How 'Smut' Took Over Our Summer Reading Lists
It had been a long, cold and particularly unfulfilling winter. I was starting to worry it might never happen for me again, that perhaps I'd forgotten how to do it at all. In a moment of desperation, I even found myself asking friends and random acquaintances for tips and tricks; anything that might help get me back in the mood. Then suddenly, after countless lonely nights and abandoned efforts, my desire returned full-throttle and from the most unexpected place of all. Reader, the answer to my months-long literary dry spell was none other than 'faerie porn', a term the internet has adopted to describe dark fantasy books laced with sexual undertones.
If you had told me a year ago that the book that would finally reignite my love of reading would be set in a fantasy world called Prythian and feature a gripping love story centred around winged and pointy-eared mythical beings, I would have been as surprised as you probably are at hearing this right now. I would have been even more surprised to hear that not only did I find the whole experience seriously arousing, but that I'm here outing what feels like a rather embarrassing secret on the internet, too.
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At least I can feel safe in the knowledge that I am far from alone. Smut-heavy 'romantasy' books, once the sole remit (in my mind, at least) of dress-up conventions and medieval re-enactment devotees, are blowing up right now. Make no mistake, 'smut' is this summer's reading genre of choice.
Indeed, Lovehoney has reported that searches for 'smut books' have increased by a whopping 78% in the past year alone, while unprecedented sales in the 'romantasy' genre have been credited with sending various publishers' profits soaring. By popular demand, LA's famous romance-only bookshop The Ripped Bodice has just opened a second outpost in New York, and The Cut recently dedicated an entire week to celebrating what it has aptly dubbed 'The Summer of Smut.' One lawyer friend even tells me that since discovering the genre earlier this year, she has 'no desire or need to read anything else'.
By all accounts, it's the same book series that first got me into this weird and wonderful world that can be held responsible. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas has been hailed a publishing sensation akin to the Harry Potter series, selling millions of copies worldwide, and its abbreviation, ACOTAR, boasts an astounding 8.9 billion views on TikTok. You'll likely have spotted the brightly-coloured yet ambiguous covers during your morning commute a good few times already without even knowing what you're looking at – and they'll be coming to a sun-lounger near you very soon, too.
For the uninitiated, A Court of Thorns and Roses is centred around a 19-year-old (human) huntress named Feyre who finds herself dragged into a treacherous, magical land by a 'faerie' High Lord, who may or may not be as terrible (and hideous) as he first seems...
'A group of my friends became completely obsessed with the series at the beginning of the year, and would talk about it constantly every time we met up,' explains Jessica, a lifestyle journalist. 'Eventually I caved and bought the first book, mostly out of peer pressure. I never read fantasy, let alone the very cringe-sounding "romantasy", but by the second page I was immediately hooked.'
Every ACOTAR fan I reached out to in my research had a similar story of being recommended the book series by friends, initially approaching them with extreme trepidation, before quickly finding themselves in a spiral of feverish back-to-back reading sessions.
'For the first time in years, I was reaching for my book rather than my phone when I got into bed,' one friend told me. 'I even took some breaks from work to read it at lunchtime, something I haven't done since school.' Another recounted how she almost got hit by a car when, at the height of her ACOTAR love-in, she couldn't even stop reading to cross the road, while a friend-of-a-friend read all five instalments during her honeymoon. Take from that what you will.
Word of mouth has certainly played a major role in spreading the word about the 'smutty' series, but it was social media that set off the chain of events that led to the worldwide obsession in the first place. The first in Maas' series was published back in 2015, hitting the big-time only years later when it was picked up by 'BookTok', TikTok's vast and incredibly engaged reading community. The algorithm then did its thing, and suddenly it reached the masses.
Of course, as with all addictions, you eventually find yourself always wanting more – which is why the spicy recommendations (and dedicated WhatsApp groups) haven't stopped since. For many, ACOTAR acted as a kind of gateway drug into the worlds of 'smut' and 'romantasy', with people finding the pure escapism, clever world-building, slow-burning romances and titillating sex scenes proving too much to resist. 'The Twilight generation has well and truly grown up and those who thrived on the YA sexual tension between Edward and Bella now want to delve into the proper good stuff – hand holding just doesn’t cut it anymore,' explains Samantha Marshall, self-confessed 'sexpert' and head of brand at Smile Makers. 'We all want to get lost in a little fantasy, especially when the real world is so stressful – and what better way to find escapism that with our imagination and pleasure?'
While erotic literature is nothing new, there's no doubt the recent wave of popular 'romantasy' novels have brought it to a whole new audience – myself included. I was never tempted by Jilly Cooper and totally missed the Fifty Shades memo, but this time around, the genre feels newly appealing.
'One of the driving forces behind the popularity of smut nowadays its pioneering focus on female pleasure,' explains April Maria, a sex educator at Hot Octopuss. 'Many of these books are written by women and for women, so it's no surprise that they resonate with readers seeking stories centred on female desire and empowerment.' After years of watching sex scenes directed by – and largely aimed at – men, I can't deny this aspect has been particularly refreshing, and far more successful in getting me hot under the collar, too.
Sexologist and journalist Emilie Lavinia also points to the wider cultural shift at play. 'The digital landscape has made art that was previously associated with subculture far more accessible. The user base is important too, with Gen-Z less likely to kink-shame or "yuck someone else's yums",' she says. 'This has also occurred against the backdrop of the sex positivity movement that's encouraged more cerebral, open-minded conversations about sexuality and pleasure in opposition to shame culture, sexual oppression and misogyny.'
Besides endlessly spicing up our commutes, experts say reading 'smut' could actually be good for us too. 'Not only can it spark your imagination and give you ideas for the future, but "smutty" reads can also be a good segue into conversations around desires and preferences,' says Annabelle Knight, sex and relationships expert at Lovehoney. 'Opening up an honest dialogue with your partner about your sexual needs can not only make the sex more enjoyable, but it can also strengthen emotional connection.'
I've found that the most positive effect of all has been that 'smut' has reignited so many peoples' passion for reading, and in many cases, is wholly responsible for sparking it in the first place. 'I used to be the kind of person who would only read a couple of books a year, usually on holiday, but now I'm reading so much that I've had to subscribe to Kindle Unlimited,' my lawyer friend tells me, while another says ACOTAR kicked off a reading journey that saw her read 77 books in less than a year – and she's not planning on slowing down anytime soon, either.
As for me, I haven't spent a single day without a book by my side since 'faerie porn' first came into my life. Despite rather quickly realising that I was more into the 'smut' itself than the fantastical storylines, that hasn't stopped me from ordering what I'm promised is next-best after Maas' series: Rebecca Yarros' The Fourth Wing, complete with dragons, magical powers and more than enough steamy scenes to keep me enraptured.
But I've also found myself finally reaching for those daunting and decisively 'smut'-less tomes that have sat gathering dust on my shelves for years in between, devouring them with the same voracity as the rest. I don't remember ever being as excited by literature as I am now – nor as uninterested in mindlessly scrolling my phone – so whatever the genre that got me here, that's all that really matters. As for my fellow 'smut' stans, I'll see you on the commute.
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