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Audiences got their first look at Alexander Skarsgård playing a man made entirely of wicker, and, naturally, the internet immediately had questions. Mostly about sex.
In Black Bear’s Wicker, Skarsgård plays a husband crafted from wicker after a lonely fisherwoman, played by Olivia Colman, asks a local basketmaker, played by Peter Dinklage, to create her a husband. When he arrives in the village, his presence quickly sparks fascination, jealousy, and chaos as the locals realize that the unusual new man is, somehow, exactly their type.
After premiering at Sundance earlier this year, Wicker recently introduced itself to the wider public with its first trailer, and the response has been especially enthusiastic on TikTok. Fandango’s trailer post has surpassed 14 million views, with users fixating on everything from the film’s unusual premise to the logistics of, well, a wicker man’s anatomy.
The trailer has also inspired a wave of comedic TikToks, including jokes about “when the gynecologist finds a wicker splinter during the exam” and videos imagining “how I’ll be pulling up to Wicker” when the movie hits theaters. Even the official 4DX TikTok account joined the conversation after fans began requesting a 4DX release for the film.
Best Book Boyfriend
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
If Wicker has you curious about unconventional fictional husbands, meet one of BookTok’s most beloved fantasy boyfriends in Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses. The first book may have you thinking you know who Feyre’s love interest is, but keep reading — the series’ true fan-favorite boyfriend makes his big entrance in the second installment.
The enthusiasm feels particularly fitting for the BookTok crowd, where the definition of a “book boyfriend” has expanded well beyond the realm of the merely handsome. Romantasy readers have spent years falling for faerie kings, dragon riders, vampires, witches, mythical creatures, and morally gray men with complicated pasts and even more complicated romantic lives. A wicker husband may be an unusual addition to the roster, but the fantasy is familiar: Give readers a mysterious, otherworldly man and a little romance, and they are going to want to know more.
For anyone already counting down to Wicker’s theatrical release, the following romantasy books offer plenty of mythical men, magical worlds, sweeping romances, and spicy scenes to keep you occupied in the meantime. Whether your preferred book boyfriend is a powerful fae, a supernatural heartthrob, or simply a man who would burn the world down for his love interest, there is a fictional crush waiting for you.
FAE FANTASY FAVORITE
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
For anyone still debating which fictional man would make the best boyfriend, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas has plenty of contenders. The series has sparked endless BookTok discourse over its various love interests, but that’s part of the fun: Whether you like your book boyfriends charming, brooding, loyal, or morally gray, there’s a favorite waiting for you.
DRAGONS, DANGER & DESIRE
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Brooding? Check. Dangerous? Absolutely. Dragon rider? Even better. Xaden has all the ingredients of a BookTok-favorite boyfriend in Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing, where his complicated romance with Violet keeps readers coming back.
DARK ACADEMIA ROMANTASY
Zodiac Academy: The Awakening: by Caroline Peckham
If your book-boyfriend type leans toward powerful fae with a dangerous streak, Zodiac Academy: The Awakening is worth adding to your TBR. Caroline Peckham’s spicy romantasy throws twin sisters into a magical academy ruled by fae royalty, where four heirs bring plenty of drama, rivalry, and romantic tension.
MURDER MYSTERY & MAGIC
Crescent City, House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
A fallen angel with a complicated past? Say less. Crescent City introduces Hunt, whose sharp attitude and softer side have made him a favorite among Maas fans, while the story throws him and Bryce into a dangerous murder investigation.
MORALLY GRAY FAE
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
Some book boyfriends are sweet, and then there’s Kingfisher. Quicksilver by Callie Hart gives readers a powerful fae love interest with a dangerous reputation, a complicated past, and enough romantic tension to keep BookTok talking.
DRAGONS & DARK ROMANCE
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
The book-boyfriend appeal here is pretty straightforward: powerful, mysterious, and capable of keeping you guessing. Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry throws Rooke into a world of dragons and magic, where a dangerous warrior becomes an unexpected source of romantic tension.
A NORSE-INSPIRED ROMANCE
A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
Put a powerful warrior, a forbidden romance, and Norse mythology together, and you have A Fate Inked in Blood. Bjorn is the complicated book boyfriend at the center of Freya’s story, as she discovers her own divine powers and gets caught up in a political battle.
MARRIAGE, SECRETS & BETRAYAL
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
Nothing says complicated relationship quite like marrying the man you were raised to betray. In The Bridge Kingdom, Lara enters her marriage to King Aren with a secret mission, but their growing attraction makes it increasingly difficult to know where duty ends and romance begins.
And if you’re wondering where this particularly unconventional love story came from, Wicker is based on Ursula Wills-Jones’ short story “The Wicker Husband.” The story follows an outcast woman who asks a basketmaker to create a husband for her, giving the film’s strange premise a literary origin that predates the current TikTok frenzy. The short story is not currently available as a conventional book for purchase online as of this writing.
Until the Wicker Husband arrives, pick up a smutty romantasy, meet your next book boyfriend, and settle in for some magical escapism. Watch the Wicker trailer below before its theatrical release.
