Booktok Gives Reading a Comeback
Teens across the nation revived the act of reading over the COVID quarantine, continuously growing the industry.
Teens across the country are bringing back reading following the COVID-19 lockdown. During the lockdown, many teens turned to TikTok, where the viral “booktok” trend started. This part of the social media platform grew and has become very prominent. Booktok is mostly focused on young adult, fiction, fantasy, and romance novels. Creators review, joke about, and recommend new and popular books.
Booktok has helped to grow the reading community by giving readers and authors a space to promote and discuss the books they love. It is a great place to find book recommendations for any genre. Lots of creators make TikToks describing the feeling received by reading the book as well as creating immersive experiences that allow readers to feel as if they are in the book themselves.
One of the most popular authors presented in the subcommunity thus far is Colleen Hoover. She is a romance author best known for her standalone novels like It Ends With Us and November 9. Hoover is now one of the best-selling authors in the country. She creates many TikToks promoting her books and joking with her fans. Her sequel to It Ends With Us, It Starts With Us, is to be released on October 18th. Already the most anticipated release of the year it has been voted one of Barnes & Noble’s best books of 2022 before even being read by the public. The first book in the series is also already written to become a movie which will be developed by famous actor and producer, Justin Baldoni.
Canyon student Penelope Cole (12) says, “Collin Hoover’s contact is a sturdy bridge of young adult to adult reading content. Where her best seller is It Ends With Us. She brings a good awareness to domestic abuse, how hard it is to leave and even falling in love with your abuser. It really raises the bar for teen reader’s interest in books today.”
Another popular and talked about series on booktok is Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. It is a YA fantasy series that follows the main character, Celaena Sardothien, in her trials and tribulations as an assassin and heir to the throne. Readers rave about the author’s imagination in creating the Throne of Glass universe.
Collectively through booktok reading has been able to be reimagined. Many have been able to express their opinions, discover new reads, and join a community of their peers.
