Book Review: Fearless by Lauren Roberts ‘Fearless’ by Lauren Roberts is the final book in her ‘Powerless’ trilogy. It was released in 2025, and follows on in the immediate fallout of the cliffhanger in ‘Reckless’, that despite murdering the late king, Paedyn Grey was going to marry Kit, and become the queen of Ilya. And,ContinueContinue reading
Category Archives: TikTok Made Me Buy It
Book Review: Reckless by Lauren Roberts ‘Reckless’ by Lauren Roberts is the second book of the ‘Powerless’ trilogy. It was published in 2024, and follows promptly after Paedyn killed the king of Ilya. In my opinion, this book was essentially a really long-winded way to achieve three imperative plot points, all of which are acknowledgedContinueContinue reading
Book Review: The Lamb by Lucy Rose ‘The Lamb’ by Lucy Rose was published in 2025. It is Rose’s debut novel and explores the idea of love through the lens of cannibalism thematically. This book can be rather grotesque, and while, in my opinion, this gruesome description could have been used more consistently throughout theContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins ‘Sunrise On The Reaping’ by Suzanne Collins was released in 2025. It is the second of Collins’ ‘The Hunger Games’ prequels. This book follows sixteen-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, and the events of the 50th Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell, where there were double the amount ofContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Powerless by Lauren Roberts ‘Powerless’ by Lauren Roberts was published in 2023. It is the first book in a series with the same name and consists of ‘Powerless’ (2023), ‘Reckless’ (2024) and ‘Fearless’ which was published earlier this month. There is also a novella that accompanies this series called ‘Powerful’, (2024) which followsContinueContinue reading
Book Review: The Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne Version 1.0.0 ‘The Bloodsworn Saga’ is a trilogy by John Gwynne that consists of ‘The Shadow of the Gods’ (2021), ‘The Hunger of the Gods’ (2022) and ‘The Fury of the Gods’ (2024). It is a Norse-inspired epic fantasy novel that had me in a vice-like grip.ContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross ‘Ruthless Vows’ by Rebecca Ross was released in 2023, and is the sequel to ‘Divine Rivals’, the bestselling fantasy novel about two young people that fall in love amidst times of war, through the sharing of letters via magical typewriters. This book is prompt in its following ofContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Wildfire by Hannah Grace ‘Wildfire’ by Hannah Grace was released in 2023. It is the second book in her Maple Hills series, and is preceded by ‘Icebreaker’ which was a smash hit on Booktok and definitely helped put hockey romance on the map. This book takes place during the summer following ‘Icebreaker’ andContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Lore Of The Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana / ‘Lore Of The Wilds’ by Analeigh Sbrana was released in 2023. It was Sbrana’s debut novel and the first in a duology, which is to be succeeded by ‘Lore Of The Tides’, a book that is due to be released this year. The story hasContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Bingsu For Two by Sujin Witherspoon ‘Bingsu For Two’ by Sujin Witherspoon was released in 2025. It is Witherspoon’s debut novel. I have been excited to read it since she was originally pitching it on social media. I really enjoyed this book. Witherspoon was able to convey a lot of serious and hard-hittingContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Love At First Set by Jennifer Dugan ‘Love At First Set’ by Jennifer Dugan was released in 2023. It drew my eye thanks to TikTok, where it was promoted as a love story between two women who meet in the bathroom, and one encourages the other to leave her fiance at the altar.ContinueContinue reading
‘She Gets The Girl’ is a novel co-written by Alyson Derrick, Rachael Lippincott and was published in 2022. It follows two girls, Alex and Molly, in their first month of college. Despite being in the same classes, Alex and Molly are worlds apart, and when they meet at a house party on their first day, both make an impression.
‘The Gravity Of Us’ was Phil Stamper’s first novel, released back in 2019. This insightful story shouts hard-hitting truths from the rafters; a primary theme of this book is communication, whether among friends, family, or the media.
Book Review: Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert ‘Get A Life, Chloe Brown’ was published in 2019. It is the first book in Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters Series, a romance trilogy following the three Brown sisters, Chloe, Danika and Eve. All three of these books are available to read via Amazon’s Kindle UnlimitedContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson ‘Good Girl, Bad Blood’ is the second book in Holly Jackson’s ‘A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder’ trilogy. It was released in YEAR and is concluded by ‘As Good As Dead’. Due to the episodic nature of each of these books, I felt it was bestContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Win, Lose, Kill, Die by Cynthia Murphy ‘Win, Lose, Kill, Die’ by Cynthia Murphy was released in 2022. It was a booktok sensation, after videos the first page circulated online. It certainly piqued my interest. Something that is mentioned toward the end of the novel, a lie, could have posed a much moreContinueContinue reading
Book Review: We Hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal ‘We Hunt The Flame’ is the first of author Hafsah Faizal’s ‘The Sands of Arawiya Duology’. ‘We Hunt The Flame’ was published in 2019, while the sequel, ‘We Free The Stars’, was published in 2021. The first book was incredibly rich in lore and immersive toContinueContinue reading
‘Fresh’ by Margot Wood was released in 2021 and follows the story of Elliot McHugh as she begins the next stage of life: Freshman Year at Emerson College. Before she left Cincinnati for Boston, having lived with her seemingly perfect sister, Izzy, who is studying medicine, and her younger sister, Remy, who has an eclectic obsession with dryer sheets, Elliot was betrayed by the people she held closest to her. Her ex-boyfriend cheated on her for months, and her three best friends knew and didn’t tell her. Vulnerable, alone, and seeking fun, sex, and freedom, Elliot is ready for a new adventure.
Book Review: This Poison Heart Duology The ‘This Poison Heart’ duology by Kalynn Bayron consists of two urban fantasy novels, grounded in Greek mythology. The first book, ‘This Poison Heart’ was released in 2021, and the sequel came out the following year. The story follows Briseis, a teenager being raised in Brooklyn, New York byContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Mindwalker by Kate Dylan ‘Mindwalker’ by Kate Dylan was released in 2022, it was her third book, but her first piece published in English. It was a gripping, fast-paced, sci-fi dystopia. The book is set on Earth in a distant future, where the planet has suffered from humanity’s negligence and greed, and succumbedContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Heartstopper Volume Five by Alice Oseman ‘Heartstopper’ is a series of graphic novels by Alice Oseman. The fifth installment of the series was released earlier this month and continues to follow Nick and Charlie, a young queer couple from Kent, UK, finding their way in the world, while grappling with external issues, notContinueContinue reading
Book Review: A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers ‘A Certain Hunger’ by Chelsea G. Summers was released in 2020. It was her debut novel. The book follows the life of serial killer, Dorothy Daniels, a famous food writer, who happens to be a cannibal. The book was alarming, stomach-churning and gripping. I was captivatedContinueContinue reading
Book Review: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross ‘Divine Rivals’ by Rebecca Ross was released in early 2023. It is the first book in the Letters of Enchantment duology. The second book, ‘Ruthless Vows’ is due to be released in the latter end of the month. The story followed two characters, Roman Kitt and Iris Winnow,ContinueContinue reading
‘Lessons In Chemistry’ by Bonnie Garmus was released in 2022. It was her debut novel, and received great acclaim due to its frank nature, and upfront depictions of sexual violence and misogyny. It wasn’t a book I would have necessarily bought, but I was swayed by BookTok, which praised the novel, and decided it was worth a punt.
‘Five Survive’ is a young adult thriller novel by Holly Jackson, author of the ‘A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder Trilogy’. This novel was released in 2022 and was her fifth release since her debut in 2019.
‘Tender Is The Flesh’ by Augustina Bazterrica was originally published in Spanish in 2017. Pushkin Press released an English translated edition, with a translation provided by Sarah Moses in 2020.
‘Lightlark’ by Alex Aster was released in 2022 and is the first book of a duopoly, the sequel to which is due to be released in late 2023. The concept for her book was a hit on TikTok, her viral video pitching the concept in 2021 amassing over 400,000 likes.
‘Thistlefoot’ by GennaRose Nethercott was released in 2022. It follows estranged siblings Isaac and Bellatine Yaga, who reunite to stake their claim on their inheritance, promised by their Great-Great-Grandmother: a house… on legs!
Book Review: Deep Roots by Vanessa Roades ‘Deep Roots’ was Vanessa Roades’ third book, and was released in June 2023. I’ve been eagerly looking forward to this book since the cover reveal appeared on my TikTok a few months before the release. This book follows multiple characters, including an inventor, Roheme, her friend Eirjatal, andContinueContinue reading
‘Clap When You Land’ by Elizabeth Acevedo is a novel-in-verse, told from the perspective of half-sisters, Camino and Yahaira. It was released in 2020 and is Acevedo’s fifth project.
‘I Kissed Shara Wheeler’ was Casey McQuiston’s most recent release, which follows the fallout of the jewel of the school, Shara Wheeler disappearing from Senior Prom just moments before being crowned the Class of 2021’s Prom Queen. Nobody knows where and why she’s vanished but Chloe Green believed she knew why she’d run away. Because, Shara Wheeler kissed her before prom, and as the daughter of the Principal of Willowgrave Christian Academy, Shara shouldn’t have been kissing girls.
‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’, shortened to ACOTAR, is an ongoing fantasy series by Sarah J Maas, which started back in 2015. This series of what is currently five books has been a sensation among readers on BookTok’s literary community.
‘One Last Stop’ was Casey McQuiston’s second novel and was published in 2021. The book follows August, who has moved to New York City to finish college, after a tumultuous relationship with her mother left her needing space.
‘Verity’ by Colleen Hoover was published in 2018 and is a domestic thriller which follows Lowen, a writer on the verge of financial ruin after moving into an apartment out of her budget to offer her mother with dignity whilst also providing end of life care, but then receives a job offer she can’t turn down – as a ghostwriter for esteemed author Verity Crawford!
‘The Silent Patient’ was author, Alex Michaelides’ debut novel, released in 2019. It was a well-received, popular crime-thriller and has since sold over a million copies.
‘Beach Read’ was Emily Henry’s 2020 contemporary romance novel – a hit on TikTok and filled with popular tropes it’s personable and upbeat tone made it an easy and delightful read.
‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s fifth novel, and was released in 2017. Although she had released several books in the past, it was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo which progressed her career and made her an acclaimed novelist: it was a hit among the readers of TikTok, and made its way onto hundreds if not thousands of TBR piles since its initial release.
I have a reasonable amount of knowledge of Greek Mythology from watching my copy of Disney’s ‘Hercules’ on VHS, to a fleeting ‘Percy Jackson’ phase, to attending university, where we dedicated several weeks to studying myths like Eros and Psyche, Apollo and Daphne, Oedipus Wrecked, and other tales from the Iliad. I even played ‘Hades’, which was how I knew vaguely of the characters in The Song of Achilles.
Imogen L. Smiley 