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9 must-read novels as recommended by TikTok

Have you read any of TikTok’s favourite books? Add them to your reading list here 

book tiktok
Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
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TikTok has something for everyone, including an amazing community of book lovers who make up a section of the popular app known as ‘BookTok’. Keen readers share their favourite novels - and of course, there are plenty of trending books that we have seen pop up time and time again. So without any further ado, check out the top must-read novels, as recommended by BookTok… 

MORE: 9 books that are being made into TV shows in 2021

Red, White and Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston 

This charming, witty novel follows the romance between the fictional First Son of the United States, Alex, and Prince Henry of England. After being forced to pretend to be friends to avoid an international crisis, the pair begin to fall for one another. Be prepared to hug the novel after finishing. 

red white royal

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, £10.49, Amazon

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The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller 

Easily one of the most recommended books on TikTok is The Song of Achilles, a retelling of The Illiad which focuses on the demigod Achilles’ relationship with his best friend and lover, Patroclus. We promise you, tears will be shed. 

song achilles

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, £8.19, Amazon

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We Were Liars - E. Lockhart

This YA novel follows a group of cousins of the wealthy Sinclair family, who unite to spend every summer on their private island. However, not everything is idyllic as it seems. To say any more would be giving the game away, but there is certainly a reason why everyone adores this twisty, eerie drama. 

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we were liars

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, £6.29, Amazon

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It Ends with Us - Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover is the queen of BookTok as her titles seem to be a solid favourite with fans - but we especially loved It Ends with Us, a romance which follows Lily, a young woman who falls wildly in love with neurosurgeon Ryle, only for her teenage first love with Atlas to threaten everything she has built in her new life. We would also recommend Verity and Ugly Love.  

ends with us

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, £7.37, Amazon

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab 

An absolute TikTok staple, the synopsis for the bestseller reads: “France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever - and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.” 

invisible life addie

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, £12.48, Amazon

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From Blood and Ash - Jennifer L. Armentrout

If you love a bit of fantasy fiction, TikTok has you covered. The story follows Poppy, a Maiden who has the entire kingdom’s future rest on her shoulders, and her relationship with Hawke, a guard who is honour-bound to protect her. Sign. Us. Up. 

blood ash

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, £13.99, Amazon

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid 

The story follows reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo, who chooses an unknown magazine reporter, Monique Grant, to tell her story, surprising Monique more than anyone. Why her? Why now? Determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career, Monique listens as Evelyn talks making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. 

seven husbands

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, £6.99, Amazon

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Rhapsodic - Laura Thalassa

The first of the fantasy trilogy follows Callypso Lillis, a siren with a very big problem being hugely in debt for magical IOUs. Only death or repayment will fulfill the obligations. And the Bargainer wants repayment… 

rhapsodic

Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa, £8.68, Amazon

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Serpent and Dove - Shelby Mahurin 

Love a witchy book and a dangerous romance? Look no further. The synopsis reads: “Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned. As a huntsman of the Church, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. But when Lou pulls a wicked stunt, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage. Lou, unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, must make a choice. And love makes fools of us all.” 

serpent dove

Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin, £6.55, Amazon

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