May 9, 2024
NEWS

Which books are going to go TikTok famous this year

Claudio Ctin044 mins
Which books are going to go TikTok famous this year

So many books, not enough time. Most avid readers share this sentiment. With so much to choose from, it can be hard to determine what to read next.

Like Alaina Leung, a creator on TikTok and Instagram, said: “As with every bookworm, I suffer from having a never-ending list of books that I want to read.”

To help narrow your TBR list, I spoke to a dozen BookTok creators about the books they’re most looking forward to reading in 2024. Some of these titles are new releases — The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black was named more than once, as were multiple Elena Ferrante books — while others are decades, even centuries, old. A TBR shelf is a sacred space, but it’s also one we should play with, a kind of ongoing curation of our future selves.

SEE ALSO:

BookTok is the ‘last wholesome place’ on the internet. Can it stay that way?

“If you ask me tomorrow, my answer might change,” Haley Graham, otherwise known as @whatshalesreading on TikTok, said. “I’m a huge mood-reader, and I can never stick to a planned TBR… I’m drawn to character-driven stories, stories that are a little weird, [and] stories that are poetic or have dimensional characters.”

It’s easy to understand why TBR shelves are so varied. Creator Marisa Brand said she “honestly couldn’t tell you why I added [some of the TBR books] to my list… At some point, something piqued my interest about them — [it] could have been a BookTok review, a friend recommendation, or something I liked the sound of at a bookstore.”

Some of the books on your favorite creators’ TBRs are part of a series, meaning the upcoming books feel like automatic additions to their shelves. For instance, Kendra Keeter-Gray likes having a series on her TBR because “it’s nice knowing that I have [a finite] amount of books left in the universe to keep me entertained all year long.”

SEE ALSO:

The 10 best books of the year, according to BookTok

Then there are hybrid genres like romantasy, a genre of fiction combining romance and fantasy that often includes strong female characters and sex scenes with men with wings. I have not read a single romantasy book that wasn’t recommended to me by TikTok. I feel pretty confident about my taste and knowledge with regards to literary fiction, poetry, and other genres, but if I want a fun romantasy read, I turn to TikTok or Instagram book creators. 

Same with Sky Robinson, a creator who said she finds “almost all” of her TBR recommendations on the app. Maya Topiwala, another creator, said, “BookTok is an exciting and fun way to learn about new releases and re-popularize books that came out in years past.” Creator Georgia Wilder also gets many of her recommendations from friends and mutuals on BookTok but likes to “branch out and find books I haven’t heard of at bookstores and online on book subscription companies’ websites.”

Among the TBR recommendations from creators listed below, most but not all were initially discovered on social media. Creator Cait Jacobs finds new books by looking through publishers’ updates, following authors on social media, and, of course, BookTok. 

SEE ALSO:

BookTok encourages reading as an aesthetic and no one is safe from its gaze

“I found BookTok is a great way to find authors and books I otherwise might never have discovered, as well as make me reconsider picking books I might have dismissed too quickly,” Jacobs said. “It also helps me keep up with what’s happening with series and authors I’ve loved for years.”

Their creator status also gives them early access to information and ARCs, or advanced reader copies. Like Dakota Bossard, a creator on TikTok and Instagram said, “As a BookTok creator I [learn] about upcoming releases directly from the authors and publishers I’ve connected with over the past two years. 

“My platform has made it easy to stay on the pulse of what’s coming out and now I’m reading more new releases than ever before,” Bossard added. “It’s almost overwhelming, last year I received over 100 galleys, but as an avid reader it’s such a privilege.”

So what books are on your favorite BookTok creators’ TBRs? Some of the books on this list are new releases in 2024, some are classics, and some are just books that are getting a bit dusty on the shelf. You’ll see some repeats on this list, like The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo and The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black, which means both will surely take off online.

It’s hard to know what will become TikTok famous. But from romance and fantasy to literary fiction and classics, here are the books some of our favorite BookTok influencers will be reading this year:

Marisa Brand, @marisa_elle on TikTok and @marisaelle on Storygraph
Credit: Cross the Line by Simone Soltani 

Cross the Line by Simone Soltani 
$19.00
at Barnes & Noble
Brand is excited to read this “because an F1 / romance crossover is my Roman Empire.”

Credit: Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin

Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin
$27.99
at Barnes & Noble
A book about secret shames, black holes, grief, and romance.

Credit: The Bookbinder’s Guide to Love by Katherine Garbera

The Bookbinder’s Guide to Love by Katherine Garbera
$12.99
at Barnes & Noble
“Books and witches, need there be more in a good book?” Brand asks

Credit: Ana Takes Manhattan by Lisette Decos

Ana Takes Manhattan by Lisette Decos
$15.99
at Barnes & Noble
A NYC woman can produce a great reality TV show — but her own life is a bit of a mess.

Credit: The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson
$17.00
at Barnes & Noble
The second installment of Dawson’s fantasy trilogy focused on childhood friends and witches.

Credit: The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead

The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead
$19.99
at Barnes & Noble
What happens when you mix a school librarian, a foul-mouthed stranger, and a freak lightning storm?

Katherine Brink, @katiesbookobsession on TikTok
Credit: Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
A queer rom-com about ex-best friends taking their former English teacher on a road trip.

Credit: Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban

Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma R. Alban
$18.99
at Barnes & Noble
A sapphic romance set in 1857 that was one of Brinks “most anticipated reads of this year.”

Credit: Babel by R.F. Kuang

Babel by R.F. Kuang
$18.00
at Barnes & Noble
A historical epic fantasy about a student revolution and colonial resistance.

Credit: The Brown Sisters series

The Brown Sisters series
$16.99
at Barnes & Noble
A slice-of-life romantic comedy series that follows sisters Chloe, Dani, and Eve Brown.

Dakota Bossard, @dakotabossard on TikTok and Instagram
Credit: Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon

Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon
$28.00
at Barnes & Noble
Bossard said it’s “beautifully written,” “completely consuming” and made her “stare… in awe.”

Credit: Worry by Alexandra Tanner

Worry by Alexandra Tanner
$27.00
at Barnes & Noble
Bossard calls it “an anxiety inducing story of the complicated facets of sisterhood.”

Credit: All Fours by Miranda July

All Fours by Miranda July
$29.00
at Barnes & Noble
Bossard calls this story about a woman reinvented a “character study of the feminine condition.”

Credit: We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons

We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons
$28.00
at Barnes & Noble
This book is about grief and motherhood, and Bossard can’t wait to read it because she loves to cry.

Credit: Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise by Lin Yi-Han

Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise by Lin Yi-Han
$27.99
at Barnes & Noble
This feminist work of Taiwanese lit is “a powerful story of girlhood and survival,” Bossard says.

Credit: Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg 

Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg 
$29.00
at Barnes & Noble
A coming of age story Bossard is “most excited to read this year.”

Credit: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion 

All of Joan Didion’s work 
Bossard is “slowly reading through all of Joan Didion’s work” this year.

Credit: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

All of Elena Ferrante’s books
“Calling her my favorite author feels like such an understatement, but it’s true,” Bossard says.

Credit: The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing

The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
$19.99
at Barnes & Noble
An exploration mental and societal breakdown, Bossard is “admittedly intimidated” by this book.

Credit: The Idiot by Elif Batuman 

The Idiot by Elif Batuman 
$18.00
at Barnes & Noble
A book about language and love.

Haley Graham, @whatshalesreading on TikTok and Instagram

Credit: Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn

Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn
$18.99
at Barnes & Noble
When an author is lightly canceled, she throws herself into some sexy, sapphic distractions.

Credit: Margos Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

Margos Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
$28.00
at Barnes & Noble
Margo has an affair with her English professor, pregnant, and creates an OnlyFans account.

Credit: Come and Get It by Kiley Reid

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
$26.10
at Barnes & Noble
A “fresh and provocative story” about an RA, her professor, and three students.

Credit: The Fury by Alex Michelides

The Fury by Alex Michelides
$28.99
at Barnes & Noble
A reclusive ex–movie star, her friends and family, her personal island in Greece, and a murder.

Credit: Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors 

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors 
$28.99
at Barnes & Noble
An “unforgettable story of grief, hope, and the complexities of family.”

Credit: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Neapolitan Quartet by Elena Ferrante
A story about female friendship, poverty, violence, and aging.

Credit: Beloved by Toni Morrison

More of Toni Morrison’s work
Graham said she “recently revisited Beloved and The Bluest Eye from her and was captivated.”

Credit: When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill

All of Heather O’Neill’s books
$18.00
at Barnes & Noble
A story about two girls’ intense friendship and the destruction is brings.



Credit: These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
A story about two college students whose obsession with each other leads to “unspeakable violence.”

Credit: Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
$18.00
at Barnes & Noble
A look at the prison system, “systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration.”

Credit: Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter

Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter
$25.00
at Barnes & Noble
“One millennial woman’s journey through a late-capitalist hellscape.”

Credit: Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson
$27.00
at Barnes & Noble
“An exhilarating and expansive novel about the worlds we build for ourselves.”

Credit: Animal by Lisa Taddeo

Animal by Lisa Taddeo
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A depiction of female rage at its rawest.”

Cait Jacobs, @caitsbooks on Instagram and TikTok 
Credit: So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
$19.99
at Barnes & Noble
This Jamaican-inspired fantasy follows a heroine who must choose between her sister and her homeland

Credit: To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X Chang 

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X Chang 
$30.00
at Barnes & Noble
An anti-colonial YA fantasy. “She has power over death. He has power over her.”

Credit: The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
$18.99
at Barnes & Noble
An LGBTQ+ romance novel with family, loss, magic, and more.

Credit: The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black
$20.99
at Barnes & Noble
“An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame.”

Credit: A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
$20.99
at Barnes & Noble
“An orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires.”

Credit: Daughter of the Moon Goddess (Celestial Kingdom Duology #1) by Sue Lynn Tan

The Celestial Kingdoms duology by Sue Lynn Tan
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A captivating debut fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess.”

Credit: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Caraval by Stephanie Garber
$10.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A legendary competition. A mesmerizing romance. An unbreakable bond between two sisters.”

Credit: Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
$12.99
at Barnes & Noble
A YA fantasy about love, curses, and happily ever after.

Credit: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
$30.00
at Barnes & Noble
“A spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies, secrets and betrayal.”

Kendra Keeter-Gray, @kendra.reads on TikTok and @kendra.readz on Instagram
Credit: Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
“Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet.”

Credit: Love Unwritten by Lauren Asher

Love Unwritten by Lauren Asher
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
Another “adicting” romance from a TikTok favorite, Lauren Asher.

Credit: Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
“Two string players fight their attraction for each other as they compete for center stage.”

Credit: This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
A novel about love, loss, motherhood, and so much more.

Credit: Funny Story by Emily Henry

Funny Story by Emily Henry
$29.00
at Barnes & Noble
“A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.”

Credit: The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black
$20.99
at Barnes & Noble
“An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame.”

Alaina Leung, @alaina.wyl on TikTok and Instagram, and @awyl on GoodReads
Credit: To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X Chang 

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X Chang 
$30.00
at Barnes & Noble
An anti-colonial YA fantasy. “She has power over death. He has power over her.”

Credit: Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan 

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan 
$19.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A modern, myth-inflected story of revolution and magic” in “a glittering, semi-submerged city.”

Credit: The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
$28.99
at Barnes & Noble
“During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches.”

Credit: The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
$29.00
at Barnes & Noble
“How do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options?”

Credit: Spider by Azma Dar

Spider by Azma Dar
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
This domestic suspense novel follows a woman whose husband is found dead far from home.

Credit: Can You See Me? by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott

Can You See Me? by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott
$8.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A coming-of-age story about learning to celebrate yourself.”

Meara McNitt, @mearaisreading on TikTok
Credit: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
$29.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age.”

Credit: A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
$19.00
at Barnes & Noble
“A witch who has a second chance to get her magical powers — and her life — back on track.”

Credit: Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
$19.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A girl new to boarding school discovers dark secrets and coverups after her roommate disappears.”

Credit: Wisteria by Adalyn Grace

Wisteria by Adalyn Grace
$19.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A third deathly and decadent book in the New York Times bestselling Belladonna series.”

Credit: Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan
$19.99
at Barnes & Noble
The seventh book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Credit: The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright
$19.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A rebellious witch” on a “quest to restore magic… as two princes vie for her heart.”

Credit: The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
$27.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A winter full of mysterious deaths, a mother seeking revenge, and old folktales.”

Credit: Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan 

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan 
$19.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A modern, myth-inflected story of revolution and magic” in “a glittering, semi-submerged city.”

Credit: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
$18.00
at Barnes & Noble
A grumpy professor “discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love.”

Credit: A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown 

A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown 
$12.99
at Barnes & Noble
A story about violence, leadership, and the choice between power and love.

Credit: The Toll by Neal Shusterman 

The Toll by Neal Shusterman 
$13.99
at Barnes & Noble
The final book and conclusion to the Arc of a Scythe trilogy.

Credit: Gone Wolf by Amber McBride 

Gone Wolf by Amber McBride 
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
“Amber McBride lays bare the fears of being young and Black in America.”

Moly Milosovic, @molysbookclub on TikTok and Instagram
Credit: Lady MacBeth by Ava Reid

Lady MacBeth by Ava Reid
$28.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A reimagining of Lady Macbeth… giving her a voice, a past, and a power.”

Credit: The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
$28.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A genre-bending romantasy that challenges everything we think we know about true love.”

Credit: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
$18.00
at Barnes & Noble
“The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey.”

Credit: Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
$18.00
at Barnes & Noble
This story follows a young boy as he learns “how to kill a man secretly.”

Sky Robinson, @booksplussky on TikTok, Instagram, and StoryGraph
Credit: The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest 

The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest 
$18.00
“Two former high school sweethearts get a second chance.”

Credit: This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan

This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
A novel about love, loss, motherhood, and so much more.

Credit: The Wild Love series by Elsie Silver

The Wild Love series by Elsie Silver
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
A book about “wanting your best friend’s little sister and knowing you can’t have her.”

Credit: The rest of the New Haven series by JL Seegars

The rest of the New Haven series by JL Seegars
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
An enemies to lovers romance about love after loss.



Credit: The Magnolia Parks Series by Jessa Hastings

The Magnolia Parks Series by Jessa Hastings
$17.00
A couple faces the question: “How many loves do you really get in a lifetime?”

Credit: Losers Duet by Harley Laroux 

Losers Duet by Harley Laroux 
$18.99
at Barnes & Noble
An NSFW series about having it all and playing a game.

Maya Topiwala, @maya.reads on TikTok and @mnmbooks on Instagram

Credit: Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel

Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel
$32.00
at Barnes & Noble
“A powerful reimagining of the story of Ganga, goddess of the river, and her doomed mortal son.”

Credit: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
$29.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age.”

Credit: Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Bride by Ali Hazelwood
$19.00
at Barnes & Noble
A paranormal romance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf.

Credit: The Boyfriend Wish by Swati Teerdhala 

The Boyfriend Wish by Swati Teerdhala 
$19.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A South Indian American teen girl makes a wish upon a flower for her perfect boyfriend.”

Credit: That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming
$18.99
at Barnes & Noble
A story about, well, that time she got drunk and saved a demon.

Credit: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
$29.00
at Barnes & Noble
“Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.”

Georgia Wilder, @georgialovestoread on TikTok, @georgiakwilder on Instagram, and Georgia Wilder on Goodreads
Credit: Crescent City: House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas. 

Crescent City: House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas. 
$32.00
at Barnes & Noble
“The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed Crescent City series.”

Credit: The Wild Love series by Elsie Silver

The Wild Love series by Elsie Silver
$17.99
at Barnes & Noble
A book about “wanting your best friend’s little sister and knowing you can’t have her.”

Credit: Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood

Not In Love by Ali Hazelwood
$19.00
at Barnes & Noble
“A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science.”

Credit: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft
$20.00
at Barnes & Noble
“A magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal.”

Credit: A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
$29.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king.”

Credit: Defy The Night by Brigid Kemmerer

Defy The Night by Brigid Kemmerer
$12.99
at Barnes & Noble
A YA fantasy that follows an apothecary apprentice in a kingdom on “the brink of disaster.”

Credit: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
$32.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.”

Credit: Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass Series #5) by Sarah J. Maas

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass Series #5) by Sarah J. Maas
$19.00
at Barnes & Noble
An epic fantasy series from TikTok favorite Sarah J. Maas.

Credit: Beach Read by Emily Henry

Beach Read by Emily Henry
$16.00
at Barnes & Noble
“A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut.”

Credit: Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
$11.99
at Barnes & Noble
“A highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal. “

All quotes in the descriptions of these books should be attributed to GoodReads unless otherwise noted.

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