“The dark and sensual allure of becoming the target of one man’s dangerous obsession is on graphically raw display in this compelling read.”

USA Today bestselling author Zoe Blake’s editorial review of the dark romance novel “Haunting Adeline” by H. D. Carlton captures the intrigue of an unusual story with dark themes, with further endorsement by Barnes & Noble, who describes the text as “a suspenseful romance novel.” But what this review, as well as countless others, fails to mention is how the book romanticizes a “relationship” between a woman and her stalker and glosses over several instances of graphic sexual assault. And yet, despite its shocking nature, “Haunting Adeline” is not unique in the ways that it distorts sexual assault, abuse and other forms of violence to portray them as a part of romance.

Other dark romance novels frequently romanticize toxic behaviors and relationship dynamics, and ultimately blur the line around consent. They portray consent as a suggestion rather than a requirement that should precede any type of sexual activity. Content warnings for these texts are not publicized, and the age ratings around such books are often unclear.

Despite the fact that dark romance is geared toward “mature audiences”, or 18+ audiences, younger teens are increasingly becoming consumers of the genre due to the large demographic of the younger population on TikTok. BookTok, a TikTok community that promotes books, expands the reach of dark romance, especially to younger audiences. Many creators on the platform promote dark romance novels by describing vulgar scenes in the hopes that people will interact with the post and read the book themselves.

One video specifically promotes “grocery list trigger warnings,” which refers to an abundance of potentially distressing content in the novel that warrants caution for readers. Ironically, these warnings are used as a highly effective strategy to promote engagement: One user commented, “Trigger warnings are selling points to me at this point.”

Another aspect in these dark romance books is the “morally grey” male lead. Criminals like mafia bosses or stalkers have their lack of morals portrayed as attractive, a characteristic of their “complicated” personality that the female lead inevitably fixes or accepts. Youth who read this content may be assured that this behavior from a significant other is healthy, acceptable and even attractive.

The rise in popularity of the true crime genre has extended to novels, with murder being frequently portrayed in dark romance as a glorified action. Modern-day “serial killer romances” mirror a past era of obsessions with murderers: despite their crimes, both Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy received hundreds of letters and gifts from “fans,” even after being convicted of the murders of multiple women. The male lead in “Haunting Adeline,” Zade Meadows, is an entrepreneur who runs a company that stops sex traffickers and rapists, but stalks the female lead and rapes her, as well as commits murder in the novel. However, people romanticize his possessiveness and criminal activity rather than pointing out glaring red flags, even commenting, “Zade Meadows is STANDARD .”

The romanticization of these characters normalizes the lack of consent in fictional relationships and can influence the standards that young consumers hold for their future relationships. Dark romance novels blur the line between healthy and unhealthy relationship dynamics, normalizing problematic behaviors by depicting an obsessive or manipulative partner as someone who is passionate and committed to their relationship.

Although some say that these fictional portrayals are just that — fiction — and don’t influence real-life behavior, it’s undeniable that these depictions have an effect on young audiences. Teenagers are especially vulnerable to this kind of content, as it is often targeted toward them, especially those who encounter it before understanding healthy relationships. Instead of teaching mutual respect, communication and consent, dark romance novels distort the idea of love, promoting unreasonable power dynamics and manipulation. “Fifty Shades of Grey,” a popular novel turned movie, portrays Christian Grey, the male lead, as though he cares for the female lead. In reality, he is a controlling character that tries to dictate his partner’s choices in the story. In general, teenagers are susceptible to being negatively influenced by violent media. Many readers of dark romance, including teens, point to abusive dark romance leads as their ideal partner.

At MVHS, the conversation around consent is limited, and while these are important concepts to cover, they don’t unveil the deeper and more complicated parts of consent, like emotional manipulation that is so often portrayed and romanticized in books. “Tea and Consent,” a video used to teach students about the idea of consent, is short, generalized and doesn’t provide students all the nuances of consent and what to do in complex situations. This lack of detailed information could influence the young audience to overlook toxic behaviors in the present and the future.

Another thing that is not mentioned in sex education is how unhealthy relationships are portrayed in media as normal. Most of the information taught at MVHS is about physical and emotional aspects of relationships and bodily functions, but the media portrayal of relationships is a topic that is not thoroughly discussed in classrooms. Inadequate education at school can turn people to or make them more influenced by these novels.

Ultimately, it is up to us to draw the line between reality and fantasy so that the two are not conflated, promoting the wrong standards in a relationship. Consuming dark romance media is OK as long as consumers are aware of its potentially detrimental effects. With the right education and information, we must challenge these harmful narratives, advocate for better sex education and redefine the boundaries between real love and dark romance.