absolutely ate this uppp. tina horn has a unique voice and makes the topic of kink even more interesting than it already is. not too dense or scientific but really educational and so very fascinating. 4.5 stars rounded down~

I really enjoyed this book. It looks at kink without judgment and gives the reader different perspectives on specific fetishes. This book is not for everyone but if you're willing to keep an open mind you can learn a lot.

Don’t yuck someone's yum.
Instead of recoiling when confronted by the vastness and weirdness of human sexual interest in fear of polite society thinking less of you, this book takes a deep dive into how and why kinky people express themselves. But if you expect a carnival’s freak show where you can gawk and stare at “freaks” while maintaining your distance this is not the book for you.Written by someone with first hand experience in the kink scene all the while keeping in mind their history and culture each chapter immerses you in the mindset of the people interested in that particular fetish along with all the configurations they come up with to experience it. A shameless and snappy experience that takes you on a journey that will surely peak your curiosity and leave you wanting more.

Why Are People Into That? is, almost tautologically, an exploration of why people are into different fetishes and kinks. Many of them are kinks the author personally enjoys, some the author is indifferent to, and at least one that at least partially repulses the author — I think that this dynamic was important to the end product because it allows the reader to see perspective in a way that the author being enthusiastic about all of the dynamics presented wouldn’t.

I think that the author is able to mix the down-and-dirty details of her personal experience with detached history and academic analysis well, producing an engaging, incredibly frank look at the boundaries of sexuality.

I've read a few books on this subject, and I think I enjoyed this one the most. The author's voice is engaging and made even one topic that I find a bit squicky enjoyable to read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Hachette for the gifted e-book ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

I thought this was an interesting read. I was expecting more evidence based. A lot of this seemed based on the author's experiences. Interesting to read but the title is misleading.

Why are People Into That? was a very interesting, honest look at various sexual "kinks" and practices. I appreciated the author's ability to describe without judgment.

Why Are People Into That? was a fascinating read. I read a lot of romance/smut novels and to see the more non-fiction "back end" of kink was fun. I've often heard or read of kinks that make me think "what in the hell?" and taking a moment to further dissect many of those provides a new insight into how something is culturally perceived.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a fun and intresting read about kink. I think the material was mostly easy to approach and did not alienate the reader or the people who have the kinks. I will say the title made it sound more scientific over sociological, like the book actually is. I would recomend this book only to people actually intrest in learning about all kinds of kinks includimg the taboo ones. As it does not pull punches or ease you into the material. It was a fun read.

So this book has a slightly misleading title. This book doesn't explain 'why' people are into that per se, but more just discusses the different dynamics in certain kinds of play and how our culture interacts with said dynamics. I think a large reason it has the title is because it is the title of the author's podcast.

I gave this a 3.5 rounded up, because I definitely learned a lot! Such great insight into many aspects of kink, from the somewhat tame to the much more 'out-there,' and I have a newfound respect for things that before I just didn't quite understand. I will say that the 'cultural investigation' part felt a bit lacking, and could have used a bit more academic substance. That all being said, I think this is a great starting point for someone interested in kink from an academic perspective. Also, if you're at all vanilla, you'll learn just how vanilla you are.

Thank you to Hachette Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Why Are People Into That" creates a fascinating narrative surrounding sex, kink, taboo, and pleasure. Horn's no-judgement approach to discussing kink, her willingness to share personal anecdotes, and clear love of the subject create a work of creative nonfiction that is accessible and entertaining!

Tina Horn is thorough and enthusiastic in her coverage of this titillating topic. If I were her editor, I would advise that she produce two different editions, one overview of the basics, and then this highly detailed esoteric anthology. Beyond this book's first few chapters I hardly knew what she was talking about or referencing. Not to say that I didn't learn a lot by reading this, just that rather than come to understand why people are into the kinks they're into, my not understanding why people are into the kinks they're into was actually much more deeply ingrained. More clearly, before reading this, the notion of kinky/not kinky just wasn't in my head; now that I've read this I feel a million times more unkinky than I had ever realized was possible.

"If you have pent up emotions that need release (and who doesn't?), you might weep."
"if you're conflicted or anxious about your desires, which all of us ultimately are."
"In long term relationships, there is nothing like taking control of someone's finances. When you control their money, you control their life"
"Kinks do not solve human fallacy, although they may help us to manage them more bluntly."
"Vulnerability on top of violation on top of tease and denial."
"just as sexting may be replacing hookups"
"Clowning, sploshing, and age play all have this in common: a human desire to shrug off norms and let it all go."
"Debasement guides us away from our busy minds toward embodiment... Many of us seek the catharsis promised by the purposeful lowering of social status, and many of us are excited by experiencing a loss of control... If you know what will embarrass you, then you know what will make you forget about anything else for a while.
"And just as some people are charmed by roaches and their defiance of death, so too does the splosher find the human form encased in gunk to be a thing of transcendent beauty"

Thank you to Hachette Books via NetGalley for the ARC!

I’ve been trying to push myself out of my comfort zone about the types of books I read so I can grow more as a newly emerging sex-positive person. While I’ve always thought I was, my life has shown that I need to adapt and liberate myself to find joy outside of the prescribed “normal.”

This book made me uncomfortable initially, but the more I read, the more safe and validated I felt in interrogating my own relationship with sex. I recommend this book to those who have any degree of relationship to kink culture, because you might learn something new about it or yourself like I did.

This book gave insight into many different kinks that one may not have known prior. This book is definitely for people who are interested in the kink community and want to learn more about various areas of focus and rules that come with the territory.

This book is a thoughtful examination of some of societies lesser known/practiced kinks. Slow and scholarly, with some excellent moments of social commentary.

However, I did find it a bit heavy on the anecdotal evidence and light on the psychology behind the discussed kinks. And at times I felt like there was too much fluff/filler material.

For anyone in the BDSM community, this book will resonate. For anyone simply curious to learn more, this book will be an eye opener.

I love reading about different kinks, so this book was pretty much made for me. Horn approaches a(n understandably!) sensitive topic with curiosity and respect, but not without good humor, either. Her candor helps shed light on a lot of wildly misunderstood fetishes, and while things are still filtered through her specific perspectives, the book overall is a good intro to certain BDSM and BDSM-adjacent practices and a worthwhile read!

Very insightful book about various kinks and fetishes. Most of these types of books read like textbooks but this is written in a way that can be easily understood. I appreciate that the author used their own real world experience to make the stories more relatable. It's easy to skip around chapters to read what interests you.

I'm afraid this review is not a positive one. Far from it, actually. And perhaps I'm just not open minded enough for something like this.

My first issue with this book is that the marketing made it seem, to me at least, like it would be a bit heavier on the psychology and the science, but it was too anecdotal and informal for me. Nothing wrong with anecdotes when they're sprinkled in between actual real citations and studies.

After I somewhat got over this problem I found another, which is the messaging. Generally speaking, I'm cool with kinky people. I don't believe in kinkshaming most of the time. However, sometimes it is actually quite necessary.

I really dislike Horn's takes on age play and CNC. In fact I heavily disagree with her lengthy chapter on CNC. It is not the solution to rape culture, it isn't even one of the solutions. When you are role-playing being assaulted in bed, you are sexualizing rape. You are looking at sexual assault through a lense of romanticism.

Same with age play. Because yes, actually, wanting to act like a baby while you're being fucked is pedophilia. I'm sorry. That's just how it is.

The cannibalism chapter was pretty iffy too but at least she's not advocating for like.... genuinely eating people.

All in all I really disliked the writing style, lack of scientific support in her points, and her weird attitude towards harmful kink.

I love books about off-beat and undiscovered subjects, but BDSM was just not for me. I had to stop when I got to the part about how to make perfect bruises. Obviously, not my kink.

This book caught my interest because I frequently ask that question. Tina Horn explains with historical and personally relevant content both for each topic which truly answers why are they into it, with respect for all topics