If you have read any of the reviews I’ve posted over the last year or two, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve mentioned BookTok a good bit. Honestly, I probably spend more time scrolling through the clock app than any other form of social media right now. All of this is to preface where I’m going next: SmutTok, the part of BookTok that is for the people that like a *serious* amount of spice in their romance. As in, more pages are dedicated to sex than to plot development. I came across an author named Trilina Pucci talking about a holiday bon bon she had written called Tangled in Tinsel. It was described as a Hallmark Christmas movie of a book, except utterly filthy. (Absolutely a 100% accurate description.)
What I really want to talk about isn’t the sex scenes (why choose, so numerous partners and combinations, super explicit, and melt-your-eyeballs spicy), but instead the manner in which the female lead is written. During her TikTok clip, Pucci mentions that one of her goals with this book was to make it as inclusive as possible so that every woman could picture herself in the female main character’s place. She went on to say that she included as little description of the FMC as possible. Well, friend, she succeeded. The only thing I can tell you with any certainty about the FMC is that she’s waxed into a landing strip, and that the carpet is dark. I have no idea about the drapes. The four MMCs are described in painstaking, super attractive detail. And they are clearly very attracted to the FMC, but Pucci really succeeded with her writing exercise. Other than describing the pubic area, nothing.
To my mind, the real question is this: does she succeed with her exercise? Has she indeed managed to make an all-inclusive FMC by simply not describing her in the least? Ultimately, I think probably not. Even though the canvas is quite literally blank, I suspect that people will just default to white and thin since that is the norm and expectation in the romance industry. I think it might have been just a touch more fun if there was a big reveal about her appearance at the very end at the fancy New Year’s Eve party. Like, she’s a fabulous thicc queen or something or a dead ringer for Priyanka Chopra.
What do you think? Would you find it easier to place yourself in the book if the FMC has literally no characteristics to speak of? Do you prefer to have a concrete description to make it easier to visualize the story as it happens? Please leave a response in the comments below.
Tangled in Tinsel by Trilina Pucci is available on Kindle Unlimited.
5 of 5 peppers for SPICE
3.5 of 5 stars as a writing exercise – points for trying!
