BookTok is a space on the TikTok app filled with book worms who review their favorite (and least favorite) titles, offer recommendations, and engage in conversations surrounding literature.
Katy Lemieux, co-owner of Talking Animals Books in Grapevine, says that subculture has turned reading into a shared experience.
"People are very much into the communal experience behind reading and these books that are very popular online really bring people together," she said.
And Lemieux says she doesn't really worry about digital formats, like audio books or e-books, putting her out of business.
"We really lean into the digital aspect of it because these things are not in competition," she said. "They really work collaboratively."
Lemieux recently joined NTX Now's Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning to talk about how BookTok shapes what readers are buying and what's currently flying off the shelves. Plus, she guides us through this summer's hottest reads, from The Hacienda — a Gothic horror steeped in haunted houses, Mexican folklore, and historical fiction — to the much anticipated fourth installment of the Assistant to the Villain series, a wildly popular fantasy romance filled with humor, mystery, and lovable chaos.
Here are her top picks broken down by genre:
Cowboy Romance
- Fever Dream by Elsie Silver
- Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen
- Smoke and Scar by Gretchen Powell
Sports Romance
- The Deal by Elle Kennedy
- Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
Fantasy Romance (Romantasy)
- Assistant to the Villain series by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Young Adult Mystery
- Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson
Cozy Fantasy / Cozy Mystery
- The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer
- The Far Away Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
Gothic Horror
- The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
Literary / Contemporary Fiction
- Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
- The Burning Years by Felicity Harley
- The Bright Side by Kim Holden
LitRPG / Science Fiction Fantasy
- Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman
