Reading can be one of the most enjoyable activities when it’s the right book. BookTok is a hashtag on TikTok that recommends books, but here’s a breakdown on them because some of these aren’t even worth reading.
The Unhoneymooners is currently a fan favorite. This book follows Olive and Ethan whose siblings got married, but got food poisoning at the wedding. Olive and Ethan didn’t eat any of the food, so they were fine. Since the newlyweds couldn’t make it to their honeymoon, they offered it to their siblings. There’s only one problem though, they’re sworn enemies. This book explores the fake dating and enemies to lovers trope, which can never go wrong.
Colleen Hoover is currently one of the most popular authors. Her book It Ends With Us does not do it for most though. Many people thought it was going to be one of the best books they’ve ever read considering how much hype it gets, but many were left disappointed. It’s about a girl named Lily who’s starting a new life after finishing college. She falls for a guy named Ryle, but her first love Atlas comes along, and makes things difficult. It’s hard to go wrong with a love triangle, but this book is not worth it.
They Both Die at the End is one of the most popular booktok books, but it actually isn’t that good. The book is about two boys Mateo and Rufus who find out they both only have one day to live. There’s a company called Death-Cast that is able to predict people’s deaths, and both boys receive a call from it. They both download an app called Last Friend, which finds you someone who’s also dying. The boys find each other there and decide to spend their last day together. This book has too much going on and it’s hard to become engaged in. Many wouldn’t recommend spending your time on it.
Red White and Royal Blue is such an amazing and lgbtq+ inclusive book. This is a love story between Alex Claremont Diaz, the son of the President of the United States, and Prince Henry, who is fourth in line for the British throne. Alex has to attend a royal wedding and during it, the boys get in a fight that causes a cake to fall on both of them. In order to keep a good image they have to hang out more as a way of showing the incident was accidental. They fall in love along the way. This book is very heartwarming,emotional, and interesting in that the President is a woman. The Prime Video movie adaptation is amazing as well.
Enemies-to -Lovers is a popular book trope, but its use in The Hating Game was only okay. When two rival publishing companies have to merge together, Lucy and Josh are forced to share office space. It is universally agreed by readers that the main character Lucy is one of the most insufferable main characters they’ve read about. All she talks about is how short she is. The idea of their romance story seems good, but the way the author goes about it in a rushed way makes it unenjoyable. The movie adaptation released in 2021, is so much better. It’s recommended to just watch the movie instead of reading the book.
There’s a twist at the end which is written very well. This is a book you can’t put down.
Daisy Jones and the Six is another fan favorite. Set in the 1970s, it tells the story of a band’s formation until their last show. The book is told through an interview based style, while we hear from all the band members and other supporting characters. The two main characters are Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne. There’s high tension between them throughout the book as Billy struggles with loving Daisy, but already having a wife Camila. We get to see the troubles of being in a rock and roll band, struggling with addiction, and having anger issues.
There is so much more to this book than what meets the eye. Even though Daisy and Billy are the main characters, the rest of the band have their own stories that shape the structure of this book. Prime Video has a show adaptation to the book, but it leaves out so much. It’s recommended to read the book before watching the show.
The Silent Patient is a book you have to read at least once in your life. The book is about Alicia Berenson, a famous painter, who murdered her husband a few years ago and completely stopped talking. A psychotherapist named Theo Faber becomes determined to get Alicia to talk and solve the mystery of why she killed her husband. The only clue he has is a painting made by her. This book is incredibly good. There’s a twist at the end which is written very well. This is a book you can’t put down.
It’s really hard to like People We Meet on Vacation. This book follows Poppy, a wild child, and Alex, a homebody. They were best friends who would always take a week long vacation together in the summer. One trip was a disaster and they didn’t talk to each other for two years. Poppy somehow convinces Alex to go on one more vacation together.
This book follows their vacation and how Poppy tries to fix everything, while they’re falling in love on the journey. This book isn’t written in the best way. There’s way too many time jumps that make it hard to keep up, and overall the imagery isn’t good. The complete opposite trope is overused, but the book isn’t the worst.
Not every book on BookTok is worth it, but they’re are so many amazing books on the hashtag that need to be explored. BookTok has created a safe space community for book lovers, and there’s never ending books to discover!
