Here are four BookTok staples that deserve every second of praise they get, and four more books that should be making their way onto your bookshelves.
You. Yes, you, scrolling instead of reading. If your TBR is overwhelming you just as much as the hoards of recommendations flooding your FYP, then here is your definitive guide to BookTok recs — what’s worth the hype and what deserves just as many six star reviews.
Listed below are the books, approved by a former bookseller, along with their Goodreads ratings.
Worth The Hype: Funny Story, Emily Henry
Rating: 4.27 on Goodreads
If you scroll through the BookTok tag, you’ll come across every one of her books within a few videos. And rightly so. Emily Henry is the romcom author.
Every single one of her five books is a gorgeously swoon-worthy romance, smothered in the inner workings of most twenty and thirty year old women’s brains. The tales are perfectly bookish and will leave you desperately in need of a man written by a woman. Specifically Emily Henry.
Her most recent novel, Funny Story, follows Daphne, a librarian who moved across the country for her fiance. Then, mere months before the wedding, he realizes he’s actually in love with his best friend, Petra.
After she’s thrown out of her life (she’s quite literally kicked out of their house) she turns to the only other person that could possibly understand how she feels: Petra’s ex-boyfriend, Miles. After having their lives torn apart, what could possibly go wrong when two heartbroken total opposites move in together?
In my bookseller days, it was impossible to go a day without selling one of Henry’s books. There’s no surprise when they’re just so good. I binged them all within a few months of each other.
Emily Henry’s Books in Order: Beach Read, You and Me on Vacation, Book Lovers, Happy Place, Funny Story.
Deserves The Hype: Pretending, Holly Bourne
Rating: 3.86 on Goodreads
There are books you’ll come across scrolling through BookTok that cover the same topics as Holly Bourne, but no one seems to do them justice like she does. Holly is a proud feminist and mental health advocate, which comes through in her novels.
Her writing is inspired by her work with young people, as well as her experiences of everyday sexism. Outside of writing, she continues to focus on young people, teaching them about sexual consent and awareness of abusive behavior.
Pretending is about the pressures society puts on women to be the perfect balance of being entirely obsessed with a man but not clingy. Sexy but not trashy. Attractive but not a try-hard. Independent but not cold. Vulnerable but not emotional.
The story follows April, a completely normal woman who feels like she needs to be someone else for men to like her. So she becomes Gretel. Then she meets Joshua, a completely normal man whose every fantasy is Gretel. But April isn’t Gretel. April is a woman who has a past.
If you’re still not sold, this might help. The whole first chapter is fueled by sheer rage toward men and their entitlement. Reading that first chapter is like a hug from a guardian angel expressing everything you’ve ever thought. And for me, that’s the magic of reading.
Upcoming release by Holly Bourne: So Thrilled For You (2025).
Worth The Hype: Daydream, Hannah Grace
Rating: 4.24 on Goodreads
Want to restore your faith in men? Hannah Grace wrote Henry for this purpose. He keeps a box of supplies in his bathroom in case women need anything. He’s a perfect, sweet angel of a man. The definition of babygirl, and it is a tragedy to humankind that he exists only in ink.
Hannah had a mountain of a task writing this book — the third in the Maple Hills series. Readers (myself included) fell in love with Henry in Icebreaker. But for the first time, we are hearing Henry’s story — and aside from being the perfect feel-good romcom, Henry and Halle are the characters I wish I could’ve read years ago.
Henry is captain of the hockey team and somehow finds himself in a book club run by Halle, who is desperately in need of new experiences to fuel her own novel and is physically incapable of taking time for herself. So when Halle starts to help Henry with his classes, Henry offers to help her too. In classic romcom style, there are rules. Luckily Halle is a strict rule follower, but Henry…
Maple Hills Series: Icebreaker, Wildfire, Daydream
Deserves The Hype: This Place is Still Beautiful, Xixi Tian
Rating: 4.06 on Goodreads
A beautifully written, heartbreaking story laced with complicated sister dynamics and a subtle romance. Each sister deals with things entirely differently and acts as stunning social commentary on heavy topics. Annalie’s desire to go along with things to keep the peace and Margaret’s need to escape were both equally relatable. It was a truly impactful read.
The younger sister, Annalie, just wants to have a nice, normal summer in her hometown. Meanwhile, the older sister, Margaret, can’t wait to escape that small town for New York. But she’s dragged back when a racial slur is painted across their garage door.
Annalie and her mom want to forget about the attack and move on, but Margaret wants justice. Then, a secret threatens to completely shatter what’s left of their relationship.
Worth The Hype: Everything I Know About Love, Dolly Alderton
Rating: 4.00 on Goodreads
To any woman, read this book. To any woman without an older sister, meet your stand-in big sister, Dolly.
Reading this book feels like she is personally wrapping you in blankets, then handing you a drink and recounting her life to you. The ‘lessons’ don’t slap you in the face with the intensity of a self help book — it’s just like listening to a friend catch you up. The best review I’ve seen is: “This is Bridget Jones’ Diary but real.”
Dolly tells her life story through a series of dates, experiences, and friendships. Everything I Know About Love should be required reading when you enter adulthood. Dolly has also written two novels, Ghosts and Good Material. Both capture her unrivaled wit, spot-on social commentary, and comforting reassurances.
Deserves The Hype: DallerGut’s Dream Department Store, Lee Mi-Ye
Rating: 3.79 on Goodreads
This is one of the most fun book concepts I’ve encountered in a long time. It offers a thought-provoking dive into why we dream and how it impacts our lives. It was first published in 2020 and has been translated from Korean more recently, hitting shelves overseas.
From the lingering warm feeling that it leaves to its cast of dreamy characters, the book is a must-read for fans of BookTok favorites like Before The Coffee Gets Cold and Days At The Morisaki Bookshop.
We follow Penny, a new-hire at the DallerGut Dream Department Store — a place that finds all of us as we drift between consciousness and sleep. The store sells dreams from memories and fears to human and animal customers.
With eccentric characters, including employees and dream makers, the book takes readers on a journey of what happens when we’re asleep and how it influences the choices we make when we’re awake. In November, Penny will delve even further into the dream world in a highly anticipated sequel.
Return to the DallerGut Dream Department Store will be available on November 7th, 2024.
Worth The Hype: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson
Rating: 4.32 on Goodreads
If I had to pick a book to forget just so it could shock me all over again, it would be this one.
Recently adapted by BBC, A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder is a fast-paced, twisty mystery with lovable characters. Often, for me, the characters in thrillers don’t feel very human — I’m very aware that they’re two dimensional words on paper. But Holly Jackson writes characters you root for And if I can guarantee anything, the final book in the series will break you.
A closed case. A teenage girl with a feeling something isn’t right. Pip and everyone in Little Kilton knows the story of Andie Bell. A murder case that shook the tiny town.
But Pip thinks there’s more to what happened, and she doesn’t believe Sal Singh was capable of killing Andie. Soon she’s on a dangerous path trying to prove Sal innocent and uncovering the secrets of their little town.
In the series: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Good Girl, Bad Blood, As Good as Dead
Deserves The Hype: Influential, Amara Sage
Rating: 3.88 on Goodreads
The author of this final book convinced me to read it herself.
At a book festival last year, I heard Amara Sage speak on feminism, deep fakes, and social media — all of which feature in this book. The eloquence with which she spoke on such complex topics made me go straight to purchase a copy.
With the perfect sprinkle of romance, the heart of this book is its exploration of internet culture and teen mental health. Almond was born into being an influencer — her mom has posted her online since she was a baby. Everyone knows their family dramas, and everyone has watched her grow up.
Now she’s seventeen — desperate to escape the life she never asked for and hoping to make real-life friends. And the darkest parts of the internet are starting to burn a hole in her pocket.
It is important to check trigger warnings, as a number of the listed books delve into sensitive topics. While these topics are treated mindfully and represented well by each author, it is still worth checking. You can do so through Common Sense Media.
