Ever seen “MMF” or “HEA” or ‘MFMM’ in a book review and felt completely lost? You’re not alone! The Romance reading community speaks its own language of book acronyms, slang, and terms that can feel like a secret code at first. As someone who once googled “what is tstl” at 2 AM after reading a review, I get it – these romance book terms can be confusing!
Over the years, unique book slang terms and lingo have popped up on Booktok and Bookstagram.
I’ve researched and compiled this complete guide to help you decode all those mysterious romance book acronyms you keep seeing in reviews and recommendations to help you navigate the community better. If you’re just starting your romance reading journey, you might also want to check out my guide to beginner romance books to find your perfect first read!
Ready to dive into this book abbreviation list? Let’s go!
Jump to specific sections or explore the complete bookish acronyms list below.
A
Alpha Hero: A hero who takes charge, a natural leader, knows what he wants and pursues it relentlessly.
Alphahole: A combination of Alpha Hero + Asshole. He has all the characteristics of an Alpha but with toxic masculinity tendencies.
Alpharoll: A mix of Alpha Hero and Cinnamon Roll. He is an alpha in all ways, strong but also kind and soft-hearted.
ARC: Advance Reader Copies. Authors send early, unpublished copies (paperback or e-book) to bloggers and readers for honest reviews.
Autobuy/One-Click: An author you purchase without needing reviews because you trust their work and love their writing style.
B
Backlist: A list of previously published books by an author.
BBW: Big Beautiful Woman, referring to a curvy heroine lead in the book.
BDSM: A category in steamy romance books involving an erotic roleplay: Bondage and Discipline (B&D), Dominance and Submission (D&S), and Sadism & Masochism (S&M).
Beta Hero: A softer alternative to the Alpha Hero, more approachable and easy-going.
Beta Reader: A reader who reviews a book in its early stages (before ARCs) to identify plot inconsistencies, grammar issues, etc.
BIPoC: Black, Indigenous, People of Color, a term used to describe authors or diverse characters in romance novels.
Black Moment: The climax of the story where everything seems to go wrong.
Blurb: A short description of the book.
Bodice Ripper: Romance novels from the 70s/80s, often featuring Fabio covers and questionable consent.
Book Birthday: The release day of a book.
Book Boyfriend: A fictional hero you’d love to date, if he were a real person, your favorite male character.
Book Girlfriend: A fictional heroine you’d love to date.
Book Hangover: When you can’t start a new book because you’re still emotionally attached to the last one.
Book Slump: Also called a Reading Slump is when you’re not in the mood to read.
Bookstagram: The book community on Instagram. A combination of Book + Instagram. Follow me @forevershereads if you’re on Bookstagram!
B.R.A.D Book: A term coined by Beach Reads and Bubbly. It means the book is steamier: heavy on the romance and light on the plot.
BWWM: Black Woman, White Man, describing an interracial romance book.
C
Category / Series Romance: Shorter romance novels (around 50K words) typically published in a series.
Cinnamon Roll Hero: A hero or MMC who is sweet, gentle, and caring, unlike the traditional Alpha Hero.
Clean: A romance novel without explicit sex or foul language. (Note: The term can be controversial as it implies books with sex are “unclean.”)
Cliffhanger: A book ending with no conclusion, often leading into the next book in a series. Usually, cliffhangers happen in a series.
Closed Door Romance/Fade to Black: When sexual scenes in a romance novel happen off the page i.e. behind the closed doors, or fade to black, hinting at the scene without explicit details.
CNC: Consensual Non-Consent, a popular trope in spicy dark romance books where partners consent to roleplay a non-consensual scene.
CR: Contemporary Romance or Currently Reading.
CW: Content Warning, used by authors to alert readers about potentially offensive or disturbing content, such as violence or explicit language.
D
DDLG or DD/LG: Daddy Dom/Little Girl. A dynamic where the dominant partner takes on a “daddy” role, and the submissive partner plays a “little girl.”
DNF: Did Not Finish, when you decide not to finish a book.
DP: Double Penetration. When, while having sex, a character is penetrated twice simultaneously by one or more people.
Dub Con: Dubious Consent, where a character’s consent to have sex is vague or ambiguous.
F
FF: Female Female. A romance where both main characters are female.
FFM: It’s a female, female, male, where the females interact with one another (sexually) as well as with the guy who interacts with both, unlike FMF, where females do not interact with one another, and it’s all about the guy.
FMC: Female Main Character, the heroine of the book.
F/NB Romance: Female and Non Binary romance
FWB: Friends with Benefits. A casual relationship with physical intimacy but no emotional commitment.
H
H/h: H is the Hero and h is the heroine.
HEA: Happily Ever After. A satisfying, happy ending for the main characters.
Heat Level/Spice Level: The intensity of steam/sex scenes in the book.
HFN: Happy For Now ending, meaning the book will end on a mild cliffhanger. The characters are happy for now, but their story is far from over.
I
Indie Author: Independent/Self-Published Author
J
JP or J/P: Jealous / Possessive; typically an alpha male who is overly jealous and possessive over his love interest.
K
KU: Kindle Unlimited, Amazon’s subscription service for e-books.
How does kindle unlimited work? Click on the link for my complete guide!
L
LI: Love Interest, the romantic interest of the main character.
M
Mass Market (Paperback): Smaller in size and cheaper as compared to Trade paperbacks.
MC: Main Character.
MC Romance: Motorcycle Club Romance, a subgenre featuring biker gangs and romance.
MF: Male-female pair.
MFM or M/F/M: Male Female Male pairing. A ménage à trois where the female is the central figure and men do not cross swords.
MFMM: Same as MFM, only, there are three guys and one girl. Refer: Why Choose/Reverse Harem. Opposite to this is MMFM, where two males interact, the female interacts with everyone, and one guy is straight and all about the female.
MM or M/M: Male Male pairing. A gay romance/boy love. Also called MLM – Men loving Men.
MMC: Male Main Character. The hero (or the villain).
MMF or M/M/F: Male Male Female. A ménage à trois where a male is the central figure.
N
NA Romance: New Adult Romance, featuring characters between the ages of 17 to 24.
Nanowrimo: National Novel Writing Month. It happens in November and runs for a month.
Novella: A short book, typically 10K–40K words.
Non-Con: Non Consensual. The character has not given their consent for sex.
NSFW: Not safe for work. Content that’s inappropriate for public or professional settings.
O
OTP: One True Pairing. The main characters you believe are meant to be together.
OTT: Over the top. Especially used with J/P heroes, who are over the top with their possessiveness.
OWD: Other Woman Drama.
P
Pantser: An author who writes by the seat of their pants. No planning or plotting of the story.
Plotter: An author who writes a book with a firm plot planned in mind.
PNR: Paranormal Romance.
POD: Print on Demand. Books printed only when ordered, with no physical stock.
POV: Point of View. The perspective from which a story is told (e.g., first or third person).
PWF: Paranormal Women’s Fiction. A subgenre focusing on female protagonists, often without romance as the main plot.
R
RH: Reverse Harem Romance, where the heroine has multiple love interests. Also known as “Why Choose” romance.
Romance Tropes: Common plot devices used in romance novels.
Romancelandia: The Romance reader community.
RTC: Review to Come. When you’ve finished a book but haven’t written the review yet.
RWA: Romance Writers of America. A nonprofit organization supporting romance authors.
S
Self-Published: An author who independently publishes their work (Refer: Indie Author). They control the marketing, promotion, book cover, price, etc.
Single Title Romance: A standalone book, not part of a series.
Stepback: Refers to a decorative illustration on the back of a hardcover book, common in historical romances.
T
TBC: To be continued.
TBR: To be read. A list of books you plan to read.
Trade Paperback: A popular format of book, larger in size as compared to Mass Market Paperbacks. Less expensive than a hardcover.
Traditional Publishing: A book published by a publishing house. They acquire the rights to publish the author’s book and are responsible for the promotion and marketing of the book. Authors usually earn royalties from the sales.
TSTL: Too Stupid to Live. A character that makes all the wrong decisions.
TVP: Refers to Triple Vaginal Penetration (Whoops).
TW: Trigger Warning used to alert readers about content that may trigger a strong emotional response or cause someone to relive a traumatic experience. They are more specific than Content Warnings and will include the information on trauma mentioned in the book.
U
UF: Urban Fantasy Romance.
UST: Unresolved Sexual Tension.
W
Wallbanger: A book that frustrates you so much, you want to throw it against the wall.
WIP: Work in Progress. A book an author is currently writing.
WLW: Woman Loving Woman Romance. Similar to F/F.
Y
YA: Young Adult, typically featuring teen protagonists (12-18 years old).
Start using these romance book terms and acronyms in your reviews!
Did you find this glossary of book slangs and romance book lingo helpful? Have I missed any important book reader slang or romance novel abbreviations? Let me know on Bookstagram.
Have a happy time reviewing books!
Ready to explore more romance reads?
Now that you’re familiar with these romance novel terms and book acronyms, you might want to explore different romance subgenres to find your perfect match. From sweet contemporary to dark romance, there’s something for every reader!