Since 2020, TikTok has become one of the top social media pages in the world, with 1 BILLION active monthly users. If that doesn’t blow your mind, then you bet what I am about to write will. The book community on TikTok is one of the largest the app has, with 65.8 billion views using the #BookTok tag. Sixty. Five. Point. Eight. BILLION… Needless to say, if you are on TikTok, you have probably stumbled upon BookTok by now.
For those of you who are new to BookTok, BookTok is a niche side of TikTok where readers recommend books, theorize about series, picture celebrity castings for their favorite characters, and discuss what is fun and new in the book world. It is a possibly endless stream of book content that ranges from casual conversation to elaborate re-enactments and digital renderings.
My favorite thing about BookTok is the book recommendations. I get about 90% of all my book recommendations from TikTok. From personal development to fairy fantasy, TikTok is a great place to find your next read. In just 2023 alone, I had added 24 books to my TBR (To Be Read) list. If you are currently looking for some good book recommendations, here are 10 of BookTok’s most popular recommendations of 2023:
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- If you have not heard of this book by now, you are most definitely not on BookTok and are missing out! I am currently reading this book, I am only a chapter in and I already know I am going to love it. Fourth Wing is about a world in which war is on the horizon and they are finding it increasingly difficult to match dragons to their riders. Violet originally wanted to be a scribe, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
- Book Lovers by Emily Henry
- Here is a literary romance where two rival authors find themselves on the same summer vacation and challenge each other to write in the opposite style than they are used to. This romance should be nice and cozy for book lovers.
- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- If you love mystery and solving puzzles, you will love this book. Avery finds herself inheriting the life’s fortune of a billionaire out of nowhere. The family is not happy about it but in order to receive the inheritance she has to follow the billionaire’s rules. The more she learns about the family the more she finds – including hidden passageways and coded messages. A fantastic read.
- BONUS! The author just released a fourth book to the series, so it is a great time to get caught up!
- Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
- This book follows a timeline of two game builders/designers as they navigate life, falling in and out of touch and dealing with complicated emotions regarding themselves and those around them. I haven’t read this book but it has been on my explore page and recommended to me too many times to count.
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- One of Grethe’s favorite reads! This book follows, as you imagine, Evelyn Hugo as she is finally ready to tell her life story to a young writer. Evelyn Hugo’s chosen journalist writes about Hugo’s Hollywood romance stories full of shocking twists and forbidden romance.
- A Court of Thornes and Roses by Sarah J. Mass
- Honestly, BookTok LOVES everything by Sarah J. Maas. Do not be surprised if you start this book and find yourself reading her books for the next 6 months. This series is INCREDIBLE. I will be honest and say that I was reluctant to read this. I usually steer clear from the most popular books when they are at their peak and wait for them to die down before delving in. I was ultimately convinced by several friends to read it and I am so glad I did. I think this series is better when you enter into it blindly. Just know that this series is romance, fae, fantasy, found family, and much more!
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
- As you can tell from the title, this famous actress that you probably recognize from your screen did not have an easy relationship with her mother or an easy life in general. Jennette McCurdy tells her story growing up as a child actor and the difficulties that she faced in doing so. This is high on my TBR! I heard that she narrates the book on Audible, so if you are into audiobooks, definitely check this one out.
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
- I have no idea what this book is about… I have seen the cover everywhere and it has a Goodreads score of 4.34/5 with almost 500,000 ratings, so I am sure it is good! Comment if you read this book and what you thought about it!
- Twisted Love by Ana Huang
- This book enters the spicy 🌶️ romance category. This is the first book in a 4 book series. Apparently if you like the “fall in love with your best friend’s brother” trope, you will love this.
- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
- This book is a Greek mythology adaptation. It follows the point of view of Patroclus, a friend and companion of the famous warrior Achilles, through a retelling of Homer’s ‘Iliad’. It is said to pull on your heart strings which directly translates to: you will cry like a baby. Which, I don’t know about you, but I LOVE that in a book.
Now you have a good working list to go off of as you plug into BookTok.
If you want to plug in deeper, here are some TikTok accounts I recommend you follow:
- @Saracarrolli
- @Edenvictoriria
- @Heaths.bookclub
- @Des.sidster
- @Laurensreadingcorner
Happy reading!
Skylar