TL;DR: "Spicy" is BookTok shorthand for sexually explicit content. The biggest risk right now is the "discreet cover" trend—books that look like cute rom-coms or YA fantasies but contain graphic adult content. If your teen is asking for A Court of Thorns and Roses or Fourth Wing, they are looking at "Romantasy" (Romance + Fantasy) which is often written for adults, not teens.
Quick Navigation:
- The "Spicy" Heavyweights (Adult): A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing, Icebreaker, It Ends With Us.
- The Better YA Alternatives: The Cruel Prince, Divine Rivals, Powerless.
- Ask our chatbot for a specific book's "spice level"
If you’ve noticed your teen spending more time in the Barnes & Noble "Teen" section—or more likely, the "As Seen on TikTok" table—you’re seeing the power of BookTok. TikTok has done the impossible: it made reading cool again. According to recent industry data, BookTok is credited with helping the publishing industry see record-breaking sales, with over 50% of teen readers reporting that they find their next book through social media.
But with that popularity comes a vocabulary shift. On TikTok, creators use "spice" or "spicy" to bypass community guidelines that flag words like "sex" or "erotica."
The "Spice Scale" usually goes from 1 to 5:
- 1 Pepper: "Closed door" or "fade to black." No graphic descriptions.
- 3 Peppers: Moderate descriptions; several explicit scenes.
- 5 Peppers: High-heat erotica where the plot is often secondary to the physical encounters.
Here is where it gets tricky for parents. There is a massive design trend right now involving illustrated covers. Ten years ago, an adult romance book had a shirtless guy on the cover. You knew exactly what you were getting.
Today, adult books like Icebreaker or It Ends With Us feature bright colors, cute cartoons, and whimsical fonts. They look exactly like a YA (Young Adult) novel. Many bookstores even accidentally (or lazily) shelve these in the teen section because the protagonists are in their early 20s.
The No-BS Take: Just because a book has a cartoon of a girl holding a coffee cup on the cover does not mean it’s appropriate for a 14-year-old. In fact, that specific aesthetic is currently the "uniform" for some of the most explicit adult contemporary romance on the market.
Check out our guide on the "cartoon cover" trend in publishing
The biggest genre on TikTok right now is "Romantasy." It’s a mix of high fantasy (think The Lord of the Rings) and heavy romance.
This is the gateway drug for most teens entering the "spicy" world. Written by Sarah J. Maas, the series starts out feeling like a YA retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but by book two and three, it moves firmly into adult territory.
- The Verdict: It’s well-written fantasy, but the sexual content is graphic. It’s "New Adult," meaning it's intended for 18-25 year olds, not middle schoolers.
Dragons, a war college, and very high "spice." This book is a cultural phenomenon.
- The Verdict: It’s essentially "smut with dragons." If your teen is under 16, this is likely a conversation-starter rather than a "just buy it" book. The language is also very "adult," with frequent profanity.
This is often compared to ACOTAR, but it is actually YA.
- The Verdict: This is the gold standard for "safe" Romantasy. It has plenty of romantic tension, angst, and political intrigue, but it stays within the boundaries of traditional young adult fiction. It’s a great "step down" recommendation for a teen wanting the ACOTAR vibe without the graphic content.
If you want to steer your teen toward books that capture the BookTok "vibe" without the 5-pepper heat, here are the current winners:
A beautiful, lyrical fantasy about two rival journalists writing to each other through magical typewriters during a war between gods.
- Age Range: 13+
- Why it works: It’s incredibly romantic and emotional but remains PG-13. It’s a "Top 10" BookTok favorite that parents can actually feel good about.
This is the current "it" book for younger teens. It’s a "Trials" style story (think The Hunger Games) with a heavy "enemies-to-lovers" romance.
- Age Range: 14+
- Why it works: It delivers the tension and the "banter" that teens love on TikTok without crossing the line into explicit erotica.
For fans of Taylor Swift and rom-coms. It’s a sweet, funny, and "clean" contemporary romance.
- Age Range: 12+
- Why it works: It captures the "aesthetic" of modern romance without the "spice."
Ask our chatbot for more YA alternatives to adult bestsellers
You don't have to read every 600-page dragon book to know what's in it. Here is the intentional parent’s cheat sheet for vetting books:
- Check the Publisher's Imprint: If the book is published by "Bloom Books," "Entangled: Red Tower," or "Bravado," it is almost certainly adult/spicy. If it’s "HarperTeen" or "Penguin Teen," it’s generally safe for the intended age group.
- The "StoryGraph" App: While many parents use Goodreads, The StoryGraph is better for digital wellness. It includes crowdsourced "Content Warnings" that specifically list graphic content, sexual explicitness, and violence.
- Search for "Spice Level": Literally type "[Book Title] spice level" into a search engine. You will find dozens of "Bookstagram" accounts that have already done the work for you.
Let’s be real: banning a book usually makes a teen want it more. If you find your 13-year-old reading Icebreaker, don't panic.
How to Talk About It:
- Focus on expectations: "I noticed this book is rated for adults. Sometimes these books portray relationships in ways that aren't very realistic or healthy. What do you think about how the characters treat each other?"
- The "Consent" Angle: A lot of "spicy" books feature "dubious consent" (dub-con) or "alpha-hole" heroes who are borderline abusive. This is a great opportunity to talk about what a healthy relationship actually looks like versus a "dark romance" fantasy.
- Community Norms: In many middle schools, reading ACOTAR is a status symbol. Acknowledge that they want to be part of the conversation, but offer to find the "TV-14 version" so they aren't seeing things they can't un-see.
Read our guide on how to talk to teens about romance and consent in media
BookTok isn't "brain rot"—it's actually getting kids to read more than they have in decades. That's a win. But the line between "Teen" and "Adult" fiction has never been blurrier.
The goal isn't to be the book police; it's to be the curator. By knowing the difference between a "sweet" romance and a "spicy" one, you can help your teen navigate their library without accidentally handing them a script for a Magic Mike sequel.
Next Steps:
- Check the bookshelf: Look for the titles mentioned above.
- Ask them: "Who is your favorite BookTok creator?" (This tells you everything about their taste).
- Verify: Use the Screenwise chatbot to check the "Wise Score" for any book they ask for next.
Ask our chatbot: "Is the book 'It Ends With Us' okay for a 13 year old?"