I got fed up with vague spice labels so I built a free AI-powered spice rating tool for romance and romantasy readers
You know that feeling when a book is marketed as "spicy" and you get one barely-there scene? Or a friend recommends a "fun little read" and you weren't exactly prepared for what was inside? I was so tired of never knowing what I was actually getting into that I built something so I'd never have to question it again.
It's called HowSpicyIsThisBook.com — a free tool where you can search any romance or romantasy book and get a calibrated spice rating, tropes, trigger warnings, series info, and ending type, all in one place. No vague labels, no marketing copy — just an honest rating against a defined scale (closed door all the way up to cover-to-cover smut). Think romance.io but with a scale that actually reflects how we talk about spice in the BookTok era.
You can also search by vibe — type "something fun to read on the beach this summer" and it'll find you options.
It's AI-powered, so it's not perfect — but it's a hell of a lot more calibrated than "steamy" on a back cover.
I'm in the final stages before public launch and would love some feedback from actual romance readers! Check it out: