Books Popular on BookTok for the Summer — And a Few That Should Be
Since at least early May, BookTokkers have been doing roundups of their summer reading lists. The books on the list sound fun and tend towards the romantic, with a little mystery/thriller sprinkled in — but they’re also mostly by white authors.
This isn’t a new problem for BookTok — or the publishing industry at large — but it is really annoying. Especially considering that a lot of people complain about how it feels like the same few books keep getting recommended on BookTok. What’s more, people have been getting turned off from BookTok recommendations because some of these books…aren’t to their taste.
I’ve, of course, dabbled in a little BookTokkery myself, and I see where they’re coming from. While keeping in mind that book taste is subjective, I still wonder how some of these books have such large followings, just based on things like originality of story, and, let’s be real, writing quality. Still, they are popular, and I don’t take issue with this fact because I see them as encouraging more people to read, and I count the boom in the interest of reading brought about by TikTok as a net positive.
But there still is the issue with diversity.
BookTok, for all its positives, does seem to be reinforcing instead of fighting against the lack of diversity in publishing. One might argue that diversity is lacking because people simply don’t want to read books by nonwhite and queer authors; that’s not really true though. The full story of the lack of diversity in publishing involves marketing and a look at how publishers tend to spend less of their marketing budget on books by nonwhite and queer authors.
I remember how, before I started working within the book industry and was still just a reader, there were so many more books I wouldn’t finish. Looking back, I realize a lot of this had to do with marketing, and how only a few books (in the grand scheme of things) were constantly being promoted to me that just weren’t the right fit. I feel like I’ve experienced a similar thing with some of the most popular book recommendations I’ve seen on BookTok, and I think adding more books to the BookTok ecosystem would help solve the issue. And not even just books by diverse authors. I think BookTok could do with a little jolt of newness, and after I’ve brought you up to speed on the books being recommended for summer reading on BookTok, I’ll put you on to a few books that I think would become popular on the app.
This is just a sampling of books, to keep you in the know, as well as to give you more options. If you follow our weekly bestselling books list, you may see some familiar titles, which makes sense because of how much BookTok has influenced the book publishing industry since the onset of the pandemic.
Books Popular on BookTok This Summer
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Ms. Henry rules the summer, and here, she’s turned her talents to a chaotic/organized romantic pairing. Daphne thought she had it going on, until her fiancé Peter realized he’d rather be with his childhood bestie, Petra. Now, the children’s librarian, away from everyone she knows and in need of a roommate, decides to live with someone in a similar situation: Petra’s ex, Miles. The two mostly avoid each other, until they come together one day to realize how fun it would be to pretend to date and share pictures of themselves doing so online. But it’s all for show, of course…
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Interestingly, Yulin Kuang wrote the screenplay for the adaptation of Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation and directed the upcoming Beach Read adaptation. And here, she gets a little meta with the story of Helen Zhang, a bestselling author who’s earned the position of writer for an adaptation of a popular YA novel. Everything is going well until she finds out Grant is a screenwriter on the show as well. Now, the two will have to confront the horrible accident that connected them 13 years ago, even as they’re reminded of why they liked each other in the first place.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
This April release is all up and down BookTok. It’s a romance that starts with Reddit, of all things. Justin reveals in a Reddit thread that he’s cursed, and how every woman he goes on a date with finds her perfect match right after she breaks up with him. And Emma, feeling like she has nothing to lose, especially since her next assignment as a traveling nurse will place her in Minnesota, thinks that dating Justin might prove to be fruitful. But then Emma’s raggedy mother turns up, and Justin has to take care of his siblings, and suddenly, the idea that the two of them may be perfect together starts to form.
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Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
After the hit that was Ace of Spades, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is back with more UK-based dark academia. This time, following Sade Hussein, who is starting her third year of high school at a prestigious boarding school. But then her roommate Elizabeth disappears — and people suspect Sade had something to do with it. Then another student is found dead. As she tries to clear her name, she finds out that there’s something really funky going on at Alfred Nobel Academy.
This was technically more popular on BookTok when it first came out in March, but I still see it being discussed in recent videos, and it’s perfect for the thrill and mystery-seeking summer readers.
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
Seasonal readers, stand up! A book title with the word “summer” in it is low-key a calling card for people looking for summer reading, so the popularity of this one on the Tok is not surprising. Its subject matter seemingly has all the fleeting but fun aspects that make the idea of summer in novels so alluring — Lucy is vacationing when she meets Felix, a local. They hit it off in all the right ways, but they also realize that maybe they shouldn’t really be together. As they try to resist temptation, a family emergency leads them to an island that makes resistance essentially futile.
More authors and books popular on BookTok for summer reading are Elin Hilderbrand, Jenny Han, and A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston has been a most-anticipated book for awhile (it came out June 25th).
Books That Should Be Popular on BookTok this Summer, Too
It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant
Here’s a cozy mystery set in a somewhat unusual place: a school’s PTA meetings. Mavis is trying to balance her 7-year-old daughter, the rest of her family, and her nonprofit job when she’s asked to head her daughter’s school’s new DEI committee. Then things get spicy — the principal pisses the slightly scary PTA president, Trisha, off and winds up missing the next day. And, come to think of it, Mavis did see Trisha moving huge trash bags and cleaning supplies out of her car the day before…
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
In this cozy foodie mystery, Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare are “food detectives” who use their investigations to unlock hidden food memories and uncover forgotten moments in Japan.
Murder in Masquerade by Mary Winters
The first book in this series is actually Murder in Postscript, but, as with most cozy mysteries I’ve come across, I don’t think reading the first book is necessary. What makes Murder in Masquerade extra fun for this list, apart from its Victorian setting, is that it has a good bit of romance in it as well, making it a great mashup of historical romance and mystery. It follows Countess Amelia Amesbury, whose hobby of writing an advice column in a London penny paper has landed her in some mess. Again. This time, the handsome marquis, Simon Brainbridge, wants her to convince his sister — who has written to Amelia for advice — to not marry one particular scoundrel. But then said scoundrel winds up dead during a theater performance, and now Amelia will have to suss out the killer.
Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie by Jackie Lau
In this latest foodie rom-com by romance heavyweight Jackie Lau, writer and barista Emily Hung is being pressed to get with engineer Mark Chan, a man her mother acts like is god’s gift to the world. Meanwhile, Emily thinks he’s a little full of himself when she has to make conversation with him at her sister’s wedding. But, seeing as she’s the last of her parent’s daughters to get hitched, she decides that fake dating Mark might be the way to get her mother off her back. Both Emily and Mark have to lean into their rouse more, though, once their family friends start seeing them out and about, and we all know where that leads.
Second Night Stand by FAY STETZ-WATERS, KARELIA STETZ-WATERS
Here’s another for the more theatrically inclined. Izzy, a burlesque star, and Lilian, a ballerina, are both desperate to win prize money from the Great American Talent Show. Izzy wants the money to renovate a theater and make it a queer safe space, while Lilian wants it to save her all-Black ballet company. When they realize they’re both competing on the show, neither can forget the night they spent together. Question is can they afford the distraction.
After you’ve added these books to your summer reading list, I’d love to hear about your book plans for the rest of the season. Are you a romance and mystery/thriller kind of summer reader like so many BookTokkers? Or, do you prefer something else? Let’s discuss in the comments!
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