The Savage Crew · 2021
Start a FireSpice level, tropes & is it dark romance?
by Julia Wolf
Spice 2/5 (Warm) · Darkness 4/5 (Pitch) · 3 trigger warnings flagged
Start a Fire is book 1 of The Savage Crew by Julia Wolf. It came out in 2021. Expect bully and enemies to lovers. Spice is mostly fade-to-black with some heat (2 of 5) and the darkness is pitch dark (4 of 5). We could not find the author's own warning list yet, so check it before you start. This note is ours. It is not a publisher blurb.
First published: 2 March 2021 (first publication, per Goodreads). Book 1 of The Savage Crew.
Start a Fire tropes
On this shelf, Start a Fire is filed under Bully romance and Enemies to lovers. Each tag opens more books with that trope.
Start a Fire spice level
Is Start a Fire dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Start a Fire scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch).
Spice and darkness are separate scores. More pitch books. How we rate.
Start a Fire trigger warnings
Warnings not yet verified. We could not find the author's own content warning list for this book, so the flags here are only what the publisher's description makes clear. Check the author's note before you start.
Graphic (0) — open before you read
Open this before you read. These are the flags most likely to be a hard stop.
None flagged in this band.
Minor (0)
Present, and usually not the reason someone puts the book down.
None flagged in this band.
Full Start a Fire trigger warnings
The Savage Crew reading order
Start a Fire is book 1 of 1 in Julia Wolf's The Savage Crew series. Start here.
- Book 1 Start a Fire (this book) · 2021
Order checked against the Goodreads The Savage Crew series page on 13 October 2026.
Who it's for
Shelf note written for this site. We do not copy reviews or publisher blurbs. Outbound links are search pages, not quoted ratings. Kindle Unlimited and endings are only flagged when we were willing to mark them. How we rate.
Missing a book? Suggest it.
Books like Start a Fire
Matched on shared tropes, then the closest spice and darkness scores. Other books in the same series are listed above, not here.
- Bullied
Bullied
Vera Micic
Spice ●●○○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Bully romance, Enemies to lovers
- Never His Girl
Never His Girl
Rachel Jonas
Spice ●●○○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Bully romance, Enemies to lovers
- Outcast
Outcast
Sofia Daniel
Spice ●●○○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Bully romance, Enemies to lovers
- The Help
The Help
Callie Rose
Spice ●●○○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Bully romance, Enemies to lovers
- Shunned
Shunned
Steffanie Holmes
Spice ●●○○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Bully romance, Enemies to lovers
- Forever Golden
Forever Golden
Rachel Jonas
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Bully romance, Enemies to lovers
- The End
The End
Ruby Vincent
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Bully romance, Enemies to lovers
- Beautiful Carnage
Beautiful Carnage
Caroline Peckham
Spice ●●●○○Dark ●●●●○
Shared: Bully romance, Enemies to lovers
Books like Start a Fire, with a reason for each
Questions readers actually ask
What is the spice level of Start a Fire?
Start a Fire spice level is 2 of 5 (Warm). Heat you can feel. Little detail. Darkness is a separate score: 4 of 5 (Pitch).
What are the Start a Fire trigger warnings?
Graphic: none flagged. Moderate: Murder, Violence, Bullying. Minor: none flagged. Warnings not yet verified against the author's own list. Check it before you start.
Is Start a Fire dark romance?
Yes, firmly. Start a Fire scores 4 of 5 on our darkness scale (Pitch). Bleak on purpose. Comfort is not the job.
What tropes are in Start a Fire?
On this shelf Start a Fire is filed under Bully romance and Enemies to lovers.
Who is Start a Fire for?
For a reader who wants cruel rivals who turn into something else. Spice is warm. Darkness is pitch. Warnings are not yet verified, so check the author's note first.
What are some books like Start a Fire?
Matched on shared tropes and similar spice and darkness: Bullied by Vera Micic; Never His Girl by Rachel Jonas; Outcast by Sofia Daniel; The Help by Callie Rose; Shunned by Steffanie Holmes; Forever Golden by Rachel Jonas. More read-alikes, each with a reason, are on zademasked.com/like/start-a-fire.
Is Start a Fire a standalone?
No. Start a Fire is book 1 of 1 in the The Savage Crew series by Julia Wolf.
What order should I read the The Savage Crew series in?
1. Start a Fire.
How many books are in the The Savage Crew series?
The The Savage Crew series by Julia Wolf has 1 main book.
What is the Start a Fire age rating?
We'd say 18+. Spice sits at 2/5 (warm) and darkness at 4/5 (pitch). That's our recommendation, not an official rating, so read the trigger warnings as well.
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