Age gap romances are one of the most divisive tropes in the book world, some readers love them, others call them harmful. But are we asking the right questions?
In this episode of Rationally Insane, Rachel D. Oak dives into:
Why context matters more than the number.
The difference between portraying power imbalance vs. glamorizing it.
What Twilight got wrong (and why we all ignored it).
The books that do get age gaps right, and why nuance matters.
A personal look at why readers are drawn to these stories, even when they know they’re “problematic”.
If you’ve ever side-eyed a 500-year-old fae dating an 18-year-old or heavily debated whether some books are genius or gross, this one’s for you.
Mentioned in this episode:
Credence by Penelope Douglas → https://amzn.to/4p1cyH5
Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas → https://amzn.to/4p2Qko0
Substack chat with full age gap recs → racheldoak.substack.com/chat
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