This year I have decided to go on a BookTok journey. I am reading as many Booktok (TikTok) popular books as I can and I will be sharing whether or not I find them worth the “hype” and rating them as I go. I will most likely be continuing this as a series of blogs so we will call this one Part One of my Tiktok (Booktok) journey.
Honestly, I am a bit nervous seeing as how Booktok seems to be undeniably obsessed with smut. I like a good steamy read as much as the next reader, but some of this smut is just off the walls. (I’m looking at you Credence…Like, what?!??!)
Anyway, Here is part one of my personal thoughts on 15 of Booktok’s most popular books.
BookTok Popular Books: Which books are worth the hype?
THE SONG OF ACHILLES
Do I understand the hype?? YES!!!
This is a beautiful and heart breaking story of the love shared between Achilles and Patroclus. I was already a die hard Greek Mythology fan but this book went above and beyond my expectations. I knew where this story was going, where it would end, and who would (and would not) be left behind, and still I found myself hoping the story would change!
Curse you Madeline Miller for evoking these feelings and staining my love of the Trojans! This book was beautiful, and I would honestly recommend it to anyone!
RED WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE
Do I understand the hype?? YES!!!
I understand and accept the hype around this book. Pretty sure that anyone who loves Rom coms will love this book because it’s fresh, fun and the character development and dialogue is perfect! I listened to this one on audio actually, and I really liked the narrator and felt like he portrayed both Henry and Alex well.
The basic premise of the book is about the First Son of the United States and the Prince of England falling in love. It’s obviously adorable and I say worth the hype and you should probably read it immediately.
THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LA RUE
Do I understand the hype?? Maybe
I loved the concept of this book, and overall I think the execution was really well done, but I never fell in love with it. It is basically about a young woman who is cursed to live life forever, but to never be remembered, and her relationship with the man/creature/god who cursed her.
I expected to fall head over heels for Luc, the dark mysterious character, but I never did, and was quite disappointed by that fact. The pacing felt slow at times and I was only emotionally invested for about 1/2 the book. Overall, I found myself reaching to love it and never really getting there.
However, I can see how people could fall in love with this book too. I think this is one that is worth it to read just in case you might love it!
WE WERE LIARS
Do I understand the hype?? YES!!!!
I actually really enjoyed this book! It’s been a while since I felt the need to finish a book in one sitting because I HAD to know how it ended. The characters were out of my reach, as they all come from a very wealthy family, but I still connected to them and the story.
The book is told from the voice of Cadence, who is suffering from headaches and has holes in her memory following a tragedy one summer. The family is told to let her piece the tragedy together in her own time, so the reader finds out what happens as she remembers. There are some interesting twists and it is very bingeable.
A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES
Do I understand the hype?? YES!!!
Listen, I feel like if I admit that I love this book I am basically waving a flag to announce that I am basic but…I guess I am basic. I am a huge sucker for Beauty and the Beast retellings and I don’t care what anyone says, I love me some Rhysand.
I am all about his mysterious snarky attitude! Plus, Sarah makes fairies enticingly sexy. If you have managed to get to 2022 without reading ACOTAR yet then I say, give it a shot. What do you have to lose?
PUNK 57
Do I understand the hype?? No, not really
The premise of Punk 57 is about two kids who were paired as pen pals in school, and then eventually meet in real life. When they meet in real life Ryen is nothing like Misha thought she would be, and he is unimpressed. However, Ryen doesn’t know it’s him and he decides to have a little fun…
This is another problematic book where the guy exhibits some seriously messed up behaviors and the girl mistakes it for being sexy. There were a couple of scenes that just absolutely did not vibe with me, and therefore took me out of the sexy atmosphere the book is trying to uphold. But, there are some pretty steamy scenes with an edgy loner alpha male and that is something I can understand being attracted to.
However, it was slightly uncomfortable to think of these characters as being in high school. As someone who has not been in high school for a few (or more) years, I felt a bit icky fantasizing about a male character having SUPER INTENSE sexy time….and him being a teenager. I get that this is marketed for New Adult, but the new adult target demographic is typically 19-30…maybe I am just being an old fart but I was uncomfortable.
Also, this is NOT how I acted in high school. Is this normal for how people acted in high school? The characters acted much older than high school age in my opinion. I am harping on the age factor here but I feel that it was pretty important to the story…
Also, after reading this book I was told that it fits into the “Bully Romance” genre. I now know this is not something I find sexy to read about, but if you like bully romances then this might be for you.
VERITY
Do I understand the hype? 100% Yessssss!
Essentially, this is a thriller following an author (Lowell) who has been commissioned to complete a series of popular books after the original author (Verity) suffers a car accident. Lowell is invited to stay at Verity’s house to begin researching for the book series and while gathering information she stumbles across Verity’s autobiography. She is shocked with what she finds inside…
My mind is completely blown! I heard everyone talking about how twisty this plot was and the intense ending but I didn’t fully believe them. I believe now, and I am very excited to continue my Colleen Hoover journey if this book is any indication of her other books. I loved how unique this thriller was and that I desperately needed to know what would happen next.
I would caution parents reading this book simply because a lot of the material is disturbing to read, so please check the content warnings before reading!
SHADOW AND BONE
Do I understand the hype?? Yeah
I know that a large majority of people prefer the Six of Crows duology to the Shadow and Bone series but I am a sucker for the Darkling. This is a perfect YA fantasy recommendation, especially for fans of darker villains, and I am all about it. The ties to Russian folklore is something that appeals to a lot of readers as well.
On the flip side, this series also holds one of my all time least favorite, boring characters…If you know, you know. Overall, it isn’t my favorite book series but I enjoyed it and was very entertained. If you are looking for a quick read, love dark villains and enjoy a fantastical YA plot then you will probably enjoy this one. Watching the Netflix show is also a huge must because, Ben Barnes.
THE HATING GAME
Do I understand the hype?? YES!
This was my first ever contemporary romance book! I read it about 2 years ago believing that I would hate it because…I was NOT a romance reader. Well, I was wrong. I ended up really loving it, bingeing it in about 3 hours one night and then immediately went on the hunt for more Rom Coms to devour.
The premise is about a man and a woman who work together and hate each other, each day coming up with ways to ruin the other person’s day. They turn it into a game, and realize that they might have other feelings other than “hate” towards each other.
It’s cute, and it has been adapted into a movie starring Lucy Hale! Since first writing this blurb I have watched said movie and although it is very different from the books I still found it cute. However, there are a lot of book fans who were not fans of this movie.
CIRCE
Do I understand the hype?? No
I went into reading Circe with really high hopes for another Song of Achilles but I was unfortunately underwhelmed. Circe tells the story of the Greek goddess Circe through her own voice, rather than the tales that Greek heroes tell of her. There were moments I enjoyed but overall I felt the pacing was off and I never emotionally connected with the story or Circe herself.
HEART STOPPER
Do I understand the hype?? YES!
This book is equivalent to the cutest, most squishiest stuffed animal you have ever seen and it is impossible to not feel all squishy and happy while holding it. It is a graphic novel about two teen boys who are navigating what it might be like to go from friends to something more. I loved the bubbly artwork inside and it was a fun and heartwarming VERY fast read.
(I read it during my lunch break at work one day.)
Also, I had never heard of Webtoons before but Heartstopper originated on that platform and I 100% suggest graphic novel fans to look into it if you have not already done so!
NEON GODS
Do I understand the hype?? Kinda
I was really excited to dive into a Hades and Persephone retelling (a theme that is very popular on Booktok right now) but sadly this did not satisfy my desire. In this retelling Persephone flee’s Zeus and takes refuge in the underworld with Hades. While in the underworld Persephone and Hades enter into an arrangement to help sully Persephone’s reputation in Zeus’s eyes.
SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD!!!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, SERIOUSLY DON’T LOOK AT THE BELOW PARAGRAPH, JUST SKIP TO THE NEXT HEADER I WILL PUT A RED LINE WHEN THE SPOILER IS FINISHED…..
For me the public sex dungeon scenes threw me off. This is just not something that turns me on while reading romance so I immediately began to lose interest, because there is a good deal of public sex scenes played out. It is pretty steamy and explicit though, and if that is something that interests you in your darker romance reads then you will probably enjoy Neon Gods.
SPOILER OVER
THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS
Do I get the hype? Yeah, it’s cute
The Love Hypothesis exploded all over Booktok and Bookstagram and I went in with REALLY high hopes! In the end I enjoyed it a lot but it didn’t wow me the way that books such as The Kiss Quotient and The Charm Offensive did. It was cute, but I won’t obsess over it for days. One of the perks was that it basically used every contemporary romance trope you could possibly think of and the Grumpy/Sunshine relationship was adorable. I read that the male character is supposed to represent Adam Driver/Kylo and I am ALL about that!
Even though it didn’t hurl it’s way into my all time favorite Rom Com ever I still feel like it is worth a read if you are even remotely a fan of contemporary romance books.
Zodiac Academy: The Awakening
Do I get the hype? …yeah
So…I think I really enjoyed this book? I’m pretty sure I did…
I’m not really sure why I loved it (did I love it?) Yes, I did. It’s not really that good…but it’s amazing.
Have I confused you yet? I am not really a fan of bully romances, but I did enjoy this. I loved the magical world that was created and the school setting and I am a huge fan of any books with competition vibes. It reminded me of a New Adult version of the Crave series.
Overall, I’m a fan and I will be reading the next one. I am a little nervous about how the bully romance might evolve in the next couple books though. Book one was tame enough to handle, but I have a feeling it might get more intense as the series continues on.
Iron Widow
Do I get the hype? In the beginning, YES!!! In the end, yes but in lower case.
I absolutely fell head over heels for this YA Sci Fi in the beginning of this book, but it did fall slightly short towards the last half of the book. It was such a unique and enthralling futuristic Sci Fi idea and I was actively excited to read it every time I picked it up. I got a new book boyfriend finally, and a fierce female lead character. There is a lot to like in this book.
However, the second half of the book started to feel like I was being spoon fed what I was supposed to feel, and it pulled me away from the story. Worth it still, but I was disappointed that I could no longer be obsessed with it!
