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.

We need to talk about A Court of Frost and Starlight. Because after rereading it for this episode… we are begging you not to waste your time. This novella is a winter solstice fever dream filled with a nauseating amount of POVs, zero plot movement, and Feyre giving everyone paintings of their trauma.

So we made the episode that will save you the read.

Inside this recap we cover:
• the entire plot in under 30 minutes
• whether ANY of this matters for A Court of Silver Flames
• final review, spice rating, hangover level & book club recommendability
• our official verdict on what this book could have been

If you’re wondering “Do I need to read ACOFAS?” the answer is in this episode.

📚 Get your books here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/bookbitsclub/list/35VAKXI0EXW4D?ref_=aipsflist

💬 Let’s hear from you:
Did you think this book was worth the read?

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

Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid has taken TikTok, BookTok, and every library hold list by storm, but does this psychological thriller actually live up to the hype? In this episode, we dive into the wild plot twists, questionable character logic, audiobook chaos, and why this book feels like the literary equivalent of junk food… in the best (and worst) way.

From Millie’s “fresh out of prison but still somehow naïve?” behavior to Enzo absolutely stealing the show, we get into everything that worked, everything that absolutely didn’t, and whether The Housemaid deserves its bestseller status. We also talk reading slumps, social book club picks, and the upcoming movie adaptation starring Amanda Seyfried, Sydney Sweeney, and Michelle Morrone.

✨ In this episode:

• Spoiler-free recap of The Housemaid
• Audiobook thoughts (including that Brooklyn accent)
• Why this book is so bingeable — and so frustrating
• Plot holes, cliffhangers & popcorn-read energy
• Character deep dive: Millie, Nina, Enzo + the rest
• Who should read this book (and who absolutely shouldn’t)
• Movie adaptation casting hot takes
• Our final ratings & book club potential

If you loved Verity, The Last Mrs. Parrish, or fast, twisty psychological thrillers, this episode is for you.

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

Ever wondered why you pick a book that makes you ugly-cry… and then recommend it to all of your friends? On this episode of Book Bits & Chill, we dig into the brain science of sad books, explore why we keep going back for more, and share the titles that wrecked us (in the best way).

What you'll hear:

• Fiction as therapy: how sad books become safe space
• The empathy magic: why tearing up makes us kinder
• Our 2025 tear-jerker list + why each hit
• Sad Girl Confessionals: standing in the rain, mixtapes, public sobbing

Featured: The Nightingale, Martyr, Atmosphere, Go as a River, The Last Letter + the tear-jerker film Beautiful Boy.

👉 Tap ★★★★★, follow the show, and drop your book that made you cry in the Q&A. New chats every week!

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

Romantasy readers, this might be the next Maasverse moment. We're sitting down with Bree Grenwich and Parker Lennox, the indie duo behind The Ascended, Riftborne, and Duskbound. Their Sundered Realms series is filled with gods, revenge, trials and star-wielding magic and is taking BookTok by storm.

Discover how they co-write each chapter as best friends, the inspiration behind their universe and why fans are calling The Ascended the next ACOTAR.

Support indie authors:
Purchase The Ascended directly through their website to support Bree and Parker as independent creators, or find it on Amazon.
👉 https://www.grenwichlennox.com/books

What you’ll hear:
• How two friends write every chapter together
• Creating the twin bond and star-powered magic in The Ascended
• Dungeons & Dragons inspiration
• Balancing romance and high fantasy
• Fan casting and Easter eggs
• Reading order and what comes next

The Ascended, Bree Grenwich, Parker Lennox, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Maasverse, ACOTAR, Sundered Realms, BookTok, Indie Authors, Riftborne, Duskbound, Trials of Ascension

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

This week on Book Bits & Chill, we’re diving into Quicksilver by Callie Hart — the dark, chaotic romantasy that has BookTok in a chokehold. With Brimstone right around the corner, we’re serving up a complete Quicksilver recap in under 60 minutes, plus our unfiltered thoughts on whether it still deserves the hype.

From forbidden fae secrets to god-tier spice, we’re revisiting every moment that made this book unforgettable — and testing if it still holds up a year later in our Bookok Tested series. Expect laughter, chaos, and a few heated debates!

✨ In this episode:

• Quicksilver full recap in under 60 minutes
• BookTok Tested Review — does it live up to the BookTok hype?
• Our reactions to the world building, tropes, and shadow-daddy energy
• Who we’d recommend this Romantasy book to
• Final thoughts before Brimstone releases

Whether you’re re-reading Quicksilver, catching up before the sequel drops, or just living your romantasy era, this one’s for you.

📚 Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/bookbitsclub/list/35VAKXI0EXW4D?ref_=aipsflist

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