Reading is cool again, but publishers and parents fear that new TikTok trend promoting erotic titles goes too far.
Parents, publishers and booksellers have generally welcomed “BookTok”, the videos on TikTok promoting literature. In an age when many worry about children spending too much time in front of a screen, reading has become “cool” on the platform.
But a trend for “spicy” (ie sexy) books has led to fears children may be reading titles with adult content.
Romance fiction is the genre most discussed on the app, with users referring to tropes such as “enemies to lovers” or “forbidden love”.
Many of the books popular with BookTokkers, such as Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series, are aimed at teenagers. Other titles, such as the Maple Hill Series by Hannah Grace, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood and The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas, have adult themes.