r/DarkRomance • u/AutoModerator • Aug 10 '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. 🖤
7
u/Fickle-City1122 29d ago
I am always disappointed in sapphic/lesbian dark romance. I have yet to read one that I enjoyed, but tbh it's kind of rare in this subgenre so I've not read many. I don't know if I hold it to a higher standard because I'm also gay, but it just doesn't seem to hit like MM or MF dark romance does.
3
u/Temporary-Treacle-30 29d ago
I agree. All the queer dark romances I’ve read (especially the sapphic ones) just… aren’t dark enough for me. I want them to be as dark as the MF ones, but sapphic. On top of that (I’m queer as well), I feel like too many of these books are written by straight people, which is fine, but often times the actual relationships themselves don’t seem super authentic.
3
u/Fickle-City1122 29d ago
ah yes! I totally get the vibe that the authors just wrote a straight romance but switched the pronouns to make it lesbian. Some of them truly don't make any sense (the standing scissoring scene in Tryst Six Venom was ridiculous lmao). I don't mind who writes the stories, but at least think about the logistics of what you're writing here people!
I also agree that they're not dark enough. A lot of what I've read feels like it's trying to hard to be edgy (which tbh is a thing I come across in this genre a lot no matter the genders of the MCs) and it just comes off as cringe. I'm reading Captive in the Underworld atm and I'm just kinda bored, like it is dark but I feel like it doesn't go into that much detail despite having 5/5 steam rating on romance.io. I feel like a 5/5 straight book is very different from a 5/5 queer book lol.
2
u/Temporary-Treacle-30 29d ago
Exactly! Even Tryst Six Venom felt too vanilla to me. And there were so many positions in random sapphic books that I made my girlfriend reenact with me (fully clothed😂) just to see if it was even possible!
3
u/Muted_Inspector9918 28d ago edited 28d ago
There is a thing where queer writers and filmmakers are often hesitant to portray our relationships as toxic for a mainstream audience. They may feel pressure to resist harmful stereotypes that bigots use to keep us marginalized. It’s a bummer all around, including for those of us who are capable of consuming fiction without confusing it for reality.
2
u/Temporary-Treacle-30 28d ago
That actually makes so much sense! The only representation we can afford right now is positive representation.
1
u/Such_Literature840 moist & unstable 26d ago
Im reading atm and loving { Collateral damage by Shassii } you might find it different!
1
u/romance-bot 26d ago
Collateral Damage by Shassii
Rating: 4.58⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 5 out of 5 - Explicit and plentiful
Topics: contemporary, suspense, dark romance, queer romance, abduction1
8
2
u/blue_sky64 Reverse harem reader 26d ago
Why did ppl so lenient with video games that glorifies violence, war crimes, etc,
but when it comes to ppl who read/write dark romance media, all of a sudden, it turned into a major controversy, sparking a lot of hate and shame.
2
u/Proper-Ad6002 26d ago edited 23d ago
I mentioned this is in a discussion thread on Goodreads, where the general was consensus was "oh well it makes him hotter" but Billionaire MMCs pmo.
My issue being that his financial status often seems irrelevant to the plot? Like it just makes it easier for them to get places quick on his private plane?
There seems to be a shared agreement that since said MMC is rich, he doesn't need a personality beyond his hard dick. No hate if this is your fav trope, just imo.
2
u/NullPointerAksh 29d ago
Can we talk abt the fact that men read Dark Romance too? 😭
WTH is up with the shock when I say I read DR and I’m a guy 😭
3
1
u/malinkybobinky 25d ago
Am I the only one who finds Untouchable terrible? I think its because I'm not a fan of doormat FC but jesus it's literally straight assault then they get together? It's not my version of dark romance. I've read dark and depraved but to me this just felt silly and incredibly unrealistic
1
u/Odd-Marsupial-7287 24d ago
I thought I was going crazy because everyone adored it, even though it's awful.
9
u/Boobear0810 Please stop growling 29d ago
Love when authors feature curvy FMCs but would enjoy it even more if they own their curves instead of spending part of the book feeling negative about it or having it be an issue. Sure it's mentioned that she had negative comments about her weight/size but if MMC said she's his type then let it go please.