In this edition of Litty Committee, we have a BookTok spectacular! Let’s be real, it’s basically impossibly to scroll through your fyp without stumbling upon a smutty book rec.
Gone are the days of in-person book clubs with your mum’s friends, or desperately begging your English teacher to pick one of the saucier novels off the National Curriculum reading list.
TheKnowledgeAcademy did some digging and put together a top 10 list of the most popular books on the app. So, if you’re looking to spice up your bookshelf, here’s the layman’s guide to TikTok’s favourite books.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Orion Children’s Books, Hachette Australia
About the book:
“Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .
“A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.”
Fun fact! The Netflix series Shadow and Bone – also popular on TikTok – is based on another series by Bardugo, and features the characters from the Crows novels.
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Price: $12.00 (RRP $19.99)
Throne of Glass By Sarah J. Maas
If you’ve missed the Sarah J. Maas hype train, consider this your “all aboard” summons. Throne of Glass is the first entry point to her catalogue, which now spans three series (spoiler alert, there’s another one coming up on this list).
About the book:
“After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.
“Then one of the other contestants turns up dead … quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.”
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Price: $15.35 (RRP $17.99)
ebook: $13.63
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
About the book:
“One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The terrifying assassin abducts all three girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal.
“As Jude grows older, she realises that she will need to take part in the dangerous deceptions of the fey to ever truly belong. But the stairway to power is fraught with shadows and betrayal. And looming over all is the infuriating, arrogant and charismatic Prince Cardan…”
If you’re getting the vibe that BookTok loves a YA fantasy with an implied enemies-to-lover plotline, you’d be correct. Universal Pictures has optioned this for a film adaptation, too!
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Price: $13.75 (RRP $16.99)
ebook: $8.79 (RRP $9.99)
The Selection by Kiera Cass
About the book:
“Thirty-five beautiful girls. Thirty-five beautiful rivals…It’s the chance of a lifetime and 17-year-old America Singer should feel lucky. She has been chosen for The Selection, a reality TV lottery in which the special few compete for gorgeous Prince Maxon’s love.
“Rivalry within The Selection is fierce and not all of the girls are prepared to play by the rules. But what they don’t know is that America has a secret – one which could throw the whole competition… and change her life forever.”
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Price: $14.79 (RRP $16.99)
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
About the book:
“When Lily feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in her life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily, but Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
“As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan – her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.”
According to Amazon, this is “the most heartbreaking novel you’ll ever read”, so maybe add some tissues to your shopping cart too.
Category: Fiction
Price: $9.00 (RRP $19.99)
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Told you there’d be more Sarah J. Maas on this list! Heads up, this book is actually the second book in her A Court of Thorns and Roses series, so maybe give the first book a squizz before you dive into this one.
About the book:
“Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court – but at a steep cost. Though she now possesses the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.
“Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, the mesmerising High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates his dark web of political games and tantalising promises, a greater evil looms – and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can step into her growing power, heal her fractured soul and have the courage to shape her own future – and the future of a world cloven in two.”
Category: Fiction, New Adult
Price: $12.00 (RRP $19.99)
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
About the book:
“I have a curse. I have a gift. I’m a monster. I’m more than human. My touch is lethal. My touch is power. I am their weapon. I will fight back.
“No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she’s finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time-and to find a future with the one boy she thought she’d lost forever.”
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Price: $17.50
Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
About the book:
“In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.
“For the next seven years, it was us. We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it? Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances? F*ck it.
“I need to meet her. I just don’t expect to hate what I find.”
Category: Fiction, New Adult
Price: $17.63 ($19.59)
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
About the book:
“Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.
“The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.”
From Blood and Ash was the GoodReads Romance Choice winner for 2020, if you need any additional persuasion – another win for the fantasy romance loving girlies!
Category: Fiction, New Adult
Price: $29.69 (RRP $32.99)
Confess by Colleen Hoover
About the book:
“At age twenty-one, Auburn Reed has already lost everything important to her. In her fight to rebuild her shattered life, she has her goals in sight and there is no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.
“For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is keeping a major secret from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it. To save their relationship, all Owen needs to do is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin.”
Category: Fiction, New Adult
On Sale: December 1, 2021
Price: $17.95 (RRP $19.99)
ebook: $12.99
Litty Committee is Pedestrian.TV’s book column. Every month, we’ll take you through the newest reads and spotlight a novel we think you might like.
You can catch up on our other Litty Committee recommendations here.
