I Read These Popular BookTok Books So You Don’t Have To

I’ve been recommended books via the bookish side of TikTok, known as BookTok, for a while now. Some of them are really good, like A Court of Thorns and Roses (which I read way before BookTok was a thing), Kingdom of the Cursed, and From Blood And Ash. However, there are some viral books promoted by BookTok that are just… not that good.


Fortunately, I am slightly gullible and here to read those not-as-good books for you. So here are some books highly recommended by the young adult and adult categories of BookTok that I read (or in some cases, tried) so you don’t have to. Or do. I’m not your parent, I can’t tell you what to do.


Just a reminder going forward: If you enjoyed these books, that’s great! I’m happy for you. All opinions stated in this post are my own and not intended as a personal attack against you or your opinions. That said…



We Were Liars by E. Lockhart


We Were Liars is advertised as a contemporary mystery. However, I think a more accurate description would be paranormal romance with mystery elements. Considering it’s length, maybe it if had an extra hundred or so pages, it could’ve truly expanded into a full-fledged mystery rather than a question that I answered myself at about fifty pages in. It left me wondering how this book became so popular on BookTok and even won a Goodreads Choice award.


Fortunately for me, it was fast enough for me to read it in one sitting and not have to DNF it (no matter how much I wanted to while reading it).


Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard


This series is just god-awful and I’m not sorry about it. We follow Mary Sue- I mean, Mare Barrow in a world of red and silver-blooded folks. Y’know, just the same YA story I’ve seen reworked over and over again. Mare is a red-blood, a commoner, until she’s not! She’s actually the chosen one- I mean, a lost silver-blooded princess! Oh, and to top it all off, there’s a love triangle!


It’s honestly shocking how this series is so popular. I made it through the first two books and the prequel novellas before I had to call it quits. (Spoiler alert: the second one is worse than the first.)


Caraval by Stephanie Garber


Ah, if only this story had truly delivered on its promise of a whimsical mystery rather than a way-too-fast-paced romance. In fact, it was so fast that I couldn’t recall anything that happened in this just months after reading it. What I do remember is that the romance was completely unnecessary, and if it had been left out maybe this book would’ve been good. Okay, and maybe some better characterization. And maybe leaving the unnecessary drama behind in your Gossip Girl era. Then maybe, just maybe, this might’ve been good.


Again, I managed to read this in one sitting from how fast it was (and nearly felt like passing out afterwards).


Honorable Mention: An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir


This is an honorable mention due to it not being super popular on BookTok unlike the others above. However, I thought to include it because I have seen it float about recently. I personally did not enjoy this book and think it should have been marketed for an older audience or at least included trigger warnings. The romance also felt very strange given the situations going on around the characters which gave the book a weird vibe overall. Definitely not the greatest book I’ve read or seen recommend by BookTok.

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