Things Are Scary. Let’s Enjoy Some Smut.

My favorite way to break up back-to-back dense nonfiction books is to pick up a smutty romance.

I felt a lot of shame around reading romances until I got on TikTok (I warned y’all last week) where there is a massive community of romance readers to help you explore the vast and ever expanding genre. I had really only ever been acquainted with the faceless six-packed torsos I’d see on the covers of mass market romances, incredibly intimidating and honestly embarrassing to be seen with anywhere outside the safety of a home. The cartoon covers I was introduced to by creators like Eden, Kayli, and Brittany quickly moved from my TBR into my hand, introducing me to worlds and tropes I’d never allowed myself to indulge in. Since I let go of my inner stigma and have now read dozens of great and not-so-great books, I have learned that I favor queer friends to lovers, really enjoy modern retellings of classic romances, and will do anything in this world to continue getting new books from Alexis Hall because holy shit she writes emotional intimacy like no one else.

Despite being ashamed of reading romances for so long, I never felt a stigma around where I usually sought examples of romantic and physical connection: porn.