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The New York Times Terminates Contract with Romance Columnist Olivia Waite After Bluesky Repost

"The value of being neutral depends entirely on what you’re staying neutral about."

Friday Videos Rocked the Vote

An image of a VHS cassette with a label that reads FRIDAY VIDEOS Smart Bitches Ep. 21 against a pink crosshatch background

Do you remember Rock the Vote? Ok, so 30 years ago (ouch) there was this channel called MTV and MTV played music videos. All day. Unless it was time for MTV News, which was like the Teen Vogue of the time. And there was also…political organizing! In 1992, the Rock the Vote campaign started appearing on MTV, in part to drive support for the Motor Voter bill, which allowed people to register to vote while … Continue reading Friday Videos Rocked the Vote →

Hide Your Wallet

November 2026 Queer Romances

November’s a funny month now that winter holiday releases so frequently come out in October instead, but it means it gets to be full of surprises, and this year we’ve got a glorious hodgepodge of genres, so check ’em out and start getting yourself some early holiday gifts!

Podcast

743. Behind the Scenes of Holiday Rom Coms with Katie Wilbert

Katie Wilbert is a writer and performer, she moonlights as a disco ball, and she writes television romantic comedies, including A Vineyard Christmas. So we are going behind the scenes to explore what makes a good Christmas rom com, and what her experience as a writer is like. This is really a story about how, as Seneca allegedly said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Katie is currently writing for the Roku limited … Continue reading 743. Behind the Scenes of Holiday Rom Coms with Katie Wilbert →

Book Review

Marry Me Not by Gabrielle Sands

Marry Me Not

Mobster romances are definitely getting their due these days, so I decided to dip my toes into the puddle with Marry Me Not, the second volume in the House of Ferraro series. Tragically, this one put me on a crash-course with an alpha-hole hero who made me want to punch him in the face. No matter how hot the author tried to make him, or how much effort went into trying to make me believe … Continue reading Marry Me Not by Gabrielle Sands →

Links: Dolly Parton, Florence + the Machine, & More

An illustrated image of a desk space with a computer, stack of books, reading glasses, and a mug.

Welcome back! I’m glad so many of you enjoyed Krillion! I hit a score of 360 yesterday, which has been highest so far. I also hope those of you who were interested in the Read Receipts podcast were able to find it and listen. Time is marching on and we’ve hit November. Only two more months in 2026. I feel like this year has been a bit of a rollercoaster. But to be honest, it’s been a … Continue reading Links: Dolly Parton, Florence + the Machine, & More →

Holiday Gift Guide 2026: Jewelry, Puzzles and More!

Stuff We Like - Holiday Gift Guide Heated Rivalry + Giveaway! There are pictures of a pink candle that says Smells like she's watching Heated Rivalry again, a dvd deluxe boxed set, and a tea towel asking if you like tuna melts

It’s time for the 2026 Holiday Gift Guides! One gift guide? PSHAW WE SAY. We’ll be posting weekly collections of gift ideas until Christmas week, so come back every Wednesday for shopping with Smart Bitches! If you’ve got ideas for our gift guides, there’s a whole post for you to share your suggestions so I can highlight them in future collections. This week: all the Heated Rivalry ideas you could ask for – and a giveaway for … Continue reading Holiday Gift Guide 2026: Jewelry, Puzzles and More! →

Help A Bitch Out

HaBO: It’s Not The Love Hypothesis

This HaBO is from Julia, who is hoping to find this contemporary romance: This HaBO is a bit weird because I thought I had read The Love Hypothesis until I saw the trailer and realised that it couldn’t be the book I read because one of the members of the couple is Asian and neither of those actors are. The books are clearly pretty similar though and that has I think really stopped me from … Continue reading HaBO: It’s Not The Love Hypothesis →

The New York Times Terminates Contract with Romance Columnist Olivia Waite After Bluesky Repost

A yellow diamond road sign says WTF?

Please be advised that the following article discusses rape allegations. … The New York Times has terminated their contract with author Olivia Waite, their romance columnist, after she reposted Mark Jacob’s repost of Marisa Kabas’ criticism of the Times’ coverage of new rape allegations about Trump. That is a sentence I didn’t think I’d type today. Or ever. To get the full picture, we need to start with the recent House Judiciary Democrats’ report that … Continue reading The New York Times Terminates Contract with Romance Columnist Olivia Waite After Bluesky Repost →

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