The Negative Effects of BookTok

TikTok has different algorithms that reach their large and diverse audience. For avid readers, BookTok is a part of TikTok where readers can share their to be reads (TBR) and recommendations to other readers. It’s good that readers have an outlet to share their passion and love for reading, especially since reading is becoming a bigger part of some teenager’s daily lives; however, sometimes the recommendations can be repetitive or falsely advertised. For example, It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover was advertised as a romance novel. As it grew more popular, readers started to complain that the book they were reading was actually about breaking the cycle of abusive relationships. Hoover based the book off of her mother’s relationship, and according to an interview with Hoover, it was the hardest book she’s written so far. Many of Colleen Hoover’s books have made it onto BookTok, but her books have created major controversy within the community. In recent weeks, Hoover announced her coloring book for It Ends with Us, but she received major backlash. Many people believed the coloring book was ‘tone-deaf’ and that a book about the sensitive topic of abuse should not be turned into a coloring activity. 

Another book that was falsely advertised on BookTok was The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, which is about politics within a fantastical world with interesting characters and a side plot of romance. People were recommending the book because of the “romance” that takes place in the book; however, the romance is very minimal and not the point of the story. This also happened with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins when people started asking: Team Gale or Peeta? They missed the entire point of the story, which is a problem because books are a form of media where people can voice real concerns. 

BookTok may be a good platform for readers to talk about their opinions and recommend books, but it has a lot more negative aspects than positive. Books are being falsely advertised, spoiled, and stories are shared just for the purpose of making money. The book Lightlark by Alex Aster was advertised using tropes like a love triangle to catch the reader’s attention. She also said that it had a lot of diversity, which readers were disappointed to find lacking in her book once it was released. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard was advertised as a love triangle, even though it’s about a girl trying to change societal norms within her corrupted world.

Authors are mass producing books and focusing on quantity rather than quality, and BookTok is encouraging this behavior.  Readers have lost their patience waiting for the next book in a series to come out, or the next new book from their favorite author to be released. This puts a lot of pressure on the authors to deliver a book faster because their books are in high demand. Drafting and editing books takes so much of the author’s time and should never be rushed. It creates poorly written stories with plot holes and under-developed characters that ultimately leaves the reader disappointed.

By Bay Tilley