If you’re a self-proclaimed bookworm, chances are your fingers have already orchestrated a ballet of taps and swipes to the enchanting world of #BookTok (you probably even have it somewhere neatly nestled on your home screen right now).
But if you haven’t had a chance to scroll through BookTok this year (2023 has been a rollercoaster), or you just stepped into the wondrous world of books and need a friendly nudge in the right direction, here’s a list of 20 brilliantly written books currently holding #BookTok in a vice grip.
From heart-fluttering royal romances to spine-tingling, can’t-put-down thrillers, these books will be your golden ticket to bookish ecstasy in the few remaining weeks of 2023!
Fourth Wing By Rebecca Yarros
To say #BookTok is obsessed with this novel would be an understatement. Every TikTok girlie and her posse have been posting selfies with this book, and for good reason – it’s everything you’ve ever wanted in a book since the Harry Potter series.
20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to assimilate into the Scribe Quadrant life – living a quiet life among books and history (think Ravenclaw) – but after her mom intercedes, she’s forced to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of dragon riders (think Gryffindor).
Unlike Hogwarts, though, Basgiath War College is cutthroat – everyone has an agenda – and the only way out is to either graduate or die!
@kierralewis75 #fourthwing #booktok #fantasybooktok ♬ original sound – Kierra Lewis
If He Had Been With Me By Laura Nowlin
If you’ve been struggling to put down any Colleen Hoover book, you need to get this achingly, authentic, and life-altering read by Laura Nowlin.
The novel follows two young unrequited lovers, Autumn and Finn, who part ways and completely drift from each other only to be brought back together by questions of ‘what if.’
PSA: In true #BookTok, prepare to be completely destroyed and devastated by this read.
@laceylikesbooks If he had been with me book review #booktok #bookreview #bookreviews #bookreviewer #contemporaryromancebooks #ifhehadbeenwithme #ifhehadbeenwithmebook #bookstoread #booksthatmademecry #secondchanceromance #booktoker #laceylikesbooks #Inverted ♬ Get You The Moon – Kina
Happy Place By Emily Henry
If you want to enjoy summer vibes forever, get a copy of this #BookTok-beloved book.
The novel follows a seemingly perfect couple who break up, decide to hide their new relationship status from their BFFs, and are forced to share a room on their annual weeklong trip to Maine.
Will being close together change things up, or will it tear them apart further? Only #BookTok and Emily Henry know the answer to that.
@tiffieslibrary MY FAVOURITE BOOK TO EVER EXIST!! #booktok #books #bookish #bookworm #bookrecommendation #emilyhenry #happyplace #reader #fyp #foryou #foryoupage ♬ original sound – lilly (taylor’s version)???
YellowFace By R.F Kuang
With its completely immersive first-person voice, this compelling, cynical, and thought-provoking read by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel grapples with questions of racism, plagiarism, diversity, cultural appropriation, and the chilling alienation of social media.
It’s the perfect pick for any aspiring author out there!
@whatupsisi I devoured this book!! We need to talk about this more!!!! #yellowfacerfkuang #booktok #booksuggestions #bookreview #aapiauthors ♬ original sound – ⭐️Sierra⭐️
The Five-Star Weekend By Elin Hilderbrand
If fall vibes are kicking your butt and you want to transport yourself back to the cool, crisp Sauvignon Blanc sips by the beach kind of vibes, then you should get yourself this read by Elin Hilderbrand.
Like 28 Summers, The Five-Star Weekend is a surprising, immersive, and captivating read about friendship, love, and self-discovery. And the way Elin creates the sense of a beach town with great food, you’ll not want to put it down anytime soon.
@bradylockerby One of the best books I’ve read in awhile!! you guys i cant take my face with the inverted filter ??? its criminal #elinhilderbrand #thefivestarweekend #booktok #bookworm #bookish #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #summerreading #summerreads #beachreads ♬ original sound – lola⭐️?
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry By Joya Goffney
Quinn has always been an enthusiastic list maker, from the days she ugly-cried while jotting down ‘Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud’ to her catalog of all the boys she’s wanted to kiss. Her lists keep her sane, and by writing her fears down, she never has to face them—until her journal goes missing…
If you’re a fan of heartfelt, tortured, contemporary YA romance, this book will have you in a chokehold. It’s filled with incredibly thrilling, juicy secrets and leap-off-the-page sexual tension that’ll have you reaching for it whenever you get the chance.
@lovefromlili_ Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry >>>>> 5/5! #booktok #blackbooktok #romancebooks ♬ original sound – LovefromLili
The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo By Taylor Jenkins Reid
If you ask us, every single person on this planet needs to read this book by Taylor sometime in their life!
The novel brings you into the life of actress Evelyn Hugo, who’s finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous Hollywood life. But when she picks unknown journalist Monique Grant to tell it, no one is more shocked than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
@st.valentart #booktok #blackbooktok #sevenhusbandsofevelynhugo ♬ original sound – Musings of a Crouton
Such A Fun Age By Kiley Reid
Someone on #BookTok described this read as the best and most thought-provoking page-turner of the year, and we wholeheartedly agree.
The striking and surprising debut novel from the so-talented Kiley Reid is set around Alex and Emira, a wealthy GirlBoss and her babysitter, a young Black woman who finds herself in a precarious position after she’s accused of kidnapping the white child she cares for.
It touches on race, privilege, and transactional relationships in the most brilliant way, making it impossible to put down!
@colormeburgendi Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid is so good! #suchafunage #book #booktok #bookish #bookrecommendations ♬ original sound – Burgendi Hardy
The Housemaid By Freida McFadden
The Housemaid recently went viral on BookTok and is the perfect read for anyone who can’t get enough of The Girl On The Train.
The novel follows Millie, a homeless parolee desperately seeking employment, who finds herself working as a housemaid at the Winchesters. However, twisted secrets and lies ensnare her in an inescapable chokehold.
Freida delivers an unbelievably suspenseful and twist-filled story that’ll keep you guessing and at the edge of your seat right up to the very end.
@kierralewis75 #thehousemaid #booktok #thrillerbooks ♬ original sound – Kierra Lewis
Verity By Colleen Hoover
Colleen Hoover has been killing it in the industry, and for good reason. She is a literary goddess. Verity, for instance, has had #BookTok running wild, wanting Colleen to explain herself because ??@@!!**?
In it, we meet a down-on-her-luck writer, Lowen Ashleigh, who’s presented with the opportunity to save her career by finishing the novels of Verity Crawford, an injured bestselling author.
While knee-deep in research, Lowen discovers an unfinished autobiography that reveals a dark family secret that could destroy Verity’s husband and a man Lowen finds herself undeniably drawn to.
It’s the perfect balance between mystery, romance, and psychological thriller.
@kierralewis75 SELL IT TO SOMEONE ELSE VERITY!!! #bookreview #veritycolleenhoover #colleenhooverbooks #booktok #suspensebooks ♬ original sound – Kierra Lewis
It Happened One Summer By Tessa Bailey
You can’t be on #BookTok and not have also stumbled on Tessa Bailey’s page. She’s a literary genius who also doubles as an avid TikToker who loves making viral, hilarious videos about her life as a romance writer.
So, it’s not surprising that #BookTok is wholeheartedly hooked to her books, especially It Happened One Summer and its sequel Hook, Line and Sinker!
@kierralewis75 #ithappenedonesummer #spicybooktok #booktok #tessabailey #tessabaileybooks ♬ original sound – Kierra Lewis
Haunting Adeline By H.D Carlton
#BookTok was on point when they described this read as deliciously wrong because it’ll have you questioning your morals in the spiciest way possible.
Smut addicts who can’t get enough of anything with major trigger warnings will devour Carlton’s paranormal romance, dream up Zade Meadows, Adeline’s obsessive stalker who’s also a vigilante who saves rape survivors from human traffickers, and obsessively keep this pick on their dark romance rotation.
@kierralewis75 #darkromance #hauntingadeline ♬ original sound – Kierra Lewis
