- - Read on, Grandma: New Data Shows Romance Spice Level Tolerance Rises with Age

Lizz SchumerDecember 20, 2025 at 12:53 AM

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Romance is on the rise among readers, and who's driving the trend might surprise you

New data from a 2026 State of Reading Report shows the popularity of romance, especially "spicy" novels

Romance is the highest-earning genre in publishing, and it isn't close

Reading a book with NSFW scenes on public transit, in a crowded cafe or even around your family can feel a little blush-worthy — what if someone sees the suggestive cover? Can that straphanger next to you overhear the erotic audiobook emanating from your earbuds? Is your churchgoing mom or grandma judging your reading choices?

Well, we can all stop clutching our proverbial pearls: According to the new 2026 State of Reading Report recently published by ebook and audiobook site Everand and bookish social media app Fable, the "spice level" of romance novels readers enjoy actually rises with age.

For those who aren't up on the romance reading lexicon, "spice level" is the amount of sexy content in a given book. It's often measured using the chili pepper system: One chili pepper means there's no intercourse at all. Beyond some chaste hand-holding, sexual tension and yearning, you won't find explicit content so they're generally safe for teen readers.

From there, each added chili pepper brings an additional level of sexiness or "spice," just like in real life. A book with two chili peppers might have "fade-to-black" scenes in which the reader sees the lead-up but not the act itself, three peppers often means explicit sex but milder language, while you can expect all of the bells and whistles (and equally filthy ways to talk about them) in books with four or five peppers.

Just like the proverbial "bases" many of us grew up with to denote types of sex, there's much discussion in the romance community about where the lines are drawn between the levels. As Jack Sparrow would say, it's more of a guideline than an actual rule.

And readers are decidedly here for it: According to Writer's Digest, romance consistently ranks as the highest-earning fiction genre over the past several years — $1.44 billion in revenue for May 2022-2023 — that's almost twice the next bestselling genres, with a whopping 52% growth in sales in the same period compared to the previous year.

While a quick look at social media, especially booktok and bookstagram might suggest Gen Z and Millennial women are driving the trend, don't discount Gen X and up. Everand and Fable's data showed that the number of spicy books read actually rises with age, peaking among Gen X readers.

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So when you're looking for a good book to gift grandma this season, consider a festive romance with a little spice to keep her warm — something tells us she can take it.

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Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”