Are Dark Romance Short Stories Suitable For Teens?

It can be tricky to find teen-friendly dark romance short stories depending on the content and the maturity level of the teenager reading them. Some dark romances can provide older teens with an in-depth look into complex human emotions and an exploration of power dynamics with sometimes-morally-gray characters, making for a great in-depth read. For example, “Captive in the Dark” and “Twist Me” are popular novels in the dark romance genre that contain some of these elements, and could be of interest to teenagers who have already read a lot of typical YA romances and are looking for something a little “darker.”

Not all dark romance short stories are created equal, however. There are those written with milder themes of forbidden love, brooding heroes or even dark supernatural elements in which things can get dark but still be OK for teenagers to read. A good starting point for teens looking to explore this genre would be short story anthologies such as Midnight Under the Mistletoe, which features a mix of dark, supernatural, and/or twisted short stories that are actually manageable for older teenagers. (Again, parental discretion is advised, as every teenager is different.) My own introduction to the darker side of romance was via fanfiction when I was a teenager, and yes, it was eye-opening but I wish I had been better equipped to process some of the more mature themes that were explored in the stories.

Are we talking about published short stories or fanfiction? In fanfiction archives, many teens first encounter extremely dark Romeo+Juliet-style romance. Often these stories are written by other teens or young adults, and are found in places like archives for specific fandoms. In these communities, the culture is quite different from that found in published stories, and there are usually clear content warnings and tags (for example, ‘Dead Dove: Do Not Eat.’).

A large number of extreme dark romance stories are written by teens and young adults and published in online archives of fanfiction. Many of these writers explore dark themes as a way of processing strong emotions, or to explore kinks in a safely theoretical manner. Because this is a space in which writers are often also the consumers, the community self-polices through tags. The space is arguably safer than the unregulated world of traditional publishing, partly because the reader’s expectations for realism are lower — they know they’re reading alternate scenarios with established characters — and partly because of the robust system of warnings that already exists through tags. In this kind of curated space of tag-aware fanfiction, the stories could be considered suitable by teens in ways that randomly chosen bestsellers would not be.

Now, about the gender dynamic here. It’s mostly young women and girls reading Dark Romance, and this seems highly relevant to the question of suitability. Why would so many young women and girls be drawn to fantasies of dangerous, possessive men? And why would they be interested in stories where the protagonist is ultimately “tamed” by him or else becomes the focus of that dangerous energy?

Getting at the root of this can be complex, so I’m not going to reduce it to “no good for you.” There are some real cultural currents at play here and reading about these hostile male characters might be a way for a teen girl to safely confront some of her own fears about power, safety and attraction in a patriarchal world. I don’t mean that all dark romances are good for teenagers, but I also don’t think that they are all without value.

My final, messy thought: life is dark. So, teens experience anxiety and depression, deal with harsh social pressures, and are often overwhelmed by the complexity of their world. Thus, we assume that teens read fiction that is primarily positive and grows them in the best way possible? NO! It is possible that fiction that reveals the darkness in life, and how humans deal with very difficult and trying circumstances, can be comforting to teens.

Of course, this does not mean that all dark romance is good. But for teens who are already anxious about intimate relationships, reading about such relationships in extreme circumstances can be a way for them to process their own fears about love, power, and vulnerability in a controlled environment. In this way, the teen who reads dark romance is not simply being corrupted by the material. Rather, the teen is being given the opportunity to recognize and to find some measure of catharsis in his or her own emotions.