What's My Genre?

As I've been searching agent websites for what genres they represent, I've been struck with a dilemma.  What exactly is my genre?  

Is my work romance?  Sort of.  There's definitely a lot of romance going on in my story.  A strong female and male protagonist, a conflict keeping them apart, a loving reunion and then a happy ending.  All hallmarks of a romance novel.

But wait a minute.  Is it women's fiction?  Sort of.  The plot tackles various themes women experience throughout their lives with their lovers, family and friends.  I gravitate toward stories about sisters and friends so that's what I write too.  This one in particular tackles a family dealing with the aftereffects of domestic violence, infidelity, PTSD and wounded soldiers.  Themes and relationships among sisters, all hallmarks of women's fiction.

Still not done.  Is it new adult?  Again, sort of.  A large part of the story revolves around growing love as the characters leave their teenage years and travel into adulthood.  The characters range from their early to late twenties.  New adult is an emerging genre intended to target the 18-30 year old market.  My story would definitely fit.

Now, why is it not romance, women's fiction or new adult?  It doesn't exactly fit neatly into the romance category because I write from multiple POVs.  There are a couple of main characters but there are also secondary characters pursuing their own happy endings.  The heavy themes also speak more to women's fiction.  Still, it doesn't neatly fit with that genre either.  There is a lot of romance as well as sex.  New adult can have elements of both.  Themes, romance and sex.  Yet, one main character is 32 by the end and I know a lot of women beyond the 18-30 range who enjoy this kind of story.  Also, I think of my voice as a little more mature (more like my 38 year old self).

Having said all of the above, am I any closer to solving my dilemma?  A little.  There are a lot of agents out there specifically looking for works that cross genres with one foot firmly planted in a particular one.  Given that, I would say my story is a work of contemporary women's fiction with strong elements of romance.  I would let an agent decide whether it's appropriate for new adult.  Another reason why I need an agent;-).

So, there you ago.  Deciding genre is not as easy as some would have you believe, especially today in the world of romantic vampires dealing with old fashioned themes of purity and marriage with a heavy dose of fantasy and suspense.  I could go on but you get my point.

Happy writing!