Sixteen years ago, the site began.
Smart Bitches launched on 31 January 2005 with a review for Angel-Seeker by Sharon Shinn and for The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann. We’re still here, discussing romance and everything around it, sixteen years later.
In many states, the site is eligible for a driver’s license. (We won’t discuss how my older child, born the same year as the site, may also be eligible for the same. Shhhh. SHHHH.)
This year, as always: Thank you. Thank you for being part of Smart Bitches.
Our community is still growing, still talking about everything, and still hilarious, welcoming, and warm and wonderful. None of that would be possible without you.
So thank you for hanging out with us each day, for sending us so many great covers for snarking, for telling me bad jokes, for telling us about books you loved, and for being part of our community.
As usual, I took a peek at the traditional and modern anniversary gifts for the 16th year, and what did I find? Wax and silver holloware!
At first glance, I thought the page said “silver halloween,” to which I thought, GAME ON.
No, holloware is something else entirely. But wax?
Oh, YEAH. I knew just what I wanted to do.
We all need a little light in the darkness, right?
There’s nothing like cozy smells and twinkling lights on a dark evening, right?
So to celebrate sixteen years of Smart Bitches, I’m giving away…yup, sixteen candles. The reviewing crew and I put our heads together to find some lovely bookish candles and beautiful scents and colors.
Ready? It’s candle prettiness time! I’m giving one of each of the following candles away!
Want to win a candle? I hope so! I’ve got so many links over here ready to shop!
Just comment below and share one of your favorite Smart Bitches memories.
A book you discovered here?
A cover snark that made you snort laugh?
A HaBO you solved?
The high incidences of random silliness?
Tell us one of your favorite Smart Bitches moments and you’re entered to win.
Standard disclaimers apply: We are not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. If a specific candle is sold out when the giveaway ends, another from this set will be substituted. Must be over 18 and ready to spread light as far as possible. Reading while enjoying the warmth and light also recommended. Comments will close at noon ET on Saturday 6 February 2020 and winners will be announced shortly afterward.
Thank you for being part of Smart Bitches, and thank you for celebrating with us. Happy Anniversary!!
Update: Comments are closed and winners will be emailed shortly. Thank you all for your kind words, comments, and nostalgia!
I found you a loooong time ago “BeefCake Romance Covers 6/6/2005” featuring Pull-My-Finger Viking. I had small children and no time for the internet. I found my way back a couple years after that and have been here ever since. Thank you for the fun.
My favorite Smart Bitches memory is still one I use for a lot of these prompts, which is an A review for what would become one of my favorite romances of all time: The Summer of You by Kate Noble. It may have been one of the first reviews I ever read on the site, and it won my undying devotion and loyalty to the Smart Bitches!!
SBTB introduced me to Courtney Milan!
I was psyched when my submission for coversnark made the grade. It was awesome. It was a pregnant lady with a shotgun. It was awesome.
I have been following you guys since 2007. By 2008, my way of dealing with the stress was to get up at 5:30 am and sit with the Bitchery and a cup of tea for half an hour in the morning. Lots of interesting and snarky comments. Also, as someone who was shamed as a teen for reading romance, Smart Bitches was a haven.
Plus many books. Some are still on my wishlist, a few (maybe more than a few) are in my TBR pile, and some have been read and enjoyed. A relatively recent happy find was Gideon the Ninth. I also shared it with my youngest brother and he thanks you, too. Also now reading Ten Thousand Doors of January at your recommendation and again thanks.
But the big thanks, of course, go to the women behind this site. SB Sarah has been here from the beginning and thanks so much for this. I also remember SB Candy and wish her well. All our new Bitches are adding a wonderful range of ideas and views and reviews.Thanks to them, too. I appreciate all the time and effort you have spent for our interest, education, and enjoyment.
Happy 16th Anniversary!
I live for the cover snarks.
And the Kate Bush Wuthering Heights video was classic!
oof, for sure I have to share that I discovered Milla Vane’s “A Heart of Blood and Ashes” on SBTB and completely devoured the entire series while I was supposed to be teaching online (spoiler alert, I was reading instead).
I then forced my best friend to read the series and she did so while we were away for my birthday weekend. She quite literally spent the whole birthday weekend glued to her kindle (even going so far as to bring it with us to the restaurant).
Needless to say, we both really love the series.
Happy 16th SBTB!! I’ve been an on and off reader for about 8 years. I love Cover Snark and this site has brought me many great books and a long TBR list. This is a great community and I try to log on every day for fun and reading ideas.
I discovered Lucy Parker here and am forever grateful!
I can’t remember a specific one, because there have been several. But Cover Snark is the best thing EVER!!!
One of my favorite SB memories is the podcast episode at the end of 2016, which really helped me get through that time. I’ve listened to that one a lot. (Though the recap of Toxic Desire might be my new favorite episode.)
And I’m not sure if it was the same podcast, but also the time we heard the story of how Young Elyse first read Hellion by Bertrice Small on a family road trip. lol
It is such an honor and an incredibly flattering joy to know how much happiness and delight the site has brought you. Thank you for celebrating with us!!!
I never would have discovered T Kingfisher without a review on SBTB. “Paladin’s Grace” was the book I didn’t know I needed in 2020. Its hopeful but honest take on working through depression was just right for me and other family members. Thanks, Sarah and SBTB!
Happy Anniversary! I love the cover snark.
Happy Anniversary!
I don’t know if I can pick just one thing! As much as I do not watch the Bachelor, I deeply love the recaps, they always make me laugh. Hide Your Wallet posts often do the opposite of their title. And the ebook sale posts keep my at least kind of in my book buying budget. 🙂
Here’s to 16 more years!
So many things I love about SBTB–the name being first! Latest thing was reading a review of a book that sounded great–and then going to order it on Amazon and discovering I had already purchased it, but never read it!
I have found many wonderful books through this site (and a few movies and television shows) but two that really stand out are Lord of Scoundrels and Act Like It. At the time I started reading SBTB (which I maybe found through NPR’s Linda Holmes?) I had gotten away from romance, mostly because I was tired of the non-consenty, Alphole-y romance that was common when I started reading in the late 1980s and early 1990s (especially since a lot of what I could get was older). SBTB introduced me to a lot of newer authors I wouldn’t have found on my own, especially in the digital-only realm.
One of my absolute favorite SB memories is definitely the review for Pregnesia – it’s legendary for a reason. But also, just honestly, all of the incredible books I’ve found and enjoyed from your reviews and this community. It’s been a gift. <3
Happy anniversary!!
I can’t pinpoint one particular moment except for when I first found this site and realized my romance infatuation was completely normal and should be celebrated. Came for some historical romance reviews but I’ve found so much more since then!
So many good moments. I love the Cover Snark, I love how many books I’ve gotten because of the site. (My bank account might not, but I do.)
Most of all, though, I’ve really loved the information and conversation about the community. The thoughtful, deliberate, well-rounded pieces about RWA at the end of 2019 and early 2020 (that feels so long ago now) are the ones that currently come to mind.
But I came here first to see what you all were saying about it because time after time, the conversation here has been thoughtful, nuanced, and yet wanting people to be treated well and have the opportunity to share what they love doing.
May the site have many more wonderful years!
I love HABO the most. It always cracks me up and, also, astounds me what people remember. That’s where I get a lot of my recommendations from 😀
Thank you for the great community you have created here. I lurk around 99% of the time, but I really appreciate all your hard work ladies 🙂
Happy 16th Anniversary! While I don’t have a specific memory, I look forward to all your posts. I’m so glad to have found this community of like-minded individuals (via PCHH several years ago) and it is the ONLY website where I actually read the comments and enjoy them almost as much as the actual posts!
Cover Snark is my favorite ongoing feature, but my favorite Smart Bitches moment has to be when the Bitchery helped me FINALLY put a title to a book I’d been trying to hunt down for years. It was a title I’d secretly filched from the ones my aunt sent my mom and wanted to read again to see if it was as awesomely trope-and-awesome sauce-filled as I remembered (readers, it was). I now own a copy of my own and may have to dig it out for another re-read in honor of Smart Bitches.
One of my favorite Smart Bitches memories was the interview with Dr. Tingle. I loved how kind and respectful Sarah was during the conversation, and I deeply admire how Chuck has chosen to make loving and respecting others the center of his life philosophy. Despite his schizophrenia, he has remained a source of positivity and laughter during some really dark times.
HBD SBTB! My high mark this year at the hot pink palace was you guys picking my Cover Snark submission. Thank you all for all you do and here’s to another 16 years!
I realized recently that I’ve just been re-reading all the same books for years now. This year I found your podcast and Sarah and Amanda have opened up whole worlds of new books to me. And the podcast is a ray of sunshine that I look forward to every week!
That Icy Bitch candle sounds AMAZING!
I think my favorite SBTB memory is when I was the first to solve a HABO. It was a Jessica Clare book, I believe. I was so proud of myself for knowing it right away!
Thank you Smart Bitches for all the amazing book recommendations. Without the Bitchery, I would not know a thing about The Bachelor and would have missed the hilarious snarking on ABC and the contestants. Reading those reviews is definitely the highlight of the site for me, thanks for watching so I don’t have to!
The was a guy, Jim(?),and he wrote hysterical reviews. And then I think he dressed up as romance book covers and had his wife take photos. I laughed until I watered myself. I read this bold daily. I am always, at least once a week, getting recommendations. I love rant reviews., Cover Snark, the Rec League, HABO, Wednesdays links….so good. Thank you
TWELVE YEARS AGO (yikes!), I had to write a paper for an advanced composition class that asked the writer to go interview an “informed informant” on a subject. I decided to write about romance novels, and went and interviewed a local author (Pregnesia author Carla Cassidy!). I had discovered SATB a couple years before, and used your book and the site to add additional research and commentary. I even included a Cover Snark cover in the paper with your commentary as a caption.
Elyse’s Bachelor/Bachelorette recaps. I have definitely snuck read them and work and laughed out loud.
Also, there once was a Wednesday links where (…Elyse?…my memory was already bad and is now worse! but it was someone!) recommended AOA’s Like a Cat mv and sparked my journey into Kpop, so many thanks for that!
My favorite thing about the site were SB Sarah’s reviews because she had so much of the same tastes and nopes as I did that I knew the chances were high that I could one click something she recommended and have a satisfyingly good read. These days I love finding out about #ownvoices authors from newer reviewers even if my tastes don’t quite overlap as complete. Lastly, I love that the community has held on longer than other hang outs. Thanks for being here!
The Bachelor recaps make me laugh til I cry!
Omg, so many. From leeches on the Bachelor, to honey badgers, soggy bottoms, to every man titty and sale. It’s been a joy!
Although, screaming about the new Quinn covers over on twitch was amazing!
I love the snark here so much. I squeeeee for the squees, and the F+ reviews. This site introduced me to Talia Hibbert, and she’s now an auto buy for me. Happy Sweet 16 bitchery!!!
Like Amanda Lee, the Pregnesia review remains a highlight. And also when Carrie wrote the T-Rex novella. My favorite features are the HABOs and books on sale.
I first visited the site when I was only interested in the genre! I had never read a romance novel before. After listening to a couple of podcast episodes I purchased the entire Wallflowers series by Lisa Kleypas and the rest is history. I have continued loving romance novels and checking the site on a regular basis! So grateful to the bitches!
I was happily reading SBTB 16 years ago while on conference calls at work (irony: I work in publishing). I LIVE for Cover Snark and have had to close my office door so I can chortle out-loud without explanation. I have upped my personal spreadsheet game thanks to packing lists and reading logs. THANK YOU to this community for being so awesome!
Two great recs: Strange Love by Ann Aguirre (I rec it all the time, and I’ve reread it myself), and Hedging His Bets by Celia Kyle and Mina Carter (a D- review for a banana-pants book that made me laugh myself silly).
Happy 16th birthday, SBTB!
This site helped me discover more quality romance. The podcast has taught me so much about writing and publishing. And Cover Snark keeps me laughing. Still waiting to solve my first HaBO.