The inspiration behind the BookTok sensationButcher & Blackbirdis hilariously relatable and highlights one of the best parts of Brynne Weaver’s series.Butcher & Blackbirdremains to be one of themost popular books on BookTok, Weaver’s dark romantic comedy creating a new space within the genre for more lighthearted dark romance storylines.
What truly set the books apart, though, was how Weaver wove tropes together withinButcher & Blackbird.That combination of humor, sincerity, gore, and sensuality allowed the series the chance to stand out on book platforms, with theButcher & Blackbirdmovie adaptationset to capture that same blend of tropes.
However, various audiences, myself included,have wondered how Weaver came up with the unorthodox premise ofButcher & Blackbirdsince, as mentioned, the storyline was quite unique to the dark romance space before its publication. Weaver’s answer not only explains quite a bit about the series, but truly strengthens the connection between audiences and the author.
Brynne Weaver Was Inspired To Write Butcher & Blackbird By Doomscrolling
Weaver Discussed The Book’s Origins In A 2025 Podcast Interview
Weaver apparently came up with the idea to writeButcher & Blackbirdwhilst doomscrolling on TikTok, starting her down the journey she took to the series.Weaver discussed the novel’s origins onThe SmashCast,the official podcast of BookTok creators Steven Walker and PB Squamer, who started the podcast in June 2025.
According to theirInstagram,Weaver discussed how she found inspiration forButcher & Blackbirdafter observing the red flag/green flag trend on TikTok, which she stumbled upon while doomscrolling. Wanting to both reinvent the popular tropes mentioned and reclaim the ones being disparaged, Weaver got to work on the now-viral series, blending these well-known tropes with original ideas.
Learning that Weaver wroteButcher & Blackbirdout of spite after doomscrolling on TikTok makes a lot of sense, asWeaver’s 2022 novella,Exterminatrix,was also written after an online encountershe had. Seeing that she continued with it, and it resulted in such a unique story, is both hilarious and makes each trope mentioned in the trilogy all the better.
Weaver Taking Green & Red Flags From TikTok Makes Me Appreciate The Ruinous Love Trilogy Even More
Weaver’s Blend Of Tropes Truly Made The Best Parts Of Each Shine
By using both classic BookTok red and green flags, Weaver was able to highlight the best parts of each inButcher & Blackbirdas well asThe Ruinous Love Trilogyas a whole.Weaver’s story takes male-centric tropes, such as touch her and die or grumpy-sunshine, and reworks themto put her protagonists on even footing, narratively.
Knowing the origins ofButcher & Blackbird, though, also makes these inclusions better because it truly highlights how connected Weaver is to her audience and what we love to see in our romances.
Sloane is able to be just as deadly and competent as Rowen, amplifying both the sensuality of the dark romance tropes and the humor within the plot. The friends-to-lovers storyline also got to shine as they communicated with sincerity and forged a strong bond, making each interaction betweenSloane and Rowen inButcher & Blackbirdeven more enjoyable.
In both cases, the best parts of the trope got attention in Weaver’s work, highlighting why they work and why BookTok continues to be obsessed with them. Knowing the origins ofButcher & Blackbird,though, also makes these inclusions better because it truly highlights how connected Weaver is to her audience and what we love to see in our romances.
Brynne Weaver’s next novel,Tourist Season,is set to be released on July 05, 2025.
