By Erin O’Connor
Content warning: This blog discusses romance books that contain strong themes such as stalking and sexual assault. If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out to helplines like SACL (1800 806 292) or Lifeline (13 11 14).
As a bookseller, I have witnessed first hand the increasing popularity and demand for romance books. One of the largest demographics I see in the bookstore I work at is young girls and women aged 12-30 wanting to purchase romance novels. From young teens wanting a wholesome YA love story to adult women wanting a darker, more provocative tale, there is truly a reader for every book. However, I’ve started to notice a worrying pattern, and it stems from TikTok, and the impact it’s having on book-buying habits. Young people (particularly girls) are coming into the store and frequently asking for adult ‘dark romance’ novels, which are primarily written for mature adult readers. Seeing these types of books fly of the shelves concerns me and has led me to ask: what is the impact of dark romance content on YA readers, in comparison to the genre’s intended adult readership?
The BookTok obsession with dark romance
‘TikTok has impacted the bookish community to the point where BookTok holds undeniable influence on the marketing, promotion, and sales of a book,’ writes social media researcher Martina Currenti. With content ranging from reviews and critiques to animations and cosplays, Booktok is a great tool to connect likeminded readers, helping the community thrive.
Many BookTok creators discuss books from both the YA and adult romance genres, meaning they garner an audience that consists of a wide age range, regardless of who they intend to create content for. Even creators who predominantly review adult romances don’t have control over who is viewing their content. This inadvertently leads to children and young adults finding their content and being recommended books intended for adults.
The most notorious example I can think of is H. D. Carlton’s Haunting Adeline, the first novel in her Cat and Mouse series. A book with an extensive content warnings page that includes—but is certainly not limited to—sexual assault and stalking, Haunting Adeline became a BookTok phenomenon when it was released in 2021. The novel proved incredibly polarising, receiving negative reactions from some readers concerning how ‘dark’ the book’s content was, mixed with adoration for its risqué romance. Online content about this book ranges from reviews to direct passages being quoted, displaying the dangerous and dysfunctional nature of the novel’s central relationship. Not only is this content inappropriate for younger viewers, but it actively shapes their perceptions of romance and relationships.
BookTok in the eyes of critics and scholars
Don’t just take my word for it; literary scholars and critics have also been examining this phenomenon and its impact on younger readers. In an essay about the effects of dark romance on YA perceptions of boundaries and consent, researcher Teagan Bailey Fortune writes that ‘BookTok recommendations for erotica and dark romance do more than just connect readers to new content … they actively shape users’ desires, behaviours, and perceptions of relationships and intimacy.’ By reading romance books that contain portrayals of unhealthy relationships and dangerous situations disguised as romance, young readers who lack the life experience to recognise these unsafe situations may form warped ideas about relationships, potentially leading ‘to a higher tolerance for unhealthy relationship dynamics in the adolescent readers’ own lives.’
Although not all adult romance books contain such dark content, and many teenage readers have the skills to identify unhealthy relationship patterns, there is still a large percentage of younger, more vulnerable readers who may come across this content and be negatively affected by it. As a lover of BookTok, I have seen the positive impact it can have on reading habits and building a community, but its risks to younger readers cannot be overlooked.
But how is this online phenomenon playing out in real life?
My experience working in a bookstore has forced me to reckon with the effects of BookTok on younger readers, who frequently come in and ask for romance books that aren’t suitable for them, both in terms of writing style and content. Increasingly I am seeing girls as young as ten asking for books that, if they were films, would be rated R18+, despite there being an extensive range of age-appropriate YA romance books on a nearby shelf. Often, the books they ask for are ones they have been recommended by friends or have seen on TikTok, meaning they are potentially aware of the sort of content within the book. There is also an increase in parents buying adult romances that their children have asked for, without them having done any research into the books’ contents. As booksellers, we don’t prohibit customers from purchasing books, but we can offer our opinion on whether we think a book is suitable for the reader. Typically, once I alert the parent of the book’s content, they are less likely to purchase it, however this isn’t always the case. Whether or not a customer takes on this advice is, for better or worse, up to them.
Before the rise of BookTok, the line between genres was far less blurred. When I was entering my teen years, my friends and I would read romance stories on fanfiction websites that depicted adult relationships. But these stories were written by people our age with life experience as limited as our own, not professional adult authors who use research and lived experience to inform their writing.
The kids (may not) be alright
As someone who uses TikTok to find new book recommendations, I have seen both the positive and negative impacts it can have on readers. TikTok has been instrumental in fostering a community of readers, helping keep people’s love for books alive, but it isn’t without its risks. BookTok’s focus on adult romance books mean that young readers are engaging with content written for older readers. The only barriers between young adult readers and these books are parents/guardians, librarians and booksellers, who, if not aware of which books are considered ‘adult’ or ‘dark’, may unknowingly allow young readers access to these titles. Whether it is by monitoring the books they are purchasing or having open discussions about the content within the books they are reading, parents can help ensure that young readers aren’t being negatively impacted by the books they are reading. However, with parents having little control over what their children are viewing on social media, TikTok—despite all its advantages—continues to pose a threat to young romance readers by blurring the lines between adult and YA romantic fiction.
For more discussions on the publishing industry and the literary world, check out the rest of Grattan Street Press’ Publishing Blog.
Erin in a self-proclaimed professional at ignoring her TBR pile and buying books that she doesn’t have room for. She adores all things classics, poetry and romance, and loves helping other bookworms find their perfect book.
Cover image: by
Elin Melaas on Pexels. Free to use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
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