Key Takeaways

Reading has regained its popularity among young women thanks to BookTok and the countless high fantasy novels that mix plot with passion. 

Romance readers can bond over their shared passions in person at the Aces Wild Author and Reader event at the Atlantic City Convention Center on June 13-15. 

The three-day book signing event, hosted by Cuffed in Chicago, will feature more than 80 romance and erotica authors. “Whether you’re obsessed with spicy scenes or just want to fangirl with friends, ‘Aces Wild’ has your heart covered,” according to a Cuffed in Chicago press release. 

Romance has always been a popular genre, but we have BookTok to thank for its recent resurgence. The TikTok community has encouraged young women to swap dating apps for romance novels. 

There’s something to be said for how women-centered literature celebrates female pleasure, prioritizes female perspectives, and destigmatizes erotic fiction. But for the overall dating industry, the female-first literature trend points to a growing group of women who are tired of swiping through apps and going on strings of dead-end dates. 

They want something that mirrors the epic romances discussed on BookTok. And dating apps, try as they might to innovate, don’t always evoke the same epic feeling as a high fantasy romance novel. 

Apps and Books Both Spark a Chemical Reaction

Whether they’re reading about it in a book, fantasizing about their own lives, or swiping through profiles on a dating app, romance-lovers desire the rush of new love. The problem is, dating apps no longer provide the jolt of adrenaline they once did. 

Psychology Today’s Isabelle Morley, a licensed clinical psychologist, compared the fervent love for “Bridgerton,” the Netflix and romance novel series, to a drug. “It’s a ride that activates our brain’s pleasure and reward centers, leading to intense joy and satisfaction, thus making us want more,” she explained. 

This chemical rush is not unlike the kind we get when we land a match on a dating app, only on a longer, more sustained scale. “This explains the incredible BookTok following and the recent rise in popularity of romance novels in general,” Morley said. 

Young daters can experience the thrill of love on BookTok without experiencing the safety concerns and emotional pitfalls that come with online dating. 

According to Pew Research Center, 56% of surveyed women said they’ve received an unwanted sexually explicit image while online dating. Obviously, this is much less likely to happen within a novel, or at a convention like Aces Wild. 

It’s clear why events like Cuffed in Chicago and communities like BookTok appeal to so many people. They give people with niche interests the opportunity to be their authentic selves and connect with like-minded individuals.

What Can Apps Do To Appeal To Fans of BookTok ?

Developers need to switch their tactics to bring romance-lovers back to the apps. 

Gone are the days when hookup culture reigned supreme (although you’ll get no judgment from us). Today’s daters desire the intimacy and deep-seated connections they read about in romance novels. They want excitement and adventure, two things that are scarce on dating apps these days. 

As Morley explained, “[Bridgerton] provides us with things we may be missing in our own dating lives: passion, vulnerability, and a happy ending.”

The real-life dating world may be more accepting than it used to be, but people still want more clarity in their dating lives, something some apps just can’t provide. “In ‘Bridgerton’, people are more direct,” Morley said. 

“There are understood rules for how to flirt, court, and propose. And everyone has generally ended up in a pretty fantastic relationship despite the trials they endure,” Morley added. In real life, things are rarely so straightforward. 

Hinge took advantage of this with its new “No Ordinary Love” campaign, which recently took Substack by storm by publishing the real love stories of people who originally met on the app. The stories were stylized and written by top voices in the literary community to give them even more gravitas and flair.  

“Ultimately, the authenticity and truth of those stories are what people connect with,” Jackie Jantos, Hinge’s president and chief marketing officer, said. 

It’s clear that people are finding things in romance novels that they’re not finding on the apps: real connection and community, not to mention passion. Cuffed by Chicago promises to bring even more romance fans together.

“Dating is hard, being in a relationship is hard, yet people are yearning for connection and, dare I say it, romance,” Morley explained. “It feels like the only place they can find it right now is through a book or a screen.”