1. EachPod

Love, Villains & Book Boyfriends

Author
Stuart Mackey
Published
Wed 06 Aug 2025
Episode Link
https://shows.acast.com/this-is-stuart/episodes/love-villains-book-boyfriends

mirror characters — like Tamlin and Rhysand from Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses — reveal the most intimate truths about how we love, justify, forgive, and evolve.


A heartfelt thank-you to @katrynn for the innovative and emotionally charged question sent via Cameo — which inspired this entire exploration of how we experience fictional love as a mirror


Through the lens of emotional psychology, myth, and narrative healing, this episode unpacks: Why we romanticize the complicated “book boyfriend”. How love becomes control and when control becomes violence. The difference between soul-led love and ego-driven protection. Why Rhysand is forgiven for what Tamlin is condemned for. How fictional characters reflect the shadow sides of real relationships.


A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas


Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty


The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk





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