Romance publisher yanks book series after controversy over pro-Musk lines in novel
A publishing house has pulled a forthcoming series by romance novelist Sophie Lark after social media users took issue with snippets from the first upcoming book that praise Elon Musk and perpetuate racist stereotypes.
Sparrow and Vine, published by Bloom Books, was set to be released in April, but the book — as well as the series it's a part of — have been withdrawn in the wake of the backlash, the publisher confirmed to The Independent Tuesday.
Social media users have focused on two specific lines from the book that were spoken by the main character, who the author said was supposed to be 'flawed.' Although her publisher recommended removing those lines, she kept them in, she said in an apology.
'I was inspired by Elon Musk. I use his five step design process,' reads one book snippet circulating online. Musk, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency boss, has become a polarizing figure as he cozies up to Trump and his cost-cutting arm has effectively upended the federal government through mass layoffs and slashed contracts.
In another controversial line, screenshotted by social media users, Lark wrote: 'I don't want to sound ignorant…But shouldn't there be a crew of people with questionable work visas picking these grapes for us?'
One TikTok user said: 'Sophie Lark's new book seems to be MAGA coded.'
A Reddit user also remarked: 'I'm sorry but with the current political climate, these types of comments aren't clever or cute and has no place in romance books.'
Another TikToker similarly wrote: 'Harmful racist stereotypes in this time and age is wilddd.'
Lark was offered no respite on Goodreads. 'You know what we don't stand for in 2025? Casual racism."
The book is part of an 'arranged marriage series about a woman who has to marry a man from a rival family in order for them to secure their portion of an inheritance,' Bloom Books said on its website.
In an apology posted to Instagram Monday, Lark wrote that it was brought to her attention that certain lines in her new book were 'hurtful.'
'Reading your messages and hearing your perspectives over the past 24 hours has been humbling, and I want to acknowledge the pain my words have caused. I am truly sorry. My intention was to craft and demonstrate a flawed main character, but instead, I wrote dialogue that read as attacking to a community that I care about very much.'
She underscored that the book underwent a regimented process, including being looked over by sensitivity readers. 'During the editing process, Bloom recommended removing these lines, and I made the wrong choice in keeping them. I now understand that impact matters more than intent, and I regret that my words caused harm. Please don't blame Bloom for my mistakes,' she added.
Lark wrote the book in the summer of 2024 — 'a lot has changed in the world since then, particularly in regard to the fate of immigrants worldwide and certain public figures.'
She said she was pausing the book for re-writes 'to ensure that my work doesn't contribute to harm' and vowed start 'listening more closely to sensitivity readers' and to take steps to educate herself on 'responsible storytelling.' She concluded: 'To those I have hurt, I'm very sorry. I hope I can your trust back in the future.'
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