Rating System
When I rate a book, I go with my gut feeling. I don’t have a mathematical equation; I go by feels. That being said, I do pay attention to storytelling, craft, writing style, and editing.
~When I rate a series, if I give it 5 mangoes, that doesn’t mean all the books are 5-mango books. There will be a mix of 4-, 4.5- and 5-mango reads in there, but the series has left a lasting impression on me to earn the full 5 mangoes.
🥭🥭🥭🥭🥭
I LOVED IT!!! I couldn’t put it down, never wanted it to end, and haven’t been able to shut up about it since. These are the books that live rent-free in my brain. They give me all the feels, are filled with compelling characters, intriguing storylines, and I just can’t get enough.
🥭🥭🥭🥭
I really liked it. These are solid books that I would highly recommend and will read again.
A book that’s a 4-mango book for me may be: ~A fantastic story that is great in its own right, but doesn’t quite hit the 5-star mark for me (but it might for you).
~It might be a 5-mango read that I’ve downgraded for small editing issues or writing tics (things that you can mostly overlook).
~Or they might be books that deserve 5-mangos for the concept, characterization, and worldbuilding, but 3-mangos for pacing or an overly convoluted plot. But the story has left a lasting impression on me, so I’ve split the difference.
🥭🥭🥭
These are books I like, but I may have issues with. There may be pacing issues, plot holes, or perhaps the characters aren’t as developed as I might have liked, but otherwise the story is intriguing. Guilty pleasures may fall into this category.
You won’t find anything below 3.5 mangoes on my blog.
Even though these books won’t be reviewed on this blog, I’ll include what I would consider 1- and 2-mango reads.
🥭🥭
Meh. Didn’t really do anything for me. The writing and editing may be okay, but the story needs more development (worldbuilding, character development). Or maybe the story is good but would benefit from more editing (tighten plotlines, cut out filter words, etc).
🥭
I didn’t like it. Likely DNF. There might be writing issues (all tell and no show, redundant/unnecessary scenes or the story starts in the wrong spot, excessive filter words) and editing issues (usually a lack of editing).
Heat Rating Scale
Everyone does this a little differently. For me, it’s a matter of how graphic the sex scenes are, how many there are, and how they impact the plot.
🌶️ — General Audiences
Negligible spice. Kissing. Hand holding. Maybe some heated kissing. But nothing to worry about if someone’s reading over your shoulder on the bus.
🌶️🌶️— Teen and Up
May contain sex, but it’s usually implied—often off-the-page or of the fade-to-black (FTB) variety. If it’s on the page, then it’s vaguely described (you know what they’re doing, but not how they’re doing it). Think of an abstract painting.
Eg. Out of the Blue by Jason June
The Last Graduate or The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
🌶️🌶️🌶️— Mature
May contain on-the-page sex, but it’s not graphic (think of an impressionist painting). This type of intimacy is typically more focused on emotion than physical description, but you may not want to read certain sections while on the bus…
Eg. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Both 4- and 5-chili ratings contain explicit sexual encounters. The way I like to separate them is to think about the impact on the plot. With a 4-chili story, if you remove the sex, you still have a meal. It may not be seasoned to your liking, but it’s still a meal. With a 5-chili story, either the sex is the plot, or it heavily influences the plot. If you remove the sex, you may still have a glass of wine or a side of fries, but without the steak (or grilled tofu, if you prefer), it’s not a meal.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️— Explicit
Contains one or more explicit sex scenes, often (but not always) focusing on intimacy and deepening a relationship. The sex may be relatively vanilla, or may explore one or more kinks.
Eg. The Captive Prince Trilogy by CS Pacat
The Orc from the Office by Kate Prior
The Siren Cove Series by Claire Cullen.
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️— Explicit (and often kinky)
Contains many explicit sex scenes, often exploring kinks of varying nature. I’ll do my best to list any trigger warnings (eg. Dubious consent, consensual non-consent, breath-play, BDSM, knife-play, etc)
Eg. Creature Café Series by Clio Evans
Games with the Orc by Kathryn Moon