It has been a while since I last took part in a regular Let’s Talk Bookish post. Technically I did on January 2nd, but that was kind of a freebie from my part as there was a different prompt scheduled for the week, and I decided it was more fitting to go over my reading and blogging in 2025. From now on, I won’t be taking part in this meme regularly, I practically haven’t done so in a while. But why taking part now? Because it’s freebie week! Since this meme will turn 7 in August, I feel like rehashing old content over and over and becoming a bit repetitive. Not strange as this coming Sunday marks 9 years since I took my first steps in the blogosphere. So, I will just check out the topics for each month and carefully pick the ones that pique my interest. For this week’s freebie, I combine two things: an old topic from the archives and a trend that seems to be floating around in the book world for a longer while now.Let’s talk… Smut, spice and everything nice! The old topic from the archives is about sex in young adult, and spicy books gain a lot of traction so yeah. Let’s discuss this, shall we?
Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme that was originally created and hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books starting in August 2019, and was then cohosted by Dani @ Literary Lion from May 2020 to March 2022. Since April 2022, this meme is hosted by , Aria @ Book Nook Bits and since February 2025, Dini @ DiniPandaReads is the co-host. Let’s Talk Bookish is a meme where participants discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and share their love by visiting each other’s posts.
Prompts: Do you like to read smut in books? Is there something as too much smut? What do you think of spice in books gaining more popularity? Do spicy books add anything to the literary landscape? At what age should readers be exposed to sex in literature? What are your hopes for this trend from 2026 onwards?
Do you like to read smut in books? Is there something as too much smut?
I have the feeling that smut is unavoidable these days. It’s appearing in lots of romance and romantic fantasy titles. In fact, I believe that the whole romantasy sub genre is build around the romantic tension and the smut accompanying it. In my opinion, smut deepens the development of the relationships in those books, especially when there is romance involved. For me, clean romances hardly do the trick anymore. They often fall flat for me now, even though the characters undergo growth as well. I believe that this growth is expressed more in spicy books.
However, there absolutely is something as too much smut. It has to add something to the actual storyline, and not be there for the sake of just be there. I tried to read several books in the past which just are plain smut, and I noticed myself zoning out a lot. The characters felt underdeveloped and the plot was pretty much non-existent. I got a graphic smut scene on every other page instead. Dark romances are therefore not really my cup of tea. A good balance is all it takes.
What do you think of spice in books gaining more popularity? Do spicy books add anything to the literary landscape?
I know this part of the prompt might bee seen as controversial, because each to their own. Tastes differ, which is a good thing, as the world will just be a boring place if every reader enjoys the same type of books. I do think however, that the spicy books gaining more and more popularity in recent years might be problematic to people who do want to read romance, but struggle to find clean ones. I see fellow bloggers struggle with this exact thing and therefore focus more on e.g. Christian fiction. Of course this appeals to them and align with their views on life and religion, but these books tend to fly pretty much under the radar. It’s hard to open social media and find non-spicy romances these days. Again, each to their own, but I understand people’s struggles finding clean romances amidst all the popular books containing smut as they are practically everywhere.
When considering the literary landscape as a whole, I also think that there is a book for everyone, spicy or clean. For me, these smutty books do add to the literary landscape, because romantasy happens to become one of my most read genres. However, I notice some genre formulas slowly creeping in, as stated in my review for Shield of Sparrows. I do need to take a break from spice every now and then, but as I like to explore more genres, I really know what to pick on such occasions. Whenever I read a spicy book where the entire plot evolves around the spice though, I often ask myself whey I picked it up. These books are not the kind of books I’m seeking for in my goal of choosing quality over quantity. But let’s be grateful that there’s such a broad literary landscape that offers something for everyone.
At what age should readers be exposed to sex in literature?
This honestly depends on the reader. I understand kids shouldn’t be exposed to sex in books, nor should young adults. I know we live in a different day and age now, but when I was around 14 and in high school (we don’t have middle school here), I had to read Dutch literature where sex was pretty dominant. In retrospect this was a bit too young, as this really put me off of reading. Full on smut and spice don’t need a place in books aimed towards kids, teens and young adults, unless they are aimed to the older readers within the latter age range. It does belong in the new adult books though, as well as books aimed towards adults. In hindsight, I would have prefered to be exposed to sex in books when I was 16 or 17, but I obviously had no choice as I had to read such books for the school curriculum. These were the 00s after all. But I would recommend everyone to consider what they would like to read and if they are ready. If you are not ready, you don’t have to expose yourself to sex in literature. If you are, go for it.
What are your hopes for this trend from 2026 onwards?
I know the trend of needing smutty books is slowly winding down, people find this less and less appealing. At least, that is what I have been noticing in the blogging world. I can’t speak for neither the Booktok crowd, nor the Instagram crowd, but I’m certain it won’t take long before this decline will be visible at some point. If this will be in 2026, I don’t know. However, as I don’t mind spicy books, I prefer the authors rather focusing on the development of both characters and plot, as these are the key elements of your novel. Spice should be a side element, rather than the main focus. Furthermore, I hope that there will be more original contemporary romance and romantasy novels, with an approach we barely see. I know you can just do so much in a specific genre, and maybe I have to search more actively for such books, but I am eagerly awaiting books that stand out again.
And now it’s time for you to voice your thoughts on spice in books. Do you enjoy reading smut? Is there something as too much of it? What makes it enjoyable or dislikable for you? What are your thoughts on this trend in 2026? Let’s chat!