BookTok Books UK: The Viral Reads Worth Buying

The short answer: the BookTok books UK readers keep coming back to fall into five camps. There's romantasy (A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing), emotional romance (It Ends With Us), YA mysteries (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder), twisty thrillers (Freida McFadden) and big-hearted literary reads (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Song of Achilles). Below we've grouped the most talked-about titles by mood, with the box sets we stock for each, so you can find your next obsession without scrolling for hours.

BookTok quick picks: find your next read by mood

Prices checked on our product pages in October 2026 and can change.

What is BookTok?

BookTok is the reading community on TikTok, where readers post short, emotional reviews, reactions and recommendations. A single video of someone sobbing over a final chapter can send a years-old novel back up the charts, and that's why so many backlist titles feel brand new again. Many of the most-loved BookTok books are also sold as complete series sets, which is handy because BookTok readers famously binge.

A quick vocabulary guide: romantasy means romance plus fantasy. Spice refers to how explicit the romance is. Enemies-to-lovers and slow burn describe how the relationship develops. Sprayed edges are the coloured page edges many special editions now have.

Romantasy: the biggest BookTok trend

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre, a huntress, kills a wolf and is dragged into the faerie lands of Prythian. The series grows from a Beauty-and-the-Beast retelling into a sprawling war story. The ACOTAR 5-book set includes A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight and A Court of Silver Flames. Its listing describes it as mixed format. Already finished? Maas's Throne of Glass box set (£62.99) is next.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Violet Sorrengail is forced into a brutal military college for dragon riders, where dragons choose their riders and failure means death. Get Fourth Wing on its own (£9.99) or with its sequel in the Empyrean 2-book set (£18.99).

The Folk of the Air by Holly Black

Jude, a mortal girl raised in the High Court of Faerie, schemes for power against the cruel Prince Cardan. The 6-book Folk of the Air set (£28.99) includes the main trilogy plus The Stolen Heir duology and How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories.

More romantasy favourites

• The Powerless Trilogy by Lauren Roberts (£21.99): Powerless, Reckless and Fearless.
• Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross (£18.99): rival journalists, magic typewriters and a war of gods.
• Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo (£12.49): where the Grishaverse began.

Browse the whole genre in YA fantasy.

Romance that BookTok can't stop crying over

Colleen Hoover

It Ends With Us follows Lily as a new relationship turns into something she never expected. It's a powerful, hard-hitting read that deals with domestic abuse, so check the content notes if that's a sensitive subject for you. The 2-book box set (£12.99) pairs it with the sequel, It Starts With Us.

Ana Huang and the sports-romance wave

For glossy billionaire romance, the Kings of Sin 5-book box set (£32.99) has King of Wrath, Pride, Greed, Sloth and Envy. Hannah Grace's hockey romances are also a BookTok favourite. The Maple Hills sprayed-edge set (£44.99) includes Icebreaker, Wildfire and Daydream. Both series are adult romance with explicit content.

Young adult romance

• The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han (£9.99): summer love triangles at Cousins Beach.
• Heartstopper volumes 4–6 by Alice Oseman (£33.99): Nick and Charlie's gentle love story in graphic-novel form.
• Shatter Me 6-book set by Tahereh Mafi (£23.99): dystopian romance with a heroine whose touch is lethal.

Find more in romance and YA romance.

Mysteries and thrillers that went viral

• A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (£17.99): Pip reopens a closed murder case for her school project. It's a very British YA mystery that adults love too.
• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (£13.99 for a 3-book set): a rich family's island, a summer accident and that twist.
• Freida McFadden box set (£22.99): Never Lie, Ward D and Locked Door. Short chapters and constant reveals.
• The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (£6.99): dark-academia murder in Cambridge from the author of The Silent Patient.

Browse more in crime, thriller and mystery.

Literary reads that BookTok made bestsellers again

Madeline Miller's 3-book set (£21.99) includes The Song of Achilles, Circe and the short story Galatea. Readers famously warn that the ending of The Song of Achilles will destroy you. Taylor Jenkins Reid is another BookTok staple: start with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo set (£19.99), or try Daisy Jones and The Six, Malibu Rising and Carrie Soto Is Back (£23.99).

Reading BookTok on a budget

BookTok can be an expensive habit. Every week brings a new must-read, and special editions with sprayed edges and foiled covers aren't cheap. A few simple habits help:

• Buy the series, not the single. If you're likely to binge, a full set usually works out cheaper per book than buying each title one at a time.
• Choose paperbacks for first reads. Save the special editions for the favourites you know you'll re-read.
• Try one book first for unfamiliar authors. Single titles such as Fourth Wing let you test a series before committing.
• Swap with friends. Book clubs and buddy reads are a big part of BookTok culture, and sharing sets makes them go further.

Is BookTok for teens or adults?

Both, and that's worth knowing before you buy a gift. Many of the biggest BookTok titles, including ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, Kings of Sin and the Colleen Hoover books, are adult novels with explicit scenes or difficult themes. For teenagers, books such as A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Heartstopper and Shadow and Bone are written for young adults. Our YA bestsellers collection is a good starting point. Parents can also read our Percy Jackson reading order for younger fantasy fans.

How to choose a BookTok box set: a checklist

• Read the "Titles in this set" list. Some sets are a whole series, and others cover only part.
• Check the format. Several sets are listed as mixed format (some paperback, some hardback).
• Love special editions? Look for "sprayed edges" in the product title.
• Buying for a teenager? Check whether the book is adult or YA.
• Buying more than one set? See our Bundle Savings page for current multi-buy codes.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most popular BookTok books?

Some of the most consistently recommended include A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing, It Ends With Us, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Song of Achilles and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

Where can I buy BookTok books in the UK?

You'll find a curated range in our BookTok bestsellers collection, with many titles sold as series sets.

What does "romantasy" mean?

Romantasy is a blend of romance and fantasy, where the love story is as central as the magical plot. ACOTAR and Fourth Wing are the best-known examples.

What should I read after A Court of Thorns and Roses?

Try Fourth Wing, The Folk of the Air or Throne of Glass if you want more fantasy with romance.

Are BookTok books suitable for 13-year-olds?

Some are, and many are not. Stick to YA titles such as Heartstopper or A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, and check the content of adult romantasy before buying.

Find your next obsession

Whether you want dragons, heartbreak or a twist you didn't see coming, BookTok has a book for you. Browse the full BookTok bestsellers collection and start reading.