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Welcome to The Restless Reader’s Acronyms Page, your essential guide to the shorthand and terminology commonly used in the literary world!
With this page, I aim to clarify those acronyms to make your reading experience easier and more enjoyable.
I hope it will help you navigate the vibrant and often quirky language shared by readers and writers alike.
Happy reading!
General Book Terms
- ARC: Advanced Reader Copy (a pre-publication copy of a book)
- BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (used to refer to diverse characters and authors in literature)
- BOTM: Book of the Month
- DNF: Did Not Finish (referring to a book that the reader didn’t complete)
- E-ARC: Electronic Advanced Reader Copy
- FAVE: Favorite
- FL: Fictional Love (referring to beloved characters or romantic pairings in books)
- FMC: Female Main Character (see Main Character below)
- FOOL: First On Our List (a book that’s high on a reader’s priority list)
- HUGE: (A way to express enthusiasm for a book – “I loved it HUGE!”)
- LOVED: Shortened version of “I loved this book”
- MC: Main Character (the primary character around whom the story revolves)
- MMC: Male Main Character (see Main Character above)
- MUST READ: highly recommended book
- POV: Point of View (first-person, third-person)
- RT: Reread (A book that a reader has read again)
- TBR: To Be Read (reader plans to read)
- TLC: Tender Loving Care (often used to describe a book that has an emotional or heartfelt quality)
- WL: Want to List (reader is interested in reading)
- WIP: Work In Progress (a term used by authors to describe a book that is currently being written)
Genre-Specific Acronyms
- BL: Boys’ Love (a genre that focuses on romantic relationships between male characters)
- FF: Fanfiction
- HEA: Happy Ever After (often used for romance novels)
- HFM: Happy for Now (often used for romance novels)
- MG: Middle Grade (classification for books aimed at readers aged roughly 8 to 12)
- NA: New Adult (a subgenre of young adult fiction)
- SFF: Science Fiction and Fantasy (A genre that includes both science fiction and fantasy elements)
- SL: Slow Burn (describes a romance that develops gradually over the course of the story)
- YA: Young Adult (fiction targeting teenagers)
Social Media Terms
- #Bookstagram: The Instagram community dedicated to books
- #BookTok: The TikTok community dedicated to books
- #BookReview: A hashtag used for book reviews
- #ReadWithMe: A hashtag used for book discussion and shared reading
- #Bookish: Anything related to books
I know this is a list of a few of the many acronyms used in the book review community. As you explore different blogs and online spaces, you’re likely to encounter more!
For a more exhaustive list, you can refer to Book Riot’s acronym list here
You may also want to visit the Rating System page for an understanding of how I rate books.
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