On a Wednesday evening in a crowded Cambridge pub, among old men ordering trays of jägerbombs, seven of us gather around a candle-lit table filled with stacks of sexy books. This is Darwin College Smut Society, and we’re 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 ‘enemies to lovers’, ‘hate-fucking’, and ‘fluids’. First bingo wins a free book.

Some of the people gathered here have been reading smut for 15 years, while others (me) have no clue what they’ve got themselves into. Everyone’s a bit shy at first, but as the wine flows, people open up a bit more. “Everybody that I talked to knew someone who has read smut,” says Sami Murphy, founder of Darwin’s Smut Society. “This subculture seemed to be an undercurrent connecting everybody, but people were not vocal or proud about it,” which she aimed to change when starting the club.

The word ‘smut’, as she outlines on the society’s website, is derived from the Germanic word “schmutzen” 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 – both within these books themselves, and by the mounting numbers of women finding enjoyment in them – it is not taken seriously. In creating community around ‘smut’, readers are reclaiming its meaning and attempting to melt the stigma around the books they love.

“Once you get onto BookTok, as well as recommendations from the [book] club or friends, it’s hard to step out of the community,” says Hannah, a 26-year-old romantasy lover based in London. Like most romantasy readers, her love affair began with Fourth Wing, then A Court Of Thorns And Roses, and the rest is history. Hannah is completely consumed by the genre. “It is majorly addictive. I’ve cancelled plans, stayed up late, and brought my Kindle on nights out when I’ve been super hooked.”

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 Fourth Wing 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’s something to be said about people connecting over books and sharing simple pleasures.

“It is majorly addictive. I’ve cancelled plans, stayed up late, and brought my Kindle on nights out when I’ve been super hooked”

Smutty book clubs are now gaining traction across the world. In London, Main Character – a new romance-novel-themed shop in Spitalfields – is holding monthly Smut Clubs and “spicy read” open-mic nights. Toronto-based romance-only book store Hopeless Romantic now has four book clubs to keep up with demand and the breadth of the genre – contemporary romance, ‘dark and spicy’, queer, and romantasy. Their attendees are adults of all ages, mostly women but with a handful of men and non-binary people as well. “We often hear that our book clubs are the first place someone has the chance to discuss the book with another person,” says Shelly Zevlever, manager at Hopeless Romantic. At these events, people not only discuss the selected book, but also other novels they’re currently passionate about. “Everyone is so supportive and it feels like a safe space to discuss our shared interests.” 

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’ll know that Heated Rivalry, which was adapted from a gay romance novel, has achieved massive success globally, and with it, a very passionate fanbase. Saucy Books, England’s first romance bookstore, has become home to its UK fanbase and earlier this year hosted a Heated Rivalry 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, “deeply emotional, incredibly joyful, and full of instant connection [...] through a shared love of the story.”  

In addition to the Heated Rivalry fandom, Saucy has a vast community in-person and online – with almost 500 members of the ‘Saucy Books Clubhouse’. They aim to create a real home for romance readers, who are often overlooked and cast out of traditional literary circles. “We’re seeing firsthand that romance readers were never niche in the way people assumed,” says Maxwell. “They were just underserved, and our goal is to make sure they always feel like they can have a home.” With this in mind, maybe romance novels are more than just escapism. Evidently, there’s power in taking pride in being part of a community that’s lived so long in the dark.