While classic literature is defined by timeless works like Moby Dick and Jane Eyre that speak to the universal experience, today’s lewd, trope-filled internet hits such as the hockey lust romance “Icebreaker” can hardly provoke the same literary pride for the modern era. TikTok’s book-lover niche, “BookTok,” stands to tarnish noteworthy literature by idealizing overtly sexual, unoriginal, and depthless books to win over impressionable readers.
The community sprouted in 2020, allowing fans and writers alike to rave about books and share recommendations. Books previously overlooked surged in popularity, including They Both Die at the End and the highly praised The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Attention also swarmed to titles like It Ends With Us and Twisted Love despite earning arguably less merit due to their cliché nature.
Writers sacrificed stylistic integrity to capitalize on formulaic success for mediocre books inspired by the superficiality of BookTok culture. Instead of showcasing the themes or depth in their own literature, authors themselves break their work down to the tropes they consist of. For example, growing BookTok author Celeste Briars’ introductory videos simply list the tropes found in her novels, such as the “one bed” trope, or romanticize severely dysfunctional dynamics.
Distinctive work becomes an anomaly on BookTok, as writers release trendy but superficial remakes of classics such as Puck & Prejudice or A Thousand Acres. Though the former is meant to retain some similarity to its inspiration, the one-dimensional characters and out-of-place intimate scenes make it a far cry from the original’s sophistication.
With a large portion of the niche dominated by inexperienced teens and young adults, many girls are taught twisted relationship ideals, creating out-of-touch expectations for men either overly affectionate or completely devoid of affection. Book relationships quickly branch into possessive and unhealthy behavior, but readers are equally quick to overlook them, viewing them as an escape from reality.
A plethora of these stories contain “spicy” content, which can pose risks to unsuspecting preteens looking to immerse themselves in a fictional world when such content is not properly disclosed. While racy content was nearly exclusive to the romance genre, BookTok has encouraged suggestive scenes to seep into other categories such as fantasy, creating a new genre coined “romantasy.” This sector takes away from the expansive worldbuilding and complex politics of the fantasy genre, instead awkwardly forcing flirtation onto characters for online appeal.
While an online book-loving community would ideally be a suitable space for novel discussion, conversations on the app steer clear of any nuance and instead fawn over various love interests and cliche romance moments. BookTok’s focus on surface-level content spoils literature, forging a future where basic plots and characters become the golden standard, making originality and integrity in writing a forgotten past.
