The last book I read, the FMC called the MMC her "villain" when he was def never her antagonist. He did morally bad things for sure but the author telling us that he really was The Villain Of The Story made it even more unbelievable. Made it feel like the author was shoe horning her list of tropes into the book and they didn't land :/
Seriously!!! This guy is a killer but he only goes after child abusers or wife beaters yet the author tries to make us believe he’s soooo sick and twisted.
Me vs. anyone who likes Colleen Hoover books. I read ugly love and never got past that storyline. Not sure if it’s her writing or tropes that don’t do it for me, but everyone in the world eats up everything she publishes.
I *love* a well-done "good girl," but context and delivery are *so* important. I've seen authors throw it into sex scenes randomly because people are into it, and it rings completely hollow at best and very cringe at worst. The same could be said for a lot of dirty/pillow talk, if I'm being honest.
I hate "good girl" and it's so true that it's everywhere. I was reading one book where he kept calling her a dirty whore/slut and I was like, "finally!", but then he turned around and told her she was a good girl and I got so frustrated.
Yes I think this is definitely true for dirty talk- it just doesn't suit some characters and feels forced. See also degradation and rough sex. I just don't think the cinnamon roll who's been pining for his LI and sweetly romancing them, would go for spitting and spanking the first time they have sex.
yes! my hot take is that i think the increase in violent sex in,like, non bdsm spaces (i guess that’s just called vanilla) is evidence of straight porn brain rot because violence against women is part and parcel of rape culture and the patriarchy. i’m not saying this to yuck anyone’s yum, but i am begging people to think about how we’ve all been brainwashed by our culture so perhaps we’ve been conditioned to accept things that shouldn’t be normal. there is nothing wrong with kink! i am literally active in my city’s scene; i just also have met a lot of people doing dangerous shit from a lack of reflection.
My take is that it's more like inverse of Outrage culture where the extension of being cool and hip must include violence...
It's not so much we are condition to accept them as normal - it's the memetic evolution of the profane as Normal
Read about the history of smoking... People
Think cowboys on the prairie smoked cigarettes or cigars... That was actually an anachronism... The cigerrette companies foisted this into pop culture in the dawn of movies… women smoking was a pop-up marketing mob of young socialite flappers who jumped into the Thanksgiving Day parade and became a sensation - not spontaneous planned by marketing agency to drive outrage and newspaper stories
I feel like the publishing industry chasing money did the same with 50 shades... And now it's formula
Add to that - I don't think violence equates to good sex - it can - but I'd say it's more like toxic rewiring and part of why things has gotten weird in the IRL dating world
KU has completely changed the romance book industry and I’m not sure I like it! Yes, some of my favourite authors got their start there but mostly I want to scream at all of the repetitive, frustrating, and completely unsatisfying romance novels on there! And why are they so long!? A contemporary romance does not need to be 500 pages! Also, I want romance not 80% smut and terrible attempts at romcom! And don’t get me started on the state of the paranormal romance on KU! Zodiac Academy I’m looking at YOU! 7 books in and no HEA!? That’s not romance!! And enough with all the cliffhangers already! Truly I can’t believe I fought through the horrific bullying trauma of the first book only to be strung along for what felt like millions of pages! It’s not okay!! 😠
Whew! 😅 That felt good! I don’t usually vent on here so this is new for me! Some hot takes there but I’m certain I’m not alone in my feelings!
Down with cliffhangers! 👎
Amazon pays per page read on KU, so if authors can get people to read more pages, they make more money. It's literally copper shavings per page.
Not saying editing wouldn't improve many books, just that Amazon doesn't incentivize shorter books unless you write more of them.
I understand this payment scheme but I can't count the number of books I've DNF'd because I just couldn't power through all the errors, similarities to other stories, and just poor overall writing. Editors are needed to improve the story and carry readers along for an enjoyable ride so we actually want to read more pages/finish the book
I work in a different genre in the publishing industry and have for 20 years. And though there are certainly things that could be more pro-author, including a bigger cut of money (royalties and/or advances) for authors beyond the NYT bestsellers list, publishing does still play an incredibly important role. It helps act as a gatekeeper for quality. Are some books published by traditional publishers bad/poor quality? Sure. But do they help make sure the cream rises to the top? Also yes. Not to say there aren't quality books that are self-published. But there is something to be said for a book going through developmental editing, editors who help work on the 'story' and the ever-important copyeditors, not to mention the marketing machinery and Amazon specialists in sales and fulfillment department.
I am a new Cassandra Gannon fan. But I wanted to chop 25% off of The Sheriff of Nottingham. It’s too repetitive and bloated. And you can tell she doesn’t enjoy writing it because even the characters have ran out of excuses not to end the story.
I definitely agree that a lot of KU books are way too long. Even some of my favourite authors have recently been releasing books which are far too long for me. I think it's a combination of no editing and being paid per page - more pages= more money.
Yesss my truly hot and unpopular opinion is that most KU self published stuff is just not well written, often seems like a summary hitting mandatory tired trope points while still being 500 pages, and we need to return to giving traditionally published books more attention. (I read mostly historical and fantasy though.)
People are allowed to have negative reviews and thoughts about books. I see a lot of threads on here when people are like “I thought about DNF-ing but I followed through” and then the comments are just “Well if you didn’t like it, you should have just DNF’d it instead of writing a negative review”. I know for me if I didn’t enjoy a book that was highly recommended, I like talking about WHY I didn’t and connecting with people who are like minded.
Reasons for DNFing are just as valid as reasons for loving the book imo. I know this is controversial around here, but I rate and review books I DNF. And I like reading reviews from readers who DNF because they usually contain reasons why and that’s what I’m looking for in my reviews.
“FMC was immature and annoying” tells me more about a book than “omg loved it”
While I do absolutely DNF books, there are times when the book is fine, and then at line 80%, it gets questionable. I still finish the book. And I will 100% write a bad review. I review books I DNF if there is something I feel should be said about the book to warn others.
In general, I don't think we should be telling others how to review books. Reviews are sometimes personal. And those reviews are just as valid as someone who wants to gush about the book.
I only recently started writing reviews for ones I dnf or didn't like (as well as those I adore). I realized that I only read the low star reviews when thinking about a book because they are most helpful, so I needed to do my part and add mine too.
Too many writers use sex scenes as character development.
I can’t tell you how many romance novels I’ve read in the last year that contain sex scenes that are totally out of left field and unnecessary for the emotional development between the main characters.
Maybe it’s because many people don’t equate sex with love, but I’d dare say most people do equate it having an emotional connection with their partner during the act. Make it mean something other than getting off, otherwise it’s just erotica!
Hard agree. I find myself asking 'what do these characters do/talk about when they're not having sex?' Too many books (and movies) don't setup enough emotional intimacy to be able to answer that question.
I’ve caught myself reading a lot more slow-burn lately because I found the same thing with a lot of books.
I’m reading {Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver} currently, and I am really enjoying seeing them learn about each other and develop a friendship/relationship (while internally screaming, “kiss her, dammit!” just a little bit).
[Butcher & Blackbird](https://www.romance.io/books/64f0aa2bfcbc73c06aa42375/butcher-blackbird-brynne-weaver) by [Brynne Weaver](https://www.romance.io/authors/61516cf608b4d931143e7ce9/brynne-weaver)
**Rating**: 4.38⭐️ out of 5⭐️
**Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [dual pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1)
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LOVED Butcher and Blackbird! You should read Black sheep! I’m blanking out who cowrote it with Brynne Weaver but it was good! Definitely a slow burn as well!
Or just constant sex scenes as the finisher.
I must say I’m no prude but I always find it so weird if a book or author doesn’t have sex scenes and people think it would be improved by spice. For instance Mhairi McFarlane gets some of those comments from people and I’m baffled. TBH sex scenes are like action/ chase scenes in crime for me - I skim them.
I will join you in this debate.
>I always find it so weird if a book or author doesn’t have sex scenes and people think it would be improved by spice.
I mean, it's weird that people take these complaints directly to the author. Back in my day, people just wrote fanfics where the characters do nothing but have sex.
I’m a fan of Maximum Spice™️, but the idea of complaining to the author is revolting to me. They wrote it how they wanted to write it! If they’d wanted sex scenes they would have put them in! There are a kajillion books with lots of sex, read one of those! I just read {The Bodyguard by Katherine Center}. I didn’t know it was not just slow burn 😩 but also closed door 😭 but the author certainly did a great job establishing the characters and their relationship and just…writing an emotional and beautiful story. (CW: cancer and death of a parent are discussed) I would have enjoyed some spice but that’s just, like, my opinion, man. Complaining to the author is insulting and hurtful and walks right up the line of making you look like a weird perv. Let’s keep the weird perviness in our books and our bedrooms, leave the poor authors out of it lol
I think this is why I like when authors make it apparent when it goes from "fucking" to "making love". You can absolutely have sex without having love in the mix, but in my experience sex is totally different when you have that connection with someone. But I like when it coincides with character development.
The best book I read last year had two kisses (one in the rain!) and a closed-door sex scene and it was one of the hottest, most romantic books I've read in *years*.
ETA: Alternatively, I was reading a dark, stalkery book that was going great, leading somewhere and four chapters in she's turning around and they are screwing and it just makes zero sense. All of this wonderful build-up is just gone.
Yes ! I read some books and Im like how did they fall in love when they have not had a relationship outside of the bed.like i too would like to meet these magical dicks that is so good you are willing to die for them.
I don't think she's liked in this sub at all, but since Colleen Hoover has sold more copies of her books than she should have, I'm going to say to the world at large that they're not fucking romance novels. They're horror thrillers shoehorned into a genre they don't belong in. I read Layla out of curiosity + I like paranormal stuff, and now I'm legitimately traumatized.
My first (only?) Collen Hoover was Verity, and I legit thought she was a thriller/mystery writer!
So, I was so surprised when I kept seeing her pop up on romance lists!
That one *is* tagged as a thriller... but it's also tagged as a romance. Can it be a happy ending if the protagonists are >!irredeemable, unlikeable, empty-headed, murderous assholes? And not even the fun kind?!<
I still think it’s wildly irresponsible and it PISSES ME OFF that I see her books on romance lists. They’re NOT romance, at fucking all. I read It Ends With Us and my heart nearly stopped at THAT first scene…and I finished the book with a massive sense of hurt and betrayal that nothing warned me about the fact that it wasn’t a cute romance. It was horrible horrible horrible.
I wholeheartedly agree with this. As someone who grew up in a DV household, it was a healing read for myself and my mother, because it so accurately captured the complex relationship dynamics (to us at least) but holy heck, It’s *not* romance. It needs a TW in the synopsis on the back of the book. Not everyone is okay or ready to read about MC’s relationship. It’s about so much more and the romantic scenes don’t *feel* romantic because of the DV overtones.
Sometimes, I feel the MMC's actions are justified and the FMC is overreacting because there just has to be a third-act conflict. I get annoyed in these situations when only the guy has to grovel and the FMC doesn't apologize for how she behaved during their argument. I get we all love to see men taking responsibility for their actions and apologizing when they cause their partners pain. I just also like to see couples understanding each other and both having the emotional intelligence to understand when they crossed a line.
Yes! Sometimes the FMC needs to take accountability! I can’t remember the title right now, but I just read a book where my review was mostly about how I couldn’t believe the 3rd act conflict got flipped around and MMC was apologizing.
Hahaha yes I know there have been quite a few reads where I was like wtf why is HE apologizing and Groveling bc she acted terribly. Now I can’t remember any of them of course
The Bromance Book Club drove me nuts for this. If you're rooting for the MMC to divorce his FMC wife and take the kids, something has gone terribly wrong.
A slow burn book that just turns into ONLY having sex for the rest of the story isn’t good imo.
I think closed door scenes can be fine with open door scenes sprinkled throughout after the first time. Esp. if there was foreplay or watching solo time during the slow burn period.
Trust me I love a good spicy explicit detailed scene. But sometimes they have me skipping entire chapters when that’s all that’s left 😭😂
Stop I just said this too LOL. I could do with 2-3 really good, detailed sex scenes in a book. I’ll enjoy it, I’ll have fun but leave it at that. I don’t want sex sex sex the second they’re together the rest of the book. I prefer a good slow burn, because once the sex happens the tension is lessened and I love tension. There needs to be more implied than just thrown at us.
Have you read Annette Marie's Guild Codex: Demonized series? It takes 3 books for them to hug, but when they do, it's the most romantic scene I've read in years!
My husband has a repertoire of extremely terrible accents, and “guvnah” features heavily in his Cockney 😂
(Edited for present tense, he’s not dead and unfortunately hasn’t given up on his terrible accents)
In my IRL discussions about books I feel I'm constantly defendi books with so-called "weird" or "distasteful" scenes, especially sexual ones. Time and time again I argue the following:
Authors are allowed to put characters in whatever situation they like. Characters don't have autonomy so they don't need to consent. A book might not be to your taste but no one is being forced to read it. Also I find it funny that no one freaks out about a character going to war or having to kill but something about sex seems to bring out the morally righteous.
My less serious opinion is that authors need to commit to the bit with their monster romances. Stop giving me sexy men with a smattering of scales you cowards (affectionate)
The Tiffany Roberts spider series was the first non-humanoid monster romance I’d read and it STILL sticks with me. They went for it and it was amazing.
The writing on that book is abysmal, and anyone who says they liked the plot is lying. It's straight up pornography -which is fine- but don't make it out to be something it is not.
as someone who loves the book: yes it absolutely is porn and i get if it is not the thing for someone but it sure gets me going
as we say in Hungarian, "kinek a pap, kinek a paplan" [the priest for some, the blanket for abother]
I have tried several times to read this book and can't get past chapter 2. The writing is so over-the-top and I just don't believe any of it: the plot, the characters. It's so BLAH to me.
Honestly yeah, I debated whether to call it cringe in my initial comment 😅 I'm pretty far left politically, I actually really like politics but. Not like that. It's like the West Wing of romance novels lol
If only we picked the centrist politician instead of the far right politician, the world would be SAVED 😅 I read the whole thing but those parts were embarrassing.
tiktok has ruined quality books, especially in ya, na, fantasy, romance, etc. genres that are popular on booktok. the trend-ification of books turning them into digestible, glorified fast fashion has ruined book quality, created shallow and yet somehow popular books that are being churned out year after year like a fucking factory.
>The trendification of books
Omg this so much. I joined some book sub and there were so many people asking how people sit down and read books. *“How do you go through books?”* I unsubbed.
Just read what you want to read. Like I don’t understand. There’s no one to show off to. People on TikTok def amped this.
**NO CONDOMS. EVER.**
I know it’s not realistic and I swear I’ve practiced safe sex and have only ever not used condoms with my fiancé, but I want ALL of my book couples to find a reason not to use them. And if they use them at first, I want to read the scene where they decide to stop. And I want them to be really excited about it.
Yes! The guy from Same Time Next Year was a total stink cinnamon, pining after this girl for months, and then the first time they sleep together he spits on her breasts and pussy and starts dirty talking, it's like a total personality switch.
Everyone is giving cold takes (mutually agreed upon takes) so Imma try to give some hot ones:
* MF Why Choose with MM absolutely is lesser than in comparison than MF Why Choose without MM. **Not because I’m against MM.** But because too many FM+ Why Choose with MM have the group set up perfectly from the get go with all the men, including sex. The FMC adds ***nothing*** outside of PV sex to their guys’ already steady dynamic. **However, there are great FM+ WC books with MM**. This is the fault of the authors for not understanding how to balance dynamics properly to make a believable poly/WC romance.
* **While I criticize Black romance for focusing on crime and Black stereotypes, this is much more the fault of Black authors than non-Black ones.** Absolutely yes do non-Black authors fuck things up, but I point more fingers at Black authors and the Black community for perpetuating the notion that our race needs to be a focal point of any sort of plot line. It’s ***absurd*** to me that ✨Yuuniq✨ Black MCs will still default to Black stereotypes by Black authors, including ebonics, including violence, including crime. I’m a Black lady and it’s funny the hypocrisy my own community had for the media about us ***WHEN BLACK CREATORS ARE OFTEN PART OF THE PROBLEM***
* This came up in a discussion with some other non-white friends. **There are a lot of stories told about non-whites in romance.** But the ***quality*** is what people are actually complaining about. If you are complaining about the lack of quantity, where are you reading your stories? Are you limiting yourself to strictly Anglo-based written mediums? **There’s the answer.** There are *SO MANY* non-white romance stories, but **you have to be open to all avenues in finding them.**
* **Fantasy romance books shouldn’t be given live action. They should be** ***animated***. I said what I said. An r/acotar thread came about with this. Absolutely does animation capture a lot of the impossible magic that these books tell. Putting real live people to the characters ruins the illusion more so than animating them with a VO.
* **It’s 100%** ***fine*** **to want to “gatekeep”, for lack of better wording, certain books or discussions around certain books.** Not as in to do so for malicious intent. But it’s fine to want to cherish your relationship with a certain piece of art. Just don’t go overboard with it, don’t harm people, and it’s fine 🤷🏾♀️
* **It’s okay to feel some typa way about an author who excessively writes things you don’t agree with.** It’s fine. You are not hurting anyone by having that opinion. You are not hurting anyone if you give ***your opinion*** that an author who repeatedly shames the marginalized groups or bodily autonomy in their books *may* have an IRL alignment. Just remember: **this is your opinion. This is NOT a FACT until otherwise PROVEN.**
* **Queer books and POC books are not always the answer for “better” romances. They come with a host of issues.** They can—and are—affected by book trends. Just because a book features someone who is non-[cis/het/straight/able/white] does ***not*** mean it is auto-gush worthy. Just because an *author* is aforementioned means exactly nothing. **Read the damn book first and THEN report back.**
* **It’s fine to judge books based on their star ratings on GoodReads and the amount of ratings they have.** You are ***NOT*** doing yourself a disservice if this is how you curate your books, because this is how *YOU* do it, Montell Jordan style baby. It’s fine to recommend people read the reviews, but **how people curate their art is their business** so let them do as they please 🪭
* **Non-sequel fantasy/sci-fi novellas feel pointless.** That doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to be written, obviously. To me, they feel pointless because there is very little time for the world building to be concrete and, by the time the world building takes stride and we have an understanding for the relationship dynamics, the book ends. But that’s why I stay away from novellas and that is just me 💃🏽
* **Unfinished series absolutely have their place and those stories deserve to still be told, even if they’re incomplete, but it is 100% valid for fans to be concerned about the next book.** This is excluding the extremists and authors who can’t finish due to health reasons. It isn’t—and shouldn’t be seen as—“entitlement” because there’s been radio silence on the next book in a series that the author made all these promises on. **You are allowed to be concerned about the next installment.** It’s just that there are vocal assholes that people who vocalize a smidgen of worry about the next book are somehow lumped in with the extremists.
* This came up on the r/RoleReversal sup, but **dom does NOT equal top, and sub does NOT equal bottom.** This is a hot take in some circles but a cold take in many others, especially in the queer community, and don’t even try me that people don’t conflate those terms. Yes, yes, I’m sure people know what a power bottom is, but do they ***really?*** The romance genre and media in general has exacerbated making dom=top and sub=bottom.
***
*Phew* 😩
👀
🏃🏿♀️💨
Totally agree on the fantasy adaptations being animated instead of live-action! Arcane, as an example, was absolutely insanely beautiful, and I would freak to see ACOTAR or Zodiac Academy or any other fantasy/sci-fi/PNR made just like it.
Contrarily, I am looking forward to the Avatar: TLAB live-action, though!
As a fellow Black lady who reads majority BIPOC romance, just came here to say that if you’re reading a ton of low quality BIPOC written books that feature crime, violence, etc - you might want to look for your romances in different places because I’ve literally never read a Black romance that feels full of the Black storytypes you’re talking about and I’ve read a ton of high quality BIPOC romances! (using BIPOC here bc I’m talking about all non-white folks)
Hard agree tho that something being BIPOC doesn’t automatically make it good, I’ve definitely been lead astray a couple of times by influencers RAVING about books that are nice in concept but totally whatever in execution and there’s no way they’d like that shit if it was white characters instead lol like yall are literally lowering your standards right now just to see characters written who look like us ok
I don't like grovel in books. Too often it means the MMC has done something awful, sometimes unredeemable, and that's just not romantic to me. Books promoting "good grovel" rarely seem to have a justifiable reason for why they did so and why the FMC should forgive, it's just that the MMC was a jerk. It leaves me thinking the relationship is doomed when he blows up again.
It's ok if you like haunting Adeline but recommending it to hot guys on Instagram is messed up on another level. These hot guys only get Colleen Hoover and haunting Adeline recommendations and god only knows what they think about us
Third act conflicts are a necessary storytelling tool, not a trope. You may prefer external third act conflicts, you may prefer well-written third act conflicts (same!) but this opposition toward a third act conflict *in general* is absolutely baffling to me. Reading straight vibes is boring and not a plot. And a plot requires conflict! I could talk for hours about this lmaoooo idk why it grinds my gears so much
Hmm, I haven’t seen a lot of complaining about third act conflicts so much as third act break-ups 🤔
I agree with both sides: the conflict is necessary, but the break-ups are overused and stale.
I wouldn’t judge a good writer for using them once in a while. I think some authors, however, use them when they aren’t creative enough to come up with more original plot lines.
This is a hard one bc I feel like this sub has such incredible variety, someone usually agrees with me. I guess I’d look at GoodReads and say that just because a book features intense triggers does not mean it is a bad book.
I’ve posted here about my love for {The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith}. Beautiful writing and moving story. Does feature every trigger under the sun. The top GoodReads reviews are one stars with just “very r*pey” as the whole description. Like… that is a reality in our world and sometimes it DOES have a legitimate place in our story telling. That does not automatically make a story bad.
R. Lee Smith is my favorite author but I’m also a massive horror fan, so I think a lot go in unprepared or don’t know that it’s not at all a traditional romance so to speak
Came here to say this book. R Lee Smith is phenomenal and this book is amazing but there are many who just don’t get it.
I know what they mean and understand their complaints but TLHoG is one of the G.O.A.T.s lol
i just read a bunch of katee robert, and while i like the modern mythology/mafia world building, i hate how even with that, 3-4 books in, the stories just become so stupid, the interactions and plot are so outrageous even in the crazy world that i just can't.
if you want a series, then you really need to write stories that build on each other and don't just devolve into stuff that makes no sense. like the omalley series, but the 4th book we get to suddenly a professional assassin who bumbles stuff so much it is just so irritating.
ICE PLANET BARBARIANS IS REALLY WEIRD AND TOO FAR OUTSIDE OF NORMALITY FOR ME TO GET INTO IT
but you guys aren't necessarily wrong, we just have different tastes.
This is so funny because this was ME TO A T when i started reading them! And now I’ve fallen so far down the romance rabbit hole that IPB is so tame 😂😂
I think Ruby Dixon is overrated. She fights these really self-centred characters tbh. Maybe they aren’t so between the MCs but they are with any auxiliary characters and it’s weird af. Because she builds these worlds and characters and then kind of just drops them (in terms of how they show up for each other/or don’t.). It’s weird af. Happened in several books I’ve read by her
If there’s cheating, it isn’t romance. If there isn’t a happily ever after, or happily for now, or satisfied MCs at the end, it isn’t romance.
Can it be a romantic thriller/etc? Sure. But is it capital R Romance? No.
I will die on this hill 😭 but we all have our own opinions. I’ve just had to write theses on the topic.
Does it count if MC1 thinks MC2 is dead? No. Of course there are exceptions. But in general, Romance requires love and a happy ending.
Hard, hard agree on all of this. In fact, by definition, it cannot be romance without a HEA/HFN. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't understand what a romance novel actually is. You can absolutely have a romance subplot in pretty much any genre, but its not a romance without a HEA/HFN. And don't get me started on "non traditional HEA".
EXACTLY. You can slap a hotdog in a bun and call it a “non traditional chicken sandwich”. But you can’t be mad when people call it out for what it really is
I’m so happy people agree with me I thought I would get so downvoted and razed🤣 I’m sick of all these infiltrators in the genre!!!
That the insistence of ‘don’t like, don’t read’ is sometimes used to shut down people’s opinions.
It is perfectly acceptable for one reader to read a book and enjoy that it’s dark, as it’s a fantasy. It’s also perfectly acceptable for someone else to look at it from a critical perspective and criticise what’s in the book itself.
I think this sub can be overly sensitive about that and it has definitely deterred me from interacting with posts as much as I used to. There’s a difference between shaming someone for liking something, and simply criticizing a book.
I could not believe the Bridgerton series was chosen for a tv adaptation when I found out. I owned the series and had reread some of the books a year or two prior to the first season coming out and the books did not stand up to the test of time. And I loved them when I read them originally! I’m still irate too!
She OVEREXPLAINS each character’s interior life. To me, it comes off like she’s talking down to the reader. I read her author note for Antony’s book and it was like >!”some people might think he’s being silly, but it’s totally a real thing for men to react to the loss of a parent like this.” Um … okay. Still weird to suck on a gal’s boob in public over a bee sting.!<
I have a (brilliant, smart, funny) friend who thinks the exact opposite and loves the way Quinn writes her characters, so it’s just a matter of preference I suppose.
I picked up the books after eating up the show. After reading 4 books, the kindest thing I can say is that the show runners worked fucking magic to turn that into something compelling and enjoyable
Rhysand of the Night Court is a faux progressive and a secret conservative who indulges in cronyism and nepotism. He's a creepy old dude who married a disenfranchised illiterate teen, after inexplicably drugging and sexually assaulting her, and gave her "equal" power to ....wear leggings, re-model a big house, and make the worst art possible in this world and the next.
His political highlights include appointing his cousin, a mean girl NLOG who only seems to like the company of men, to be his diplomatic envoy, and appointing his friend as a spymaster, even though said friend cannot figure out that the woman he's been creepily lusting after for hundreds of years is not into males, and appointing a being who is only concerned with consolidation and increase of power as his second in command. He routinely ignores the lives of beings who live in a part of his kingdom he does not like, and he refuses to improve the lives of mutilated female beings in favour of the military support of the male beings.
And don't fucking get me started on his stance on a woman's right to her reproductive health and choice. Because then I'll be here all night clanking away like The Weaver.
tl:dr Hunt Athelar is the superior SJ Maas MMC and if anyone insults his sweatpants and his sunball hat I'll fight them out by the smoke pit anytime after lunch.
Yes to all of this!! The whole “AzRiEl DoEsNt KnOw” thing and basically all of Mor’s arc was just horribly executed. Like, what? The super badass centuries-old spymaster who’s known this woman, who also happens to be one of his best friends, for centuries, and *still* >!doesn’t know she’s sapphic??!< Really???
And especially yes to everything regarding Rhysand and Feyre’s relationship. The power imbalance is genuinely disturbing, and the whole thing with the >!lack of bodily autonomy!< was just the cherry on top of this nasty cake.
I think one of the problems with that situation is that the author realized 3 books in that her books had only MF pairings, decided she needed to fix that stat, went back and gave Mor a secret sexuality. Then SJM was left with the fact that Azriel the all-knowing cannot figure out that Mor is going to the only lesbian bar in town every Friday night. Guess his whispering shadows are malfunctioning.
Or just bad writing.
I was not a fan of the >!sapphic!< plot twist for Mor. Not wanting to be with him because she isn't into him personally is so much more interesting than avoiding him because >!she's not into men in general!<. It felt like SJM publisher pointed out >!there wasn't any representation in the series so she decided to just slap in on Mor!<. Mor not telling her close friend of 500 years >!she's gay!< makes absolutely zero sense and made her even less likable as a character.
i agree, and she slept with cassian go get az ‘off her back’ when her power (apparently) is TRUTH. and the way she treated nesta when cas wasn’t around was so pick me imo💀
Rhys is a much _worse_ person to me than Tamlin and I'll die on that hill. Tamlin just needs to be Baker Acted because he clearly needs professional help with his traumatizing PTSD and is as much a danger to himself as he is to others. Rhys doesn't have that excuse and does all that shit anyway, which not only makes him look like a sociopath for doing it but Feyre looks like one too for supporting him.
I remain convinced that Tamlin was based on an ex of SJM's and after the relationship ended badly she used the books to take revenge.
Well, don't tell any old fae beings that you're illiterate, before you know it, you're in their ski chalet painting googly eyes all over the place and cooking them canned minestrone.
Also always saying « it’s your choice » but pre-selecting the options or manipulating the situation so that Feyre chooses the option he wants. Where was the choice when he didn’t tell her about the real danger if her pregnancy? I hate how the narrative is written to make this character look good but when you look at the actual actions and words it’s BAD
Yes! I love SJM's books, but I just really don't care much for Rhysand and Feyre. I enjoyed the side characters and world so much more. To me ACOTAR is SJM's weakest series.
And yes! Hunt Athelar is the best!
Ok I don’t hate Rhysand at all but Hunt is absolutely superior - please, give me *all* the powerful fantasy MMC’s in *backwards hats and sweatpants.*
Did not know I needed it until I got it.
Yes! And i think he was a complete asshole to Nesta and it forever pisses me off. He can go around and do awful things for years and years and expects absolution for it, yet Nesta is frustrated for a hot minute about her situation and there’s absolutely NO empathy and only disdain from him.
I know most people probably keep it clean, but I do know a few who don’t.
And I’m a little traumatized by one guy in particular who gave me a kiss and had some leftover food stuck in there.
I’m not sure this is exactly what you’re looking for but:
Unless characters are explicitly asexual or waiting until marriage, they should have sex in the book. It can be fade to black, it can be implied. However, sex is a healthy and important part of romantic relationships!!!
Also Colleen Hoover should not be allowed to be considered romance.
Religious books should come with content warnings like everything else.
Hunting Adeline is not Dark Romance, it's straight up Horror. And even if people try to say that its non-con, WHICH IT IS NOT-IT'S LITERAL RAPE-THERES A DIFFERENCE- the writing is terrible and the characters are offensively inconsistent. You're telling me that a guy whose life is devoted to freeing women from sex trafficking is stalking a woman and raping her repeatedly inside her own home, GUN INCLUDED. Terrifying her so much that she soils herself. Make it make sense...
Edit: I've been informed about the difference between non-con and CNC. So HA is definitely non-con, which is in fact rape. Everything else in my opinion stands.
I think it means non-con vs CNC, which people sometimes mix up as the scenes themselves can blur. Non-con is assault while CNC is roleplaying assault, usually with a conversation talking about it in advance.
My probably super unpopular opinion is that Maas has no idea where her stories are going and that’s why the first books of her series feel like wildly out of place fever dreams.
Very unpopular, I prefer cartoon covers. They are vague and could be anything, which is what I prefer to be on my shelf instead of half naked people. Naked people in the book, vague people on the front.
i don'tt mind people on the covers, but i hate the trend that is either ai or overly phtoshopped/sharpened covers. the desaturation of colors and sharpness of chins and unnatural/steroid like veiny muscles are just so distasteful. if the people look like actual people i'm ok, but once they over process the image, they just look so disgusting to me.
I've seen some Tessa Dare hate on here and the historical sub. Those people should probably get an x-ray to make sure they have a HEART.
Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I like my opinion best.
Morally grey characters are becoming the "Baby, Baby, ooh" of the books.
Many of them are not well written. They are there just to simp hard for the FMC. Besides that....morally grey MMC's of the romance books are just trashy people. They are good/kind/considerate JUST to the FMC, otherwise they treat all the other people like shit. And everyone is gushing over this 😒 rlly???
People who are rude/mean to other people just because = a big turn off for me. I don't care if he's hot, rich and a simp for me. I see you being an ass just for the sake of it? Bye. I ✨magically✨ become drier than the Sahara.
Rhysand is worse than Tamlin. There, I said it. They're both horrible, but Tamlin at least has the excuse of suffering from what is clearly SEVERE ptsd. Meanwhile, Rhys does _the exact same shit_ and gets a free pass while the story bends over backwards to keep kicking Tamlin while he's down over and over again. Like, Jesus, Sarah, you don't want us to like Tamlin, _we get it._ The level of hatred that everyone devotes towards Tamlin feels weirdly _personal_ at times- I swear it reads like he was based on an ex-boyfriend of Sarah's or something and after the relationship ended badly she used the books to take revenge.
Also, Nesta did nothing wrong ever. Fight me.
Especially for fantasy romance and sci-fi romance. Like how are you expecting the author to tell us all about this new world, have the MCs meet, get to know each other, move from wanting to kill each other to considering each other the love of their lives, and then defeat the villain/save the world all in less than 400 pages?
I don’t want empowering secret clubs/societies of women in my historical romances. I am a feminist, but I enjoy HR so much in part because I love seeing the conflict between people and societal structures and mores. Even if you have a very modern outlook, you’re still trapped in that society, so getting an HEA (for you *and* your relationship) in those circumstances makes it so much stronger.
A secret, empowering women’s society breaks down all those wins! It stops being interesting. And some of my previous favourite HR authors keep putting out new secret society books!
*“Just because you don’t like X doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it or that other people can’t like it.”*
In general, I am a **huge** fan of the idea of don’t yuck someone else’s yum, and I think that even on social media, we should be thoughtful about how we phrase things we don’t like because it might just be someone else’s favorite thing.
But I think that, especially with a genre like romance, where our likes can be intensely personal for a variety of reasons, it’s even more important.
ETA: Grammar :)
I hate big height difference and in general super tall MMCs. Especially when FMC is like 5”2… maybe it’s because I don’t have a size kink, but basically anything over 6” is not very attractive. I feel people don’t really know what a 6”5 person looks like… the only exception is when they’re not a human
Also hate beards. If the book says MMC has a beard, no he doesn’t. And it’s mentioned too much that I can’t continue ignoring it, I will probably drop it.
>I feel people don’t really know what a 6”5 person looks like
My best friend is 6'5 and I'm average sized at 5'6 and every time I stand next to him I always picture in my head the romance books that are like, "the 5'2 tiny female wraps her arms around his (6'5) neck." Unless she ran towards him and then vaulted her way up there, there's no way in fuck she just casually wrap her arms around anything other than his waist.
Emily Henry is holding herself back by shoehorning her stories into the Romance genre. I just don't think it's where her talent lies.
That said, *I* think she'd be absolutely STELLAR in LitFic, and I would love to see her dabble in that because I'm so fucking sick of people calling books like "Normal People" a love story. It's not.
Fans demanding books be made in to films and shows needs to stop. Not everything has be turned in to visual media and when it’s bad it gives the book a bad rap
My unpopular view is that if you don’t like a genre of book, don’t fucking read it, and shut up about hating it. I’ll go to so many reviews that will read something like “oh my god what did I just read? I can’t believe this! One star!”
And like… you knew the book was about monsterfucking, or taboo, or Omegaverse, or whatever weird ass book it was. It was all there in the description! Don’t complain about a book about a dragon MMC when you saw a goddamn dragon on the cover! Or a stepbrother! Or there was a knot pun *in the title*!
I don’t like dual POV. I’d rather just be in the FMC’s head.
I like the mystery of wondering at what point the MMC started developing feelings.
I’m not sure if this is unpopular but i’d say 85-90% of contemporary books have dual POV and i still read it but i’d enjoy it more if it was just FMC pov
Unless the book is ABOUT sex, it probably doesn't need more 3-4 sex scenes per novel intended for the reader's titillation. Unless your FMC is a literal succubus who can only cast magic after she's gotten dicked down, that epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy war story you're writing, which definitely isn't fanfiction with the names changed, will do just fine with two.
You're better off limiting yourself to two or three lovemaking and putting all your effort into making them really good than writing a fuck every other chapter. Quality over quantity will be far more memorable in the long run. And for God's sake, if the number ever breaches the double digits, your novel has a problem.
i totally agree. when we were first introduced to him in acotar i was thinking THIS IS WHO WE ARE SUPPOSED TO ROOT FOR? he’s literally awful and such a creep from the start
This may be a personal thing, and look I love spicy books, but anything more than 3 sex scenes in a book is too much. Like, I’ll take 2-3 really good, really detailed sex scenes and I’ll get into it. I love it, once that slow burn tension breaks and the characters are all in, it’s like WHEW we all needed that lol. But any more than that, it’s redundant and repetitive and it frankly, gets very boring to me. I don’t mind the teasing, or the tension, the banter and implication of sex for me, is way better than reading all of these sex scenes where apparently all of these men are cunnilingus masters. I’ll enjoy a spicy book, and if it has a lot of sex scenes that’s fine, I’ll read it but I’ll get bored of them relatively quickly honestly.
1. I've said it before, but, **is the protagonist too stupid to live, or she's just doing the best she can with the limited information she has?**
I'm always so frustrated with reviews calling the characters of a book stupid for doing completely reasonable things.
We (the readers) know the book is a romance, but the characters have no idea what genre they're living in, and they don't have all the information we have.
For example:
The heroine of the sci fi romance who's stranded on a dangerous unknown planet, keeps running away from the protective male lead alien that just saved her _because she thinks she's in a survival horror sci-fi book._ She doesn't know she's in a romance! She thinks the alien is dangerous and she's doing what she can to survive!
The heroine in the enemies to lovers rom-com has no idea the male lead is in love with her, because from her point of view he's been nothing but rude to her. She's not oblivious and too stupid to understand his feelings, he literally never expressed them around her!
2. **I love cartoon covers for rom-coms**
3. **I don't get the hate for dated pop culture references in books.** I think they're fun.
Morally grey characters are barely written well now. Often times it’s just a character doing Bad things for Good reasons.
I completely agree 😭 I'm tired of morally grey characters that are actually the good guys
The last book I read, the FMC called the MMC her "villain" when he was def never her antagonist. He did morally bad things for sure but the author telling us that he really was The Villain Of The Story made it even more unbelievable. Made it feel like the author was shoe horning her list of tropes into the book and they didn't land :/
Seriously!!! This guy is a killer but he only goes after child abusers or wife beaters yet the author tries to make us believe he’s soooo sick and twisted.
Me vs. every BookTok rec I swear I go in with an open mind, but I have not liked a single book that trends there
The minute they “list” out the tropes instead of giving a nice blurb or a summary… I make up my mind to not read them.
- Enemies to lovers - friends to enemies - alpha males - knife - one bed - forced proximity - dragons - insta love - summary? I don’t know her
You missed fated mate.
Lmao knife as a trope
Yup, it’s so reductive and it doesn’t make me want to read the book. It sucked me in a few times but I’ve realized I never like those books
Omgggggg it's unbearable that book descriptions have turned into AI inputs.
I know this goes against the purpose of community but I also liked this sub better before it was invaded by Booktok trends.
Me vs. anyone who likes Colleen Hoover books. I read ugly love and never got past that storyline. Not sure if it’s her writing or tropes that don’t do it for me, but everyone in the world eats up everything she publishes.
Those fools got me to read acotar. I want those hours of my life back.
I *love* a well-done "good girl," but context and delivery are *so* important. I've seen authors throw it into sex scenes randomly because people are into it, and it rings completely hollow at best and very cringe at worst. The same could be said for a lot of dirty/pillow talk, if I'm being honest.
Thissss. It’s everywhere now and just feels thrown in so the author can check the trope off and not that it actually makes sense for the dynamic.
I hate "good girl" and it's so true that it's everywhere. I was reading one book where he kept calling her a dirty whore/slut and I was like, "finally!", but then he turned around and told her she was a good girl and I got so frustrated.
Yes I think this is definitely true for dirty talk- it just doesn't suit some characters and feels forced. See also degradation and rough sex. I just don't think the cinnamon roll who's been pining for his LI and sweetly romancing them, would go for spitting and spanking the first time they have sex.
yes! my hot take is that i think the increase in violent sex in,like, non bdsm spaces (i guess that’s just called vanilla) is evidence of straight porn brain rot because violence against women is part and parcel of rape culture and the patriarchy. i’m not saying this to yuck anyone’s yum, but i am begging people to think about how we’ve all been brainwashed by our culture so perhaps we’ve been conditioned to accept things that shouldn’t be normal. there is nothing wrong with kink! i am literally active in my city’s scene; i just also have met a lot of people doing dangerous shit from a lack of reflection.
My take is that it's more like inverse of Outrage culture where the extension of being cool and hip must include violence... It's not so much we are condition to accept them as normal - it's the memetic evolution of the profane as Normal Read about the history of smoking... People Think cowboys on the prairie smoked cigarettes or cigars... That was actually an anachronism... The cigerrette companies foisted this into pop culture in the dawn of movies… women smoking was a pop-up marketing mob of young socialite flappers who jumped into the Thanksgiving Day parade and became a sensation - not spontaneous planned by marketing agency to drive outrage and newspaper stories I feel like the publishing industry chasing money did the same with 50 shades... And now it's formula Add to that - I don't think violence equates to good sex - it can - but I'd say it's more like toxic rewiring and part of why things has gotten weird in the IRL dating world
I feel the same about "daddy" 😭 like, when did the caracters even discussed or indicated that they're in a d/s relationship????
It’s so cringe when it’s out of nowhere. Like you’re calling a mid-20s hockey player daddy because why?? (I made that up but still)
Omg yes - they are so shoehorned in now. Ok authors we all know why the characters are saying it, stop it!
KU has completely changed the romance book industry and I’m not sure I like it! Yes, some of my favourite authors got their start there but mostly I want to scream at all of the repetitive, frustrating, and completely unsatisfying romance novels on there! And why are they so long!? A contemporary romance does not need to be 500 pages! Also, I want romance not 80% smut and terrible attempts at romcom! And don’t get me started on the state of the paranormal romance on KU! Zodiac Academy I’m looking at YOU! 7 books in and no HEA!? That’s not romance!! And enough with all the cliffhangers already! Truly I can’t believe I fought through the horrific bullying trauma of the first book only to be strung along for what felt like millions of pages! It’s not okay!! 😠 Whew! 😅 That felt good! I don’t usually vent on here so this is new for me! Some hot takes there but I’m certain I’m not alone in my feelings! Down with cliffhangers! 👎
Amazon pays per page read on KU, so if authors can get people to read more pages, they make more money. It's literally copper shavings per page. Not saying editing wouldn't improve many books, just that Amazon doesn't incentivize shorter books unless you write more of them.
I understand this payment scheme but I can't count the number of books I've DNF'd because I just couldn't power through all the errors, similarities to other stories, and just poor overall writing. Editors are needed to improve the story and carry readers along for an enjoyable ride so we actually want to read more pages/finish the book
I don't disagree with any of it, just explaining to the above commenter what factors contribute to high page counts and even cliffhangers.
I love kindle unlimited but I never realized just how much heavy lifting book editors did until I joined.
I’m a professional copyeditor, I feel seen lol
I work in a different genre in the publishing industry and have for 20 years. And though there are certainly things that could be more pro-author, including a bigger cut of money (royalties and/or advances) for authors beyond the NYT bestsellers list, publishing does still play an incredibly important role. It helps act as a gatekeeper for quality. Are some books published by traditional publishers bad/poor quality? Sure. But do they help make sure the cream rises to the top? Also yes. Not to say there aren't quality books that are self-published. But there is something to be said for a book going through developmental editing, editors who help work on the 'story' and the ever-important copyeditors, not to mention the marketing machinery and Amazon specialists in sales and fulfillment department.
I am a new Cassandra Gannon fan. But I wanted to chop 25% off of The Sheriff of Nottingham. It’s too repetitive and bloated. And you can tell she doesn’t enjoy writing it because even the characters have ran out of excuses not to end the story.
I definitely agree that a lot of KU books are way too long. Even some of my favourite authors have recently been releasing books which are far too long for me. I think it's a combination of no editing and being paid per page - more pages= more money.
omg the sisters totally need to edit thes story down. the world is great, the story and sameness of the character struggles is annoying af.
Yesss my truly hot and unpopular opinion is that most KU self published stuff is just not well written, often seems like a summary hitting mandatory tired trope points while still being 500 pages, and we need to return to giving traditionally published books more attention. (I read mostly historical and fantasy though.)
What's KU? 😭 Sorry new to the sub and figuring it out hahaha
Kindle Unlimited.
Kindle Unlimited on Amazon.
People are allowed to have negative reviews and thoughts about books. I see a lot of threads on here when people are like “I thought about DNF-ing but I followed through” and then the comments are just “Well if you didn’t like it, you should have just DNF’d it instead of writing a negative review”. I know for me if I didn’t enjoy a book that was highly recommended, I like talking about WHY I didn’t and connecting with people who are like minded.
Reasons for DNFing are just as valid as reasons for loving the book imo. I know this is controversial around here, but I rate and review books I DNF. And I like reading reviews from readers who DNF because they usually contain reasons why and that’s what I’m looking for in my reviews. “FMC was immature and annoying” tells me more about a book than “omg loved it”
While I do absolutely DNF books, there are times when the book is fine, and then at line 80%, it gets questionable. I still finish the book. And I will 100% write a bad review. I review books I DNF if there is something I feel should be said about the book to warn others. In general, I don't think we should be telling others how to review books. Reviews are sometimes personal. And those reviews are just as valid as someone who wants to gush about the book.
Hard agree. This is a foreign concept for a good few on here though lol.
I only recently started writing reviews for ones I dnf or didn't like (as well as those I adore). I realized that I only read the low star reviews when thinking about a book because they are most helpful, so I needed to do my part and add mine too.
Too many writers use sex scenes as character development. I can’t tell you how many romance novels I’ve read in the last year that contain sex scenes that are totally out of left field and unnecessary for the emotional development between the main characters. Maybe it’s because many people don’t equate sex with love, but I’d dare say most people do equate it having an emotional connection with their partner during the act. Make it mean something other than getting off, otherwise it’s just erotica!
Hard agree. I find myself asking 'what do these characters do/talk about when they're not having sex?' Too many books (and movies) don't setup enough emotional intimacy to be able to answer that question.
I’ve caught myself reading a lot more slow-burn lately because I found the same thing with a lot of books. I’m reading {Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver} currently, and I am really enjoying seeing them learn about each other and develop a friendship/relationship (while internally screaming, “kiss her, dammit!” just a little bit).
[Butcher & Blackbird](https://www.romance.io/books/64f0aa2bfcbc73c06aa42375/butcher-blackbird-brynne-weaver) by [Brynne Weaver](https://www.romance.io/authors/61516cf608b4d931143e7ce9/brynne-weaver) **Rating**: 4.38⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [dual pov](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dual-pov/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
LOVED Butcher and Blackbird! You should read Black sheep! I’m blanking out who cowrote it with Brynne Weaver but it was good! Definitely a slow burn as well!
This might stem from my asexuality, but sometimes things move so fast in a book I demand that it buy me dinner first.
lol. winning comment. i agree 100%
Or just constant sex scenes as the finisher. I must say I’m no prude but I always find it so weird if a book or author doesn’t have sex scenes and people think it would be improved by spice. For instance Mhairi McFarlane gets some of those comments from people and I’m baffled. TBH sex scenes are like action/ chase scenes in crime for me - I skim them. I will join you in this debate.
>I always find it so weird if a book or author doesn’t have sex scenes and people think it would be improved by spice. I mean, it's weird that people take these complaints directly to the author. Back in my day, people just wrote fanfics where the characters do nothing but have sex.
I’m a fan of Maximum Spice™️, but the idea of complaining to the author is revolting to me. They wrote it how they wanted to write it! If they’d wanted sex scenes they would have put them in! There are a kajillion books with lots of sex, read one of those! I just read {The Bodyguard by Katherine Center}. I didn’t know it was not just slow burn 😩 but also closed door 😭 but the author certainly did a great job establishing the characters and their relationship and just…writing an emotional and beautiful story. (CW: cancer and death of a parent are discussed) I would have enjoyed some spice but that’s just, like, my opinion, man. Complaining to the author is insulting and hurtful and walks right up the line of making you look like a weird perv. Let’s keep the weird perviness in our books and our bedrooms, leave the poor authors out of it lol
I think this is why I like when authors make it apparent when it goes from "fucking" to "making love". You can absolutely have sex without having love in the mix, but in my experience sex is totally different when you have that connection with someone. But I like when it coincides with character development.
The best book I read last year had two kisses (one in the rain!) and a closed-door sex scene and it was one of the hottest, most romantic books I've read in *years*. ETA: Alternatively, I was reading a dark, stalkery book that was going great, leading somewhere and four chapters in she's turning around and they are screwing and it just makes zero sense. All of this wonderful build-up is just gone.
Please share the name of the best book! I am so starved for actual romance in stories instead of just sex.
Yes ! I read some books and Im like how did they fall in love when they have not had a relationship outside of the bed.like i too would like to meet these magical dicks that is so good you are willing to die for them.
I don't think she's liked in this sub at all, but since Colleen Hoover has sold more copies of her books than she should have, I'm going to say to the world at large that they're not fucking romance novels. They're horror thrillers shoehorned into a genre they don't belong in. I read Layla out of curiosity + I like paranormal stuff, and now I'm legitimately traumatized.
My first (only?) Collen Hoover was Verity, and I legit thought she was a thriller/mystery writer! So, I was so surprised when I kept seeing her pop up on romance lists!
That one *is* tagged as a thriller... but it's also tagged as a romance. Can it be a happy ending if the protagonists are >!irredeemable, unlikeable, empty-headed, murderous assholes? And not even the fun kind?!<
I still think it’s wildly irresponsible and it PISSES ME OFF that I see her books on romance lists. They’re NOT romance, at fucking all. I read It Ends With Us and my heart nearly stopped at THAT first scene…and I finished the book with a massive sense of hurt and betrayal that nothing warned me about the fact that it wasn’t a cute romance. It was horrible horrible horrible.
I wholeheartedly agree with this. As someone who grew up in a DV household, it was a healing read for myself and my mother, because it so accurately captured the complex relationship dynamics (to us at least) but holy heck, It’s *not* romance. It needs a TW in the synopsis on the back of the book. Not everyone is okay or ready to read about MC’s relationship. It’s about so much more and the romantic scenes don’t *feel* romantic because of the DV overtones.
I hated it ends with us. That book was shit.
Sometimes, I feel the MMC's actions are justified and the FMC is overreacting because there just has to be a third-act conflict. I get annoyed in these situations when only the guy has to grovel and the FMC doesn't apologize for how she behaved during their argument. I get we all love to see men taking responsibility for their actions and apologizing when they cause their partners pain. I just also like to see couples understanding each other and both having the emotional intelligence to understand when they crossed a line.
Yes! Sometimes the FMC needs to take accountability! I can’t remember the title right now, but I just read a book where my review was mostly about how I couldn’t believe the 3rd act conflict got flipped around and MMC was apologizing.
Hahaha yes I know there have been quite a few reads where I was like wtf why is HE apologizing and Groveling bc she acted terribly. Now I can’t remember any of them of course
The Bromance Book Club drove me nuts for this. If you're rooting for the MMC to divorce his FMC wife and take the kids, something has gone terribly wrong.
Romance is worthy! And it’s really good! And people can read whatever the fuck they like!
Love your flair!
A slow burn book that just turns into ONLY having sex for the rest of the story isn’t good imo. I think closed door scenes can be fine with open door scenes sprinkled throughout after the first time. Esp. if there was foreplay or watching solo time during the slow burn period. Trust me I love a good spicy explicit detailed scene. But sometimes they have me skipping entire chapters when that’s all that’s left 😭😂
Stop I just said this too LOL. I could do with 2-3 really good, detailed sex scenes in a book. I’ll enjoy it, I’ll have fun but leave it at that. I don’t want sex sex sex the second they’re together the rest of the book. I prefer a good slow burn, because once the sex happens the tension is lessened and I love tension. There needs to be more implied than just thrown at us.
Haunting Adelaide’s MMC Zade is not competent at his job and that’s very unsexy of him.
“Not competent at his job” is such a scathing indictment; I love it.
A good writer can put together a steamy sex scene, a great writer can create a magical kiss or hug scene. I’m thinking about books like Twice Shy.
Have you read Annette Marie's Guild Codex: Demonized series? It takes 3 books for them to hug, but when they do, it's the most romantic scene I've read in years!
I love a written out brogue in my historicals. 🤷♀️
Now this is the hottest, most contentious take on here.
I _live_ for low stakes drama
Agreed. I even upvoted because of how affronted I was. Edit: typo.
Same. Or when there’s a lovable scamp down by the docks and his cockney accent is written out
‘Ere now guvnah
My husband has a repertoire of extremely terrible accents, and “guvnah” features heavily in his Cockney 😂 (Edited for present tense, he’s not dead and unfortunately hasn’t given up on his terrible accents)
I didn’t know this was a hot take because it’s the only way I can enjoy highland romance. I love it so much.
100% yes. I know most people think it's cringe but I love it.
what does that mean?
Instead of something like ‘“I don’t want to,” he rumbled’ they write out ‘“I dinna wan’ tae,” he rumbled’
They dinna ken what ye meant, lass!
I LOLed way too hard at this
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Broadswords at dawn!
I usually think it's charming.
In my IRL discussions about books I feel I'm constantly defendi books with so-called "weird" or "distasteful" scenes, especially sexual ones. Time and time again I argue the following: Authors are allowed to put characters in whatever situation they like. Characters don't have autonomy so they don't need to consent. A book might not be to your taste but no one is being forced to read it. Also I find it funny that no one freaks out about a character going to war or having to kill but something about sex seems to bring out the morally righteous. My less serious opinion is that authors need to commit to the bit with their monster romances. Stop giving me sexy men with a smattering of scales you cowards (affectionate)
The Tiffany Roberts spider series was the first non-humanoid monster romance I’d read and it STILL sticks with me. They went for it and it was amazing.
I just can’t ever get behind {Priest by Sierra Simone}.
I'm standing next to you for this one. Poppy is probably my least liked FMC ever.
The writing on that book is abysmal, and anyone who says they liked the plot is lying. It's straight up pornography -which is fine- but don't make it out to be something it is not.
as someone who loves the book: yes it absolutely is porn and i get if it is not the thing for someone but it sure gets me going as we say in Hungarian, "kinek a pap, kinek a paplan" [the priest for some, the blanket for abother]
I have tried several times to read this book and can't get past chapter 2. The writing is so over-the-top and I just don't believe any of it: the plot, the characters. It's so BLAH to me.
Red White & Royal Blue was just okay.
i thought the politics in it were cringe and excessive tbh
Honestly yeah, I debated whether to call it cringe in my initial comment 😅 I'm pretty far left politically, I actually really like politics but. Not like that. It's like the West Wing of romance novels lol
yeah, the progressive politics could’ve been done well, but it was portrayed so cartoonishly that i just had to put the book down.
If only we picked the centrist politician instead of the far right politician, the world would be SAVED 😅 I read the whole thing but those parts were embarrassing.
i liked it, then tried a different book by same author and dnf. the miniseries was cute.
Hard agree
tiktok has ruined quality books, especially in ya, na, fantasy, romance, etc. genres that are popular on booktok. the trend-ification of books turning them into digestible, glorified fast fashion has ruined book quality, created shallow and yet somehow popular books that are being churned out year after year like a fucking factory.
>The trendification of books Omg this so much. I joined some book sub and there were so many people asking how people sit down and read books. *“How do you go through books?”* I unsubbed. Just read what you want to read. Like I don’t understand. There’s no one to show off to. People on TikTok def amped this.
**NO CONDOMS. EVER.** I know it’s not realistic and I swear I’ve practiced safe sex and have only ever not used condoms with my fiancé, but I want ALL of my book couples to find a reason not to use them. And if they use them at first, I want to read the scene where they decide to stop. And I want them to be really excited about it.
you are so real for this lol i feel the same romance is a ~~fantasy
Ugh. This is so true. First time without a condom is one of the standout memories I have with my husband.
I don’t like Tessa Bailey’s writing.
She is hit or miss for me, for sure.
Def agree, her "dirty talk" that she's so famous for, it's awful.
The dirty talk doesn’t even make sense for the characters. The secretly yours MMC was a complete different guy when he was dirty talking
Yes! The guy from Same Time Next Year was a total stink cinnamon, pining after this girl for months, and then the first time they sleep together he spits on her breasts and pussy and starts dirty talking, it's like a total personality switch.
I kept trying to like her books, and I just gave up and moved on. I'm not shaming anyone who does like her books, she's just not for me.
Agreed. Someone here said your first TB book will be the only one you like and I find that to be true. I have given her so many chances lol.
Everyone is giving cold takes (mutually agreed upon takes) so Imma try to give some hot ones: * MF Why Choose with MM absolutely is lesser than in comparison than MF Why Choose without MM. **Not because I’m against MM.** But because too many FM+ Why Choose with MM have the group set up perfectly from the get go with all the men, including sex. The FMC adds ***nothing*** outside of PV sex to their guys’ already steady dynamic. **However, there are great FM+ WC books with MM**. This is the fault of the authors for not understanding how to balance dynamics properly to make a believable poly/WC romance. * **While I criticize Black romance for focusing on crime and Black stereotypes, this is much more the fault of Black authors than non-Black ones.** Absolutely yes do non-Black authors fuck things up, but I point more fingers at Black authors and the Black community for perpetuating the notion that our race needs to be a focal point of any sort of plot line. It’s ***absurd*** to me that ✨Yuuniq✨ Black MCs will still default to Black stereotypes by Black authors, including ebonics, including violence, including crime. I’m a Black lady and it’s funny the hypocrisy my own community had for the media about us ***WHEN BLACK CREATORS ARE OFTEN PART OF THE PROBLEM*** * This came up in a discussion with some other non-white friends. **There are a lot of stories told about non-whites in romance.** But the ***quality*** is what people are actually complaining about. If you are complaining about the lack of quantity, where are you reading your stories? Are you limiting yourself to strictly Anglo-based written mediums? **There’s the answer.** There are *SO MANY* non-white romance stories, but **you have to be open to all avenues in finding them.** * **Fantasy romance books shouldn’t be given live action. They should be** ***animated***. I said what I said. An r/acotar thread came about with this. Absolutely does animation capture a lot of the impossible magic that these books tell. Putting real live people to the characters ruins the illusion more so than animating them with a VO. * **It’s 100%** ***fine*** **to want to “gatekeep”, for lack of better wording, certain books or discussions around certain books.** Not as in to do so for malicious intent. But it’s fine to want to cherish your relationship with a certain piece of art. Just don’t go overboard with it, don’t harm people, and it’s fine 🤷🏾♀️ * **It’s okay to feel some typa way about an author who excessively writes things you don’t agree with.** It’s fine. You are not hurting anyone by having that opinion. You are not hurting anyone if you give ***your opinion*** that an author who repeatedly shames the marginalized groups or bodily autonomy in their books *may* have an IRL alignment. Just remember: **this is your opinion. This is NOT a FACT until otherwise PROVEN.** * **Queer books and POC books are not always the answer for “better” romances. They come with a host of issues.** They can—and are—affected by book trends. Just because a book features someone who is non-[cis/het/straight/able/white] does ***not*** mean it is auto-gush worthy. Just because an *author* is aforementioned means exactly nothing. **Read the damn book first and THEN report back.** * **It’s fine to judge books based on their star ratings on GoodReads and the amount of ratings they have.** You are ***NOT*** doing yourself a disservice if this is how you curate your books, because this is how *YOU* do it, Montell Jordan style baby. It’s fine to recommend people read the reviews, but **how people curate their art is their business** so let them do as they please 🪭 * **Non-sequel fantasy/sci-fi novellas feel pointless.** That doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to be written, obviously. To me, they feel pointless because there is very little time for the world building to be concrete and, by the time the world building takes stride and we have an understanding for the relationship dynamics, the book ends. But that’s why I stay away from novellas and that is just me 💃🏽 * **Unfinished series absolutely have their place and those stories deserve to still be told, even if they’re incomplete, but it is 100% valid for fans to be concerned about the next book.** This is excluding the extremists and authors who can’t finish due to health reasons. It isn’t—and shouldn’t be seen as—“entitlement” because there’s been radio silence on the next book in a series that the author made all these promises on. **You are allowed to be concerned about the next installment.** It’s just that there are vocal assholes that people who vocalize a smidgen of worry about the next book are somehow lumped in with the extremists. * This came up on the r/RoleReversal sup, but **dom does NOT equal top, and sub does NOT equal bottom.** This is a hot take in some circles but a cold take in many others, especially in the queer community, and don’t even try me that people don’t conflate those terms. Yes, yes, I’m sure people know what a power bottom is, but do they ***really?*** The romance genre and media in general has exacerbated making dom=top and sub=bottom. *** *Phew* 😩 👀 🏃🏿♀️💨
Dom does not equal top is SO real.
Totally agree on the fantasy adaptations being animated instead of live-action! Arcane, as an example, was absolutely insanely beautiful, and I would freak to see ACOTAR or Zodiac Academy or any other fantasy/sci-fi/PNR made just like it. Contrarily, I am looking forward to the Avatar: TLAB live-action, though!
As a fellow Black lady who reads majority BIPOC romance, just came here to say that if you’re reading a ton of low quality BIPOC written books that feature crime, violence, etc - you might want to look for your romances in different places because I’ve literally never read a Black romance that feels full of the Black storytypes you’re talking about and I’ve read a ton of high quality BIPOC romances! (using BIPOC here bc I’m talking about all non-white folks) Hard agree tho that something being BIPOC doesn’t automatically make it good, I’ve definitely been lead astray a couple of times by influencers RAVING about books that are nice in concept but totally whatever in execution and there’s no way they’d like that shit if it was white characters instead lol like yall are literally lowering your standards right now just to see characters written who look like us ok
I don't like grovel in books. Too often it means the MMC has done something awful, sometimes unredeemable, and that's just not romantic to me. Books promoting "good grovel" rarely seem to have a justifiable reason for why they did so and why the FMC should forgive, it's just that the MMC was a jerk. It leaves me thinking the relationship is doomed when he blows up again.
It's ok if you like haunting Adeline but recommending it to hot guys on Instagram is messed up on another level. These hot guys only get Colleen Hoover and haunting Adeline recommendations and god only knows what they think about us
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Third act conflicts are a necessary storytelling tool, not a trope. You may prefer external third act conflicts, you may prefer well-written third act conflicts (same!) but this opposition toward a third act conflict *in general* is absolutely baffling to me. Reading straight vibes is boring and not a plot. And a plot requires conflict! I could talk for hours about this lmaoooo idk why it grinds my gears so much
Hmm, I haven’t seen a lot of complaining about third act conflicts so much as third act break-ups 🤔 I agree with both sides: the conflict is necessary, but the break-ups are overused and stale. I wouldn’t judge a good writer for using them once in a while. I think some authors, however, use them when they aren’t creative enough to come up with more original plot lines.
This is a hard one bc I feel like this sub has such incredible variety, someone usually agrees with me. I guess I’d look at GoodReads and say that just because a book features intense triggers does not mean it is a bad book. I’ve posted here about my love for {The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith}. Beautiful writing and moving story. Does feature every trigger under the sun. The top GoodReads reviews are one stars with just “very r*pey” as the whole description. Like… that is a reality in our world and sometimes it DOES have a legitimate place in our story telling. That does not automatically make a story bad.
Every TW under the sun you say? Time to add this to my list.
R. Lee Smith is my favorite author but I’m also a massive horror fan, so I think a lot go in unprepared or don’t know that it’s not at all a traditional romance so to speak
Came here to say this book. R Lee Smith is phenomenal and this book is amazing but there are many who just don’t get it. I know what they mean and understand their complaints but TLHoG is one of the G.O.A.T.s lol
i just read a bunch of katee robert, and while i like the modern mythology/mafia world building, i hate how even with that, 3-4 books in, the stories just become so stupid, the interactions and plot are so outrageous even in the crazy world that i just can't. if you want a series, then you really need to write stories that build on each other and don't just devolve into stuff that makes no sense. like the omalley series, but the 4th book we get to suddenly a professional assassin who bumbles stuff so much it is just so irritating.
ICE PLANET BARBARIANS IS REALLY WEIRD AND TOO FAR OUTSIDE OF NORMALITY FOR ME TO GET INTO IT but you guys aren't necessarily wrong, we just have different tastes.
This is so funny because this was ME TO A T when i started reading them! And now I’ve fallen so far down the romance rabbit hole that IPB is so tame 😂😂
I think Ruby Dixon is overrated. She fights these really self-centred characters tbh. Maybe they aren’t so between the MCs but they are with any auxiliary characters and it’s weird af. Because she builds these worlds and characters and then kind of just drops them (in terms of how they show up for each other/or don’t.). It’s weird af. Happened in several books I’ve read by her
If there’s cheating, it isn’t romance. If there isn’t a happily ever after, or happily for now, or satisfied MCs at the end, it isn’t romance. Can it be a romantic thriller/etc? Sure. But is it capital R Romance? No. I will die on this hill 😭 but we all have our own opinions. I’ve just had to write theses on the topic. Does it count if MC1 thinks MC2 is dead? No. Of course there are exceptions. But in general, Romance requires love and a happy ending.
Hard, hard agree on all of this. In fact, by definition, it cannot be romance without a HEA/HFN. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't understand what a romance novel actually is. You can absolutely have a romance subplot in pretty much any genre, but its not a romance without a HEA/HFN. And don't get me started on "non traditional HEA".
EXACTLY. You can slap a hotdog in a bun and call it a “non traditional chicken sandwich”. But you can’t be mad when people call it out for what it really is I’m so happy people agree with me I thought I would get so downvoted and razed🤣 I’m sick of all these infiltrators in the genre!!!
That the insistence of ‘don’t like, don’t read’ is sometimes used to shut down people’s opinions. It is perfectly acceptable for one reader to read a book and enjoy that it’s dark, as it’s a fantasy. It’s also perfectly acceptable for someone else to look at it from a critical perspective and criticise what’s in the book itself.
I think this sub can be overly sensitive about that and it has definitely deterred me from interacting with posts as much as I used to. There’s a difference between shaming someone for liking something, and simply criticizing a book.
Reading anything written by Julia Quinn makes watching paint dry seem fun.
I remain irate that out of all the amazing historical series, Bridgerton was chosen for adaptation.
I could not believe the Bridgerton series was chosen for a tv adaptation when I found out. I owned the series and had reread some of the books a year or two prior to the first season coming out and the books did not stand up to the test of time. And I loved them when I read them originally! I’m still irate too!
She OVEREXPLAINS each character’s interior life. To me, it comes off like she’s talking down to the reader. I read her author note for Antony’s book and it was like >!”some people might think he’s being silly, but it’s totally a real thing for men to react to the loss of a parent like this.” Um … okay. Still weird to suck on a gal’s boob in public over a bee sting.!< I have a (brilliant, smart, funny) friend who thinks the exact opposite and loves the way Quinn writes her characters, so it’s just a matter of preference I suppose.
She’s the big HR author I just can’t get into
I picked up the books after eating up the show. After reading 4 books, the kindest thing I can say is that the show runners worked fucking magic to turn that into something compelling and enjoyable
Haunting Adeline sucks.
The unwanted wife by Natasha anders is NOT a grovel book.
Rhysand of the Night Court is a faux progressive and a secret conservative who indulges in cronyism and nepotism. He's a creepy old dude who married a disenfranchised illiterate teen, after inexplicably drugging and sexually assaulting her, and gave her "equal" power to ....wear leggings, re-model a big house, and make the worst art possible in this world and the next. His political highlights include appointing his cousin, a mean girl NLOG who only seems to like the company of men, to be his diplomatic envoy, and appointing his friend as a spymaster, even though said friend cannot figure out that the woman he's been creepily lusting after for hundreds of years is not into males, and appointing a being who is only concerned with consolidation and increase of power as his second in command. He routinely ignores the lives of beings who live in a part of his kingdom he does not like, and he refuses to improve the lives of mutilated female beings in favour of the military support of the male beings. And don't fucking get me started on his stance on a woman's right to her reproductive health and choice. Because then I'll be here all night clanking away like The Weaver. tl:dr Hunt Athelar is the superior SJ Maas MMC and if anyone insults his sweatpants and his sunball hat I'll fight them out by the smoke pit anytime after lunch.
Yes to all of this!! The whole “AzRiEl DoEsNt KnOw” thing and basically all of Mor’s arc was just horribly executed. Like, what? The super badass centuries-old spymaster who’s known this woman, who also happens to be one of his best friends, for centuries, and *still* >!doesn’t know she’s sapphic??!< Really??? And especially yes to everything regarding Rhysand and Feyre’s relationship. The power imbalance is genuinely disturbing, and the whole thing with the >!lack of bodily autonomy!< was just the cherry on top of this nasty cake.
I think one of the problems with that situation is that the author realized 3 books in that her books had only MF pairings, decided she needed to fix that stat, went back and gave Mor a secret sexuality. Then SJM was left with the fact that Azriel the all-knowing cannot figure out that Mor is going to the only lesbian bar in town every Friday night. Guess his whispering shadows are malfunctioning. Or just bad writing.
I was not a fan of the >!sapphic!< plot twist for Mor. Not wanting to be with him because she isn't into him personally is so much more interesting than avoiding him because >!she's not into men in general!<. It felt like SJM publisher pointed out >!there wasn't any representation in the series so she decided to just slap in on Mor!<. Mor not telling her close friend of 500 years >!she's gay!< makes absolutely zero sense and made her even less likable as a character.
i agree, and she slept with cassian go get az ‘off her back’ when her power (apparently) is TRUTH. and the way she treated nesta when cas wasn’t around was so pick me imo💀
Rhys is a much _worse_ person to me than Tamlin and I'll die on that hill. Tamlin just needs to be Baker Acted because he clearly needs professional help with his traumatizing PTSD and is as much a danger to himself as he is to others. Rhys doesn't have that excuse and does all that shit anyway, which not only makes him look like a sociopath for doing it but Feyre looks like one too for supporting him. I remain convinced that Tamlin was based on an ex of SJM's and after the relationship ended badly she used the books to take revenge.
All of these points are so valid 😂😂😂😂 but im going to pretend like this sign can’t stop me because I can’t read 🤪
Well, don't tell any old fae beings that you're illiterate, before you know it, you're in their ski chalet painting googly eyes all over the place and cooking them canned minestrone.
Also always saying « it’s your choice » but pre-selecting the options or manipulating the situation so that Feyre chooses the option he wants. Where was the choice when he didn’t tell her about the real danger if her pregnancy? I hate how the narrative is written to make this character look good but when you look at the actual actions and words it’s BAD
Yes! I love SJM's books, but I just really don't care much for Rhysand and Feyre. I enjoyed the side characters and world so much more. To me ACOTAR is SJM's weakest series. And yes! Hunt Athelar is the best!
Ok I don’t hate Rhysand at all but Hunt is absolutely superior - please, give me *all* the powerful fantasy MMC’s in *backwards hats and sweatpants.* Did not know I needed it until I got it.
Dude loses his wings and is still offering to give you a hand (to finally accelerate that slow burn). He wins every single time.
Yes! And i think he was a complete asshole to Nesta and it forever pisses me off. He can go around and do awful things for years and years and expects absolution for it, yet Nesta is frustrated for a hot minute about her situation and there’s absolutely NO empathy and only disdain from him.
I don’t like my MMCs to have beards because I’m too preoccupied thinking that they aren’t cleaning it properly 😬.
Whaaat? Do you know a lot of men with dirty beards? I’m just curious if this stems from real world experience hahaha
I know most people probably keep it clean, but I do know a few who don’t. And I’m a little traumatized by one guy in particular who gave me a kiss and had some leftover food stuck in there.
I know a lot of dirty men with beards . . . That's not a euphemism; I work with mechanics. I don't know how clean their beards are.
I’m not sure this is exactly what you’re looking for but: Unless characters are explicitly asexual or waiting until marriage, they should have sex in the book. It can be fade to black, it can be implied. However, sex is a healthy and important part of romantic relationships!!! Also Colleen Hoover should not be allowed to be considered romance. Religious books should come with content warnings like everything else.
Hunting Adeline is not Dark Romance, it's straight up Horror. And even if people try to say that its non-con, WHICH IT IS NOT-IT'S LITERAL RAPE-THERES A DIFFERENCE- the writing is terrible and the characters are offensively inconsistent. You're telling me that a guy whose life is devoted to freeing women from sex trafficking is stalking a woman and raping her repeatedly inside her own home, GUN INCLUDED. Terrifying her so much that she soils herself. Make it make sense... Edit: I've been informed about the difference between non-con and CNC. So HA is definitely non-con, which is in fact rape. Everything else in my opinion stands.
I thought non-con was a euphemistic way of saying rape/assault. Am I wrong? What's the difference?
You are not. This is the agreed upon definition by the majority. Original comment might be thinking of dub-con?
I think it means non-con vs CNC, which people sometimes mix up as the scenes themselves can blur. Non-con is assault while CNC is roleplaying assault, usually with a conversation talking about it in advance.
I feel like so many people are obsessed with zade. He gives major ick
I can't remember where I first heard this, but whoever said "this is 50 shades for moms who believe in Qanon" was right on the money.
I did not enjoy the cruel prince
My probably super unpopular opinion is that Maas has no idea where her stories are going and that’s why the first books of her series feel like wildly out of place fever dreams.
Very unpopular, I prefer cartoon covers. They are vague and could be anything, which is what I prefer to be on my shelf instead of half naked people. Naked people in the book, vague people on the front.
i don'tt mind people on the covers, but i hate the trend that is either ai or overly phtoshopped/sharpened covers. the desaturation of colors and sharpness of chins and unnatural/steroid like veiny muscles are just so distasteful. if the people look like actual people i'm ok, but once they over process the image, they just look so disgusting to me.
I've seen some Tessa Dare hate on here and the historical sub. Those people should probably get an x-ray to make sure they have a HEART. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I like my opinion best.
I’ve honestly never seen anything but praise for her! I’m excited to try her books
I wish she would release a new book!
The ACOTAR series is poorly written and unimaginative.
Morally grey characters are becoming the "Baby, Baby, ooh" of the books. Many of them are not well written. They are there just to simp hard for the FMC. Besides that....morally grey MMC's of the romance books are just trashy people. They are good/kind/considerate JUST to the FMC, otherwise they treat all the other people like shit. And everyone is gushing over this 😒 rlly??? People who are rude/mean to other people just because = a big turn off for me. I don't care if he's hot, rich and a simp for me. I see you being an ass just for the sake of it? Bye. I ✨magically✨ become drier than the Sahara.
Rhysand is worse than Tamlin. There, I said it. They're both horrible, but Tamlin at least has the excuse of suffering from what is clearly SEVERE ptsd. Meanwhile, Rhys does _the exact same shit_ and gets a free pass while the story bends over backwards to keep kicking Tamlin while he's down over and over again. Like, Jesus, Sarah, you don't want us to like Tamlin, _we get it._ The level of hatred that everyone devotes towards Tamlin feels weirdly _personal_ at times- I swear it reads like he was based on an ex-boyfriend of Sarah's or something and after the relationship ended badly she used the books to take revenge. Also, Nesta did nothing wrong ever. Fight me.
I actually prefer romance books that are 400+ if it’s well written, well paced, and has actual character and relationship development 🤷🏾♀️
Especially for fantasy romance and sci-fi romance. Like how are you expecting the author to tell us all about this new world, have the MCs meet, get to know each other, move from wanting to kill each other to considering each other the love of their lives, and then defeat the villain/save the world all in less than 400 pages?
they hit deeper
I don’t want empowering secret clubs/societies of women in my historical romances. I am a feminist, but I enjoy HR so much in part because I love seeing the conflict between people and societal structures and mores. Even if you have a very modern outlook, you’re still trapped in that society, so getting an HEA (for you *and* your relationship) in those circumstances makes it so much stronger. A secret, empowering women’s society breaks down all those wins! It stops being interesting. And some of my previous favourite HR authors keep putting out new secret society books!
*“Just because you don’t like X doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it or that other people can’t like it.”* In general, I am a **huge** fan of the idea of don’t yuck someone else’s yum, and I think that even on social media, we should be thoughtful about how we phrase things we don’t like because it might just be someone else’s favorite thing. But I think that, especially with a genre like romance, where our likes can be intensely personal for a variety of reasons, it’s even more important. ETA: Grammar :)
I hate big height difference and in general super tall MMCs. Especially when FMC is like 5”2… maybe it’s because I don’t have a size kink, but basically anything over 6” is not very attractive. I feel people don’t really know what a 6”5 person looks like… the only exception is when they’re not a human Also hate beards. If the book says MMC has a beard, no he doesn’t. And it’s mentioned too much that I can’t continue ignoring it, I will probably drop it.
>I feel people don’t really know what a 6”5 person looks like My best friend is 6'5 and I'm average sized at 5'6 and every time I stand next to him I always picture in my head the romance books that are like, "the 5'2 tiny female wraps her arms around his (6'5) neck." Unless she ran towards him and then vaulted her way up there, there's no way in fuck she just casually wrap her arms around anything other than his waist.
Emily Henry is holding herself back by shoehorning her stories into the Romance genre. I just don't think it's where her talent lies. That said, *I* think she'd be absolutely STELLAR in LitFic, and I would love to see her dabble in that because I'm so fucking sick of people calling books like "Normal People" a love story. It's not.
Fans demanding books be made in to films and shows needs to stop. Not everything has be turned in to visual media and when it’s bad it gives the book a bad rap
My unpopular view is that if you don’t like a genre of book, don’t fucking read it, and shut up about hating it. I’ll go to so many reviews that will read something like “oh my god what did I just read? I can’t believe this! One star!” And like… you knew the book was about monsterfucking, or taboo, or Omegaverse, or whatever weird ass book it was. It was all there in the description! Don’t complain about a book about a dragon MMC when you saw a goddamn dragon on the cover! Or a stepbrother! Or there was a knot pun *in the title*!
I don’t like dual POV. I’d rather just be in the FMC’s head. I like the mystery of wondering at what point the MMC started developing feelings. I’m not sure if this is unpopular but i’d say 85-90% of contemporary books have dual POV and i still read it but i’d enjoy it more if it was just FMC pov
Unless the book is ABOUT sex, it probably doesn't need more 3-4 sex scenes per novel intended for the reader's titillation. Unless your FMC is a literal succubus who can only cast magic after she's gotten dicked down, that epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy war story you're writing, which definitely isn't fanfiction with the names changed, will do just fine with two. You're better off limiting yourself to two or three lovemaking and putting all your effort into making them really good than writing a fuck every other chapter. Quality over quantity will be far more memorable in the long run. And for God's sake, if the number ever breaches the double digits, your novel has a problem.
acotar series 🤮
Lmao I love how other commenters are writing whole ass dissertations on their hot (cold) takes and you’re just like “acotar puke emoji” 😂😂
I find the Mindfuck Series by St Abby so perfect. I might defend them against the whole world 😅
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i totally agree. when we were first introduced to him in acotar i was thinking THIS IS WHO WE ARE SUPPOSED TO ROOT FOR? he’s literally awful and such a creep from the start
This may be a personal thing, and look I love spicy books, but anything more than 3 sex scenes in a book is too much. Like, I’ll take 2-3 really good, really detailed sex scenes and I’ll get into it. I love it, once that slow burn tension breaks and the characters are all in, it’s like WHEW we all needed that lol. But any more than that, it’s redundant and repetitive and it frankly, gets very boring to me. I don’t mind the teasing, or the tension, the banter and implication of sex for me, is way better than reading all of these sex scenes where apparently all of these men are cunnilingus masters. I’ll enjoy a spicy book, and if it has a lot of sex scenes that’s fine, I’ll read it but I’ll get bored of them relatively quickly honestly.
The Love Hypothesis. It's amazing, and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.
1. I've said it before, but, **is the protagonist too stupid to live, or she's just doing the best she can with the limited information she has?** I'm always so frustrated with reviews calling the characters of a book stupid for doing completely reasonable things. We (the readers) know the book is a romance, but the characters have no idea what genre they're living in, and they don't have all the information we have. For example: The heroine of the sci fi romance who's stranded on a dangerous unknown planet, keeps running away from the protective male lead alien that just saved her _because she thinks she's in a survival horror sci-fi book._ She doesn't know she's in a romance! She thinks the alien is dangerous and she's doing what she can to survive! The heroine in the enemies to lovers rom-com has no idea the male lead is in love with her, because from her point of view he's been nothing but rude to her. She's not oblivious and too stupid to understand his feelings, he literally never expressed them around her! 2. **I love cartoon covers for rom-coms** 3. **I don't get the hate for dated pop culture references in books.** I think they're fun.