Off Book with Brooklyn Rose: Sex Positive, Romance, Fanfiction & Modern Sex Ed
This week on Genre’d Off Book, Katy and Elyse are joined by author Brooklyn Rose, whose debut romance Sex Positive is out August 4. And yes, the title is doing exactly what it needs to do.
Brooklyn describes Sex Positive as the first book in a sexy new adult college romance series about characters taking control of their own pleasure and going after what they want. The story follows Charlie, a college senior trying to dismantle abstinence-only sex education and build something more comprehensive, while also navigating her own journey with sex, desire, confidence, and choosing what she actually wants for herself. It is rivals-to-lovers with a little whiff of second chance, and it was inspired by Brooklyn’s love of enemies-to-lovers romance, her own experience unpacking purity culture, and her work as a PA who spent years at Planned Parenthood.
So, naturally, we talked about sex ed, romance novels, self-publishing, Dramione, hockey men, Dungeon Crawler Carl, and whether fanfiction quietly raised an entire generation of readers.
About Sex Positive by Brooklyn Rose
At the center of Sex Positive is Charlie, a college senior who is educated, intentional, and very much not the classic “awkward virgin waiting to be chosen” romance heroine.
Brooklyn talked about wanting Charlie’s story to feel more modern and deliberate. Charlie is not naive. She has done the reading. She has thought about sex, shame, pleasure, and the messages women absorb about their bodies. Her virginity is not treated like a gimmick or a purity badge. Instead, it becomes part of a larger story about agency, choice, education, and what happens when you start separating what you want from what you were taught to want.
The book also brings in the politics of today, including reproductive health, sex education, crisis pregnancy centers, and the post-Roe environment. Brooklyn said she was careful not to make the book feel preachy, but to let those issues live inside Charlie’s world because they would realistically shape her life, her work, and her conflict.
And honestly, that is the sweet spot: romance with heat, stakes, politics, feelings, and a heroine who is trying to build a better version of the world while also figuring herself out.
Sex Ed, Purity Culture, and the Gym Teacher Problem
One of the first places the conversation went was sex education, because apparently everyone has a different “wait, that’s what your school taught you?” story.
Katy and Elyse talked about how sex ed looked different depending on where you grew up, what grade you were in, and whether your school actually taught anything useful. Brooklyn grew up in Michigan and remembered being separated by gender in elementary school, then later having the classic gym-teacher-as-sex-ed-instructor experience.
Very Mean Girls PE teacher energy.
Brooklyn’s background working in reproductive health became a major influence on Sex Positive. She talked about how often patients had questions that were not just about birth control or STIs, but about pleasure, orgasm, and basic things people had never been taught. The book grew out of that gap: the difference between “don’t have sex” messaging
and actual, useful, human education.
Brooklyn’s Publishing Journey: Traditional Querying to Self-Publishing
Brooklyn also walked us through her publishing path, and this part is so useful for anyone curious about how books actually make it into the world.
She originally queried a different book, a YA fantasy inspired by Throne of Glass, but heard that the market was saturated with princesses trying to save the world. Very fair. Painful, but fair.
After shelving that manuscript, she put her focus into what became Sex Positive, originally titled The Education of Charlie Rogers. In January 2025, she started querying the book to literary agents. She received full and partial manuscript requests, and two revise-and-resubmit opportunities, also known as R&Rs. She revised the book based on agent feedback, especially around adding tension and higher stakes, but ultimately did not receive an offer of representation.
Instead of shelving the book, Brooklyn decided to self-publish.
And she was very clear: self-publishing was not a failure. It was a pivot.
She hired a copy editor, a proofreader, and commissioned cover art from an artist she loved through the Dramione fandom. She wanted the book to feel professional, polished, and fully hers. The self-publishing process gave her creative control, and she talked about how supportive BookTok and Bookstagram have been for indie authors and romance writers.
Romance, But Make It Literary
When asked about her favorite genre, Brooklyn said romance, but more specifically what she calls literary romance.
Her definition: romance where the prose is intentional, the voice is strong, the sentences are beautifully crafted, and the love story still matters. She wants the emotion, the intellectual pleasure of good writing, and the actual romance.
Some of the examples she brought up include:
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
A book she read in high school that helped shape her appreciation for emotional, beautifully written love stories.
Games: A Love Story by Anna Maria VolkovaA sexy, intelligent romance Brooklyn read as an ARC and immediately started recommending.
V.E. Schwab
Not romance specifically, but an author Brooklyn loves for voice, craft, and beautifully built sentences.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
A romance she loves for its writing and emotional pull.
Georgia Clark’s books
Especially for the way Georgia writes relationships, nuance, and interconnected characters.
Brooklyn’s gateway picks for literary romance included The Wedding People by Alison Espach, It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark, and Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld.
Let’s Talk About Writing Smut
Naturally, Elyse asked the question we have all wanted to ask a romance author: what is it actually like to write a sex scene?
Brooklyn described it like choreographing a dance. She thinks through pacing, kissing, hands, clothes, positioning, emotion, and whether the scene actually flows. She also talked about rewriting those scenes multiple times and editing out places where the mechanics get too heavy.
The biggest takeaway? Less is more with dirty talk. It has to be well placed, and if the line is too cheesy, it can throw the reader right out of the scene.
This led to a truly necessary discussion of romance euphemisms, body-part words, and why some word choices feel wildly timeline-specific. Katy pointed out that some language just does not work in romantasy or historical-feeling worlds, and Brooklyn agreed that the wrong euphemism can make or break a sex scene.
Also discussed: “folds,” “slick,” “pussy,” “cunt,” and why fanfiction writers might be doing some of the best sex-scene writing out there.
Fanfiction as Formative Text
Brooklyn reads a lot of fanfiction, especially Dramione, and said some of the best-written
sex scenes she has ever read have come from anonymous fanfiction writers posting as a hobby.
Elyse then revealed that she basically learned about sex from fanfiction, starting with Sailor Moon fanfic on the family computer.
As one does.
The conversation turned into a love letter to fanfiction as a training ground for writers and readers. Brooklyn and Elyse talked about watching fanfiction writers get better over time, sometimes across massive 250,000-word stories, and how fanfiction communities give writers space to experiment, improve, and build incredibly invested readerships.
Dramione, Trad Publishing, and Fanfic-to-Book Favorites
Since Brooklyn is deep in the Dramione world, the episode had to go there.
Books and fanfic-to-trad titles discussed included:
Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
Brooklyn and Katy both praised this one as a standout. Katy said if she is going to recommend a Dramione-inspired or fanfic-to-trad book, this is the one.
Manacled / Alchemised by SenLinYu
Katy talked about needing a break after going from Manacled to Alchemised and said she did not love Alchemised as much as she expected.
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy
Brooklyn loves this one for the writing, humor, and dry British voice.
Once Again, Always by Amanda Gale
Coming in October and based on the Dramione fanfiction Wait and Hope. Brooklyn described it as a contemporary second-chance-style story where the heroine wakes up six years in the future with amnesia and discovers she is married to her boarding school rival.
The Biggest Misconception About Romance
Brooklyn said the biggest misconception about romance is that people think it is “just sex all the time.”
She pulled out an old-school romance with a classic Fabio-style cover and talked about how romance still carries a reputation from bodice rippers and assumptions about women’s fiction being fluffy or unserious. But she also argued that romance can open up meaningful conversations about consent, desire, communication, trauma, sexual assault, and what people actually want from relationships.
Romance, in other words, is not just escapism. It can also be language. It can help readers name what they want, what they do not want, and what they deserve.
And yes, men should read romance too. Especially the ones who need to learn what women are actually swooning over.
Hockey Romance and the Men Who Can Throw Down
The episode took a necessary detour into hockey romance, because of course it did.
Katy talked about trying to convince men at work to read romantasy or hockey romance if they want to understand what women want. The group talked about Heated Rivalry, Off Campus, Garrett Graham, and why hockey romances are having such a moment.
Brooklyn’s theory: readers love the contrast. These are physically masculine men who can be rough on the ice, but off the ice they are soft, kind, loyal, and emotionally available.
The duality is the point.
Favorite Tropes: Enemies-to-Lovers, Female Friendship, and Men Who Fall First
Brooklyn loves enemies-to-lovers, but she prefers it when the conflict is not just “we hate each other for no reason.” She likes tension rooted in misunderstanding, history, or emotional stakes.
Her ideal version includes:
The man falls first
The man falls harder
There is tension and banter
The heroine has strong female friendships
The side characters feel real
The confession or first kiss actually pays off
She is not naturally a friends-to-lovers reader, but Katy and Elyse made the case that friends-to-lovers and second-chance romance can hit differently as you get older.
Sometimes you need life, time, therapy, and maybe a little trauma before circling back makes sense.
Would Brooklyn Read One Genre Forever?
Mostly, yes. Brooklyn would stick with her self-defined literary romance lane, but she would absolutely cheat.
She is a mood reader and likes learning about specific subjects, including a past audiobook phase focused on female spies in World War II. She also loves fantasy and said she sometimes needs something that feels fresh and new when romance starts to feel repetitive.
Fantasy titles discussed included:
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Brooklyn loved this duology and the way it felt different from other books she was reading.
The Poet Empress
A recent fantasy she has been recommending, with a note to check trigger warnings.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Elyse, once again, made the case for Dungeon Crawler Carl, especially the audiobook. She described it as a “boy book” with no romance, but an incredible found family storyline and one of the best audiobook performances out there.
Also, Princess Donut remains protected at all costs.
Books and Authors Mentioned in This Episode
Sex Positive by Brooklyn Rose
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Games: A Love Story by Anna Maria Volkova
V.E. Schwab
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
It Had to Be You by Georgia Clark
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Manacled by SenLinYu
The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy
Once Again, Always by Amanda Gale
Wait and Hope by Amanda Gale
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
The Poet Empress
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Fast Facts
Guest: Brooklyn Rose
Book discussed: Sex Positive
Release date mentioned: August 4, 2026
Genre: New adult college romance
Tropes: Rivals-to-lovers, a whiff of second chance, sex-positive heroine, political and personal stakes
Best for readers who like: Romance with heat, consent, sex education, smart heroines, reproductive health themes, and men who fall hard
Major topics: Sex ed, purity culture, self-publishing, fanfiction, Dramione, writing smut, literary romance, hockey romance, and found family
Vibe: Smart, spicy, funny, feminist, and very much for readers who have opinions
Mini FAQs
What is Sex Positive by Brooklyn Rose about?
Sex Positive follows Charlie, a college senior who wants to challenge abstinence-only sex education and create a more comprehensive sex ed program. At the same time, she is navigating her own relationship with sex, pleasure, virginity, and choice.
Is Sex Positive a college romance?
Yes. Brooklyn describes it as a sexy new adult college romance and the first book in a series.
What tropes are in Sex Positive?
Brooklyn described it as rivals-to-lovers with a whiff of second chance.
Is this episode spoiler-free?
This is an Off Book author conversation, so it is more focused on Brooklyn’s writing, publishing journey, romance as a genre, and the inspiration behind Sex Positive. There are light references to themes and character setup, but not a full plot breakdown.
What does Brooklyn mean by “literary romance”?
Brooklyn uses “literary romance” to describe romances where the prose, voice, and emotional writing feel especially intentional and beautifully crafted, while still centering a love story.
Where can readers find Brooklyn Rose?
Brooklyn is on socials at @brooklynrosewrites, especially Instagram. Sex Positive will be available on Kindle Unlimited, and there are also preorder options through indie romance bookstores including Lovestruck Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts and The New Romantics in Orlando, Florida.
Final Thoughts
This episode is for anyone who loves romance but is tired of hearing that romance is “just sex,” anyone who learned a suspicious amount from fanfiction, anyone with opinions about smut terminology, and anyone who believes a book can be fun, sexy, political, thoughtful, and still make you cackle about Princess Donut.
Sex Positive sounds like exactly the kind of romance we love to talk about: smart, modern, messy in the right ways, and deeply interested in what women are allowed to want.
Comments