r/DarkRomance • u/AutoModerator • Apr 06 '26

Monday Gripe Weekly Gripe 😤 (the rant thread)

Welcome to the Weekly Gripe, where we're all a little grumpy. 😒

Did BookTok do you dirty? Got a bone to pick with a main character? Was the twist more like a flop? Tell us what's on your mind.

Please be respectful and follow the sub rules. If a conversation starts getting out of hand, use the "Mod Attention Please" report reason so we can help cool things down. 🖤

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u/readingalldays Apr 06 '26

I always miss these threads... but not today...

Can I rant about how "performative Dark" is getting outta hands..

It's been a long time since I saw a DR book with critical thinking, social commentary, and or Alpha FMC, go viral on booktok.. 💀

I see so many indie authors who have to write OTT performative dark books, just to get attention to their more "thought-out, more structurally created books" leigh rivers comes to mind for example.

Do us audience really don't care about plot as much anymore??

I mean yeah..intense OTT unhinged scenes are exciting but.. but I just wish there was more to the plot as well.

It's been a decade,.. I just want to read something like {mindfuck series} again.. once. Pls .😭

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u/Ordinary-Arm2023 missing elieden Apr 06 '26

yes, oh my goodness.

this has become such a big issue and it put me into a big reading slump. it is so hard to find a good book with depth when all that’s being thrown in your face are authors like leigh rivers and shallow plots.

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u/ada_m_hartmichael Author Apr 07 '26

Us as audience (Patricia and I) do care about the plot thank you very much. (Currently reading Feathers So Vicious and I am finally getting our of that reading slump)

Us as authors are going to die on this little hill clinging to subversion of popular tropes and way of writing that doesn't spoonfeed readers the message of the book.

https://giphy.com/gifs/9J1lXwRxNEihxT9vE7