BookTok under the microscope: What's trending, which book recommendations are good, and for whom?
Booktok has now also established itself beyond mobile screens: While TikTok has been a popular digital marketplace for reading tips for years, bookstores have long since set up their own "Known from TikTok" tables and shelves by 2025. The Börsenblatt des deutschen Buchhandels (German Book Trade Newspaper) maintains its own Booktok bestseller lists on its website, which Media Control compiles monthly in collaboration with TikTok.
According to the platform itself, more than 25 million books were sold in Germany in 2024 after creators uploaded recommendations for them – more than double the number compared to the previous year. The target audience is predominantly young. "Social media is an extremely important driver for book purchases in this group," says Robin Jung, spokesperson for the German Publishers and Booksellers Association. "Around a third of young people become aware of new books via social media channels – among 16- to 19-year-old readers, the figure is as high as 38 percent."
Robin Jung
Press spokesman at the German Publishers and Booksellers Association
A closer look at the positions on two of the Booktok bestseller lists should shed some light on the question: How literary are these books? What do they have in common? And who are they worth buying?
Among the top 20 for September, "Little Stranger" by Scottish author Leigh Rivers takes first place. The first part of a so-called duet in the dark romance genre is subtitled "Trapped in His Obsession." The novel begins with a lengthy trigger warning, meaning it contains motifs that might be disturbing to some people.
Seven-year-old Olivia, who was previously abused, now lives with an adoptive family. The family takes in another child with a similar background: Malachi. He is said to have antisocial personality disorder but refuses therapy. The two adopted siblings are very close and become even closer. As they grow older, they begin a passionate relationship – their sex life contains elements of violence and control.
The primary motivation for telling this obsessive relationship story is the depiction of various sexual practices. Readers are introduced to the main characters' bodies, but less so to their motives and backgrounds. At least the plot is unpredictable, which creates tension. The book is primarily suitable for readers seeking erotic thrills and the thrill of the forbidden. However, from a literary perspective, it is not recommended.
The dark romance genre, in particular, is a thorn in the side of many commentators. The main criticism is that it romanticizes patterns and actions such as abuse of power, stalking, and rape, which could lead young people to develop false ideas. This is not evident in Leigh Rivers' book. The toxic nature of the relationship is clearly marked as such.
The "TikTok Book Awards" ceremony at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which took place for the third time in 2025, also reflects the changing nature of media usage. Lilly Lucas was named "#BookTok Author of the Year" on Saturday, October 18. The "#BookTok Bestseller of the Year" for 2025 is "Culpa Mía. My Fault" by Mercedes Ron. @nathalie_reads was named "#BookTok Creator of the Year."
The jury selected Amazon Prime's "The Summer I Turned Pretty," based on the book by Jenny Han, as "Best #BookTok Film Adaptation." Jana's Little Book Café won the award for Indie Bookstore or Library. Lyx was named Publisher of the Year.
Second place goes to "22 Lanes" by Caroline Wahl. The 208-page coming-of-age novel follows master's student Tilda through a summer.
The young woman never left home because she didn't want to leave her ten-year-old sister alone with their alcoholic and depressed mother. The passionate swimmer meets Viktor, the mysterious older brother of her deceased friend, at the outdoor pool and falls in love with him. Over the course of the story, not only Tilda, but also her beloved little sister and Viktor, rise above themselves.
Tilda's hectic life, with university, housework, and a part-time job at the supermarket checkout, is also reflected in the book's sober, staccato narrative. "22 Lanes" is a summer romance that simultaneously examines social issues such as poverty. The author has been publicly criticized for writing about the socially disadvantaged while being wealthy herself.
Although the novel was published two years ago, it's still on the Booktok bestseller list. At the time, author Wahl was only 27 years old. The resurgence of her debut novel is certainly linked to the film adaptation, which hit German cinemas in early September.
In "Mommy, Please Learn German," Tahsim Durgun writes about his own life, landing him in third place in the ranking. The novel bears the subtitle "Our Attempt at Integration into a Closed Society."
As the son of Kurdish immigrants, the author not only struggled with how German society treated people with a migration background. He also disagreed with the decisions made by his parents, especially his mother. For a long time, he was troubled by the question of why she never learned German. The book addresses these and other questions about integration.
Language is the central thread that holds everything together. The work is presented as a non-fiction book, but its structure is thoroughly literary. Author Durgun, who studied German and history, uses language that is at times cynical, at times overtly emotional. The register ranges from "immigrant speak" to technical terms.
Anyone who wants to learn about everyday racism and migrant cultures, or about the history and customs of Yazidism, in an entertaining style will enjoy this book. Tahsim Durgun, born in 1995, was already active as an influencer and podcaster, as well as a host on the public broadcaster Funk before writing his first novel.
The criticism that Booktok primarily contains recommendations for less demanding reading often explicitly includes the Young Adult or New Adult genres as examples, in addition to dark romance. Such books do indeed seem to sell well.
The German Publishers and Booksellers Association (Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels) does not yet differentiate between these genres in its sales statistics, explains spokesperson Jung. "Therefore, we cannot say anything about the specific growth of these titles. What we do know is that the two product categories 'fiction' and 'children's and young adult books,' into which these genres fall, are currently growing and recording sales growth." According to Media Control, this was an increase of 4.1 percent for fiction and 0.5 percent for children's and young adult books in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Books that deal with teen and young adult topics are often considered shallow because of their portrayal of romantic relationships. However, a look at the top three spots on the Young Adult Booktok bestseller list reveals other aspects.
Topping the list in September are the second and first volumes of "Me and the Walter Boys," written by American author Ali Novak. These are romance novels for young adults.
The 16-year-old first-person narrator, Jackie, has lost her family in a car accident and, at the request of her guardian, moves from her luxury New York apartment to live with her mother's childhood best friend. She lives with her husband and twelve children – one of whom is a girl – on a horse ranch in Colorado. Between Jackie and several of the brothers, more than just sibling feelings develop, while she simultaneously tries to suppress the grief over her family.
In the second part, Jackie returns to Colorado after a two-month summer stay in New York, where she now feels at home – but the family dynamic has changed. The protagonist has found a connection with her siblings while simultaneously allowing herself to grieve. And that's precisely why she repeatedly pushes away her second-oldest brother, who longs for a relationship with her.
Readers shouldn't expect realistic depictions of complex emotional processes here. These books are feel-good novels that radiate youthful optimism. The core of the plot is the everyday dramas between people growing up and having to learn how to deal with themselves and others. Life in a patchwork extended family is particularly romanticized.
"Me and the Walter Boys" has also been adapted into a Netflix series, with a first season in 2023 and a second in 2025. The books were written eleven years apart. Ali Novak says he wrote the first volume at the age of 15.
In the Young Adult category, the prequel to an international bestselling series takes third place: "The Hunger Games: The Rise of the Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. This dystopian science fiction novel is the fifth in the series and the second outside the core trilogy to feature a prequel story.
Namely, that of Haymitch Abernathy, who is also its first-person narrator. On his 16th birthday, the son of a laundress from the poor coal-mining District 12 is chosen by lot to participate in the Hunger Games. This punishment for a revolt of the districts against the government 50 years ago is primarily a propaganda tool. The life-and-death struggle of the so-called tributes is staged nationwide as a TV spectacle. Haymitch refuses to submit himself to this machine without resistance and, among other things, joins a conspiracy.
The novel clearly shows how Haymitch Abernathy became the character he is in the later trilogy: a cynical alcoholic and trainer for the tributes from District 12. His first-person narration is warm-hearted, yet self-deprecating and serene. Important themes include camaraderie and cooperation, as well as the importance of indestructible hope in the face of seemingly overwhelming evil.
The books examined on the Booktok bestseller lists for September vary greatly in content. It's striking how many young female authors find their books at the top of the charts. Even books that are controversial or have been made into films are successful.
The trend towards Tiktok as a platform for reading tips and buying ideas is likely to intensify over the years: "Among 10- to 15-year-old readers, Tiktok/Booktok (49 percent) and YouTube (50 percent) play the biggest role when it comes to books," Jung from the Börsenverein quotes a Media Control survey.
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