BookTok Has Got Your Next Great Read

If you’re seeking vibe-specific book recommendations, #BookTok, the reader-friendly hashtag on TikTok, may be the place to scroll. It’s where a glee-club-like chorus of readers enthusiastically talk up their favourite books. And because it’s TikTok—and not, say, the New York Review of Books—expect some dancing, lip-synching and even cake-decorating with your lit-chat, too. The hashtag gathered steam in 2020 as pandemic-bored teen readers began posting about tear-jerking YA faves. Now it rivals Oprah’s Book Club for its ability to sell books in every genre. “Zoe Whittall saw a wonderful boost after Indigo chose The Spectacular as one of its BookTok Book Club picks,” says Marisol Fokes, marketing coordinator at HarperCollins Canada. But perhaps the quintessential BookTok recommendation is anything by American author Colleen Hoover. Her 2016 romantic thriller, It Ends With Us, has spent more than a year on The New York Times Best Sellers list (alongside, as of this writing, five other of her books), thanks to BookTok buzz.

BookTok has also been a factor in increased books sales overall. Indigo saw a revenue uptick in 2021, in part due to BookTok. As a result, publishers have cultivated relationships with popular accounts and started their own, too. BookTok isn’t essential scrolling, but it could be a shortcut to finding a new book you love. (Also search #BlackBookTok, which aims to combat BookTok’s propensity to skew white.)

Here are three accounts to start your BookTok journey.

@morgannbook i NEED someone to talk to about this book.. #verity #colleenhoover #booktok #bookrec #braindump #romancebooks #na #bookclub #reading #tbr ♬ original sound - .

@morgannbook

Alongside her reviews, this bubbly Canadian teen often recreates book covers on cake. (Her frosting skills are superb—she also works at Dairy Queen.) Recent rave: Verity by Colleen Hoover

@aymansbooks #stitch with @aymansbooks august is gonna be my month i can feel it #monthlyreadingwrapup ♬ original sound - Ayman

@aymansbooks

College student Ayman is a romance aficionado—the steamier, the better—who will go to the mat for her faves (like Emily Henry’s Beach Read). Recent rave: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

@bookmarkedbytab Is there an author that you’ve read all of their books?! #elizabethacevedo #clapwhenyouland #autobuyauthors #booktokreads #booktokquestionoftheday ♬ original sound - Tabitha

@bookmarkedbytab

A reader of everything from literary fiction to thrillers to fantasy to romance, Tabitha is a bonafide bookworm who gives thoughtful reviews and is intent on amplifying diverse stories and authors. Recent rave: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo