Reading smut has saved my marriage — we’re having more sex than ever

Romantasty books have hit the headlines this week, with the genre being accused of ‘dumbing down’ literature.

In an article for The Telegraph, experts and novelists compared ‘fairy smut’ books to ‘junk food’ and claimed they ‘don’t teach young women anything useful about masculinity’.

Female readers hit back on TikTok, branding the argument ‘sexist’ and pointing out that many of these books are clever – featuring political intrigue and strong female characters fighting back against oppression.

They also rejected the idea that they aren’t learning anything important from smut, declaring that the books had not only ’empowered them’ and shown them they could ‘achieve anything’, but had a serious impact on their real-life relationships too.

One woman previously told Metro how reading ACOTAR had helped her realise she deserved to be treated better by her partner.

Now others are sharing how reading about female pleasure has been instrumental in them finding their own pleasure – helping to boost their libido and in some instances, even ‘saving’ marriages.

‘I finished the Fourth Wing books, and now I’m following on with ACOTAR,’ says Jayne*. ‘Me and my husband have been having sex at least four times a week.’

The confession was shared on the Dead Bedrooms forum on Reddit, a support group for those who are in relationships ‘lacking in sexual intimacy’.

In her post, the 34-year-old reveals she had struggled with a low libido for years, until she came across the spicy scenes in Fourth Wing, a fantasy romance book by Rebecca Yarros about dragon riders at a war college.

‘Something in me turned on,’ she explained. ‘It was like a switch, I couldn’t believe it. I almost believed I was asexual, and then this book appeared in my life and… WOW. I was reading at night with my husband by my side, and I woke him up!’

‘He didn’t understand anything at first, but now I think these kinds of books might actually save my marriage.

‘Yesterday we had sex two times, and it was AWESOME. This is a lot considering last year, maybe we had sex three times, I feel like a teenager again. I want to regain all this lost time.’

This is a feeling Clare*, 42, from London, knows only too well, as she tells Metro that erotic fiction has been central to her entire relationship with sex. She had her first orgasm aged 21, thanks to fiction on the page.

‘Nothing in real life had ever done anything for me before, and porn hadn’t worked either,’ she says.

‘Men are often just ready to go the moment they think about sex, and for many women, it doesn’t work that way. For me, leaving the day-to-day of this world behind and moving into a space where I can comfortably think about sexuality is difficult.

‘I can’t turn my ADHD brain off, but the books help with that and offer an escape.’

Clare has been with her partner for 13 years, but relies on steamy scenes to get her in the mood.

‘It’s all to do with where my body and mind are at that moment and the only way for me to get in the right mindset is to have a very rich fantasy life going on in my head, so much so that it takes me away from the constant to-do list and chatter that lives inside my brain,’ she explains.

As for what type of books she reads, Clare’s open to anything and everything. She’s a big fan of the website Literotica, but will also indulge in Outlander-style stuff as well as Young Adult fiction.

‘I’m not specific to one type of fiction; it can be anything as long as it tantalizes my brain and excites the rest of my body,’ she adds.

And Clare and Jayne aren’t alone in turning the pages to get turned on.

A 2001 study by Harold Leitenberg of The Journal of Sex Research found that women who read romance or erotic novels have 74% more sex with their partners than those who don’t.

Similarly, a 2025 survey by Lovehoney and Cint revealed 41% of men and 43% of women had masturbated or had sex after reading a book containing explicit content.

And sex toy manufacturer LELO recently revealed that almost half of Brits (46%) have, at one point or another, been more turned on by reading a steamy scene in a book than by watching porn or interacting with their partner.

Psychotherapist Kate Moyle, LELO’s in-house sex expert, believes this could be partly due to the ‘focused and engaged’ nature of reading.

‘In a world full of distractions, technology, and constant notifications, reading allows us to immerse ourselves in a narrative fully,’ she explains.

‘When this is combined with sexually interesting or erotic content, it can build anticipation — one of our most natural aphrodisiacs. By narrowing our attention on the story, reading plays a critical role in evoking desire and arousal.’

The expert continues: ‘Reading also helps create the context for responsive desire, which can be triggered by sexual or erotic stimuli.

‘When the environment feels right, and the brain is exposed to something it finds erotic, this can help shift us from a non-sexual headspace to a sexual mindset.’

Traditionally, spicy books have had a larger female readership, but men are also using smut to boost their sex drive – though some prefer audio erotic storytelling to physical books, with apps like Bloom and Quinn offering users thousands of spicy stories at the touch of a button.

A Bloom user, named Paul, tells Metro how listening to the audios has improved his sex life with his partner of 25 years, helping him become more adventurous in the bedroom.

‘I listen to audiobooks on Audible, so using Bloom just mirrors how I already consume books, and I love that it’s a more ethical way to explore porn – it doesn’t come at the cost of anyone else’s body,’ he says.

The 40-year-old listens to erotica two or three times a week, usually in the car home from work, which ‘makes the commute home more bearable’ and gets him in the mood.

‘I don’t tend to masturbate to it though, it just kind of gets the brain going,’ he explains.

‘It’s made me more aware of the whole experience of sex – it’s not just about the visuals. The stories have given me more words to use in the bedroom and provided ideas and scenarios to try.’

*Names have been changed.

A version of this article was first published on August 17, 2025.

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