What Is Dark Romance? What Makes the Genre a Popular Buzzword Among BookToks and Social Media Platforms? Explore the Haunting Side of Love and Obsession Over ‘Book Boyfriends’
Fueled by social media platforms such as TikTok, particularly under the hashtag BookTok, dark romance saw a spike post the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the genre’s ability to provoke intense emotional response that has captivated a highly engaged audience.
If you are a book lover, you must have come across dark romance. A literary subgenre that likely emerged in the 2010s and gained widespread popularity in the 2020s, it often falls under the umbrella of unhealthy and toxic love stories. These novels are infamous for depicting relationships that challenge moral and legal boundaries, raising questions about their growing appeal. The searches are not just limited to social media, but saw a significant rise on Google’s search bar with readers looking for ‘dark romance,’ ‘stalker romance,’ ‘mafia romance’, and ‘forbidden romance’ being the top keywords. It might appear worrisome to a few, but the increasing obsession over haunting love stories certainly displays the shift in how narratives about love and desire are consumed. So, what makes the genre a popular buzzword among BookToks and social media platforms? Let’s explore the rise of dark romance and readers' obsession with this new genre of ‘book boyfriends.’ Dark Mafia Romance Books: From Forced Arranged Marriages to Angsty Enemies to Lovers' Storylines, 5 Books That Should Be Your Next Steamy Read.
What Is Dark Romance? Meaning and the Shift of Book Boyfriend Narrative
Fueled by social media platforms such as TikTok, particularly under the hashtag BookTok, dark romance saw a spike post the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the genre’s ability to provoke intense emotional response that has captivated a highly engaged audience. While controversial, dark romance novels allow readers to explore the complex and forbidden emotions within a controlled, fictional environment. Book lovers suggest the success of Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James in the early 2010s, which helped establish new romance as a dominant force in publishing, paving the way for subgenres like dark romance. But the literary art paved its way long before that. The 1943 novel The Fountainhead by Russian-born American author Ayn Rand sparked controversies due to its unconventional romantic theme, similar to what we call today a dark romance. Mafia Romance Books With Mature Content Is Big Hit: Erotic Novels That Will Blow Your Mind Away!
Dark Romance and Bully Romance Google Searches Spike
Book series such as 365 Days by Blanka Lipińska and Captive by Sarah Rivens have garnered millions of readers, cementing dark romance as a popular niche. Soon, the book boyfriend narrative for readers wasn’t soft boy charms anymore, nor an egotistic character. But a more unconventional theme. For context, book boyfriend refers to a fictional crush. He is the literary hunk you can’t stop thinking about, beyond the page.
Conversations about book boyfriends tend to be as wry and playful. However, the rise of dark romance saw a narrative shift for fiction’s favourite love interests – the unhinged alpha male. The dark romance books take readers on a rollercoaster of emotions, where danger and desire intertwine in irresistible stories.
Bully Romance Meaning
The buzzwords have triggered another sub-genre, bully romance. The term is exactly what it sounds like – one main character bullies the other titular character, and the two end up falling in love. Bully romance is a subtrope of enemies-to-lovers, a popular genre in literature. There is an obvious play with power dynamics between the characters, with the best plots having an epic grovel. The character pleads guilty of the wrong and makes up for it, eventually building feelings, trust, and predictably falling in love. Having said that, bully romance is not to be confused with dark romance. The storylines can be dark, but toeing the line, not quite crossing it.
So, why are such controversial themes earning popularity among readers? One reason could be people love to fantasise lives unfold without any real-life abuse, consequences or shame. They won’t tolerate such behaviour in their own lives, but on the page, they can lean in to their fantasies of falling in love in the most unconventional manner. So, before you jump into these fictional genres, check out content warnings. Dark romance has plenty.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 19, 2025 02:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).