I am planning to write a slice-of-life romance(?) for my first ever novel. What things do you enjoy in those genres? How do I keep it interesting and not make it a monotonous life story that just so happens to also be fictional?

I would say, you can write the story with a certain depressed person in mind. The story could give depressed people hope that they, too, can find life exciting.

The non-depressed person could slowly break down the barriers in the depressed person's mind by first listening to him and understanding where he is coming from. Then, one-by-one trick the depressed person into situations and adventures that make him come out of his shell. The adventures could be anything small or big. From going for a hike to rescuing a dog from the shelter and feeding it, experiencing its love.

Where I struggle is giving people a reason to care about those characters.

If you do a good job, depressed people and those who deal with them, can will care about the characters.

/r/writing Thread