8 BookTok recommendations you have to read in 2023

In this age of social media, if there is one go-to place where people can find their next favorite read, it's TikTok. There is no denying that TikTok has made reading cool again. BookTok has recommendations for every reader's palate, no matter what your taste — or, in BookTok terminology, your reading aesthetic —is.

Here’s a sneak peek of eight of the most viral books on BookTok right now, listed in no particular order:

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

The fan-favorite that made Colleen Hoover a household name and is now being turned into a movie starring Blake Lively, It Ends With Us follows Lily’s passionate, whirlwind romance with Ryle Kincaid, a mysterious neurosurgeon with a “no dating” rule. The path to true love becomes muddled, however, when Atlas Corrigan, a past flame, comes back in Lily’s life in true second chance romance fashion. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

If there is one book that can do justice to the good old enemies-to-lovers trope, it’s this YA romantic fantasy. Protagonist Feyre is abducted by a fearsome yet irresistible faerie lord after she ends up killing a wolf in the woods. Feyre and Tamlin’s story is a beautiful retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a dash of Stockholm Syndrome and heaps of excellent world-building thrown into the mix. 

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi 

This dystopian book published in 2011, albeit a bit old, has recently gained a newfound popularity on BookTok. Juliette’s guilty of murder — the last time she touched someone, they died. Afraid of her lethal powers, The Reestablishment locks her up and she meets Warner and Adam. In order to survive, Juliette must make a choice: Is she a weapon or a warrior? 

Normal People by Sally Rooney

If there is a book that can be called a constant fixture in all BookTok lists, it has to be Normal People by Sally Rooney. The book continues to gain traction thanks to book lovers with an affinity for morose narratives. Normal People is centered around Connell and Marianne, who have felt a strange connection to each other since school and meet again a year later at Trinity College in Dublin. A lot can change in a year, though; both protagonists go through drastic personality changes, remaining only a shadow of their previous selves. 

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

This novel has recently gone viral on BookTok and is the perfect recommendation for lovers of The Women in the Window and The Girl on the Train. The book tells the story of Millie, a recent parolee who is homeless and in need of a job. So she becomes a housemaid for the Winchesters, where twisted secrets and lies grip her in an inescapable chokehold. 

Haunting Adeline by H. D. Carlton

This is the latest obsession for all dark romance lovers on BookTok — and for a damn good reason. Smut addicts who devour anything with major trigger warnings will love Zade, Adeline’s obsessive stalker who is also a vigilante and saves rape survivors from human traffickers. Trust us, this book is a wild ride.

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

True fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Taylor Jenkins Reid should look no further. Daisy Jones and the Six recently premiered as an Amazon Prime TV series and also happens to be the 2019 winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. The story is about the rise and fall of The Six, a fictional 1970s rock band, told through the eyes of their elusive lead singer, Daisy Jones, and the band decades in the future. 

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

If you have a knack for anything related to Agatha Christie and like reading cozy murder mysteries, this is the perfect book for you. This YA novel follows Avery Grambs who comes into an enormous sum of money when a mysterious benefactor, Tobias Hawthorne, dies and leaves her his entire fortune. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into Hawthorne House, a sprawling mansion where every room bears the old man's touch — and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. She must also figure out if one of Hawthorne’s four enigmatic grandsons is the killer.

Thirsty for more recommendations? Check out our list of 2022's best books, according to TikTok.