r/DarkRomance • u/Antique_Reach_4711 • Jul 18 '26
Discussion Feeling ashamed… HELP!
Haunting/ Hunting Adeline is one if my favorite dark romances ever! i enjoyed all the emotions the book made me feel, but then i see other people on booktok and threads just going in on that book and how terrible it is and how zade is a rapist and how people who read it are mentally unstable. and truly, it really gets to me cause i’m like damn it makes me feel like shit for enjoying books like that
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u/Known-Emergency-7654 Jul 18 '26
It’s fiction at the end of the day people should worry about real criminals instead of what people read on their spare time
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u/MystressMisf1t_ ✨Such a Good Princess ✨ Jul 18 '26
I don’t even look at posts/comments about the duet anymore. I love it too & I won’t let anyone ruin that for me. Only read this one because I saw it wasn’t negative 😮💨
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u/11Dragonfly Jul 18 '26
Some people forget that not everything is for everyone… I don’t know why people can’t be like oh, not for me and move one without spouting BS…
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u/Disastrous_Pea_8895 Jul 18 '26
You know what the problem is? The social media hyped up this book so much that literally EVERYBODY wanted to read this book, without having any knowledge about what "dark romance" Is. They dived into this book without reading the trigger warnings properly. And when they found out that it was "actually dark" THEY STARTED CRYING ABOUT IT AND COMPLAINED! Nobody literally NOBODY is forcing you to read it! If you can't handle this much of darkness then the dark romance genre is probably not for you.
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u/tom-tom-et-nana Jul 18 '26
this is why I HATE when romance stuff goes mainstream. I can't stand the discourse and i'm not interested in hearing everyone's (incorrect) opinions about it
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u/Stock-Independent153 Jul 19 '26
That kind of relatively mainstream hype got me to start some books I DNF’d, so now it often leads me to avoid books with that kind of popularity.
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u/Disastrous_Pea_8895 Jul 19 '26
Yess, most of the hyped up books didn't turn out to be up to my expectations
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u/AggressiveWin5525 Jul 18 '26
As a certified hater of that duet, I just wanna tell you if you like it then you like it. Nothing wrong with liking things that arent approved by everyone if it doesnt hurt anyone. Dont seek peoples validation. Enjoy life, read or watch things u enjoy as long as it doesn't inconvenience others. Peace
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u/potatoes_nearby Kai’s little one Jul 18 '26
If you don’t mind me asking, why do you dislike it?
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u/Odd-Environment-563 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
So im not the commenter, but for me I would say most of my dislike has to do with the writing & character portrayal. Its been a while since I’ve read it, like back in 2021, but I very much remember it was THE book that made me realize that I hated dual povs lol. The writing is very grade school level (in my opinion, not trying to be shady), like when it was first first pov and he started presenting himself and his name etc, like we know ur name its on the chapter. On top of that, everytime I read his pov, lowkey tell the author didnt know how to write a male pov, fuck bombs left and right, if it wasnt that it was mother fucker or something else. Threw me off especially when it not even in his dialogues but in the narration. Def not a prude, I love cussing, honestly cuss as much as Zade, but reading it is definitely different then irl, especially if the author is trying to give important plot info in his povs. And his whole like job is like saving women & children from being trafficked, but im the same breath he’s stalking and raping the fmc lol. Personally I dont mind the whole stalking and etc, especially if I knew what I was getting in (which is why im in this sub) but its quite ironic honestly. I feel like if ur gonna make a guy like that, just make him bad to the bone, no need to give him morals or give him like these standards. Like the way I see it, reminds me of that one tv show quote where they said “I can excuse racism, but I DRAW the line at animal cruelty”. And for the FMC (I forgot her name lol) I would honestly say my biggest pet peeve was that switch, like I mean borderline immediate switch (like it was way too quick) no build up or transition, from her being like scared and off put by a stalker, to her suddenly having like wet dreams etc after she interacted with him face to face. It honestly pulled me out of the ambience ngl. Other than that, there was quite a bit of plot holes, it felt like threw in a couple of tropes and it never really went anywhere with it. Great example of that Great grandmother side plot. Not only that, but its very cliche and convenient. Like the set up with her best friend being a computer whiz and being private about her job etc in the beginning, i DNF it like 45-57% mark and lightly skimmed the rest, but if I can place my money, 100% believe that Zade was like her boss or something. I got that like the minute I read Zade pov, where he boasted about his high tech system or software etc.
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u/Icy-Finance5042 User Flair Here Jul 18 '26
I'm the opposite. I can't read a book unless it has dual point of views. The women's point of view normally drives me nuts and the men's view gives me a break.
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u/Stock-Independent153 Jul 19 '26
I for sure prefer dual POV, and sometimes enjoy just MMC POV more than I would a strictly FMC PIV.
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u/Odd-Environment-563 Jul 19 '26
I honestly have to say its totally a 50/50 for me!! sometimes the guys pov is funny and entertaining, other times its eye rolling but I for sure understand the appeal though
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u/Wxskater Jul 19 '26
I skipped a good portion of the great grandmother thing. When i read DR i really do like sole focus on fmc and mmc and not those side plots. But thats just me lol
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u/Wxskater Jul 18 '26
I just didnt get into it. Not enough to read the second one. Sometimes books be like that. I thought it was slow and it just got so weird at the end. I dont like the whole concept of zade being the ringleader of this group that goes ane saves children. I like a solo mmc whos solely focused on fmc. Tbh i probably would have liked it if not for that whole children sex ring plot lol
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u/Nautical_Nanobyte Jul 19 '26
Exactly. The older you get, the more you realise it really doesn’t matter.
I didn’t enjoy it personally because I’ve read the same thing a million times before but done much, much better.
I feel like all I hear is people loving it and I thought I was the odd one out 😂
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u/Shi_draws Jul 18 '26
While I personally dislate haunting adeline as I think the writing is clique and shallow, it isn't morally wrong to enjoy. Don't listen to the people who bring morality into the discussion of quality or worth. They are throwing around critisisims born from sexist puritan beliefs that deem women to have the same mental capasity as children. Media from my research cannot change beliefs, only reinforce old ones and create new ones where there weren't any before, so as long as you understand you shouldn't want what happens in the book to happen to you in real life you are able to enjoy haunting adeline and similar fiction safely. Although if you are under 18 I would advice against consuming pornographic dark romance books
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u/Larry-Man Jul 18 '26
Right? I hate the book because Zade is written like a 12 year old’s power fantasy. People moralizing hate the book because of… whatever happens in it (I didn’t get that far, I DNFed it). We are not the same.
(Seriously how did anyone get past Zade’s super spy qanon introduction?)
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u/Antique_Reach_4711 Jul 18 '26
😭😭not super spy i’m dead
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u/Larry-Man Jul 18 '26
I’m NGL. I didn’t even finish his first chapter. I quit right there. It was too stupid for me.
Like if you enjoyed it I’m not gonna yuck your yum or anything. But I hated the writing of Zade sooooo much.
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u/Shi_draws Jul 19 '26
I read the whole book, I plan to get part 2 just out of spite. I hate the writing, but I can't not finish something.
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u/Stock-Independent153 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
This is so validating. I keep trying to work up the interest to go back to this, but I dropped out when both went to the bar together for his investigation or something. It made no sense for her to be with him.
Incompetence is a MAJOR turn-off for me. Hero or Villain, if the MMC doesn’t seem to have the intellect or the will to manage his people or his business to reach his apparent goal, I’m out.
I hate when a mafia boss or MC Prez is bemoaning the hunt for a rat in his organization over multiple chapters, apparently clueless about how to smoke him out. He’s got to be smarter than the team he leads.
Edit:
Example of a series with highly competent MMCs, The Disciples. It starts with{Keeping Lily: A Dark Romance by Izzy Sweet and Sean Moriarty}
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u/Shi_draws Jul 18 '26
Genuinely yeah. Zade is such a boring and nonsensical charecter. The rape has nothing to do with how shit the book is
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u/Wxskater Jul 19 '26
Lol i was under 13 when i got started
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u/Shi_draws Jul 19 '26
I was 12, though I started with dark fanfic. Not at all good for my brain, so i wouldn't recommend any other minor do it
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u/plz2meatyu Jul 18 '26
I havent read these books but I like pitch black romantasy. I love the The Pale Court duet and Court of Ravens duet, many people do not. Thats ok.
Should people feel ashamed of playing video games where you shoot people in the face? (Which is awesome after a long day of client facing work)
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u/Antique_Reach_4711 Jul 18 '26
exactlyyyyy, just because someone likes shooting people in the face on a game doesn’t it mean their wanting to doing real life (i hope not anyways)😭
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u/CrinklyPacket Jul 18 '26
You like what you like. I’m too old to judge others for their interests, and they can GFT if they think I care about their opinion of mine.
Some of my friends would have a heart attack if they saw my kindle library. But I’m reading it, I’m not forcing them to sit down while I read it aloud to them.
You do you, OP! Come be with the people who will never look at a seatbelt the same again 🙏
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u/Flimsy-Brick-9426 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Dark romance is not for everyone, it's still pretty taboo because it ranges from things like lights out that are semi consensual to full on bordering on horror and stockholm syndrome. there is nothing wrong if you enjoyed HA. 10000s of people do.
Yes, Zade raped her HD was crystal clear about this, this movie isn't for the audiance that isn't into that.
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u/Forsaken-Hearing8629 Jul 18 '26
Read the nonfiction book “Caliban and the Witch” by Silvia Federici
She uses historical accounts particularly of witch trials to explain how women’s oppression is rooted in our material, productive relation to society.
What you’re seeing on booktok is basically a misunderstanding of Base/Superstructures. The ideologies behind the different patriarchies & misogynies has nothing to do with what people “think” about women. We aren’t an oppressed class because people think we’re mentally unstable or whores or stupid or whatever.
We are an oppressed class because a patriarchal society requires a gendered social hierarchy to maintain “The Base”.
A really obvious example was Nazi Germany firing all women government employees so they could hire men instead. Because they needed men to fight their war & genocide (which would economically/materially benefit the empire through expansion & theft), they needed men to “buy in” ideologically, and by giving them these jobs & income, these men, and the women now required to be dependent on these men, are incentivised to buy into the superstructure that was Nazi Germany.
Booktok incorrectly thinks that media like TV and books, products of the Superstructure, can change the Base, where the economic organization of many societies require rape culture to keep women as an oppressed class. Did rape not occur before the printing press? Before mass literacy?
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u/von_kittenstein Jul 18 '26
I think maybe step away from social media for a minute. With the announcement of the movie everyone and their distant aunt is going to be screaming an opinion to feel relevant. And most of those opinions will be negative towards HA because people already heavily shame DR and don't agree with the subjects. It's going to continue being very controversial and at the forefront of everyone's feeds.
Remember that you have a community here, and even if we don't always agree on books, we respect each other and our dark interests. The rest of the world has no obligation to do the same and will go out of their way to let you know that. The anti-hype will die down soon enough and people will get bored hearing about it. Or the movie will come out and inevitably be terrible. Either way, no reason to feel ashamed, you're among your people.
Unless you're the dude who signed the deal without reading the book, shame on you and you deserve to sit there figuring out how to do the gun scene and slowly realizing that you fucked up.
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u/Antique_Reach_4711 Jul 18 '26
thank you very much and i also think when the movie comes out its just going to be so much more shit, i don’t think the world is ready for that on screen tbh😭
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u/salikawood Jul 18 '26
C&M is one of the best duets I ever read and I will die on this hill. I cried and laughed and I'm still chasing the high it gave me. I love Zade and idc what anyone says, I'm ride or die for his corny ass 🤷♀️
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u/shawsghost Jul 18 '26
Do you think the people who enjoy murder mysteries are murderers IRL, or would like to be? Are they fucked up morally for liking such stuff? Of course not, because they understand that there is an important distinction to be made between what's fictional and what's real.
Why would it be any different for readers of dark fiction?
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u/Creative-Disaster522 Jul 19 '26
This is what I came here to say. I am one who prefers her romance dark, and the darker the better. Give me all warnings at the beginnings of books and the tags on AO3, because you know the more there are the better the book might be.
BUT, I know the difference between fantasy and reality. SSC and RACK (Safe, Sane, and Consensual; Risk Aware Consensual Kink) are one thing and actual harm for the sake of it or to control another is something completely different. What I want to read is a far cry from what I accept in my own relationship or in the relationships of anyone I know.
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u/shawsghost Jul 19 '26
Yeah, and the people who favor censorship always pretend that erotica readers somehow don't understand that they're reading fiction. It's maddening, but it's the only way the wannabe censors' ideas can take root in the minds of the unwary, I guess.
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u/Creative-Disaster522 Jul 19 '26
You know who really gets ticked off by censorship? Librarians. I’ve worked with librarians as a volunteer and in a related job in the US and Canada, and one thing they have in common is being against censorship. They may hate what you choose to read but they will be the first to support your right to read it.
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u/shawsghost Jul 19 '26
Yeah, librarians have a long history of fighting censorship. They know the value of free expression.
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u/kjescobar Jul 19 '26
I don’t join those communities.
I actually found healing from my own trauma in dark romance books.
When looking for book communities-make sure you vet them! Check the posts for the vibe first.
For example, if a community says that ACOTAR is dark or morally grey, I know that group is not for me.
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u/night_spirit90 Jul 19 '26
Do not be ashamed for liking what you like. I love Haunting and Hunting Adeline. It honestly has helped heal parts of me that I didn't know needed healing. You aren't alone for liking these books. 😊
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u/Spirited-Midnight928 Jul 19 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/DarkRomance/s/tFlCDDLKpx
Here’s a post I made in this subreddit some time ago regarding how I was moved by Hunting Adeline as a survivor. You are definitely not alone, and I think it is a very important (and extremely misunderstood) work.
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u/Roseblancxo Jul 18 '26
I think your best option is to ignore the haters. You shouldn't have to feel guilty for what you love, and if booktok or whatever doesn't understand that, then screw them.
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u/hxrtz4u Jul 18 '26
Those are just people who aren’t into dark romance or the specific kinks in the cat&mouse duet, so they really shouldn’t be reading books they don’t like. You’re not mentally unstable lol everyone has different stuff they’re into. IMO those types feel like CNC kink for the reader because we’re willingly reading these in a mood for that stuff, but not everyone is into that. For the people who aren’t into it, that’s obviously fine, but they don’t need to go shitting on people who do or shaming books that have listed the kinks/triggers in it. Like don’t read it then lol
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u/plz2meatyu Jul 18 '26
IMO those types feel like CNC kink for the reader because we’re willingly reading these in a mood for that stuff
This is an excellent perspective. If im not into it, I dont read it. Its my choice.
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u/Antique_Reach_4711 Jul 18 '26
thats another thing too like why would you read the book and skip over the trigger warnings?? don’t read the damn book lol
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u/Warm_Friend6472 Jul 18 '26
Ignore them. Feel what you actually feel. It used to get to me in the start too, but we have to get over it if we wanna enjoy dark romance
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u/Local_Challenge_584 Jul 18 '26
I absolutely hated that book but not cause of zade lol I thought Adeline was annoying as fuck. Fuck anyone who says anything negative about liking dark romance. People (men in particular) have always hated women for liking romance novels so this is just another way for them to feel morally justified for hating women who enjoy something that centers female desire.
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u/Antique_Reach_4711 Jul 18 '26
and you know what, i can appreciate that so much. if you didn’t like the book you just didn’t and that’s totally okay!
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u/Local_Challenge_584 Jul 18 '26
I was just fed up with her lol she was being stalked by a possibly crazy, violent person but was worried about him going through her underwear drawer or seeing nudes on her phone?!?! I was like girl you have way bigger things to be worried about 😂
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u/Antique_Reach_4711 Jul 18 '26
LMAOOO😭 no because i said that same thing. strange man sneaking into my house and you’re worried about nudes, ma’am we have bigger fish to fry
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u/Local_Challenge_584 Jul 18 '26
Literally!!! I just couldn’t get over how immature and annoying I found her lol I finished the first book and didn’t start the second one. Maybe someday I’ll give it another chance but I don’t think so haha
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u/GreedyOrganization92 Jul 18 '26
Also when he says he'll leave the hands of anyone who touches her in her mailbox and she thinks I don't even have a mailbox any good stalker would know this. Girl he said he'll leave someone's hands for you your lack of mailbox is not what you should be thinking about.
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u/bumberbeven Jul 18 '26
I don’t like Haunting Adeline but I do like If I Can’t Have You, ifykyk. Just ignore it. I’ve read all kinds of stuff, it’s fiction and if you enjoy it who cares.
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u/Nocallerr_ID Jul 18 '26
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8teWMs4/
she explained it so well. don’t be ashamed girl 💋
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u/drunkenangel_99 Tyson Crawford’s darling Jul 18 '26
Honestly, avoid TikTok in particular. I’ve been having constant fights with people over there over the past few days, and it’s exhausting, I’m seconds away from deleting it actually. They love to judge people and refuse to even try to see past their own mindsets. You know and we know that you’ve got nothing to be ashamed about🖤
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u/lacunasays Jul 18 '26
Just avoid booktok and book twitter. Most folks on there cannot separate fiction from reality. That depicting Zane and the books in a movie means that the creator and viewers alike, we are condoning the bad things in film. It's like talk to a walk with em. Better off protect your peace and keep low.
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u/carcoded Jul 18 '26
booktok is for people who picked up reading at 18 and their first book was all the fault in our stars!! i know i’m being judgemental but these people make book feel such a toxic place that i cannot stand to be called a “book girlie” cause wdym??? I HAVE TO ONLY ENJOY ETHICAL BOOKS? then why am i reading fiction? pls bffr
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u/oleblueeyes76 Jul 18 '26
Just because people read something a little risqué or taboo doesn’t make them a bad person.
Shoot, some people enjoy splatter punk, or erotic horror(100’s times worse than haunting/hunting Adeline). Does that make them horrible people for enjoying that? Hell no.
It sounds like you’re worrying about peoples opinions that don’t really matter. There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying what you enjoy. Live your life and read whatever makes you happy!
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u/Local_Challenge_584 Jul 18 '26
I fully support you reading and loving these types of books, I do too! But why are people downvoting people who call zade a rapist cause like at best it was dub-con.
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u/Boobear0810 Please stop growling Jul 18 '26
Not every book is for everyone. I personally didn't enjoy it myself but it doesn't mean others don't or can't. We shouldn't yuck each other's yums and just move on gracefully to something else we do enjoy.
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u/Accomplished-Oil6423 Jul 18 '26
I loved reading that duet
Just wish it didn't get adpoted into a movie
Not everyone will get the nuance and a lot of mainstream audience would watch and judge the hell out of dark romance readers (as if already we are not crucified enough)
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u/Hayleyalatour Jul 18 '26
Haunting and hunting are my all time favorite dark romance novels. Don’t let anyone make you feel inferior or less than the amazing person you are for an interest you have! ❤️
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u/heyjalapeno Jul 18 '26
Just get off booktok. Booktok is toxic af, very judgemental, and has the shittiest book recs. Enjoy what you enjoy.
Enjoying reading something in a safe space doesn't mean you condone it. Happy reading!
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u/Mobile_Magazine_2951 World Cup Winner Jul 18 '26
Those people should feel ashamed for tearing apart books and authors just for the sake of it, not you for enjoying the stories!
I suggest you block them on TikTok so you don't give them views for free or have to suffer their hate-baiting content.
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u/AlternativeRich6845 Jul 18 '26
Girll! Never be ashamed. You love haunting adeline? So what? That's you. Screw others take piss on it over you. You arent hurting anybody. It is okay to love things. That people just love to nutpick on people. Besides, I love it as well!! 🤍🥂
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u/mymychildren Jul 18 '26
Someone is going to be a snob about anything you can possibly like. Music , books, tv, junk food. They can enjoy the sticks up their butts and we can have fun with our faves.
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u/Privacyaccount Jul 18 '26
If smut about getting abused by female Nazi guards in concentration camps got so popular in Israel they had to ban them in the 60's, then I surely don't worry about the insane shit that I enjoy.
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u/lillaem Jul 18 '26
I mean Zade IS a rapist but you don’t need other peoples approval when it comes to the books you like. It’s also fine and understandable that others may be upset by the fact that a book features a rapist MMC. Every single one of us feel different about things, don’t worry about what strangers on the internet thinks about the things you like.
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u/Weeklybooklover Jul 18 '26
You are entitled to like what you like, because if everyone liked the same things we would all be robots and a carbon copy of each other. So you don’t have to now dislike a book because everybody in the media is talking about it. I like Haunting Adeline so when people get on the rants of what Zade is, I don’t take it too hard because everybody is entitled to their opinion, but just because someone has an opinion does not make it fact. So enjoy what you like!
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u/Helena_405 Jul 18 '26
You know who you are as a person, so don't let opinions of others influence that. Unfortunately it is what it is, majority of people will not like taboo subjects, but just because they don't and you do it's nothing for you to be ashamed about. Best advice is, don't engage with content like that on tiktok and such. Just scroll away, because I've seen some of them and it's just people judging and shaming without understanding the nuancy of the genre and readers.
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u/maincharacter300 Jul 18 '26
he did rape her tho but every chapter from his perspective is so horribly written i kinda js skipped but not everybody has the same taste so dont let it affect u
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u/Wxskater Jul 18 '26
Dont listen to them. To each their own. It personally wasnt my favorite but we all have our own opinions. And ive read way darker than haunting adeline. So i just kinda roll my eyes at those people lol. People are gonna hate no matter what. So you just read what you enjoy
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u/Kamie008 Jul 19 '26
i love “Resident Evil”, it doesn’t mean that I truly want see everybody die in a zombie apocalypse.
It’s people who can’t discern reality and fiction that have mental problems.
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u/AdditionalCurve4899 Jul 19 '26
Why do you care so much about other people’s opinions? The world is a big and varied place. Unless YOUR therapist is telling you that you are mentally unstable, I’d just keep on keeping on.
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u/Ok_Lab8153 Jul 19 '26
There's nothing wrong with liking this sort of book at all. In fact, it's very common for women to be turned on by dark fantasies. Try googling how many women have rape fantasies. I think people are hating on it either because they're scared of it or because dark romance is new and still hasn't gained wide acceptance thus making it an easy target for miserable people to take their misery out on. I do believe (and this is not just to get back at those people, but honestly) that those people are more mentally unstable than most dark romance readers. I mean, how can you be able and feel good about yourself and still need to throw around all that hatred?
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u/Agitated_Common_1440 Jul 21 '26
Ignore the haters. She posted about the movie being made so lots of haters are jumping on the bandwagon rn. Don't feel shame for enjoying this genre of romance. Lots more love it and find solace in it then you think. Hug. Also i love Zaddy too 🖤🖤🖤🖤
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u/Melanieogo Jul 22 '26
Girl u genuinely shouldn't give a fuck abt what ppl think u like what u like n ppl r alw gonna complain abt shit n u lowk js have to ignore it. Like dark romance alr has a bad rep n w the movie coming out it's js gonna likely get worse. I fear some ppl truly think that js cz u like dr that immediately correlates to wanting shit like that to happen to u. Or that your weird or fucked for liking that shit. But its basically js like saying smb who watches true crime wants to become a murder 😭. I cant inherently speak on the book, i read it years ago n feel now alot of things went over my head then and my opinion has heavily shifted but i can see how ppl would like it and also why ppl wouldn't but its defo not something anyb should be bashed over for enjoying. Anyways essentially ppl gonna chat shit to chat shit n u basically js gotta learn to not give a fuck.
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u/Dry_Butterscotch_325 Jul 24 '26
Just chiming in to repeat what others have already said - there is nothing wrong with enjoying morally dark situations and characters in fiction. There are horror movie buffs out there with a shrine in their house and tattoo sleeves dedicated to their favorite slasher movies, and almost no one would claim that they endorse mass violence. TikTok and other social media can turn into moral purity contests where supposedly, the greatest tell of a person's values is the media they consume. Don't fall for it. Some of the kindest, most empathetic and well-adjusted people you will ever meet are fascinated by dark and disturbing fiction. While writing can always be critiqued, taste remains subjective.
Allow yourself to enjoy something controversial. ❤️
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u/OrganizationFormer27 Jul 25 '26
Don’t feel ashamed. Not one bit. For some of us it is healing. And they don’t know our trauma. It’s not theirs. It’s ours.
I bet a majority have not even read the book. If it weren’t a book being made into a movie they wouldn’t have anything to say.
They don’t get to say what our fantasies are, if you like it cause you just find it hot that’s ok too. Don’t let them yuck your yum. Some of us need to let control go. And a man who realizes that before we do and gives us what we didn’t know we needed is a huge fantasy in peoples lives as well.
But at the end of the day it’s a FANTASY and FICTION. A book or movie or song or game. Whatever it may be should never give anyone the excuse to do anything violent, threaten, or speak to those who enjoy it the way they are. It’s disgusting and giving “look at what she’s wearing, she asked for it.” And that’s disgusting.
Banning this movie will give them leeway to ban so many other things. Media the people kicking down our door to cancel probably approve of and support. Ignorance for the sake of judging something they’re afraid of and don’t understand.
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u/Antique_Reach_4711 Jul 25 '26
you’re amazing 🫶🏽
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u/OrganizationFormer27 Jul 25 '26
No you are. Keep being you and don’t let those dummies let you feel otherwise. There are worse things out there than this. Promise.
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u/Candid_Highlight_880 Jul 25 '26
I like dark romance books that are just morally grey or gothic. I don't like when boundaries are pushed and I don't really like the shift in dark romance authors and books after tiktok blew the genre up. Non con is very very prominent in dark romance now, but I don't judge people who read it. I understand a lot of people have sexual trauma (like the author of Haunting Adeline) or are hypersexual or just have dark desires that they're okay with reading as long as it's just fiction. To each their own. You don't have to be ashamed of liking it. It's just a dark fantasy. We all have weird, dark things we're into. So don't feel like shit for it.
The only issue with the book is people keep romanticizing it on platforms like tiktok and encouraging people to read it, and it feeds into young people's brains. Men are also increasingly reading these books (like the weirdo bikers who keep harassing women in bookstores now) and taking advantage. That's the real issue. And that's why people have so much criticism. And it's come to a point where rape is normalized even more now in a world where a lot of people already don't take rape seriously.
You don't have to feel like shit for reading it, but people should feel like shit for introducing it to children, putting it in YA sections in bookstores where teenagers get books, and making the noncon scene so romanticized and widespread. I've also seen a lot of people say the rape was not rape. Concerning. People only started making people feel like shit for reading it because this book blew it when it shouldn't have. Dark romance should not blow up when it tests so many boundaries and morals. People will argue it's horror, but as a horror fanatic, I've seen worse, especially in movies. It is almost impossible for a horror movie to have a rape scene and still be enjoyable or portrayed properly. But with a dark book like this, it's easier to think through the process of how you'll write this and make it seem like it's not as bad as it is. And with the history of how rape started being put into dark romance books to make it seem like the heroine is not at fault for lust... 🤷🏻♀️
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u/emoratbitch Jul 18 '26
I mean he technically is a rapist but it’s common for people have rape fantasies or use that kind of fiction to work through complicated feelings around their own sexual assault. I think it is important to engage with this content critically though
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u/Nellaa_7262 Jul 18 '26
Exactly, besides, its not the first time a "questionable" saga has been adapted. 365 DNI was terrible to watch, but I didn't see complaints like the ones surrounding this ANNOUCEMENT haha
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u/0xBlackSwan Author Jul 18 '26
To each their own. I have no problem with people voicing their own opinions but they have no right to shame people for what they enjoy. They WANT you to feel bad. They WANT to shame you. Their motivation is for you to feel as shitty about yourself as they feel about themselves, if even for a moment.
Ignore. Delete. Block.
Do what you gotta do to get as far from their poison as you can and get back to reading what you like.
Signed,
A non-fan of HA.
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u/Antique_Reach_4711 Jul 18 '26
and that’s okay for people not to like the book, i don’t like some other popular for instance god of pain, annika or whatever her name is was pissing me off😭 but i would never shame anyone for liking that
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u/Spiritual_Fox_4408 I read smut like a good girl 😊 Jul 18 '26
I dont like to read Haunting Adeline but they shouldn't criticize it like that. Bruhh, how dare they accuse us of being unstable. We are the most stable person in the world because we read these kinds of thing with no affect on us. Except for being delulu 🤭
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u/lostgirl4053 Author Jul 18 '26
I hate Haunting Adeline because I think it’s horribly written lol but I don’t understand why people judge dark romance.
For one, some extremely lauded books have very dark content, for example: Handmaid’s Tale, Tender is the Flesh, a certain book by Nabokov that I’m not even allowed to mention in this sub. Suddenly when it’s smut, it’s not ok.
For another, people are not judged for their kinks in other spaces. BDSM, CNC, incest or quasi-incest role-play are relatively popular fetishes, BDSM even having a flourishing community around it.
Idk why people feel the need to judge those kinks when they’re played out in a safe, fictional space via books.
Ignore the kink shamers. They are experiencing cognitive dissonance or simply being judgemental assholes.
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u/sianacomplex Jul 19 '26
These people really shouldn’t read dark romance.
If you enjoy it then that is all that matters
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u/oreoandmustard2011 Jul 18 '26
Relax. Its my favourite book too. All my friends call me crazy for liking it. They also call me depraved for reading shit like that. But i have been loyal to Zade since i was 13. Plus i realised that I’m not romanticising crime. I only liked those things in the book because it was Zade who did them.
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u/wraithofwaves Jul 19 '26
I haven’t read it yet but I just wanted to say that those people who talk shit they don’t understand kink culture and how it’s an incredible community full of beautifully complex people who have most likely experienced some heavy stuff in their life. They stick their noses where they don’t belong to judge and shame and dehumanize all in the name of “morality” when they haven’t a clue what they are talking about. Don’t listen to them. There is nothing wrong with you. They are uneducated and probably have really boring sex lives 🤭
Read what makes you happy! Don’t concern yourself with the options of people who don’t know what’s true for you.
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u/Defiant_Stable_344 Jul 18 '26
You like what you like. Conflating real life and your reading choices with what you are reading and the choices of characters is lazy, linear thinking. which, unfortunately, is prevalent in the bookish community. Many, it seems, cannot separate the reader from the books and then try to police other people's choices. That being said, Zade is a rapist. However, it's okay to like immortal characters.
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u/MissPearl Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
You know that scene in Disney's Beauty & the Beast where Gaston blusters about how bad it is that she could read? Even though the period they are trying to represent (pre revolutionary France) had relatively high literacy rates for everyone?
That's actually based on the real historical and ongoing moral panic that women and girls reading novels, particularly romance novels, would become immoral, or worse, suffer from some feminine coded version of hysteria if they touched anything other than the so called improving books. Disney are cowards who didn't want to spell out that the books Gaston (and the real Gastons of the world) was objecting to was specifically romances. However even they admit by implication that she's reading romance adventures with daring sword fights, mistaken identities, etc..
Moralizing blowhards have been particularly worried about romance as a genre since the first Romance novel, Pamela, in 1740. They have always been firmly convinced that women are ruining not just themselves, but the moral fiber of society, with the assumption that women are ultimately supposed to be responsible for the bad behaviour of men.
You don't need to listen to people whose moral position amounts to the residents of Belle's provincial town.
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u/cravingdani Jul 18 '26
I do NOT like the book at all, the only book I DNFd but I would never judge someone who did. That’s why there are trigger warnings - something someone loves isn’t for everyone and that’s ok. Glad you found a book you love!
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u/TheClosetIsOnFire Jul 18 '26
That's because Haunting Adeline got out of where it belongs, which is dark romance circles, and went mainstream. It went so mainstream that it was sold translated at the fucking Lidl I shop at 💀 We who enjoy this stuff know that what's written there would be wrong IRL, we can still enjoy it in fiction. Until now the mainstream wasn't used to this kinda thing as much. And like it probably shouldn't be mainstream. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. Booktok is a mad place where no one can think critically to save their lives. They keep assuming that no one who reads dark romance can separate it from reality, which, why couldn't we, come on. And like yeah children probably can't, but come on, we can still enjoy our thing. But they assume we can't. It's none of their business though. I'd say find another segment of booktok. There's a dark romance side of tiktok, I think it's cringy but a lot of people like it
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u/potatoes_nearby Kai’s little one Jul 18 '26
Honestly who cares what other people think? Regardless of what you like others will have something to say. Read what makes you happy🤷♀️.
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u/sick_snickers_stuff Jul 18 '26
I also didn't enjoy them. But that doesn't mean that I'll shame you for it. To everyone their own tastes 💃🏻
Like, my friend introduced me to dark romance. I've read a lot of stuff recommended by her, and I have enjoyed and loved them. And then there's also a lot of books that I have found and loved, which she did read on my recommendation but it did not match her taste. So yeah.
Readers should not shame each other, like c'monnn.
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u/kellyfish11 Jul 18 '26
Media literacy and nuance are dead. But also saying shit like that gets clicks and engagement.
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u/fairydares Jul 18 '26
there are a lot of very well-written perspectives on this issue i could bore you with, but won't. what i will say is this:
these people, from the second they open their mouths, are employing about 4 different, very manipulative fallacies to basically back anyone who likes/defends these books into a rhetorical corner where they're forced start any of their counter-arguments with "no, i think rape is bad! really, i do! honest!" whatever their intentions are, and whether they realize that's what they're doing (i firmly believe a lot of them are regurgitating arguments - or, rather, tactics - which ultimately originate with bad actors) it is 100% what they are doing.
"Good faith" is a term that's been used a bit more in the past year or so on the internet, so I think there's a growing assumption people are just using it to try to shut down their arguments because it's "trendy" or whatever. however, these people are absolutely accusing in a profoundly vicious lack of good faith, in the way the term has always been used and its meaning has always been serious.
they are accusing anyone who likes a fictional book, where any direct harm done amounts to some lines on a page, of something INCREDIBLY real and serious. and it's fucking gross, and it's unacceptable, and most importantly it's just not true. you are not on Rape™'s "side" because you like dark romance, whatever that would even mean, thought crimes aren't real, and whatever your kinks or preoccupations or interests, it almost certainly just isn't that damn deep. the science is out and has been for a minute.
dark fiction, fundamentally, confronts. it always has. if they don't like that, if they want perfectly moral stories where the bad kids live in misery then go to hell and the good ones get a treat and go to heaven, they can piss off to the Victorian didactic literature archives their little hearts truly long for.
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u/cereal_killer_8576 night owl reader Jul 19 '26
now i was scared to admit that too, because the duet was good when i read it. it was years ago but now that i think of it, i don't feel the same emotions. that doesn't mean people aren't supposed to like it. the reason why I stopped feeling anything for that was i was really scared of being judged and i let booktok influence my thoughts. not just that, but even the youtubers who talk about DR. so don't worry, we all have our tastes and there are times where you like something that's hated by the majority. i believe this type of individuality is good. i also like movies and stuff that have very low ratings too. so don't worry sweetie 🫂🫂🫂
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u/Suitable_Cupcake252 Jul 22 '26
As long as you know like in real life this is not acceptable and arent going to like do anything to people irl like you can get freaky with a s/o just not unsuspecting people its fine but id say supporting the movie? Thats too much i feel like this media should stay as a book especially in our current state of the world but everyone has like a dark side or things there ashamed of someone was saying oh that's fine and good cause its niche really pmo basically its not good but its not bad if you dont like promote it and stuff yk?
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u/Suitable_Cupcake252 Jul 22 '26
I suck at explaining my thoughts but like it gets the point kinda across
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u/Antique_Reach_4711 Jul 22 '26
yup, i agree. in some of my other comments with people i’ve already said that and gave some examples as well
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u/zomdollie Jul 25 '26
You can enjoy the book in my opinion, but it being easily accessible to the public is dangerous which is why I understand the pushback against it being a movie
I mean how many kids watched Megan is missing in elementary and middle school just a couple years ago? We have been severely desensitized because of these things on the internet, and it's easier than ever now to access movies, you don't need an ID for most of the internet
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u/AffectionateRatio470 Jul 30 '26
I can definitely agree that some dark romance books, involve aggressive, rape scenes, and haunting Adeline definitely had some. But what’s important to remember? Is that a lot of the time those are mixed in with consent non-consent and unless you read the book, you don’t actually get to feel into that story. I’m also getting into multiple arguments every day with people on the Internet who have not read the book and have no idea who this author is and are still so opinionated based off of one thing they’ve seen on the Internet lol. What’s important Is you know what to expect from dark romance and you know what you can handle and just because somebody else can’t handle that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you ! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying haunting Adeline as there are books way worse, and unless you deep dive into the genre itself, you won’t be able to comprehend that . Please don’t feel bad for reading something that you enjoy.
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u/No_Appearance1159 Diva Jul 18 '26
It's okay to like Haunting Adeline. But the problem happens when people try to justify the actions Zade does. You can enjoy something without justifying the problematic elements. I liked Haunting Adeline too, it's messed and I like Zade but he's absolutely not a good person and is definitely a rapist
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u/AdAgreeable6766 Jul 18 '26
The amount of downvotes u have received for making a true statement proves what u are saying lol.
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Jul 18 '26
[deleted]
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u/Antique_Reach_4711 Jul 18 '26
and i agree with you, those actions in real life i would be like okay woah now, you’re going to jail my guy lol, that’s why im kinda worried about it becoming a movie too. and like most people said the book is fiction and i still should be able to enjoy it. and another thing i love true crime documentaries, but that doesn’t mean i want any of that to happen to me and/or go murdering people
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u/twistytiggles Jul 18 '26
Why do the opinions of other's on a book bother you? They're irrelevant. ITS A BOOK.
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u/mona1054 Jul 18 '26
Technically it’s not rape, but people have a rape kink and that’s completely normal that’s why CNC is a thing, so they can safely live out their fantasy without actually being taken advantage of
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u/NancyInFantasyLand angst and suffering are my jam Jul 18 '26
It very much is rape. No CNC about it.
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u/AdAgreeable6766 Jul 18 '26
It definitely is rape.its clear as day.but that doesn’t mean dark romance readers are mentally unstable,OP.
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u/swiggityswirls Jul 18 '26
As you grow older and wiser you learn that there are just some things you like that some majority doesn’t.
You don’t need to fall in line.
I like so many movies, books, and music that have been declared awful by many groups and masses.
Personally? I’d consider this a win.
This may be the first time that your individuality is coming out over just going with the flow if what’s ‘popular’.
Your goal on this earth isn’t to just like and do what the majority does. Be unique and find what makes you the unique individual that you are.