May I recommend you read Jennifer armentrouts From Blood and Ash and Flesh and Fire series if you haven’t? I’m totally the same as you and these scratched that same ACOTAR itch… they are not nearly as well written but it’s an interesting world and they are 🌶️ 🥵 Also throne of glass is GOATED.
How is this sad? I still do my annual rereads of the Iliad, the Odyssey and Lord of the Rings. Romance is like a palate cleanser, tbh. Classics are like a hearty stew and romance is like baked goods. You can’t compare them because they’re different but you shouldn’t knock someone because they prefer one over the other :) and as long as the romances are about two consenting adults and don’t go into the areas of SA or DV then they’re perfectly fine because romance is a natural thing in life.