Why do smutty books have such a chokehold on women? And why do we keep choosing fictional men over real ones?

In this episode of Book Bits & Chill, Cassie and Emily dive deep (pun fully intended) into the world of smut, erotica, and spicy romance — and why women can’t get enough of it. We talk about why women are turned on by words more than visuals, and how romance novels act as emotional foreplay and low-stakes escapism.

We unpack the difference between slow burn yearning and instant gratification, debate when smut enhances a story versus when it completely derails the plot, and explain why “men written by women” feel so unrealistic… and yet so necessary.

Emily steps into her role as the Smutty Professor to recommend the best smutty books for beginners, while Cassie argues that men desperately need a masterclass in yearning. Plus, we end with chaos: Two Truths and a Lie: Erotica Edition, where we test whether these unhinged plots are real books or pure fever dreams.

If you’ve ever wondered why smut improves your mood, your stress levels, and maybe even your sex life — this episode is for you.

✨ Follow @bookbitsclub on Instagram & TikTok for more book club chaos, recaps, recs, and reviews.

Today we’re handing out our 2025 Reader Superlatives and Best Books of the Year — and yes, it’s as chaotic as it sounds. If your reading year was fueled by BookTok recommendations, romantasy spirals, emotional damage, and wildly inappropriate book boyfriends, welcome home. In this awards-show-style book podcast episode, we crown the best books of 2025 across romance, fantasy, sci-fi, literary fiction, and thrillers.

We give out awards for Best Book Boyfriend, Most Likely to Keep You Up Until 3AM, Most Emotionally Devastating Read, Funniest Book of the Year, Biggest Mind-Bender, Emotional Support Book, Most Confusing Fantasy World-Building, Genre-Bending Wild Card, and our official Top Book of 2025.

We deep dive into Project Hail Mary, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Ascended, The Favorites, Zodiac Academy, Emily Henry books, The Nightingale, Onyx Storm, and more. We break down what makes these the most talked-about BookTok books of 2025, which romances rewired our brains, which reads wrecked our emotions, and which stories we could not stop recommending to literally everyone.

If you’re looking for best books of 2025 and BookTok book recommendations to stock up your 2026 TBR, you are in the right place!

✨ Follow @bookbitsclub on Instagram & TikTok for more book club chaos, recaps, recs, and reviews.

Today we’re diving into Brimstone by Callie Hart — and wow, do we have thoughts. If you’ve finished this book and thought “what did I just read?”, welcome home. In this chaotic, spoiler-packed book club episode, we break down everything from the world-building, the nonstop venom dosing, the missing characters, the plot threads going nowhere, and Kingfisher’s surprising new name reveal.

We talk about whether Brimstone works as a sequel to Quicksilver, why the pacing felt unhinged, which characters actually carried the book, and how this series might wrap up from here. And of course, we end with our final ratings: who should read this, who shouldn’t, and whether this romantasy sequel is worth continuing.

Plus, we play a round of Fantasy Therapists, diagnosing the characters with the unserious, delusional “conditions” they absolutely deserve.

If you love book club chaos, spicy romantasy discourse, and brutally honest reviews, you’re in the right place!

✨ Follow @bookbitsclub on Instagram & TikTok for more book club chaos, recaps, recs, and reviews.