother’s library.

Jess loves the magical feeling and immersive world-building that fantasy brings. For her, it’s also deeply personal. “When I was little, I always wanted to be the male hero… because it was always a male. I didn’t want to be saved; I wanted the sword. The amazing thing now is that authors are writing strong female characters who are heroes. They fight back. They do what is right. They never stop. These are the characters we need to remind us. We do not yield.”

Here’s the thing about Jess: she’s also one of the best estheticians I’ve ever met. Every month, I spend 90–120 minutes in her studio, completely pampered in a space that feels… otherworldly.

Looking back, I should’ve known she loves fantasy. I started seeing her shortly after finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses, my first foray into romantasy. Her studio is dark and light, old and new, grounded and enchanted.

“It’s my own version of world-building,” Jess told me. “I wanted to start a business to help and heal in a way I know works. But I also wanted a life that feels like an escape more than something I need to escape from.”

Jess turns 40 this year, and she’s marking the occasion in the most on-brand way: by attending a fantasy ball. She commissioned a custom dress from designer Nephi Garcia (aka @designerdaddy_) after spotting his ACOTAR-inspired designs on Instagram.

“I reached out to him as a birthday gift to myself. During our meeting, we talked about what I really wanted and how I wanted it to function,” she shared. Jess got to choose the fabric, add custom touches, and collaborate throughout the process. The result? A Court of Nightmares-inspired gown, but with a bit more drama in the skirt. “It’s absolutely perfect.”

But the fantasy ball is just one way Jess brings fandom into her life. She’s also part of a workout community called The Micro Squad, founded by a trainer named Sam. “She makes workouts inspired by the books we love. I’m currently in her Valkyrie Squad program and I love it.”

I asked Jess what being a fan means to her. I kind of knew the answer already, but I asked anyway.

“It means I am unapologetically accepting of what brings me joy,” she said. “I reference these stories all the time. I apply the lessons in them to my real life. I look for the magic in everything.”

If you’re looking for a bit of that joy and magic, I asked Jess to recommend a handful of books if the genre is new to you: 

“These stories go so far beyond magic and elves and dragons. The world building and character development are the best. The themes are universal. Human experiences like love, loss, betrayal, courage, sacrifice, and the search for identity and belonging; it’s all here. You’ll experience every emotion and escape reality for just a time.”