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BookTok is a wonderful place to find all kinds of TikTok book recommendations, especially in the young adult and romance genres. There are always so many books to choose from and you can find just about any book you’re looking for.
With everything from brand new releases to books that have been in circulation for a while there’s something for everyone. Most of the books on this list weren’t released in 2022, but have gained attention throughout this year. So even if you’re looking at a book on this list and it was published a few years ago, you can be sure its still the talk of the town on booktok. Prepare to fill your stockings and TBR lists with the best TikTok book recommendations 2022 has to offer!
Babel by R. F. Kuang
Robin Swift, orphaned as a child due to a cholera outbreak, is found by a professor and is brought up in world of languages, all so he can attend the legendary translation institute at Oxford called Babel. When he gets there at first it’s everything he hoped for, but soon he realizes that translation isn’t just a tool for education, but also as a tool for colonization. Now Robin finds himself faced with two options, fight for the world he was raised for, or fight for the world he wants to see.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Nora is one of the best literary agents in the world. When her little sister proposes a girls trip, Nora agrees to try and take some time for herself. The sisters weekend is growing great until Nora realizes that Charlie, an annoying uptight editor, also happens to be vacationing in the same spot. As they keep bumping into each other via more and more absurd scenarios they realize that they might not be the hero of their own story, but they could be the hero of each other’s.
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Cain’s Jawbone by Edward Powys Mathers
This book is a mystery and a puzzle. Literally! It’s printed out of order, part of the mystery of the book is trying to put it in the right order. As of right now, only three people have ever completed this daunting task.
It’s the puzzle more than the book itself that has attracted attention among booktok accounts, but there’s no denying that a mystery this good can’t be passed up.
Crave by Tracy Wolff
The first book in a supernatural trilogy, Crave tells the story of a young woman named Grace who finds herself falling for a vampire. As she tries to navigate going to school with monsters who just as soon kill her as look at her, she starts to realize that maybe there is more to this school than meets the eye. Grace must now try to survive all the while wondering if maybe her coming to this school wasn’t just an accident, maybe it was arranged, and Grace doesn’t know which sounds scarier.
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Delilah is forced to go back to Bright Falls to photograph her sisters wedding. Even though she always said she would never come back, the guilt trip and the money mean that it’s time to go home. However when she gets there she encounters an old friend of her sister named Claire. The two find themselves stuck together while working on wedding preparation. And maybe, just maybe these two have much more chemistry than they’d like to believe.
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
Rent is expensive. So two people become roommates without ever meeting each other. Leon works nights so he only needs the flat during the day. Tiffy has the opposite schedule so she occupies the flat the rest of the time. They begin to communicate with each other via notes, and soon they find themselves becoming something maybe a little bit more than just roommate. Of course there’s still the problem of them never having met before.
Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
Hani is bisexual, but when she tells her friends, they start to question her. In a panic she lies and tells them she does have a girlfriend. Ishu just wants her to show up her perfect sister, and becoming head girl is the perfect way to do that. Fake dating Hani might be the perfect way to become more popular and secure the votes she needs. So their plan is hatched! What could possibly go wrong?
How High we go in the dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
The year is 2030 and an ancient corpse is discovered in the melting permafrost. However, this young woman was killed by a deadly and contagious virus that is now free to rampage across the world. This epic follows the virus and its devastating effects for years to come. Each person is affected wholly differently and what follows is an interwoven tale of endurance and perseverance.
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
A memoir from Jennette McCurdy that tells the tale of her abusive mother and Jennette’s experience as a former child star. It’s a heartbreaking story about the dangers that many young actors face when no one has their back. McCurdy writes with wit and class even while detailing some of the most painful experiences of her life. It’s a book you won’t want to put down, and will be thinking about for years to come.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The first book in a trilogy, Avery Grambs finds herself in the running for a vast inheritance from an unknown man. As long as she lives in this house with the old man’s family, attends the school he wants her to go to, and abides by a few other rules, her whole life will change. But why was she chosen? Is he a relative? A friend of the family? Or is it something even more sinister than that. Avery has a year to figure it out and survive the trials put before her.
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
This retelling is entirely transportive. Kaikeyi is brought up on wonderful stories of the gods and the great deeds they accomplish. But when she sees her father banish her mother and try to marry her off she realizes perhaps the gods aren’t as benevolent as the stories make them out to be. Kaikeyi turns to the books her mother read to her and transforms herself into the powerful woman she was always destined to become. But there are always those who wish to see a powerful woman fail.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
This is a delightful graphic novel about the perils and pitfalls of high school dating. Freddy wants Laura Dean to stop breaking up with her. This weird on and off relationship is as confusing as it is complicated. So Freddy turns to anyone who will help her figure out what’s going on. From mystics to advice columns Freddy is determined to get to the bottom of her topsy-turvy relationship.
Malibu Rising Taylor Jenkins Reid
It’s 1983, and one of the greatest fires to rage across California is about to start. A fire started accidentally at a house party for the rich, famous, and beautiful people of Malibu. But the story of the fire, and those who cause it start years earlier when the hosts are children just trying to understand why their dad would leave their mom like that. This is a wonderful story about family, fame, and what can happen when sparks catch.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Connell and Marianne pretend they don’t each other at school. They run in completely different circles, so it’s just easier to pretend. But, secretly they have a connection that amazes and scares them. A year later as they study at the same school in Dublin things start to shift. Over the next four years they find themselves circling each other being drawn close only to be flung apart. As their own lives get more and more complicated, they have to decide what they are to each other once and for all. And it’s not going to go smoothly.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Credited as one the pieces to bring “dark academia” into the literary lexicon, this is a classic that still draws attention from new readers to this day. When a group of friends studying classics kill their schoolmate, their lives start to spiral out of control. What follows is a story of passion, deception, and academia that haunts its readers. The group tries to keep it together, but they find themselves slipping from the high minded ideal image they had of themselves to something a lot more sinister.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Her brother was told that his fate will be greatness not seen by anyone alive today. Her fate is nothingness. But when her brother passes away, Zhu decides she’s going to steal her brother’s fate. Disguised in boy’s clothes, Zhu heads to study at the monastery her brother was promised to, and from then on, she hides her identity from everyone, including the gods themselves. As she rises to lead armies she is struck by one question: how long before it is realized that she is not who she says she is.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
A retelling of the myth of Achilles that is as heart warming as it is devastating. Two young men find themselves training together. Soon a bond is formed and they fall more in love with each other than they know what to do with. But when the war with Troy begins, these two lovers find that sometimes love can’t survive a battlefield. And perhaps even worse, sometimes it can.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Catalina was under a lot of pressure and might have let it slip that she’s bringing her American boyfriend to her sister’s wedding. There’s only one problem — she doesn’t have one. Luckily her colleague, Aaron, offers to step in and pose as her fake boyfriend. Even though she can’t stand him, Catalina agrees to the plan and the game is afoot. But as they spend more and more time together she starts to realize something. Maybe she likes him way more than she thought.
This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Alizeh has a secret. To the world she’s just an ordinary servant. But in reality she’s descended from royalty. The crown prince is struggling to keep it all together. His father’s passing has been predicted to happen any time now. But he keeps finding himself by a servant who seems to know a lot more than she’s letting on. Their kingdom — and indeed their world — hangs in the balance. Each of them will have to tread carefully to avoid sending their people into chaos.
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
It’s 1893 in New York City, but it’s not the New York we know. Now it’s 1993 and the AIDS epidemic is causing the deaths of so many innocent young men. Now it’s 2093 and the world is run by corrupt officials and is plagued by sickness. What follows is an intricate weaving of three people’s lives spread out over three hundred years. As their lives intersect in strange ways, it seems that despite the vast time difference, things haven’t actually changed all that much.
Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Ari is a meteorologist on TV and loves her job. But her boss is too distracted with personal matters to give Ari’s career the attention it deserves. Enter Russel. Russel offers to step in and team up with Ari to fix their bosses’ personal lives so that Ari’s life can get back on track. But amidst all their hijinks, a storm starts brewing. And Ari realizes that she’s starting to have feelings for Russel. But can she let him in enough to see the real her? Or will he be stuck with the weather girl persona she puts on for TV?
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
This book originally came out in 2014, but has made a comeback thanks to BookTok. When a group of friends goes to visit a remote island for some away time, things don’t go exactly as planned. What follows is a series of events so shocking that it will shape the friends forever. If they can make it out alive, and with their secrets in tact that is. But can they even remember what the truth is? Or have they managed to lie even to themselves.
BookTok has so many more wonderful recommendations out there. Check out our earlier lists to find the highest rated YA books on TikTok, the most popular romance books on BookTok, and fantasy too!
As new books come out, and old favorites are rediscovered, there’s no shortage of wonderful TikTok book recommendations. This only barely scrapes the surface of BookTok’s most popular recommendations. I’m sure there will be many more great ones to come.