Who says literature is dead? Thanks to TikTok, Gen Zs are discovering exciting new reads through the viral #BookTok hashtag. Over the years, what started as a niche corner of the social platform has grown into a thriving community of readers with real credibility.
Take a look at some #BookTok recommendations:
It Ends With Us
Written by Colleen Hoover
The viral sensation is a legitimate blockbuster, with a movie adaptation starring Blake Lively currently underway. A match made in heaven for adult romance fans, the book revolves around the love triangle between Lily, her mysterious neurosurgeon dreamboat Ryle Kincaid, and old flame Atlas Corrigan, who upends Lily’s carefully constructed life with his return.
She Who Became The Sun
Written by Shelley Parker Chan
This one’s for all the historical fiction junkies clamoring for a feminist slant to the genre. The book reimagines Chinese mythology about the rise of Zhu Yuanzhang. As a child, Zhu received a premonition that her future would amount to nothing while greatness awaits her brother. In a twist of fate, Zhu ends up having to inhabit her brother’s identity to reclaim his abandoned greatness.
The Atlas Six
Written by Olivia Blake
BookTok loves dark academia, and The Atlas Six is a perfect representation of it. The Alexandrian Society is an ultra exclusive society of magicians which grants its members lifelong privilege. Each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation. Through a series of challenges, one will be eliminated and five shall remain.
The House in the Cerulean Sea
Written by TJ Klune.
If a laid back fantasy is more your thing, then this book is it. 40-year-old Linus Baker lives contentedly with his cat and records collection. Then one day, the Department in Charge of Magical Youth where he works tasks him with fetching six dangerous young orphans. Even worse, one of them could be the Antichrist itself. Despite the logline, this is actually a charming tale about finding family in the unlikeliest place.
Fourth Wing
Written by Rebecca Yarros
Dark academia, with dragons – what could be better than that?
At the Basgiath War College, the brightest youngsters compete to become the fiercest dragon rider in the land, called Navarre. Timid little Violet, daughter of a great general, has no choice but follow in her mother’s footsteps. As she tries to endure the harsh environment at Basgiath, Violet uncovers dark secrets that will determine her survival.
A Court of Thorn and Roses
Written by Sarah J. Maas
If you’re into dark fantasy with a great dose of enemies-to-lovers romance, nothing compares to Sarah J. Maas’ BookTok darling, the first in a trilogy. After killing a faerie in an act of defense, Feyre must journey into the faerie realm of Prythian to pay for her crime. But life as a captive of The High Lord of Spring Court is nothing like she imagined. Soon, her fate is entangled with two best friends, Tamlin and Lucien. Among the dangerously alluring faeries, Feyre must learn to survive on her own accord.
Normal People
Written by Sally Rooney
With its introspective coming of age story and poetic prose, Normal People is an enduring favorite in the BookTok community. The journey that Connell and Marianne go through, from their high school days in an Irish small town to their Trinity College days, resonate with everyone going through their early twenties. Already such a beloved modern classic in literary form, it gained even more prominence when it was turned into a Hulu series starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal.
The Housemaid
Written by Freida McFadden
The suspenseful psychological thriller tells the story of a recent parolee who finds work as a housemaid for a glamorous wealthy couple. But she soon finds out that not everything is pristine with the family. Dark, twisty, and full of treachery, this is an absolute page turner in the veins of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.
The Inheritance Games
Written by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Fancy an Agatha Christie-esque crime solving story with some cool twist? This is the book! Avery Grambs’ life turns upside down when she inherits a large fortune from the elusive Tobias Hawthorne. To claim her inheritance, she must move into Hawthorne House, the family’s mansion that the late Tobias had filled with his beloved riddles and puzzles. There, Avery comes face to face with Tobias’ four grandsons – one of whom could’ve been the Hawthorne patriarch’s killer.
Daisy Jones and the Six
Written by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Historical fiction and music biopic(esque) lovers will find much to love with this book. Like her acclaimed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn, Reid brought her vivid narration into yet another bygone celebrity era. This time, she zooms in on the heydays of a 1970’s rock band inspired by Fleetwood Mac. Heady, intense, and drenched in rock n’ roll zest, the novel has been adapted into an acclaimed Amazon Prime series.
