When I wrote “My Predictions for 2025 Trends” earlier this year, I suggested that what would dominate the BookTok space would depend on which side of the TikTok subculture you were a part of. I separated BookTok into “surface-level” BookTok and “underground BookTok. The former comprises the most visible content—what shows up when you first search #BookTok. It centers popular aesthetics, familiar tropes, and genre repetition. The latter, the niche I consider myself a part of, often highlights a broader range of stories and prioritizes critical engagement with books and the worlds they reflect.
Now that we are several months into the year, those trends have mostly remained consistent. “Surface-level” BookTok continues to reward entertainment and accessibility, favoring books that are easy to summarize and visually recognizable. On the other hand, while “underground” BookTok has remained more diverse than its counterpart, it has not been as outspoken or analytically engaged as I imagined (and hoped) it would be.
Still, the distinction is there. That’s not to say one side is inherently better than the other. While the term “surface-level” may sound dismissive, it’s meant to be descriptive, not derogatory. I used it intentionally to highlight the contrast, not to assign value.
If you find that surface-level BookTok isn’t what you’re looking for, or if you feel like you’ve been stuck in the BookTok echo chamber (see my article “Breaking Out of the BookTok Echo Chamber”), the following creators might help you find something different. Each brings their own voice, style, and reading preferences to the table. Some lean more underground, some more surface-level, but all offer something worth exploring.
Here are my top ten book content creators (in no particular order):
- Katie is reading (YouTube)
- Eden Yonas (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube)
- Tray Reads (TikTok, Instagram)
- Bryana Kay (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube)
- Celine @bookishwithb (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube)
- Krystal Lotus Lang (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube)
- Jahid Wilson Jr. @hidithescribe (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube)
- Azhangia (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube)
- Lexi aka newlynova (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube)
- Nadia @nadismediacorner (TikTok, Instagram)
Naturally, some of my favorite reads this year have come from their recommendations. Here are five books that stood out to me in 2025 so far:
- If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
- The Sword Of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach
- The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
- The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
While they are not all “surface-level” BookTok favorites, each has made its way across the platform in some form. Some may be more popular, profound, complex, or start more conversations than others. Yet, among the twenty-five books I’ve read so far, these five have a special place in my heart, and I have the online book community to thank for recommending these books.
Ultimately, no matter how much we critique BookTok, Bookstagram, and BookTube’s flaws, many of us still find our next favorite read through them. For all their contradictions, these platforms remain among the richest spaces where people from many different backgrounds come together to talk about books.
They are not above critique, and they demand that we engage thoughtfully. Still, when approached with intention, they remain well worth our time—and, in the right ways, our attention.