TL;DR
If your teen is suddenly obsessed with reading, you can probably thank BookTok. But before you celebrate the death of the "iPad kid" era, you should know that the line between Young Adult (YA) and Adult fiction has never been blurrier. Between the "spice" rating system and "Romantasy" tropes, there’s a lot of mature content hiding behind very cute, pastel-colored covers.
Quick Links for the "Is this okay?" check:
- The "Starter" Romance: Heartstopper (Ages 12+)
- The "Middle Ground": The Summer I Turned Pretty (Ages 14+)
- The "Spicy" Heavyweights: A Court of Thorns and Roses (Ages 17+) and Fourth Wing (Ages 17+)
- The Problematic Fave: It Ends With Us (Ages 16+)
Ask our chatbot if a specific book is too "spicy" for your teen
If you’ve seen your teen scrolling through TikTok and stopping on videos of people crying over a paperback, they’ve found BookTok. It’s a massive community that has single-handedly revived the publishing industry, but it has its own shorthand that parents need to decode.
The most important term you’ll see is "Spice." In the book world, "spice" is code for sexual content. Readers use a pepper emoji scale (🌶️ to 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️) to rate how explicit a book is.
- 1 Pepper: Sweet/Clean. Think "fade to black" or just some intense longing.
- 3 Peppers: Moderate. Explicit descriptions, but they don't take up the whole book.
- 5 Peppers: High heat. We’re talking full-blown erotica with a plot.
The "Romantasy" genre (Romance + Fantasy) is the current king of BookTok. It’s why books about faeries and dragons are suddenly the hottest thing in the high school hallway. The problem? Many of these books are technically "New Adult" (NA)—a category meant for 18-25 year olds—but they are shelved right next to Percy Jackson in the bookstore.
It’s easy to dismiss these books as "brain rot" for readers, but there’s a reason they’re viral. These stories lean heavily into "tropes"—predictable story patterns that act like comfort food for the teenage brain. Common tropes include:
- Enemies to Lovers: They hate each other until they don't.
- Slow Burn: It takes 400 pages for them to even hold hands.
- The "Chosen One": A girl discovers she has powers and has to save the world (and find a boyfriend).
For a teen navigating the awkwardness of real-life relationships, these books provide a safe (if exaggerated) way to explore themes of desire, identity, and power.
Learn more about why BookTok is so addictive for teens
Not all "romance" is created equal. Here’s a breakdown of what’s actually on your kid's nightstand.
Age: 12+ This is the gold standard for healthy, age-appropriate teen romance. It’s a graphic novel series about two boys falling in love, and it handles topics like mental health and coming out with incredible grace. It’s "sweet" spice (zero peppers) and focuses on the emotional side of relationships.
Age: 13+ If your teen wants a rom-com that feels like a classic 90s movie, this is it. It’s clean, funny, and captures the "fake dating" trope perfectly without crossing into mature territory.
Age: 14+ This is a classic "coming of age" love triangle. While the TV show on Amazon Prime skews a bit older, the books are solid YA. There’s some mild language and underage drinking, but the romance stays relatively PG-13.
Age: 16+ (With a big asterisk) Colleen Hoover is the queen of BookTok, but her books are polarizing. It Ends With Us deals with domestic abuse. While it’s a powerful story, it’s often marketed as a "romance," which can be confusing for younger teens who might mistake toxic behavior for passion. It’s definitely for older, more mature readers who can handle heavy themes.
Age: 17+ This is the gateway drug to Romantasy. While the first book starts out like a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling, the series quickly becomes very explicit. It is not a YA book, despite being found in the YA section of many libraries. If your 13-year-old is asking for this, they are looking for the "spice."
Age: 17+ Dragons, war, and... very descriptive bedroom scenes. This book is a massive hit, but it’s firmly in the "New Adult" category. It’s basically Top Gun meets Game of Thrones with a high spice level. Great for college students; maybe not for middle schoolers.
One of the biggest challenges for parents right now is the "Cartoon Cover" trend. For decades, "Adult" romance novels had covers featuring shirtless men with flowing hair (the "bodice rippers"). You knew exactly what you were getting.
Today, many highly explicit adult novels use bright, illustrated, "cute" covers that look exactly like a middle-grade book or a fun YA rom-com. Books like The Love Hypothesis or Icebreaker look like they could be about a girl who likes science or a fun sports story, but they contain graphic content that would earn an R rating in a movie theater.
The Lesson: Never judge a BookTok book by its cover. Always check the "Spice Level" or look at a site like Common Sense Media before buying.
Check out our guide on how to spot "New Adult" books
When it comes to books, "safety" isn't about blocking a screen—it's about context. Reading about a mature theme is vastly different from watching it in a movie or a YouTube video. Reading requires imagination and processing, which can actually make it a "safer" way for teens to encounter these topics.
However, you still want to be the one who decides when they're ready for the "5-pepper" stuff.
How to Vet a Book in 30 Seconds:
- Check the "Blurb": Read the back cover. If it mentions "dark secrets," "shattering passion," or "defying the gods," it’s likely leaning into Romantasy/New Adult.
- Search the "Spice Level": Google "[Book Title] spice level." There are entire websites (like Romance.io) dedicated to cataloging exactly how much steam is in a book.
- Look for "Trigger Warnings": Many modern authors include a "Content Warning" page at the beginning of the book. It will list things like violence, sexual assault, or self-harm.
If you find out your teen is reading something a little "spicier" than you'd like, don't panic. Banning a book is the fastest way to make sure they read every single page (and the sequels).
Instead, use it as a bridge for a real conversation. You don't have to be weird about it.
Try saying:
- "I saw that book on TikTok! I heard the romance gets pretty intense. What do you think about how the characters treat each other?"
- "I noticed a lot of people are talking about the 'tropes' in this series. Do you think the 'enemies to lovers' thing actually happens in real life, or is it just for drama?"
- "If you ever run into a scene that feels like 'too much' or just makes you uncomfortable, you know you can just skip those pages, right? I do it all the time with boring descriptions."
The goal is to move from "Censor" to "Consultant." You want them to develop their own internal compass for what is healthy and what is just "fantasy."
Get more tips on talking to teens about healthy relationships
Reading is a win. If BookTok has turned your child into a regular at the local library, that’s a massive victory for their literacy and attention span. But the "Young Adult" label is currently the Wild West.
Be aware of the spice scale, don't trust a cute cover, and keep the lines of communication open. Most teens are just looking for a good story and a bit of escapism—even if that escapism involves a 500-year-old faerie prince.
Next Steps:
- Check the nightstand: See if they’re reading Sarah J. Maas or Colleen Hoover.
- Download StoryGraph: It’s a great alternative to Goodreads that provides much better content warnings and "mood" ratings for books.
- Ask them for a recommendation: Ask your teen to find you a "clean" BookTok recommendation. It shows you respect their hobby and gives them a chance to curate content for you for a change.