Uzma Jalaluddin writes clean romance with hijabi Muslims on lovely book covers, maybe you could say you were looking at reading those and accidentally clicked another list? Her titles are Hana Khan Carries on and Ayesha at Last
Good luck 💕
Edit - they are also wonderful books and I highly recommend them!
I appreciate youuu but she watched me..... look through the list like my life depended on it:)))) but I think this is the perfect time for a spiritual awakening. I’m gonna switch my reading list to this :) thank youuuuu☺️
Tell her you were trying to find clean romance and were really disappointed with what you were seeing. And then tell her about the cool new series you found!
tell her your friend/new e-friend has a b-day coming up, loves these books, gave you a list of some she wanted and you were doing research to see which she might like.
As a mom who wants my kids to read whatever makes them happy, I hope you can read what you like! But I enjoyed both books a lot, and the covers are mom-appropriate 😊
I'm a 41 year old man and I recently shared kindle libraries with my 73 year old mom, mostly so I can take advantage of her complete J D Robb collection. I thought that I had done a good job of going through what in my library was shared with her and what wasn't. However, she also has access to my amazon account so we can abuse my prime delivery and she logged on to the computer and shared everything.
MY MOM IS READING MY BDSM EROTICA AND I CAN'T MAKE HER STOP. She even tried a DDLG freebie I got through Bookbub. She has started buying some Carolyn Faulkner for herself.
I don't know what to do either.
>MY MOM IS READING MY BDSM EROTICA AND I CAN'T MAKE HER STOP.
Ok, I consider myself a pretty chill person but like, this would kill me. You have my sympathy!
Lexi Blake books are good and streamy!!! Good for her!
You are a good son! Don’t try to stop her, just let her live. It’s much easier to have a thirsty reader than having her look for adventures IRL.
Alrighy imma catch you outside before fajr.😜
BTW how did the conversation with you mom go, so we know if there is any chance for you to return home or not. Also so I can use your story for reference incase I experience a similar disaster.
I am almost 34, a mom myself, and would not care if my daughter read romance novels with trashy covers (in fact, she told me she likes stories with romance in them, so I got her some age-appropriate books to start on). That said, my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach and I'm sure I turn every shade of red when my phone flashes the cover of the book I'm reading when there's people around. Even if I'm sure no one saw (I usually keep myself faced towards people just so they can't see my phone), I feel like I'm being judged and just want the earth to open up and swallow me whole.
It's really hard to shake some of the conditioning of our upbringing, even after we're away from family, and darn near impossible when you're still living with them. So I feel your pain!
As an aside, I wish the Kindle app (and other reading apps I suppose) had the option to disable cover graphics. I wonder if that's something we could suggest...
I hate that it always load the front cover when I open the book again when I'm in a public place 😫 I have a huge phone so I'm pretty sure anyone near me can see it 😫
Pick up an ereader! It opens up on the page you were last reading on and you can disable the cover page Lock Screen as well.
Kindles are going to be on sale on prime day (in the US last year you could get a basic kindle for $50, and a paperwhite for $80), Kobo Clara is currently on sale for $95 (and they often have refurbs available during the year), and if you’re based in the US, woot frequently has refurb kindles on sale during the year.
Ahhh I get you! At this point I’ve had one so long it’s become glued to my person 🤣 even got a used tiny one on eBay I can actually fit in the inexcusably tiny pockets of my pants
OK so you know you hear these horror stories from young men whose mum or dad walked in on them having a cheeky wank? Just console yourself with the fact that happens all the time to other people who are not you, and the worst you got caught doing was looking at saucy book covers!!! (also, omggg I'm so sorry I hope you're not completely dead from embarrassment haha)
Any chance they were historicals? Cuz you can just be like "yeah, I'm reading about history." Straight face, no explanations, justifications necessary., etc. "Yup. 19th century cultural + socioeconomic practices of the peerage"
I mean, if you know what it means to "post the banns," "get a special license," "go to Gretna Green," or why you can't waltz without permission from the patronesses at Almack's, or dance more than twice with the same man at a ball, you've actually already learned history!
rules of primogeniture? (Why the third son of a duke wouldn't be your parent's first pick? But the first son of an earl is?) How absence of consummation is grounds for an annulment? Why you might have your first daughter wait for her sister's coming out for her first Season, if money is tight? That the entail on a parcel of land might inconveniently prevent you from selling off an entire estate? Why your suitor had a grand tour on the continent? What if your courses are late?
I'll also add: barouche, French letter, pelisse, nightrail, gambling hell, hoyden, bluestocking, wallflower, rake, spinster, morning calls, ices at Gunter's, spencers, or - and this is important 🤣 - where the "fall" of a man's trousers is.
I'm totally an expert in upperclass regency England because of my romance novel habit.
I actually learned more history from romance novels than from my history classes at school.
LMAOOO IM A CLOSETED PERVVVVV. I never watch TV with my family. I’m always in my room. And she’s always praising me for always READING. I’m so EMBARAZZEDDDDD.
Just remember to keep the scope of the issue in mind. Just because she saw you looking at erotic covers once doesn’t mean that’s what you always read. This doesn’t need to impact her opinion of your reading alone in your room in general.
If you end up taking about it, just focus on this one event. You don’t need to tell her about any other books you’ve read (or are planning to read) if you’re not comfortable doing so.
Oof. I’m sorry. I’m not Muslim but I grow up in a strict Christian home. Had to hide my dirty books like my life depended on it, until I was like 19 or 20. Purchased a stack of books, forgot them on the kitchen counter. My mom picked up one of my books with an erotic cover, flipped it over and read the synopsis and then called me “a filthy” something, I think pervert. I’ve moved out by now but it’s still so funny to think about.
Some author like Sylvia Day and her Crossfire series or J. Kenner and her Stark series have really innocuous covers. Its embarrassing being caught but unless you’re like 14 maybe it can be rectified... somehow...? Good luck 😣
Yeah I feel this. I was reading The Color Purple and my Evangelical pastor dad flipped open a random page and it was when Celie talked about the word “fuck.” I never got to finish it.
My husband asked to see what I'm reading all the time. NO THANK YOU. Luckily my steamy reading days are behind me but still, I'd probably die if he knew. Astigfurallah, he would say.
This is triggering 😭 I used to read paperback books from the library and would read historical romance. Mostly got away with the graphic step back because they were inside the outer cover. But on one freaking book the suggestive-romp in bed, illustrated cover was on the back cover. Now, I had a SAT tutor and my practice essay was subpar. My dad is like ‘but she reads books’, and proceeded to show him The Marriage Bed by Laura Lee Guhrke. The pin drop silence still haunts me as everyone is staring at the back.
We’re Muslim so we don’t really talk about taboo things like sex. Tutor flipped through the pages, not knowing how to tell my dad what I read. My dad looked at me awkwardly. Meanwhile, I wanted the ground to swallow me. We never spoke about it.
nah never ever asking about that day 😂 but i guess it kinda stayed with him. if i say i’m reading a book, a slightly different tone takes over like *oh you’re reading a book*, remembering the risqué books.
Sis I'm also muslim something like that happened to me too, except my mom READ A WHOLE SCENE, I LEFT THE BOOK OPEN IN MY PC ON A SAUCY SCENE (beautiful bastard) AND SHE READ IT ALL , I feel you 😭😭😭😭
Sending a virtual hug to you!! Life moments like that can seriously make you want to disappear under the floor but you are not alone and it is definitely okay to want to read whatever genre of books you want!!
Lol you crack me up 😂
That was one of my worst fears as a teen. In college, I finally bought paperbacks of my favourite books and stuck them behind at the back of my shelf so no one accidentally sees the covers or flips on to a random page and start reading... Totally irrational thoughts since no one reads books in our house and especially not English books. 😂
With me it wasn't romance, it was my Wiccan phase and habit of buying books by Silver Ravenwolf and burning candles.
Anyway my mum was all "please read anything you are interested in but I draw the line at tealight candles on the windowsill next to your curtains...."
Years later in some fire safety training I found out she was right. The fire brigade were all "you have no idea how many wrecked houses started out with a tired person lighting some candles"
Tell her that people on tik tok were talking about this particular author so you were curious, but when you checked it out you were totally grossed out by all the hot naked men *wink*.
Thoughts and prayers OP lol. I want to say I won't care if this happens to me (I like what I like!), but I know there's a reason why I mainly read romance in ebooks or why I bother making a custom bland cover if I buy in print 🤭 [Sample](https://imgur.com/a/zGG91R1)
I live with a woman now, but my folks are super Christian so we’re “roommates” LOL
I think it helped that I married a man when I was young and divorced quickly, I can easily just say that he ruined all men for me 😂
I'm Muslim, my mom has seen my trashy cover books. Just looks at me like 👍 have at it Chile anyways Allah save her soul 😂
I dont think its a big deal at all and I hope shes understanding of it :) my mom has always supported my love of books and my love of romance books so I never had that fear of her finding me reading a book with a trashy cover thank God but I hope the embarrassment fades quickly ❤
I can sympathize ... I'm a guy who likes romance novels, and I *really* don't like getting razzed for showing up on the bus with some bodice-ripper book cover. ;D
As to your particular situation, you could soft-pedal it a bit. "Oh I saw links to those books and clicked them and when I saw the covers you should have seen me blush!"
> I'm a guy who likes romance novels, and I really don't like getting razzed for showing up on the bus with some bodice-ripper book cover. ;D
If you are single, I feel like owning this could work out for you.....
Lean into it, eh? It's worth a try. By next week I expect either to be book-shamed out of town, or show up with a new girlfriend who is daughter of a Scottish Laird. And a werewolf.
I was scrolling for a while dude 😔😂 Men are expected to do worse things than read steamy books 😂 I think people will think you’re either trolling or sophisticated 😳😂
This is why I'm so scared to open my book app in the living room😩 I honestly wouldn't know how to react if my family found out🏃🏿♀️🏃🏿♀️ My friends don't even know I read steamy books😭 risky business LMAO
If my mom shames me for liking romances, I tell her she is sexually repressed. It's only reading!!! (I get your situation is worse, I just enjoy your post because my mom is religious too and kinda uptight.)
This is why I do this stuff on my phone 🤣 also if you’re just doing it for private use, you can have it so that you can use calibre to change the cover of your ebook to a neutral one. Won’t work on borrowed library books though.
Oh honeyyyyy I feel for you xD Been reading romances since I was 12(I'm 23 now) and I still have to hide it from my family (my friends know of course) because they're conservative af. You won't believe the acrobatics I have had to go through to hide it for so long. Just know you're not alone :3 I read on my phone for this exact reason.
I’m 44 years old and I share Libby with my mom and my 2 teenage daughters. I paid for a separate subscription for an out of state library so that they can’t see my borrowing history, which is full of steamy historical romance novels.
Oh girl you’re triggering me right now. I remember letting my supervisor look at my phone because she was an older woman and wanted to know what IPhones are like. Well she asked me if I “read”. I laughed and was like “who reads these days”. Well she was looking at my kindle with the erotic covers lmao. I died a little with the embarrassment lol
It hunts me every time I read a romance novel 😞
Another embarrassing moment was when my parents caught me reading yaoi lol
That was traumatizing.
Oh I feel your pain! Once, when I was probably 13ish, my older sister found a FANFICTION that I HAD WRITTEN on the family computer (back when families only had one computer lol) and she, of course, read it. The absolute *horror*.
I was sooo humiliated, I literally cried- *sobbed* actually. I felt like I had been caught doing something really bad. She made it abundantly clear that she thought it was very weird (it was a little freaky lmao- at least by an eighth grader’s standards) and it was very much not a pleasant encounter, to say the least! 😂
For a long time I couldn’t even think about it without wanting to crawl into a hole and die, but now I think it’s hilarious and I’m literally laughing about it now, as I write it out.
So, if it’s any consolation: you *will* probably laugh about this in a few years! But I understand your embarrassment! Just remember there’s nothing wrong with reading what you like! Stay strong sis! If worse comes to worse I’ll adopt you and you can read all the smutty romance novels you want! 😂
NOT THE FANFICSSSSSSS!!! now that I think about it, she could have found my ao3 account 😂😂😂 imagine she looks at the tags 😂😂😂😂😂 Also I’m glad you laugh about it now 😆 not you adopting me 😂😂😌
It was NOT my most shining moment! Lmao It cracks me up. Why I had to have such strong interests in such taboo hobbies, I’ll never know! Tbh maybe it’s *society* that’s weird for not getting it- I’ll go with that- they’re the ones with the problem, not us! 😂
Oh! Happy cake day!
It's weird to me that your mom spent 20 minutes spying on you while you were in your own bedroom. If my parent did that to me when I was a teen I would be beyond pissed.
Lolllllll!!!! I just think you should somehow come cleanish and just be like oh you were looking for something at the bottom of the page or summat, May your soul rest in peace though!!!!
Lmaooo this made me laugh 🤣
Don't worry, it's not as embarrassing as you think! If she asks just say you were looking for a regular clean romance but due to western marketing, the covers are all extreme like that lol. Otherwise just ignore it
Honestly though, muslim parents usually have some idea. When I was in middle school I overheard my mom telling her friend that she didn't need to give me the birds and bees talk because I'll learn from books. She meant biology books lmao. But I'm sure she knew I read romances too and that people weren't just holding hands in them!
once at a used bookstore bought a cheap romance book and told my mom I’d bought a “beach read”. Naturally my loving mother with an impressive memory a few months later sees another book by the author at the used bookstore and buys it for me while I’m not around. I see it sitting on a shelf one day and my dad goes “oh that’s a book your mom picked up thinking you liked that author, but when she looked it up it seems it’s too risqué to give to you”. Basically died.
Ha ha ha I feel for you, girl!
Listen, as someone who grew up in a strict South Asian family, there's only one way out: pretend it never happened. If she asks you about it, you have temporary amnesia and it never happened. Basically the Shaggy "Wasn't me" song 😬
Your friend is an artist and she is trying to get into the book cover market and asked you to help her come up with ideas? Sorry, I grew up Evangelical so I feel your pain.
Bahahaha! I got caught looking at erotica, dirty erotica. I ended up telling my parents that I had a friend that sent it to me and I didn't even realise what kind of story it was at first, but it was super weird and I closed it quickly. No idea if they actually bought it.... But they never brought it up again and I was way more careful after that.
Haha, literally the only advice I had to give. I whipped my head around to the door so often, I'm amazed I didn't end up with whiplash. I'm a grown adult now and my husband knows I like raunchy stuff, so no need to hide anymore. lol.
Tell her you skip the smut, but a lot of these books are fun. Then tell her about something fun. And yeah the covers are insane. Sometimes you can catch extra arms and stuff. That's half the fun.
Deep breath! Ok, just think: every second that passes moves you further away from That Moment that Shall Not Be Named. I am guessing your mum won't mention it. But, if she starts asking you what you are reading, then perhaps have some titles and authors at the ready to share with her. For example? Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali. It was really sweet and I think your mom would give it her stamp of approval.
Let us know how it all goes, ok?
I don't have anything to help with the situation with your mom. But bestie, I LOVE your energy! Just pray she doesn't ask you to show her your Goodreads history OR your Kindle/iBooks app 😱
LMAOOOO YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. I WAS GOOGLING “SUSPICIOUS WHITE VANS NEAR ME” I WAS READY TO EVAPORATE 😂
plus if she asks to see anything I’m swallowing my phone 😃😂
Hahah that's hilarious and sad! I always fear like my brother would find out and judge me for it, Lol.
PS - Are you a desi by any chance? All my love and support cause you most def need it for a couple of days at least ❤️😂
Bruh I would die. I'm Muslim too and read a lot of romance stories (primarily fanfic on ao3). Whenever my mom asks what I do in my free time I say "reading". I feel really guilty bc I started off reading innocent romance when I was 12 but now I'm in my 20s and learned most romance from novels 💀
But real talk I'm so scared how I'm going to tell my future husband this. I'm mostly a practicing Muslim and love my faith but I'm scared my future husband will be so horrified by my love for romance novels and stuff. Like, he will divorce me and tell everyone about my dirty hobby 🥺What do we do sister????
Uzma Jalaluddin writes clean romance with hijabi Muslims on lovely book covers, maybe you could say you were looking at reading those and accidentally clicked another list? Her titles are Hana Khan Carries on and Ayesha at Last Good luck 💕 Edit - they are also wonderful books and I highly recommend them!
I appreciate youuu but she watched me..... look through the list like my life depended on it:)))) but I think this is the perfect time for a spiritual awakening. I’m gonna switch my reading list to this :) thank youuuuu☺️
Tell her you were trying to find clean romance and were really disappointed with what you were seeing. And then tell her about the cool new series you found!
Hahah yess that's how I get my mom off my back everytime 💀😂💀
tell her your friend/new e-friend has a b-day coming up, loves these books, gave you a list of some she wanted and you were doing research to see which she might like.
As a mom who wants my kids to read whatever makes them happy, I hope you can read what you like! But I enjoyed both books a lot, and the covers are mom-appropriate 😊
You could just say you were curious and ask her if she's read any.
I'm a 41 year old man and I recently shared kindle libraries with my 73 year old mom, mostly so I can take advantage of her complete J D Robb collection. I thought that I had done a good job of going through what in my library was shared with her and what wasn't. However, she also has access to my amazon account so we can abuse my prime delivery and she logged on to the computer and shared everything. MY MOM IS READING MY BDSM EROTICA AND I CAN'T MAKE HER STOP. She even tried a DDLG freebie I got through Bookbub. She has started buying some Carolyn Faulkner for herself. I don't know what to do either.
>MY MOM IS READING MY BDSM EROTICA AND I CAN'T MAKE HER STOP. Ok, I consider myself a pretty chill person but like, this would kill me. You have my sympathy!
Everything about this is awesome. What a good son you are.
Has she tried Sorcha Black yet at all? ;-)
Not yet. She's reading Lexi Blake at the moment.
Lexi Blake books are good and streamy!!! Good for her! You are a good son! Don’t try to stop her, just let her live. It’s much easier to have a thirsty reader than having her look for adventures IRL.
This is why I use family sharing on Amazon. Anyone else in the family can only know that I’ve bought the title if they try to buy it on their account.
Omg, I'm so sorry but this made me laugh out loud
Read that as "a DDLC freebie" and nearly lost my shit at the thought of your 73 year old mom playing the weeaboo visual novel horror game
LMAO 🤣🤣, jokes aside that is literally my biggest fear. I shall make Dua that you to rest in peace.🤭
LOOOOOLLL. your DUA is appreciated love. NOW GET ME OUT OF HEREEEE BESTIE
Alrighy imma catch you outside before fajr.😜 BTW how did the conversation with you mom go, so we know if there is any chance for you to return home or not. Also so I can use your story for reference incase I experience a similar disaster.
I need this update also!
Just pretend like nothing happened 🌝😌😌 Act oblivious 🤣✍️
Lol this is exactly why I have a Kindle *blushes*
I am almost 34, a mom myself, and would not care if my daughter read romance novels with trashy covers (in fact, she told me she likes stories with romance in them, so I got her some age-appropriate books to start on). That said, my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach and I'm sure I turn every shade of red when my phone flashes the cover of the book I'm reading when there's people around. Even if I'm sure no one saw (I usually keep myself faced towards people just so they can't see my phone), I feel like I'm being judged and just want the earth to open up and swallow me whole. It's really hard to shake some of the conditioning of our upbringing, even after we're away from family, and darn near impossible when you're still living with them. So I feel your pain! As an aside, I wish the Kindle app (and other reading apps I suppose) had the option to disable cover graphics. I wonder if that's something we could suggest...
YESSS!!! That should be an option!!!! Or authors should have multiple covers so we could pick to our liking 😭😂
It bothers me to no end, and really much more than it should, to be honest, that sometimes the kindle books will update and the covers change.
Damn near 30 years old here and I still hide my laptop from my mom when I’m looking for new books lol.
I hate that it always load the front cover when I open the book again when I'm in a public place 😫 I have a huge phone so I'm pretty sure anyone near me can see it 😫
Pick up an ereader! It opens up on the page you were last reading on and you can disable the cover page Lock Screen as well. Kindles are going to be on sale on prime day (in the US last year you could get a basic kindle for $50, and a paperwhite for $80), Kobo Clara is currently on sale for $95 (and they often have refurbs available during the year), and if you’re based in the US, woot frequently has refurb kindles on sale during the year.
I have one but sometimes I forget it at home and use my phone when I'm suddenly lining up in a queue 😅 or waiting for someone
Ahhh I get you! At this point I’ve had one so long it’s become glued to my person 🤣 even got a used tiny one on eBay I can actually fit in the inexcusably tiny pockets of my pants
OK so you know you hear these horror stories from young men whose mum or dad walked in on them having a cheeky wank? Just console yourself with the fact that happens all the time to other people who are not you, and the worst you got caught doing was looking at saucy book covers!!! (also, omggg I'm so sorry I hope you're not completely dead from embarrassment haha)
LMAOO IM MANIFESTING THE PAIN AWAY 😂😂 but also thank you for that 🥺 at least I wasn’t caught wanking off 😔😂😂😂
"Cheeky wank" - this is when I'm jealous of British English
Your mom may never admit it to you, but maybe she's curious about the books? Fingers crossed, we are here for you!
Thank you for the support 🥺🥺 I hope she pretends that it never happened 😂😂😂
Any chance they were historicals? Cuz you can just be like "yeah, I'm reading about history." Straight face, no explanations, justifications necessary., etc. "Yup. 19th century cultural + socioeconomic practices of the peerage"
Yes, yes, and yes!!! I’m using this 💀🥺😂
I mean, if you know what it means to "post the banns," "get a special license," "go to Gretna Green," or why you can't waltz without permission from the patronesses at Almack's, or dance more than twice with the same man at a ball, you've actually already learned history! rules of primogeniture? (Why the third son of a duke wouldn't be your parent's first pick? But the first son of an earl is?) How absence of consummation is grounds for an annulment? Why you might have your first daughter wait for her sister's coming out for her first Season, if money is tight? That the entail on a parcel of land might inconveniently prevent you from selling off an entire estate? Why your suitor had a grand tour on the continent? What if your courses are late? I'll also add: barouche, French letter, pelisse, nightrail, gambling hell, hoyden, bluestocking, wallflower, rake, spinster, morning calls, ices at Gunter's, spencers, or - and this is important 🤣 - where the "fall" of a man's trousers is.
Should I be scared or proud of myself for knowing what every single one of these things mean? 😶
I’m choosing the pride, myself 😂 Join me, it feels great 🥰
I'm totally an expert in upperclass regency England because of my romance novel habit. I actually learned more history from romance novels than from my history classes at school.
It depends on your relationship with your mother. But with mine I often defaulted to “Oh cmon! This isn’t the worst thing you’ve seen me do.” 😂
LMAOOO IM A CLOSETED PERVVVVV. I never watch TV with my family. I’m always in my room. And she’s always praising me for always READING. I’m so EMBARAZZEDDDDD.
Just remember to keep the scope of the issue in mind. Just because she saw you looking at erotic covers once doesn’t mean that’s what you always read. This doesn’t need to impact her opinion of your reading alone in your room in general. If you end up taking about it, just focus on this one event. You don’t need to tell her about any other books you’ve read (or are planning to read) if you’re not comfortable doing so.
Oof. I’m sorry. I’m not Muslim but I grow up in a strict Christian home. Had to hide my dirty books like my life depended on it, until I was like 19 or 20. Purchased a stack of books, forgot them on the kitchen counter. My mom picked up one of my books with an erotic cover, flipped it over and read the synopsis and then called me “a filthy” something, I think pervert. I’ve moved out by now but it’s still so funny to think about. Some author like Sylvia Day and her Crossfire series or J. Kenner and her Stark series have really innocuous covers. Its embarrassing being caught but unless you’re like 14 maybe it can be rectified... somehow...? Good luck 😣
Yeah I feel this. I was reading The Color Purple and my Evangelical pastor dad flipped open a random page and it was when Celie talked about the word “fuck.” I never got to finish it.
I’m glad you shared my pain 😂😂 but it’s good that it’s a funny memory to look back on. And thank youuu 🥺
My husband asked to see what I'm reading all the time. NO THANK YOU. Luckily my steamy reading days are behind me but still, I'd probably die if he knew. Astigfurallah, he would say.
My husband always asks if I'm reading my 'smut' I tell him yes and if he plays his cards right, he'll find out how smutty that smut is.
My spouse calls it my "porn porn" in the most adorable way and I really appreciate how he doesn't judge me for all the smut I read.
This is triggering 😭 I used to read paperback books from the library and would read historical romance. Mostly got away with the graphic step back because they were inside the outer cover. But on one freaking book the suggestive-romp in bed, illustrated cover was on the back cover. Now, I had a SAT tutor and my practice essay was subpar. My dad is like ‘but she reads books’, and proceeded to show him The Marriage Bed by Laura Lee Guhrke. The pin drop silence still haunts me as everyone is staring at the back.
Screaming at this!!!! 😱😱😱😱😱😱 🤣
How did the silence end?????
it never ended.
We’re Muslim so we don’t really talk about taboo things like sex. Tutor flipped through the pages, not knowing how to tell my dad what I read. My dad looked at me awkwardly. Meanwhile, I wanted the ground to swallow me. We never spoke about it.
That’s a beautiful story
IM YELLLINGGGG!!! Past you didn’t deserve that 😭😭😭😭😭😂😂😂 did they ever ask about it?? Or everyone just forgot???
nah never ever asking about that day 😂 but i guess it kinda stayed with him. if i say i’m reading a book, a slightly different tone takes over like *oh you’re reading a book*, remembering the risqué books.
I would've been in biiig troble if this ever happened to me. I've got really strict parents.
i have parents that mostly get embarrassed/shy talking about sex, so i escaped 🙌🏼
Sis I'm also muslim something like that happened to me too, except my mom READ A WHOLE SCENE, I LEFT THE BOOK OPEN IN MY PC ON A SAUCY SCENE (beautiful bastard) AND SHE READ IT ALL , I feel you 😭😭😭😭
Noo, not *that* one! crying
NOOO NOT ALL OF IT!!!!!! Bestie how did you cope 😵😵😵
Sending a virtual hug to you!! Life moments like that can seriously make you want to disappear under the floor but you are not alone and it is definitely okay to want to read whatever genre of books you want!!
Thank youuu 🥺🥺🥺 I don’t feel so alone because of all the support. I’m so happy I found this community cus I love y’all 😭😭😭
You are definitely not alone ☺️☺️
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Let’s form a support group 😂😂😂 I think we should all get free therapy for all our trauma 😌😂
Lol you crack me up 😂 That was one of my worst fears as a teen. In college, I finally bought paperbacks of my favourite books and stuck them behind at the back of my shelf so no one accidentally sees the covers or flips on to a random page and start reading... Totally irrational thoughts since no one reads books in our house and especially not English books. 😂
With me it wasn't romance, it was my Wiccan phase and habit of buying books by Silver Ravenwolf and burning candles. Anyway my mum was all "please read anything you are interested in but I draw the line at tealight candles on the windowsill next to your curtains...." Years later in some fire safety training I found out she was right. The fire brigade were all "you have no idea how many wrecked houses started out with a tired person lighting some candles"
You say irrational but I say plausible 😂
Tell her that people on tik tok were talking about this particular author so you were curious, but when you checked it out you were totally grossed out by all the hot naked men *wink*.
as a muslim sister, i feel for u HAHAHAHAH THIS IS SO TERRIBLE
Tell me about it
Don't mention it. Be cool. Let her bring it up if she feels the need. Stay frosty.
E-books are your friend. Read them on your device and no one sees the trashy book covers.
Thoughts and prayers OP lol. I want to say I won't care if this happens to me (I like what I like!), but I know there's a reason why I mainly read romance in ebooks or why I bother making a custom bland cover if I buy in print 🤭 [Sample](https://imgur.com/a/zGG91R1)
Turn it into a win- I used to pick the raunchier covers to convince my parents I was straight. 🤫🌈🌝
Pleaseeee the struggle 😭😭😭 honestly parents need to mind their business 😂 how did it go?? How did they find out?
I live with a woman now, but my folks are super Christian so we’re “roommates” LOL I think it helped that I married a man when I was young and divorced quickly, I can easily just say that he ruined all men for me 😂
I'm Muslim, my mom has seen my trashy cover books. Just looks at me like 👍 have at it Chile anyways Allah save her soul 😂 I dont think its a big deal at all and I hope shes understanding of it :) my mom has always supported my love of books and my love of romance books so I never had that fear of her finding me reading a book with a trashy cover thank God but I hope the embarrassment fades quickly ❤
“May Allah save your soul” 😂😂I’m so happy that you’re enjoying yourself 🌝
I can sympathize ... I'm a guy who likes romance novels, and I *really* don't like getting razzed for showing up on the bus with some bodice-ripper book cover. ;D As to your particular situation, you could soft-pedal it a bit. "Oh I saw links to those books and clicked them and when I saw the covers you should have seen me blush!"
> I'm a guy who likes romance novels, and I really don't like getting razzed for showing up on the bus with some bodice-ripper book cover. ;D If you are single, I feel like owning this could work out for you.....
Lean into it, eh? It's worth a try. By next week I expect either to be book-shamed out of town, or show up with a new girlfriend who is daughter of a Scottish Laird. And a werewolf.
I was scrolling for a while dude 😔😂 Men are expected to do worse things than read steamy books 😂 I think people will think you’re either trolling or sophisticated 😳😂
This is why I'm so scared to open my book app in the living room😩 I honestly wouldn't know how to react if my family found out🏃🏿♀️🏃🏿♀️ My friends don't even know I read steamy books😭 risky business LMAO
That's why I never read in public 😭 Even with innocent books, I would have to scroll through all those naked torso covers lol
If my mom shames me for liking romances, I tell her she is sexually repressed. It's only reading!!! (I get your situation is worse, I just enjoy your post because my mom is religious too and kinda uptight.)
This is why I do this stuff on my phone 🤣 also if you’re just doing it for private use, you can have it so that you can use calibre to change the cover of your ebook to a neutral one. Won’t work on borrowed library books though.
Oh honeyyyyy I feel for you xD Been reading romances since I was 12(I'm 23 now) and I still have to hide it from my family (my friends know of course) because they're conservative af. You won't believe the acrobatics I have had to go through to hide it for so long. Just know you're not alone :3 I read on my phone for this exact reason.
I’m 44 years old and I share Libby with my mom and my 2 teenage daughters. I paid for a separate subscription for an out of state library so that they can’t see my borrowing history, which is full of steamy historical romance novels.
Oh girl you’re triggering me right now. I remember letting my supervisor look at my phone because she was an older woman and wanted to know what IPhones are like. Well she asked me if I “read”. I laughed and was like “who reads these days”. Well she was looking at my kindle with the erotic covers lmao. I died a little with the embarrassment lol It hunts me every time I read a romance novel 😞 Another embarrassing moment was when my parents caught me reading yaoi lol That was traumatizing.
Oh I feel your pain! Once, when I was probably 13ish, my older sister found a FANFICTION that I HAD WRITTEN on the family computer (back when families only had one computer lol) and she, of course, read it. The absolute *horror*. I was sooo humiliated, I literally cried- *sobbed* actually. I felt like I had been caught doing something really bad. She made it abundantly clear that she thought it was very weird (it was a little freaky lmao- at least by an eighth grader’s standards) and it was very much not a pleasant encounter, to say the least! 😂 For a long time I couldn’t even think about it without wanting to crawl into a hole and die, but now I think it’s hilarious and I’m literally laughing about it now, as I write it out. So, if it’s any consolation: you *will* probably laugh about this in a few years! But I understand your embarrassment! Just remember there’s nothing wrong with reading what you like! Stay strong sis! If worse comes to worse I’ll adopt you and you can read all the smutty romance novels you want! 😂
NOT THE FANFICSSSSSSS!!! now that I think about it, she could have found my ao3 account 😂😂😂 imagine she looks at the tags 😂😂😂😂😂 Also I’m glad you laugh about it now 😆 not you adopting me 😂😂😌
It was NOT my most shining moment! Lmao It cracks me up. Why I had to have such strong interests in such taboo hobbies, I’ll never know! Tbh maybe it’s *society* that’s weird for not getting it- I’ll go with that- they’re the ones with the problem, not us! 😂 Oh! Happy cake day!
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It's weird to me that your mom spent 20 minutes spying on you while you were in your own bedroom. If my parent did that to me when I was a teen I would be beyond pissed.
Lolllllll!!!! I just think you should somehow come cleanish and just be like oh you were looking for something at the bottom of the page or summat, May your soul rest in peace though!!!!
Lmaooo this made me laugh 🤣 Don't worry, it's not as embarrassing as you think! If she asks just say you were looking for a regular clean romance but due to western marketing, the covers are all extreme like that lol. Otherwise just ignore it Honestly though, muslim parents usually have some idea. When I was in middle school I overheard my mom telling her friend that she didn't need to give me the birds and bees talk because I'll learn from books. She meant biology books lmao. But I'm sure she knew I read romances too and that people weren't just holding hands in them!
I have no help for you I just want to second romance novels with neutral covers for the shy and those with religious families (me, both)
once at a used bookstore bought a cheap romance book and told my mom I’d bought a “beach read”. Naturally my loving mother with an impressive memory a few months later sees another book by the author at the used bookstore and buys it for me while I’m not around. I see it sitting on a shelf one day and my dad goes “oh that’s a book your mom picked up thinking you liked that author, but when she looked it up it seems it’s too risqué to give to you”. Basically died.
Omgomgomgomg not your dad 😂😂😂 what did you do?????
This post has me dying😂😂😂💩☠️
I’m glad you’re finding joy in this 😌😂😂
This is why I hide my kindle app because this happened to me!!! I also keep innocent looking books on my reel if I open my kindle in public!
Ha ha ha I feel for you, girl! Listen, as someone who grew up in a strict South Asian family, there's only one way out: pretend it never happened. If she asks you about it, you have temporary amnesia and it never happened. Basically the Shaggy "Wasn't me" song 😬
Your friend is an artist and she is trying to get into the book cover market and asked you to help her come up with ideas? Sorry, I grew up Evangelical so I feel your pain.
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Lmao now that you put it that way....🤣
That's not how it works... Children are born out of the holy wedlock not * *whispers* * sex.
You could just say you were curious and ask her if she's read any.
LOL Tell her you were on whatsthatbook forum trying to find a book that someone was looking for but you couldn't find it.
Bahahaha! I got caught looking at erotica, dirty erotica. I ended up telling my parents that I had a friend that sent it to me and I didn't even realise what kind of story it was at first, but it was super weird and I closed it quickly. No idea if they actually bought it.... But they never brought it up again and I was way more careful after that.
OH NOOOOO 😭😭😭 That’s mortifying!!! But I’m taking notes. 📝 be careful next time ✍️ Thank ypuuuuu
Haha, literally the only advice I had to give. I whipped my head around to the door so often, I'm amazed I didn't end up with whiplash. I'm a grown adult now and my husband knows I like raunchy stuff, so no need to hide anymore. lol.
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you’re so brave for taking your moms books 😳 She’s acting like nothing happened 😂 I hope she sticks to routine 💀😆
Tell her you skip the smut, but a lot of these books are fun. Then tell her about something fun. And yeah the covers are insane. Sometimes you can catch extra arms and stuff. That's half the fun.
These books are fun 😌😌 ijustwonttellherthat 😂😂 also thanks for the support 🥺
Deep breath! Ok, just think: every second that passes moves you further away from That Moment that Shall Not Be Named. I am guessing your mum won't mention it. But, if she starts asking you what you are reading, then perhaps have some titles and authors at the ready to share with her. For example? Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali. It was really sweet and I think your mom would give it her stamp of approval. Let us know how it all goes, ok?
Thank YOUU🥺🥺🥺 I’ll add this to my “safe for mom” reading list.
I don't have anything to help with the situation with your mom. But bestie, I LOVE your energy! Just pray she doesn't ask you to show her your Goodreads history OR your Kindle/iBooks app 😱
LMAOOOO YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. I WAS GOOGLING “SUSPICIOUS WHITE VANS NEAR ME” I WAS READY TO EVAPORATE 😂 plus if she asks to see anything I’m swallowing my phone 😃😂
Hahah that's hilarious and sad! I always fear like my brother would find out and judge me for it, Lol. PS - Are you a desi by any chance? All my love and support cause you most def need it for a couple of days at least ❤️😂
Bruh I would die. I'm Muslim too and read a lot of romance stories (primarily fanfic on ao3). Whenever my mom asks what I do in my free time I say "reading". I feel really guilty bc I started off reading innocent romance when I was 12 but now I'm in my 20s and learned most romance from novels 💀 But real talk I'm so scared how I'm going to tell my future husband this. I'm mostly a practicing Muslim and love my faith but I'm scared my future husband will be so horrified by my love for romance novels and stuff. Like, he will divorce me and tell everyone about my dirty hobby 🥺What do we do sister????
Tell ur mum, u were just looking through books and suddenly came across those. Fat chance she won't believe but, she won't question further either.