I'm gonna do a little rant here, so excuse this post if you're not in the mood to read me bitchin' about the reading community.
I know that a lot of tiktok bookslop is taking over stores and kindles. I am getting bored of the same tropes being printed through different cookie cutter shaped men and themes. I've had to take a break from romance books because every single book that becomes popular, or suggestions I see, have been very disappointing.
But that doesn't mean anyone should be attacking people who like these books. Be happy that reading is becoming a more popular thing!! There's a lot of slop, don't get me wrong. But through the slop, new and amazing authors are going to come out of their shells. People are going to try and write! Because they are inspired by these books.
I have read the Court of Thorns & Roses books. Do they have their issues? Of course!
Are the themes a little basic? Yeah, they are a little.
Do I cringe sometimes at the choice of plot points and turns? Oh my Gods, yes!
Was I disappointed by the smut? Yes. Some of the scenes were so talked up by friends that when I got to it I had a tantrum because they didn't reach the hype or my standard at all.
But did I still have fun reading it? YES! I genuinely had such a blast reading that series!
I've read Fourth Wing too and I have to say the only reason I have read the books is because of the Dragons. They carry that series for me. I do not care for anyone else but those damn Dragons.
There's soooo many problems with the plot and the characters, but it was still an entertaining read.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is - stop belittling people for enjoying these books! Unless they genuinely have a proper problematic reason coughcough Harry Potter coughcough - leave people alone!
Let people enjoy non-problematic things! People are allowed to have different opinions than you.
"Oh, it's ruining the genre!"
"But it's soooo bad"
"People will keep churning out slop"
I don't give a fuck! Leave people alone! A friend of mine has never picked up a book in her life - she hated reading. But when I gave her my copy of Thorns, she ate it up. And now I've dripped fed her my absolute favorite books, away from the tiktok popular reads, and we talk all the time over novels and characters that I've been begging for someone to consume.
Booktok may not be the greatest entrance into the reading hobby, but at least people are using that entrance and not ignoring it all together.
Let people start somewhere! And even if it is something you or I might consider "bookslop" - at least they're reading!!!!
