I opened UK's first totally legal SEX bookshop on posh high street full of families… surprising ‘genre' pulls punters in

The Sun

30-06-2025

A WOMAN who opened the UK's first legal sex book shop has revealed a surprising genre is pulling in customers.
Sarah Maxwell opened her aptly named store Saucy Books in upmarket Notting Hill, west London. less than two weeks ago.
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With a pink mermaid logo and colourful exterior, you would think London's first romance bookshop would only attract women after a secret spicy read or profound love story.
But the owner of the aptly named store in the heart of Notting Hill revealed that men also love to read romantasy books - which are also referred to as "fairy porn" due to the steamy content.
The popularity of romantasy - a combination of fantasy and heated romance - has skyrocketed in recent years.
Despite the colourful covers and blurbs, they are far from tame.
The bonkbuster books are set in mythical kingdoms with warrior queens, dragons and "faerie" men with bat wings.
But they also come with extremely detailed sex scenes that have led to the genre being dubbed "fairy porn".
Last year, the book launch of Onyx Storm saw obsessed fans queue for hours in the middle of the night to get their mitts on the latest raunchy instalment about two dragon riders who trigger lighting strikes due to their energetic frolicking.
And they are front and centre in Saucy Books' vibrant display.
The bookshop opened on June 18 and proved to be an instant hit.
THE SMUT HUT
American owner Sarah Maxwell told The Sun they almost sold out of books on the very first day - and she's had to frantically re-order copies every day since.
The books are arranged by trope, with blunt but informative labels such as "Age Gap", "Long Distance" and "Billionaire".
But up a set of steps is the "Smut Hut" that booklovers flock there for.
Inside lies the novels with the more...graphic chapters.
The vivid descriptions would cause many a reader to blush and look around to make sure no one is reading over their shoulder.
On one of the shelves, there is a collection of bookmarks for sale that would be great tat for a hen-do, titled "c**kmarks".
Sarah, who has a background in tech and has worked for big names like Spotify and Uber, said the opening has been a challenge, but a fun one.
The striking blue shop is on the corner of a road filled with colourful bars, coffee shops and restaurants - and it's only a few streets away from the famous Portobello Road market.
Saucy Books' site used to be a bathroom showroom, but you would never guess. Sarah tells us there is actually still a shower head hidden under the "Smut Hut".
"We wanted to be sustainable so we built around what was already there.
"We only moved in on June 1 and we opened on Wednesday, so we haven't had long to sort it out."
She tells us that one superfan flew all the way from Malta to come visit the shop. "We've had an incredible response."
There is a small stall outside that sells matcha, and on the day The Sun visited, they said they planned on serving Aperol spritz that evening.
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NOTTING HILL IS THE ROMANCE CAPITAL
Sarah, who has lived in London for 10 years, said she is an avid romance reader and is also a writer herself.
But she struggled to find the authors she loved in normal bookshops - and that is when she got the idea.
She told The Sun: "There are romance bookstores in the US but not in London, so that's where my American-ness comes in.
"I get books with American covers and they have sold out so quickly."
When asked why she picked Notting Hill for the location, she mentioned the famous movie that has become synonymous with the trendy area overrun with tourists.
"Notting Hill is the most quintessentially romantic place in London. You have the Notting Hill movie, you have Bridget Jones.
"It's such a good spot to have a corner shop by here. I'm going to do a book mural opposite."
Sarah gets irritated when people compare her shop to the notorious Fifty Shades of Grey: "It's not just smut."
But she continued: "Everyone loves the Smut Hut and takes a photo in there.
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GEN Z MADE READING COOL AGAIN
"A lot of romance readers and authors get discounted and put down, so this is a space where it's celebrated."
Sarah said that reading has really seen a resurgence with Gen Z.
"My intern said to me 'reading is cool again' and I was like, 'when was reading not cool?'
"Some men come in and find the Smut Hut really funny. But a lot of men actually read it too.
"They're big fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses [ACOTAR] and Throne of Glass especially. They love it.
"Some of these books like those by Sarah J Maas are on par with Tolkien. But it's trivialised.
"That's part of why I wanted to do this as a space to celebrate it. It's the first in London. I'm sure others will pop up but it's nice to be the first!"
XXX NOTTING HILL TOURIST ROW BOXOUT? XXX
When The Sun paid a visit to the shop on the first week of opening, it boasted a distinctive summery vibe.
Sarah said that is by design - it's made to look like a beach hut, and the books inside match.
But the shop is not just for the summer, and the aesthetic will be completely revamped each season.
"Right now we're going a beach hut vibe for the summer, because that's where people like to go to read.
"In Fall we'll do something different, more moody... we'll see. It'll change each season, with books to match it."
When it's mentioned that this sounds like a lot of hard work and money, she laughed and said she loves a challenge.
Before the shop was even open, passersby were peering in at the display.
A pair of young women stopped in their tracks to look in, with a bored-looking man in tow. But he soon perked up and appeared engrossed in the display.
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MY FAMILY CALL ME AUNT SAUCY
Sarah says the first three days have been a huge hit.
"The beginning has been very good. People love that you can browse and sit down - and we have the Smut Hut!
"We have all the tropes, Western, Italian, Jane Austen, romantasy. We very almost sold out of books on the very first day. I've had to reorder new ones every day, it's been a challenge.
"We've had book influencers come and meet each other for the first time here, one woman flew from Malta for it.
"We're open into the evenings because it's such a nice vibe on this street at 8."
Although most shoppers so far have already been big romance readers, Sarah said many tourists have also popped in to buy a book.
"We sold out of Jane Austen. We have Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass... a lot of Sarah J Maas which is very popular,
"We also have Fourth Wing - all the romantasy!"
But Sarah doesn't plan on stopping here.
I know loads of people that would go. It's having a big thing right now
Stall worker Tanyu, 26
"I want to open Saucy Books in other countries that don't have romance bookstores, like Greece and Portugal too.
"Saucy is my family nickname. I'm Aunt Saucy. I kept referring to my project as that and it just stuck.
"I like it because we're turning it away from the term "spicy" and making it into a double entendre."
Around the corner, in the iconic market made famous by the romantic Notting Hill movie, 25-year-old tourist Katie said she loved the idea of a romance bookshop.
She said: "I'm flying out today. But if I was here for longer I would go. I think it's a really good idea. I love it."
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YOU'D HAVE TO SELL A LOT OF BOOKS
Stall worker Tanyu, 26, isn't a big reader but said she knows many people who would love to visit Saucy Books.
"I know loads of people that would go. It's having a big thing right now.
"If it's gone viral on TikTok then that's perfect. And you have Portobello Road and the market here so it's even better.
"It's so expensive to lease here though, you'd have to sell a lot of books! But people do buy stuff just for the hell of it here."
Gabriel Paine, who works at the famous Daunt Books shop nearby, said many bookshops in the area become tourist attractions.
He used to work in the Marylebone shop, which is famous for the beautiful interior.
"People came in just to take a photo and to buy a bag," he said.
"It's so unfortunate that people aren't reading as much.
"I'm not a romance reader so I don't think I would go. We do get a lot of people coming in asking where the romantasy books are but I wouldn't say they're the bulk of our customers.
"But Daunt Books is more high-brow, we get a lot of old people coming in to buy classics. It's not really our clientele.
"But I suppose it would be good for tourists, especially around here. It might catch on."
And 27-year-old Londoner Charlotte, who popped in to Saucy Books after seeing it on her feed, it fills a big gap in the market.
She said: "I read a lot of stuff, but I'm mainly a fantasy reader, so I came here for the romantasy - like ACOTAR. I love the idea of this place."
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