Hi friends! Happy Friday! I figured it’d be fun to talk about some books I picked up because of booktok, and what my thoughts were on them today. It’s truly incredible to see the influence that booktok has on the book community. Whenever I walk into a bookstore, I almost always see a “Popular on Booktok” table, and it’s always fascinating to see what’s on there — and also how a lot of those tables seem to lack diverse recommendations. Whether that’s a fault of Booktok itself, publishing, peoples For You Pages, or a combination of all three, it’s definitely fascinating. Still, Booktok has often added new books to my radar, and encouraged me to read things that I might not have picked up before. This post is mostly me being a hater, but there are some books I genuinely enjoyed here — as well as some books I added to my TBR because of Booktok.
Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
I actually purchased Alone with You in the Ether shortly after I finished (and loved) The Atlas Six because I wanted to give Olivie Blake’s other books a try, but I had left it sitting on my TBR cart up until I saw it on Booktok and was reminded that I actually own it — and should read it. I absolutely loved it, even more than I did The Atlas Six, and you can see some of my annotations of it here!
Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter
This was a sweet YA rom com that I listened to on audiobook. While utterly adorable, it felt like everything else I’ve read before. The main character also felt a little bit too much “not like other girls” for my taste, but I did ultimately enjoy this!
Everything I Know about Love by Dolly Alderton
I read this in a month where I read four memoirs (which is quite a lot for me), and was shocked at how much I connected with it. I got it for free via Prime Reading (which is separate from Kindle Unlimited), and devoured it in a few days. Dolly Alderton’s writing felt like reading emails from a big sister who lives in a different city. It reminded me of when I was younger and would read about all these much cooler adults in Seventeen magazine, frantically trying to remember all of their tips and tricks for when I would be that person. As someone in their 20s, I loved this. Someone on Goodreads said to read this for entertainment, not advice, and I agree wholeheartedly. Everything I Know about Love is a love letter to friendships, and left me switching between sobbing my eyes out, and laughing hysterically.
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
I picked this up from a TikTok video, and I can’t remember the contents; just that it talked about a boy having a recommendations shelf at his mom’s bookstore, and all the books there being her favorite books. Between that and the gorgeous pink cover, I knew I had to pick this one up. Funny You Should Ask was fine; I think everyone does it a misservice by comparing it to Emily Henry (no one writes like Emily Henry). What threw me off was when I eventually dug up the interview it’s based off of, and realized it is almost exactly the same. I also found the characters to be boring and not compelling, nor did I see a lot of chemistry between the two.
Kissing the Coronavirus by M.J. Edwards
I actually picked this up before I ever downloaded TikTok, but a friend had sent a TikTok about it into a group chat of ours, and I was too curious not to read it. You know what they say, curiosity kills the cat! I’m still very intrigued by who M.J. Edwards could be, and their 19 ferrets, but it’s safe to say that I won’t be reading any more of their work after finishing the Kissing the Coronavirus books.
Lightlark by Alex Aster
Like everyone else, I was fascinated by the premise of this book. I read it really quickly, and all in one sitting, and had a pretty good time while reading it. Once I finished the book though, I realized I had no proper understanding of worldbuilding, nor did I remember anything about the characters, or the plot. I also didn’t find myself particularly rooting for any of the characters, but I am a little intrigued for the sequel, so I’ll still pick that up.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Technically, I picked up Normal People because of my dear friend Dina, but seeing as how I only picked it up because she kept sending me TikToks of the book and the show, I’m counting it here! I absolutely adore Normal People, which isn’t a surprise, since I tend to love most, if not, all things Dina does. I’m currently re-annotating it, and having the best time. Normal People has converted me into a Sally Rooney girlie, and truly has altered my brain chemistry.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
This was my first Donna Tartt book, and safe to say, it’ll be my last. I was originally really excited for The Goldfinch, given that everyone hails Donna Tartt as the queen of Dark Academia, but was quickly disappointed. Perhaps I would’ve enjoyed it more without the racism, but it’s hard to tell. Every character of color was written in a stereotypical manner, and to only serve Theo’s journey. There was also no reason for The Goldfinch to use the N word repeatedly, or the R slur. I’m genuinely shocked at how often I see The Goldfinch recommended, despite all of this.
The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy by Jenny Han
This one is partially influenced by BookTok and partially because of the TV show — and my friend Mansi, but I ultimately only picked it up because I kept seeing it all over my for you page. I didn’t love the trilogy, but the audiobooks being narrated by the television cast made it absolutely incredible. I would definitely hesitate to recommend this series — and I am of the belief that the show is much better — but if you do decide to pick up the books, please consider the audiobooks!
Books on my TBR because of BookTok:
I think the thing is, is that a lot of the books that were showing up on my FYP — and books that I’d picked up — were before the TikTok algorithm realized what I do like in my books. Here are some books that I’m really excited about:
- Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
- Conversations on Love: with Philippa Perry, Dolly Alderton, Roxane Gay, Stephen Grosz, Esther Perel, and many more by Natasha Lunn
- Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao
- Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
- How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow
- My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
- S. by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
- Writers and Lovers by Lily King
Have you read any of these books yet? What were your thoughts?
