Eighteen years ago, on 31 January 2005, Smart Bitches began.
The site launched with a review for Angel-Seeker by Sharon Shinn and for The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann.
Zero plans and strategy beyond, “Let’s talk about romance fiction critically and enthusiastically,” and holy cow.
We’re still here.
Literally, every year when I file the annual reports and taxes and all that business business, I look around my office and think, “Yup, still here.” Still talking about romance, still enthusiastic, still interacting with readers around the world.
Thank you. The site wouldn’t be here without you. Our community is welcoming new readers, helping people find the books they want to read, and thriving as a warm and wonderful collection of humans from all over the globe.
In a time when media is contracting, when sites are folding or having their entire staff laid off by the conglomerate that bought them, that we are chugging along is astonishing and I don’t take that for granted.
Thank you for hanging out with us, for telling us about all the books you’ve read and liked, and about the books you’ve read and didn’t like. Thank you for supporting our work and telling us jokes, for emailing us exquisite cover art, and for being part of our community.
As I always do, I took a look at the traditional and modern anniversary gifts for the 18th year, and this year, both modern and traditional gifts are porcelain.
NO PROBLEM. I don’t know who or what source provides these anniversary gift lists, but porcelain is no problem, because it’s January, and Hot Beverages like tea, hot chocolate, and coffee are often served in porcelain.
We’re giving away gorgeous teacups and saucers to celebrate!
There’s this gorgeous hibiscus set with a cup, saucer, and spoon:
and this adorable set that looks like a HANDBAG, omgosh:
And this set includes an infuser for loose tea, and the infuser can rest on the lid while you sip – so clever and beautiful:
Plus, Amanda sent me a link to this absolutely incredible shop, Miss Havisham’s Curiosities, and I was doomed, I tell you. Doomed.
How about a Villainess teacup and saucer?
So, want to win one?
Just comment below and share one of your favorite Smart Bitches memories.
A book you discovered here that you adore?
A cover snark that you re-read and then snort-laugh?
A HaBO you solved or a HaBO you sought?
What post or moment do you think of when you think of Smart Bitches? 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. Must be over 18 and ready to sip beverages and read books. Not responsible for increased consumption of tea or hot chocolate, or the increased collection of teas, chocolates, and coffees. Comments will close at noon ET on Sunday 5 February 2022 and winners will be announced shortly afterward.
Thank you for being part of Smart Bitches, and thank you for celebrating with us. Happy Anniversary!!
Winner update: Congratulations to the following commenters:
Be sure to check your inboxes! As always, thank you all for another year of SBTB shenanigans.
I will always be grateful to SBTB for being what I needed, a place to discuss and love but also critically think about romance novels! It’s changed the way I feel about telling people that I read them. I have recommended this blog to so many women because I felt so empowered by it. My favorite discovery from SBTB is learning about (then completely devouring the works of) the Queen: Courtney Milan.
My manager at the library once asked me, “Have you ever heard of cover snark?” And that was it. I’ve been here ever since. Still hoping to one day Help a Bitch out, too….
When my ex sister in law Candy showed me this website you two created I instantly loved it! It brings back such good memories of laughter with her and my Mom!
As it happens, I discovered Suzanne Brockman’s THE UNSUNG HERO here — as well as THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY which is on sale today.
Whenever I buy a romance (romance-adjacent) book, I always try to do it via your website first.
I read the blog every day — usually in the afternoon.
Besides the reviews and the sales notifications so many other bits give me great pleasure: HABOs, Hide your Wallets, Cover Snark &c.
And the comments are often a real pleasure to read too! I usually refersh those a couple of times a day to see if there’s anything new.
Happy Anniverary and congratuations on such a long-lived and rewarding site!
I came for the snark and am so glad that I found out about Courtney Milan here back before her first book was published, but the thing that I have the most specific memory of is being transfixed by the whole Cassie Edwards situation, killing time on the computers in the university library in grad. school before class after getting there really early to make sure I could find good parking. I still bring that up when discussing bizarre publishing scandals (ferrets?) with my fellow librarians.
And oh I had totally forgotten about both Pregnesia and “fucking her ass, saving her life.”
I clearly remember sitting in our basement “office” on our old desktop computer lmao about the sheik and the virgin stable girl (or whatever she was). No idea how I found my way to you and that review, but I’ve been hooked ever since. Happy adulthood – my second child is about to hit that same milestone.
I was unprepared for the sheer beauty of cover snark. It is not surprising that an extraordinary number of people are inept at using photoshop. It is surprising an even larger number of people are confused by the concept of two nipples. And the men on covers in relationship with bears and other creatures? Well they ought to be ashamed. Shirtless firemen bravely, despite being oiled up, heading into the fire and heroines sprawled seductively in the snow you thoughtfully presented to us. You’ve brought us the rich tapestry of cardboard humans and their follies and the wonderment of what were the artists thinking? Thank you!
Loooong time lurker, occasional commenter. Owner of Great-Great Aunt Kitty’s wedding china, pieces of Grandma’s teacup collection and I the beneficiary of mom’s pieces of Grandma’s teacup collection so please don’t send me one. WTF do I do with this stuff!!?? Happy birthday, Bitches. Deanna Raybourn, the non-paranormal Kelley Armstrong and good old Murderbot are my breadcrumbs to happiness. Hubs has started Murderbot via library audio as well. My day doesn’t officially start until I get my daily email.
What I’ve mostly gotten from SBTB is the confidence that reading romance is as worthwhile as reading any other genre and can be, in fact, a feminist act. It’s not the romance or the sex that appeals to me; it’s the woman-centered narrative and the HEA, the focus on relationships, and the way that small details of daily life turn out to matter so much. In reading the list every day, I’ve also found so many new-to-me authors (Courtney Milan!) and also so many YA/fantasy books I’ve given to my kiddos. Thank you for your work and congrats on 18 years!
Favourite memory (of many) would have to be a tie between the sharing of both the plagiarism tale ending in the defending author recieving an actual sword for their work AND the copyrighting of a very common turn of phrase in Romance land. Both made me very proud to belong (in my own tiny way) to this community and to the larger Romance community.
Thanks for being your fabulous selves!
I think I first started reading with the Cassie Edwards coverage. Even though I’m more of a lurker than a regular poster, SBTB is part of my daily routine. I have discovered so many books and authors here. WAYR posts are among my favorites. Thanks and congratulations!
All the best to SBTB and Fashionablyevil! I think it’s just the general camaraderie here that I love best…no matter how I’m feeling or what I’m interested in (or don’t know I’m interested in yet!), I can always come here and know someone will be on my wavelength. IRL folx don’t get me sometimes, so it means a lot.
Happy Anniversary! Been here since the early days and every year I revisit the Smart Bitches who love Fluffy Bunnies April Fools site. And it still makes me laugh! Congrats and thanks for putting a dent in my wallet every year. <3
I think the day my first HaBO was posted was one of my favorite SBTB moments. First of all, the book was found so yay, but I also had a great time going through responses and adding the books that were not right to my TBR. I love this community.
I don’t remember when I started reading SMTB, but it was probably around the time I moved from LiveJournal to Dreamwidth in 2017 and added the feed to the blog there.
I probably have SMTB to thank for regaining the ability to read long form again in 2021, because I found that a lot of the romances you wrote about were just light enough and short enough (under 300 pages seems to be a good length for me right now) that I could get through them after the nightmare that was 2020 and not reading long form at all.
For me, standouts of books recommended here are The Stand-In by Lily Chu, anything by Olivia Dade, but especially the series that starts with Spoiler Alert, and the Honey Badger series by Shelly Laurenston, which changed my mind about Shifter fiction, in her case, at least. (I keep meaning to read her other books in the same universe, but see constraints above.)
Of the porcelain tea cup sets, my esthetic side loves the hibiscus set, and my practical side loves the set with the infuser.
Like many others I came for the cover snark, stayed for the reviews, solved a HABO or two, and stopped apologizing for my reading taste. When someone asks me what I’m reading, I used to say “Just a romance,” but now I say proudly, “It’s a romance. I want the happy ending,” and let then deal with it.
I didn’t really get into romance until I found this site (it’s been so long I have no idea how I got here) and it has been such a blessing to have fallen in love with the genre and all its sub-genres. While I have come and gone with several other book-related sites, I will never get tired of Smart Bitches. Overall the vibes are fun, but there is also insightful, serious content as well. So I can always find something that keeps me informed and/or brightens my day.
I have never watched an actual episode of The Bachelor/Bachelorette, but I read nearly all of Elyse’s recaps because they are so funny. To make a geeky reference, it’s like if Mystery Science Theater 3000 riffed reality shows and it is fantastic.
Happy 18th SBTB! So glad you are here! I don’t remember when I started following or how I got here, but I have stayed for the joyful, snarky, supportive and diverse community. There’s nothing like it anywhere else on the interwebs. I’ve found many favorite authors here – Sarah MacLean, Tessa Dare, Elizabeth Hoyt, Sonali Dev – and Cover Snark is still the best antidote for Mondays. My proudest moment is still the ONE TIME I knew the HABO AND found it before anyone else! May you keep rockin’ on for many years to come!
And a big MWAH for Fashionably Evil and the new little one! Mazel Tov!
Curiously, I opened today’s post as I was settling into a chair with a cup of tea in one hand. Hot drinks and books are the best combination. Congratulations, Sarah, and everyone else at SBTB! You’ve done a fabulous job of providing all of us a safe, comfortable home where we can dish about all we love best in the world. You solved a HABO for me years ago when I had exhausted many other search mechanisms, and you’ve added more titles to my tbr mountain than I ever would have imagined. Like so many others, I have no idea when or how I found you. I retired a couple years ago, and my workplace changed buildings a few years before that, yet I distinctly remember reading your posts in various spots in that old building, so a good long while ago. Here’s to decades more of success!
Congratulations! Happy Anniversary!
I don’t know that I have one favorite post which stands out more than others. I loved the podcast posts with the teen romances from the 80s. Always love cover snark, HABO, and everything.
I look forward to this site’s posts on the daily.
I think Smart Bitches was one of my first podcast subscriptions and firt Patreons!
I love Cover Snark- it’s always good for a great giggle.
Black footed ferrets forever!
SBTB got me through the quarantimes. My favorite moments were watching Sarah garden and Amanda fish while playing Stardew Valley.
I found your site through authors being excited about a review or mention. I bookmarked you then.
Since, I have found authors like Talia Hibbert, Mia Sosa, Jackie Lau, Mariana Zapata, the fabulous Miss Bev…
Also, cover snark Mondays bring me joy. I regularly share those posts and Elyse’s Bachelor reviews with my best friend.
I love getting your newsletter and it makes me smile every time it lands in my inbox. Thanks for the reviews and the writing over the years!
I wish I could remember what first brought me to SBTB. I’m sure it was a review, but which one? OTOH, I know exactly why I keep coming back: for the excellent reviews and posts, for the comments that make me laugh or introduce me to new authors, for Watcha Reading and Hide Your Wallet, for HaBO (it’s addictive; even when I have zero interest in the book described, I’m still curious to know what it is), for Cover Snark (always makes me laugh!), and for the helpful lists of books on sale. (Y’all are responsible for a surprising number of the unread books on my Kindle, and not a few of the ones I’ve read, as well.)
I suppose, if I had to sum it all up, I come for the book discovery and to enjoy the company of other romance readers. As for a favorite memory or post, I am currently very thankful for the reader comments that lead me to Catherine Heloise’s wonderful review of Eclipse by Celia Lake, and for that review for introducing me to Lake’s oevre. Her books helped get me through year 2 of the pandemic, and for that I’m eternally grateful.
Thank you for turning me on to Courtney Milan. I’ve enjoyed all of her books.
Happy Anniversary Smart Bitches! And many congrats, @FashionablyEvil.
I’m a relative newbie, both to Romancelandia and this site. I love the community here and within the wider genre. Raising a glass to all of you and to the next 18 years. You have impacted my life and my credit card… Cheers!
I followed a link here one happy day and never left. Its nice to be in place where my snarky self is appreciated because we all know it comes from a mutual love of this genre.
I’ve also been around for lots of those years. I measure time as “before” and “after” an accident that left me in a wheelchair. I was reading “before” the accident which was 15 years ago now. Time flies! I enjoy SBTB as much now as I ever did.
Happy Anniversary, SBTB! I hope you don’t mind if, instead of sharing a specific memory, I share that I have used this site a couple times while taking literature and writing classes in pursuit of a Ph.D. I once wrote a paper for an advanced composition class that incorporated information and posts from SBTB in with an interview from a local romance author. A few years later, I used Beyond Heaving Bosoms and other posts from the site as secondary sources in a seminar paper about Meljean Brooks’ Guardians series and Paradise Lost.
And I also don’t think I would have discovered Loretta Chase, Tessa Dare, and Courtney Milan without you all. I adore them all so very much!!
I am so glad I discovered your site. I have found so many wonderful books that I might have overlooked.
I’m the proud recipient of a solved HABO. “How to Tame a Willful Wife” Thank you for bringing back that title for me. The teacups are gorgeous!
I’ll be forever grateful for your podcast. It was a discussion of The Last Hour of Gann that lead me to the first of many books by R. Lee Smith. I’ve read and reread all of them. My thanks to SBTB and wishers for many years to come.
I’m a new SBTB reader but have really enjoyed the daily deals, book reviews, and the hide-your-wallet posts. One book that I heard about here and ended up really liking is Only Bad Options. It’s not in my usual genres but I agree with the reviewer that it was a great book!
Oh my goodness, happy 18th anniversary! Y’all have introduced me to so many wonderful things! You recommended A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking and now I’m reading all.the.things by T. Kingfisher. I have to ration them though! And I probably would have missed out on Murderbot if it weren’t for you guys. I’d seen it recommended before, but it was your review that sealed the deal for me. And, oddly enough, you’re to credit for my playing The Witcher 3–I too can loot bandits for chicken sandwiches! I plan to be around for more anniversaries with you guys!
Happy Anniversary. I honestly can’t imagine the internet without this site, and off-hand I can’t think of another site I would say that about. Congratulations on such a magnificent accomplishment.
SBTB is 100% responsible for my love of the Rivers of London Series by Ben Aaronovitch and Murderbot so for that alone you will always have a warm place in my heart. Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary! I have been a lurker since the Candy days… and look forward to the daily email that I receive. I have been pointed towards so many wonderful authors by y’all that I can’t even begin to list them! You make my day! You make my reading! Keep going for another 18!!!!!
Happy anniversary, you are now allowed to vote 😉
I first discovered SBTB when the romance book bingo posting was done, that was hilarious and though that I discovered a fabulous site that I visit frequently. My favourites are the book rants, the phrase “what the fuc*ery” in relation to plot descriptions, cover snark, HABO, reading poor Elyse’s hysterical reviews of the seemingly never ending Bachelor/ette seasons (although I do so love the cat pictures that accompany the episode reviews) & Whatcha Reading. I have discovered so many authors and have a very long TBR list of books with all of the tropes I love.
Can’t wait to celebrate another 18 years and more!
Happy Anniversary !
I was introduced to the site by a fellow romance reader at work and have been a lover of all your content very since. However, my favorite is Elyse Watches the Bachelor! I’m sorry for her pain, but her recaps are the highlight of my week.