{"id":1861697,"date":"2026-04-02T11:47:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T08:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1861697"},"modified":"2026-04-02T11:47:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T08:47:00","slug":"its-majorly-addictive-the-rise-of-smutty-book-clubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1861697","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s majorly addictive\u2019: The rise of smutty book clubs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/340-0-1760-1173\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442873.jpeg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/life-culture\/article\/70031\/1\/the-rise-of-smut-smutty-book-clubs-acotar-romantasy-romance-fiction-novels\" data-article-id=\"70031\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.5\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"83166\" class=\"img\" height=\"1400\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442873.jpeg\" width=\"2100\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Heated Rivalry<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-02T11:47:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"02 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"2\">2,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - life-culture\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>\u2018It\u2019s majorly addictive\u2019: The rise of smutty <span class=\"nowrap\">book clubs<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>As \u2018spicy\u2019 romantic fiction surges in popularity, people are finding community by sharing their love of <span class=\"nowrap\">steamy novels<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-04-02T11:47:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"02 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"2\">2,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-04-02T11:47:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"02 April 2026\"><span class=\"month\">April<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"2\">2,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/KaraShanahan\">Kara Shanahan<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>On a Wednesday evening in a crowded Cambridge pub, among old men ordering trays of j\u00e4gerbombs, seven of us gather around a candle-lit table filled with stacks of sexy books. This is Darwin College Smut Society, and we\u2019re playing smut bingo. The rules are simple: flick through one of the books, find a passage to read aloud, and scan your bingo card for the matching trope. The cards are filled with phrases like \u2018enemies to lovers\u2019, \u2018hate-fucking\u2019, and \u2018fluids\u2019. First bingo wins a free book. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Some of the people gathered here have been reading smut for 15 years, while others (me) have no clue what they\u2019ve got themselves into. Everyone\u2019s a bit shy at first, but as the wine flows, people open up a bit more. <\/span><span>\u201cEverybody that I talked to knew someone who has read smut,\u201d says Sami Murphy, founder of Darwin\u2019s Smut Society. \u201cThis subculture seemed to be an undercurrent connecting everybody, but people were not vocal or proud about it,\u201d which she aimed to change when starting the club.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The word \u2018smut\u2019, as she outlines on the society\u2019s website, is derived from the Germanic word \u201cschmutzen\u201d which loosely translates to the act of staining, smudging and defiling. This definition alone highlights the unfortunate cultural view of the genre as a whole and the shame its readers can experience. Often, when female pleasure is prioritised \u2013 both within these books themselves, and by the mounting numbers of women finding enjoyment in them \u2013 it is not taken seriously. In creating community around \u2018smut\u2019, readers are reclaiming its meaning and attempting to melt the stigma around the books they love.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cOnce you get onto BookTok, as well as recommendations from the [book] club or friends, it\u2019s hard to step out of the community,\u201d says Hannah, a 26-year-old romantasy lover based in London. Like most romantasy readers, her love affair began with <em>Fourth Wing<\/em>, then<em> A Court Of Thorns And Roses<\/em>, and the rest is history. Hannah is completely consumed by the genre. \u201cIt is majorly addictive. I\u2019ve cancelled plans, stayed up late, and brought my Kindle on nights out when I\u2019ve been super hooked.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But the tales are only so much fun alone. Like any other genre, romance novels, even the sexy ones, leave readers with questions, frustrations, and passions that yearn to be discussed. After mentioning the <em>Fourth Wing<\/em> series to one of her friends, Hannah learned of a small book club dedicated to romantasy novels and soon began attending. The evenings are lighthearted and fun, she says. When times are as dark and uncertain as they are now, there\u2019s something to be said about people connecting over books and sharing simple pleasures.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cIt is majorly addictive. I\u2019ve cancelled plans, stayed up late, and brought my Kindle on nights out when I\u2019ve been super hooked\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Smutty book clubs are now gaining traction across the world. In London, Main Character \u2013 a new romance-novel-themed shop in Spitalfields \u2013 is holding monthly Smut Clubs and \u201cspicy read\u201d open-mic nights. Toronto-based romance-only book store <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hopelessromanticbooks\/\">Hopeless Romantic<\/a> now has four book clubs to keep up with demand and the breadth of the genre \u2013 contemporary romance, \u2018dark and spicy\u2019, queer, and romantasy. Their attendees are adults of all ages, mostly women but with a handful of men and non-binary people as well. \u201cWe often hear that our book clubs are the first place someone has the chance to discuss the book with another person,\u201d says Shelly Zevlever, manager at Hopeless Romantic. At these events, people not only discuss the selected book, but also other novels they\u2019re currently passionate about. \u201cEveryone is so supportive and it feels like a safe space to discuss our shared interests.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7544091544878468374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Romance novels have changed a lot since the bodice rippers of the 1970s and 80s. There are romance novels about every type of person, relationship, body type and sexuality. You\u2019ll know that <\/span><em><span>Heated Rivalry<\/span><\/em><span>, which was adapted from a gay romance novel, has achieved massive success globally, and with it, a very passionate fanbase. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saucybooks.com\/\"><span>Saucy Books<\/span><\/a><span>, England\u2019s first romance bookstore, has become home to its UK fanbase and earlier this year hosted a <\/span><em><span>Heated Rivalry<\/span><\/em><span> watch party. The event amassed nearly 300 attendees from not only the UK but also the US, Germany, Spain, and Norway. Sarah Maxwell, founder of Saucy Books, says the event was, \u201cdeeply emotional, incredibly joyful, and full of instant connection [&#8230;] through a shared love of the story.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In addition to the <\/span><em><span>Heated Rivalry<\/span><\/em><span> fandom, Saucy has a vast community in-person and online \u2013 with almost 500 members of the \u2018Saucy Books Clubhouse\u2019. They aim to create a real home for romance readers, who are often overlooked and cast out of traditional literary circles. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing firsthand that romance readers were never niche in the way people assumed,\u201d says Maxwell. \u201cThey were just underserved, and our goal is to make sure they always feel like they can have a home.\u201d With this in mind, m<\/span><span>aybe romance novels are more than just escapism. Evidently, there\u2019s power in taking pride in being part of a community that\u2019s lived so long in the dark.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>On a Wednesday evening in a crowded Cambridge pub, among old men ordering trays of j\u00e4gerbombs, seven of us gather around a candle-lit table filled with stacks of sexy books. This is Darwin College Smut Society, and we\u2019re playing smut bingo. The rules are simple: flick through one of the books, find a passage to read aloud, and scan your bingo card for the matching trope. The cards are filled with phrases like \u2018enemies to lovers\u2019, \u2018hate-fucking\u2019, and \u2018fluids\u2019. First bingo wins a free book. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Some of the people gathered here have been reading smut for 15 years, while others (me) have no clue what they\u2019ve got themselves into. Everyone\u2019s a bit shy at first, but as the wine flows, people open up a bit more. <\/span><span>\u201cEverybody that I talked to knew someone who has read smut,\u201d says Sami Murphy, founder of Darwin\u2019s Smut Society. \u201cThis subculture seemed to be an undercurrent connecting everybody, but people were not vocal or proud about it,\u201d which she aimed to change when starting the club.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The word \u2018smut\u2019, as she outlines on the society\u2019s website, is derived from the Germanic word \u201cschmutzen\u201d which loosely translates to the act of staining, smudging and defiling. This definition alone highlights the unfortunate cultural view of the genre as a whole and the shame its readers can experience. Often, when female pleasure is prioritised \u2013 both within these books themselves, and by the mounting numbers of women finding enjoyment in them \u2013 it is not taken seriously. In creating community around \u2018smut\u2019, readers are reclaiming its meaning and attempting to melt the stigma around the books they love.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cOnce you get onto BookTok, as well as recommendations from the [book] club or friends, it\u2019s hard to step out of the community,\u201d says Hannah, a 26-year-old romantasy lover based in London. Like most romantasy readers, her love affair began with <em>Fourth Wing<\/em>, then<em> A Court Of Thorns And Roses<\/em>, and the rest is history. Hannah is completely consumed by the genre. \u201cIt is majorly addictive. I\u2019ve cancelled plans, stayed up late, and brought my Kindle on nights out when I\u2019ve been super hooked.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But the tales are only so much fun alone. Like any other genre, romance novels, even the sexy ones, leave readers with questions, frustrations, and passions that yearn to be discussed. After mentioning the <em>Fourth Wing<\/em> series to one of her friends, Hannah learned of a small book club dedicated to romantasy novels and soon began attending. The evenings are lighthearted and fun, she says. When times are as dark and uncertain as they are now, there\u2019s something to be said about people connecting over books and sharing simple pleasures.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cIt is majorly addictive. I\u2019ve cancelled plans, stayed up late, and brought my Kindle on nights out when I\u2019ve been super hooked\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Smutty book clubs are now gaining traction across the world. In London, Main Character \u2013 a new romance-novel-themed shop in Spitalfields \u2013 is holding monthly Smut Clubs and \u201cspicy read\u201d open-mic nights. Toronto-based romance-only book store <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hopelessromanticbooks\/\">Hopeless Romantic<\/a> now has four book clubs to keep up with demand and the breadth of the genre \u2013 contemporary romance, \u2018dark and spicy\u2019, queer, and romantasy. Their attendees are adults of all ages, mostly women but with a handful of men and non-binary people as well. \u201cWe often hear that our book clubs are the first place someone has the chance to discuss the book with another person,\u201d says Shelly Zevlever, manager at Hopeless Romantic. At these events, people not only discuss the selected book, but also other novels they\u2019re currently passionate about. \u201cEveryone is so supportive and it feels like a safe space to discuss our shared interests.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-tiktok\" data-id=\"7544091544878468374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Romance novels have changed a lot since the bodice rippers of the 1970s and 80s. There are romance novels about every type of person, relationship, body type and sexuality. You\u2019ll know that <\/span><em><span>Heated Rivalry<\/span><\/em><span>, which was adapted from a gay romance novel, has achieved massive success globally, and with it, a very passionate fanbase. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saucybooks.com\/\"><span>Saucy Books<\/span><\/a><span>, England\u2019s first romance bookstore, has become home to its UK fanbase and earlier this year hosted a <\/span><em><span>Heated Rivalry<\/span><\/em><span> watch party. The event amassed nearly 300 attendees from not only the UK but also the US, Germany, Spain, and Norway. Sarah Maxwell, founder of Saucy Books, says the event was, \u201cdeeply emotional, incredibly joyful, and full of instant connection [&#8230;] through a shared love of the story.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In addition to the <\/span><em><span>Heated Rivalry<\/span><\/em><span> fandom, Saucy has a vast community in-person and online \u2013 with almost 500 members of the \u2018Saucy Books Clubhouse\u2019. They aim to create a real home for romance readers, who are often overlooked and cast out of traditional literary circles. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing firsthand that romance readers were never niche in the way people assumed,\u201d says Maxwell. \u201cThey were just underserved, and our goal is to make sure they always feel like they can have a home.\u201d With this in mind, m<\/span><span>aybe romance novels are more than just escapism. Evidently, there\u2019s power in taking pride in being part of a community that\u2019s lived so long in the dark.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/70031\/1\/the-rise-of-smut-smutty-book-clubs-acotar-romantasy-romance-fiction-novels&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/340-0-1760-1173\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/2\/1442873.jpeg&#8221;] Heated Rivalry April\u00a0 2,\u00a0 2026 Life &amp; Culture \/ Feature Life &amp; Culture \/ Feature \u2018It\u2019s majorly addictive\u2019: The rise of smutty book clubs As \u2018spicy\u2019 romantic fiction surges in popularity, people are finding community by sharing their love of steamy novels April\u00a0 2,\u00a0 2026 April\u00a0 2,\u00a0 2026 TextKara Shanahan On a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1861697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1861697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1861697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1861697\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1861697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1861697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1861697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}