The story behind Let’s MissBehave, where cooking, desire, and connection come together

Some books are not just created. They are born from life experience, loss, love, longing, and the desire to change something. This is certainly true for Let's MissBehave, the erotic cookbook by Carlijne van Popering.

Let's MissBehave is a stylish cookbook where recipes, erotic stories, and photography come together. But those who know the personal story behind the book discover something much bigger. This book is not just about cooking. It's about reconnecting, daring to talk, feeling, laughing, seducing, and coming closer together again.

Some books are not just created. They are born from life experience, loss, love, longing, and the desire to change something. This is certainly true for Let’s MissBehave, the erotic cookbook by Carlijne van Popering.

At first glance, Let’s MissBehave is a stylish cookbook where recipes, erotic stories, and photography come together. But those who know the personal story behind the book discover something much bigger. This book is not just about cooking. It's about reconnecting. About daring to talk. About feeling, laughing, seducing, tasting, and coming closer together again.

An erotic cookbook with a deeper mission

Carlijne noticed that existing erotic cookbooks often focus on well-known aphrodisiacs, such as oysters, strawberries, and chocolate. Delicious, certainly. But according to her, they often miss the essence: real connection between two people.

Because desire doesn't just arise from what's on your plate. It arises from attention. From curiosity. From a conversation you might normally not dare to have. From the space to say what you like, what you long for, or what you want to explore together again.

That's exactly what Let’s MissBehave is all about. The book combines food and eroticism in a mature, respectful, and stylish way. The stories are exciting, sometimes with humor, but above all relatable. They invite you to read together, cook, and engage in conversation naturally.

The genesis of an idea, born from a loss of connection

The idea for Let’s MissBehave arose after a difficult period in Carlijne's life. In 2012, she separated from the father of her children after a seven-year relationship. As with many couples, the connection had slowly faded. Couple's therapy offered some hope, but ultimately they couldn't find each other again.

That experience deeply affected her. Not only as a partner, but also as a mother. At the same time, she saw many friends struggling with the same questions. Where do things go wrong between two people? Why does intimacy diminish? Why do we so often talk so little about sex, fantasies, insecurities, and desires?

During a weekend getaway with her friend Paulien, exactly those questions came up. At the sauna, in peace, they talked about relationships, intimacy, and the discomfort many people feel when it comes to sex. Not only within long-term relationships, but also among people who are just dating or have known each other for a short time.

From that conversation grew a powerful idea: to create a book that helps people talk to each other again. Not heavy or preachy, but through something everyone knows: food.

Why food and eroticism go so naturally together

Food demands attention. You smell, taste, look, feel, and take your time. Eroticism works the same way. It also revolves around senses, tension, anticipation, and connection.

That's precisely why the combination in Let’s MissBehave feels so logical. One person can be in the kitchen, while the other reads a story. The scent of a dish fills the room, while words stimulate the imagination. This creates something that goes beyond a meal. It creates a moment together.

Let’s MissBehave shows that intimacy doesn't always have to be grand or complicated. Sometimes it starts with cooking together, a good conversation, a smile, a glass of wine, or the courage to open up a topic that normally remains unspoken.

Twenty stories, recipes, and stylish inspiration

Carlijne conceived twenty topics around sex and intimacy and wrote short erotic stories to accompany them. These stories are not crude or distant, but respectful, relatable, and stimulating. They are intended to stir something, without forcing it.

That's why Let’s MissBehave fits so well within the world of Touch-Me. The book is about sensuality with style. About connection with respect. About pleasure without shame. And about rediscovering each other in a way that feels warm, mature, and accessible.

In addition to the stories, the book contains recipes and stylish photography. This makes it not only a book to cook from, but also a beautiful gift for couples who want to experience something new together. It's a book you put on the table, browse through, discuss, and can use again and again as inspiration for an evening with intention.

A dream that didn't come true without a struggle

The path to Let’s MissBehave was anything but easy. Publishers found the book didn't fit well within their assortment. As a result, Carlijne had to find ways to realize her dream herself.

Then followed severe personal setbacks. Her friend Paulien, with whom she had shared so much and who was important in the genesis of the idea, became ill and was diagnosed with lung cancer. She fought with everything she had, but passed away on October 31, 2015.

The book came to a standstill. Motivation temporarily disappeared, but the desire to help people connect remained. Later, Carlijne suffered another heavy blow when she heard in August 2018 that she had breast cancer. A period of chemotherapy, operations, emotions, sickness, and fighting followed, alongside caring for her children.

On September 24, 2019, she completed her last immunotherapy. During that period, she also found the strength and space to finish her book. What began as an idea after a conversation between two friends ultimately became a tangible dream.

A book about sex positivity, respect, and open communication

The core of Let’s MissBehave is not to shock. The core is to connect. Carlijne hopes that women and men dare to talk more openly about wishes, desires, and fantasies. That eroticism can once again be something where respect, trust, and pleasure come together.

In a time when we seem to be constantly connected through screens, many people feel more distant from each other. Let’s MissBehave invites you to reduce that distance. Not by being perfect, but by being present. By talking. By laughing. By experiencing something together.

That's what makes this book special: it's not just an erotic cookbook, but an invitation to see each other again.

Why Let’s MissBehave suits Touch-Me

Touch-Me believes that intimacy is more than a product. It's about trust, comfort, attention, and the freedom to be yourself. Let’s MissBehave fits beautifully with that. The book brings sensuality to the kitchen table in an elegant way and makes topics discussable that often remain unspoken in many relationships.

For couples, this is an original gift that goes beyond a standard cookbook. For yourself, it's an invitation to consciously make time for connection. And for anyone who wants to explore intimacy in a warm, stylish, and respectful way, Let’s MissBehave is a book that stays with you.

Finally

Carlijne van Popering's story shows how much power can lie in a dream. Despite loss, illness, closed doors, and setbacks, her mission remained: to bring people closer together.

Let’s MissBehave is therefore not an ordinary cookbook. It's a book about daring to feel. About enjoying together. About food, eroticism, and communication. But above all, about the courage to make connection important again.