Spicy Books
“Spicy books” became BookTok’s euphemism for sexually explicit romance (2020-2023), with “spice levels” rating explicitness like pepper heat scales. The trend normalized discussing sexual content publicly and drove romance’s mainstream embrace.
Spice Scale
🌶️ = Clean (no sex) 🌶️🌶️ = Fade to black (implied sex) 🌶️🌶️🌶️ = On-page sex (some detail) 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ = Explicit/graphic sex 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ = Extremely explicit (erotica)
BookTokers created spice rating systems, helping readers find desired heat levels while avoiding too-explicit surprises.
Cultural Impact
“Spicy” sanitized discussing sex scenes, making romance readable on commutes without shame. Publishers added spice ratings to covers. Terms like “slow burn” (gradual romance), “smut” (proudly explicit), and “closed door” (no on-page sex) became standard vocabulary.
Critics argued the obsession with spice reduced books to sex scene frequency, but defenders celebrated women openly enjoying sexual content without apology. Romance’s destigmatization accelerated.
Sources: https://bookriot.com/