Spice ratings in books: what each chili level means

On BookTok and in romance reviews, "spice" means the sex in a book: how much there is, and how much the page shows. Readers rate it with chili peppers, from one to five. It is not a verdict on quality: a sweet romance can be a five-star read, and so can a very explicit one. The rating is there so you can find the book you are in the mood for, and skip the one you are not.

The scale, level by level

There is no official scale. Every reviewer uses their own, so one person's three chilies can be another's four. This is the scale Storyfeel uses, with the same names you see in the app:

• 🌶️ Sweet — kisses only. Romance and tension, but nothing beyond a kiss on the page. Often called "clean" or closed-door romance.
• 🌶️🌶️ Mild — some tension, fade to black. It is clear what happens, but the scene cuts away before it does.
• 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Medium — some explicit scenes. One or two scenes on the page, in a story that is mostly about other things.
• 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Hot — frequent explicit content. Several detailed scenes; they are part of what the book is.
• 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Very explicit — open door. Many detailed scenes, and nothing left off the page.

Closed door, fade to black, open door

Three phrases you will meet in reviews and in authors' own notes:

• Closed door: the characters go into the bedroom and you stay outside. The next chapter starts the morning after.
• Fade to black: the scene starts on the page and cuts away before it gets explicit.
• Open door: the scene is on the page, from start to finish. How often that happens, and in how much detail, is what separates the top levels of the scale.

Spice is not the same as content warnings

Spice says how much and how explicit. It says nothing about what kind: a book with one chili can still include sexual violence or a relationship that starts without clear consent, and a five-chili book can have none of that. That is what content warnings are for. In Storyfeel they sit next to the spice level, on the same card, so you can note both. More in our guide to content warnings in books.

How to find a book's spice before you read it

• The author. Many romance authors say it themselves, on their website or at the front of the book: "closed door", "open door" or a number of chilies.
• Reviews. Many end with a chili rating. Read two or three: one person's "medium" is another's "hot".
• Romance databases and reader communities. Some talk about "heat" or "steam" instead of spice: the same idea, a different word.
• The series. Within a series, the level can change from one book to the next: check each book, not just the first.

How to rate spice yourself

When you finish a book, ask three things: how many scenes were there, how much did the page show, and how much of the book did they take up? Then choose the level whose description fits best. What matters is not matching anyone else's scale but keeping to your own, so that your three chilies always mean the same thing when you look back.

Spice in Storyfeel

• Note it. Open a book. On the Spice · Tropes · Content warnings card, under Spice level, tap the chilies: the name of the level appears next to them. Tap the top chili again to go down one level. It works for books on your TBR too, so you can note the spice before you start. Storyfeel never fills it in for you: it is your reading, and books imported from Goodreads arrive without a level.
• No chili lit means no level yet. In the Spice level filter, those books are under No spice registered. For a book with kisses only, light one chili: Sweet.
• Find it again. In Stories and in your TBR, the Spice level filter keeps only the books at the level you choose. In Stories, each cover also shows its chilies. (In your TBR, the filter appears once a book there has a level.)
• See your taste. In Stats, the Spice level card counts the books you have read at each level, from five chilies down to one. A quick way to see where you are comfortable.

Spice often travels with certain tropes: here is our list of book tropes.

Questions

What does "spicy" mean for a book?

That it has sex scenes on the page, usually several and in some detail: three chilies or more on the scale above. "Spicy romance" and "spicy romantasy" are books where that is part of the appeal.

Is spice only for romance?

It is used mostly for romance and romantasy, where readers choose books by it. But any book with sex scenes can have a level: fantasy, thrillers, literary fiction.

Can anyone see my spice levels?

No. There is no public profile in Storyfeel: your levels, like the rest of your library, are for you.

Is this on the free plan?

Yes. The Spice level field, the filters in Stories and the TBR, and the card in Stats have no free-plan limits.

To keep what each book made you feel, spice included, start with how to keep a reading journal, or simply try Storyfeel free.