Love on holiday, murder mystery, and romantasy – these are the summer's book trends on Tiktok.
Sweet romance novels are about to get a boost, says book influencer Jasmine Darban.
Summer is around the corner, and those who want to revive their reading appetite during the holidays can turn to the reading community "#booktok" on Tiktok. Under the hashtag, which currently has 278 million hits, users share book tips and reading experiences with each other.
Book influencer Jasmine Darban is one of the country's largest Booktok profiles, with over 40,000 followers on her Tiktok account. She believes that the subgenre romantasy, which has grown big on the platform, will be trendy among young readers during the summer.
This genre just keeps growing, she says.
Murder mysteries for young adults
Another book trend Darban predicts is summer romances.
These are romance books that take place during the summer or on holiday. They always get a boost this time of year, she says, highlighting American romance author Emily Henry.
In April, Henry's latest book, "Funny story", a story about complicated love between two roommates, was released. It's a book that several Booktok influencers have tipped their followers about during the spring.
Another notable book release is Holly Jackson's new book. She has written a murder mystery trilogy for young adults that became very popular. The new book is called "The reappearance of Rachel Price" and is a kind of murder mystery.
Book releases to look forward to
One of the most talked-about books on the platform has not yet been released. It's the relationship drama "Intermezzo" by Sally Rooney, which will be published in both Swedish and English in September.
Everyone's talking about it right now. Many are reading "arcs", i.e. unpublished editions of the book, and reviewing it on Tiktok, says Darban.
Wants to promote Swedish literature
Most books that get attention on Booktok are written in English, by authors from the USA or the UK. With her platform, Jasmine Darban now wants to contribute to promoting Swedish literature.
Among other things, she wants to highlight author Heléne Holmström's books, which depict relationship dramas at a fictional law firm.
She has just released one of her books in English, so it would be perfect to tip her off, she says, and continues:
But there are so many talented Swedish authors I want to lift on Booktok. My plan for the summer is to read a lot of Swedish literature so I can do that.
"It ends with us"
Colleen Hoover's novel from 2016 became an international bestseller after being featured on Booktok. Later, Hoover was criticized for glorifying destructive relationships in the book. In August, a film based on the novel will be released, starring Blake Lively in the lead role.
"A court of thorns and roses"
The first book in the romantasy series of the same name by Sarah J Maas. The book is about nineteen-year-old Feyre, who is taken to the land of the faeries after killing an animal in the forest.
"The secret history"
"The secret history" by Donna Tartt from 1992 is one of the most talked-about books on Booktok, according to Jasmine Darban. The book is about a murder at a university in the USA and has been credited with popularizing the subgenre "dark academia".
