Chan subverts traditional romance tropes by focusing on the required to maintain the appearance of a perfect union. While a typical essay on romantic storylines might look for "chemistry," an analysis of Girl 3123 looks at "compliance." The romance serves as a critique of modern societal pressures on women to be perfect partners, showing how the weight of expectation can eventually crush the possibility of real affection.

: Romantic interests often serve as mirrors for the protagonist's own desperation or as tools for survival. Love becomes a survival strategy rather than a luxury, complicating the reader's ability to root for a traditional "happily ever after." Subversion of the Romantic Trope

"Girl 3123" is a speculative fiction novel by Jessamine Chan that explores romantic relationships within a dystopian framework of extreme surveillance and systemic control. The narrative examines how intimacy is commodified and regulated, posing the question of whether "true" romance can exist when every interaction is monitored and incentivized by a governing body. The Bureaucracy of Romance