- An author self-published a fan-fiction novel about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's rumored relationship.
- When TikTokers discovered the book, it caused quite a stir.
- Many readers said the book made them uncomfortable as it was based on real people.
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When Taylor Swift attended one of Travis Kelce's football games and was pictured sitting next to his mom, the internet immediately began speculating about their potential relationship. Author Ivy Smoak decided to get in on the action: within four days, she appeared to have self-published a 122-page novel titled "Roughing the Princess."
According to its description and reader reviews, the book is smutty fan faction based on the pair's imagined relationship. It immediately attracted a lot of attention on TikTok, but it didn't go down well with most readers.
In a video posted on her Facebook page on September 29, Smoak teased the release of "Roughing the Princess" by posting a clip of Swift and Kelce walking together, overlaid with the caption: "When BookTok asks for a story inspired by Taylor and Travis…"
The following clip featured an image of a book with "RTP" written on the front, surrounded by the phrases "popstar princess," "football superstar," "sassy heroine," "super spicy," and "secret relationship." Smoak also added that she had forfeited sleep for three days so she could write the book.
It wasn't Smoak's first novel: according to Amazon, the first book of her most famous romance series, "The Hunted," has gathered over 31,000 reviews since it was published in 2015, and has an average rating of 4.1 out of five stars.
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"Roughing the Princess" was more divisive, with an average rating of 3.6 stars based on 31 reviews left by users who said they had purchased and read the book.
One reviewer gave the book five stars and wrote that they "loved every single page of it" and wished it had been longer. But another reviewer, who gave the book one star, complained that the author had used direct quotes from Swift and Kelce in intimate scenes that made them "uncomfy." The user said they were also uneasy that Smoak had "killed off a real person," although it's unclear who they're referring to.
The book has also generated heated discussion on TikTok, where many creators have posted videos about it.
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In one video posted on October 1, a user who goes by @kaylawiththebookproblem said she had "never truly regretted reading a book until this one," and that some of the explicit scenes made her feel "icky and gross" because the characters were so similar to the real celebrities.
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"This is not what the girlies wanted when we said we wanted a 'football star meets pop star' inspired romance book. This was not it," she said, adding the book seemed like a "gimmick" to make money.
In another video, TikToker @gina__burgess said it was the worst book she'd read in her entire life. "I think what a lot of us wanted was a book that was inspired by their relationship and not just a cheap ripoff that makes me feel like I just watched a private porno," she said. "That's how I feel. Like I've just watched a private home video between them."
She said that the experience has made her feel "extremely hesitant" to read anything "inspired" by this relationship in the future.
One viewer wrote that she found the book "really really weird" even though she was a fan of Smoak's other books, while another viewer wrote that the author had "crossed a line" by writing it.
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Fan fiction is often based on other works of fiction, such as books, films, or TV shows, and frequently includes sexual or romantic scenes between characters. Many popular books started as fan fiction: E. L. James's "Fifty Shades of Grey" started as fan fiction for Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" — and "Twilight" started as fan fiction for Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles."
While fanfiction based on real people (often abbreviated to "RPF," which stands for "real people fanfiction") exists, it is less common and much more controversial because many people view it as an invasion of people's privacy. Many fanfiction sites have even banned RPF altogether.
"Roughing the Princess" appears to have been Smoak's first foray into celebrity fan fiction, however is not currently available to purchase on Amazon, and the listing page states it is "out of stock."
Smoak's website and social accounts are not currently promoting the book. It is unclear if this was an intentional choice by Smoak following the backlash, although some TikTokers speculated it could be. Smoak did not respond to Insider's request for comment, and representatives for Amazon declined to comment for this story.
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Representatives for Swift and Kelce also did not respond to requests for comment.
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