Hey everyone 🙂 My best friend's birthday is coming up (she's turning 23) and I'd like to give her a smut book as a present. Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with the genre myself, so I'm hoping you can help me out. I know she really liked Manacled and also enjoyed Alchemised, even though that's not really smut. In general, she prefers darker, more serious stories with emotional depth and well-developed characters. On the other hand, she found the book Icebreaker, which is very hyped on TikTok, quite cringe-worthy, so it's best not to look for anything along those lines, nor pure smut without a proper story.
In terms of genre, she likes to read fantasy, especially with dystopian elements. For example, she liked The Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games and City of Bones. She also loved Bridgerton, so romance with suspense, drama and a little spice. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly which other titles she has read, so more well-known recommendations are also welcome.
I would appreciate any recommendations and a brief assessment of why the book might be a good fit. Thank you 😀
by saltycore