2022’s Most Popular Novels on BookTok
The books section of TikTok or as they call it, #BookTok has been one of the most popular sections on the social media platform where avid readers talk about the most favourite novels of contemporary literature. The buzz around these recommendations gets so blown out of proportion that the novels turn into what they call a ‘TikTok’ sensation where popular celebrities are seen reading some of these novels and others get greenlit to be made into a movie. With the year 2022 being big for BookTok, there have been a boatload of recommendations from fans of reading that have made the novels go viral on the platform. Here are our picks for the Top 10 most popular novels in the Books section of TikTok also known as BookTok
It Ends With Us – Colleen Hoover If there is one novel that went viral not only on TikTok but also on other social networking sites it is Colleen Hoover’s most successful novel to date, It Ends With Us. The #1 Newyork Bestselling Author shot to fame with the novel that celebrities like Kendall and Kylie Jenner flaunted on their reality show as well as Instagram stories. Not only that but, the book is being made into a movie with Justin Baldoni playing a huge part in its production. The 2016 novel tells the story of Lily Bloom, a young girl who has lived her entire life witnessing domestic violence. After moving to Boston Lily finds true love in Ryle Kincaid, an assertive, stubborn and arrogant neurosurgeon. Ryle puts an end to his ‘no dating’ rule for Lily which is great for a while until Lily finds herself in a situation that she wanted to get out of for all of her childhood life. Lily thinks back to her past as a teenager, she is reminded of Atlas Corrigan, her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid Another BookTok sensation turning into a movie is the 2017 novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. The novel tells the story of the fictional Old Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo, who at age 79 gives a final interview to an unknown journalist, Monique Grant. Evelyn Hugi is auctioning some of her famous gowns to raise money for a breast cancer charity. Monique is confused about why Evelyn has chosen her but still goes to the actress’ apartment to meet her. Evelyn reveals she has no interest in giving an interview for the magazine Monique works for but instead wants the reporter to write her life story, and Monique agrees despite her suspicions.
You’ve Reached Sam – Dustin Thao The popular emotional novel You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao is a Young Adult Magical Realism piece that explores the nature of grief and loss after Julie loses her boyfriend Sam in a tragic car accident six months away from graduating high school. Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out and she wants to move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, and spend a summer in Japan. It all comes to a halt when Sam dies all of a sudden which leaves her heartbroken and grieving. Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back his memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cell phone just to listen to his voicemail but shockingly enough, Sam picks up the phone.
A Court of Thorn and Roses – Sarah J. Maas If you’ve not already read the Young Adult fantasy novel, you are probably living under a rock. One of Sarah J. Mass’ hit fantasy novels is the 2015 novel, which introduces fans of fantasy to the land of faeries. The first novel of a four-part series tells the story of a nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre who kills a wolf in the woods. After her hunt, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Feyre is dragged to a treacherous magical land that she only has known about from legends. Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries named Tamlin who once ruled her world.
Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo One of the most popular books from the Grishaverse Universe written by Leigh Bardugo has obviously also taken over TikTok. The first of two books, Six of Crows is currently being retold through the Netflix original show, Shadow And Bone. The novel Six of Crows is set two years after the third Grishaverse novel – Ruin and Rising. Six of Crows is set in Ketterdam, a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. Since he cannot pull it off by himself, he makes a crew with six others who end up becoming the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – Holly Jackson The 2019 novel by Holly Jackson has received many literary awards other than only being popular on TikTok. The first of a two-part series novel narrates the story of Pippa Fitz-Amobi who is trying to uncover the truth behind a closed legal case. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it and everyone in town was sure he did it. However, having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa isn’t so sure that Sal was the one to be blamed. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?
Verity – Colleen Hoover Fans who have read Colleen Hoover’s past works will not be acquainted with the new genre the author experimented with in the 2021 release – Verity. The novel narrates the story of Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who is on the brink of financial ruin. As fate would have it for her, she lands herself the job of a lifetime when she is tasked with being a ghostwriter for a best-selling author named Verity Crawford. Verity’s husband, Jeremy Crawford tasks Lowen with the job of completing the remaining books of his injured wife’s successful novel series. While going through Verity’s notes to find inspiration for the upcoming novels, Lownen finds an unfinished autobiography that the now-injured author never wished for anyone to read. The autobiography contains page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died. Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her. If that is not exciting enough, Colleen Hoover had only recently released a special edition of Verity with one new chapter.
Red, White & Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston Another one of BookTok’s famous novels that will soon be turning into a movie is the 2019 novel, Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston which screams representation of LGBTQIA+ romances. The novel tells the story of First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz, who is the closest thing to a prince on this side of the Atlantic. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. As President Claremont kicks off her re-election bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend the two nations.
One of Us is Lying – Karen M. McManus With the Netflix and Peacock show returning for a new season in 2022, the first of the two-part novel, One of Us is Lying is one of the presently trending books on BookTok. McManus is now working on a third novel from the series which means now is a good time to start reading if you haven’t already. The novel narrates the story of how the Bayview Four, four students from Bayview High School get involved in the murder of their classmate. After the five of them were put into detention together, Bronwyn, the brain; Addy, the beauty; Nate, the bad boy; Cooper, the jock, and Simon, the outcast get involved in a fight. The outcome of this fight results in a situation that leads Simon to never make it out alive of detention. According to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. Before his death, Simon had planned to post juicy exposés about all four of his high-profile classmates. This leads the cops to believe that the Bayview Four were all suspects in his murder. However, it is possible that they are the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose.
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig A fictional novel that moonlights as a self-help book that is popular on TikTok now is The Midnight Library. The 2020 novel narrates the story of a library that exists somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe. The library contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. Our protagonist, Nora Seed finds herself faced with a decision between the possibility of changing her life for a new one or following a different career, undoing old breakups, and realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist. In order to find an answer to her questions, she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place. So there we have it, our picks for the 10 best novels that are popular on BookTok right now! What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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