BookTok's Most Recommended Books (And Where to Find Them Secondhand)

BookTok has turned reading into one of the biggest trends on social media. The problem is that keeping up with the recommendations gets expensive fast. A new paperback costs £8-10, and when TikTok is telling you to read five books a month, that adds up quickly.

The good news is that most BookTok favourites are readily available secondhand for £3-6. The books are identical. The only difference is the price.

Here's a rundown of the most recommended BookTok authors and titles, and what you can expect to pay if you buy secondhand.

Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover is probably the biggest name BookTok has produced. It Ends With Us went from a moderately successful 2016 release to a global phenomenon after going viral on TikTok in 2021, eventually selling over 20 million copies and becoming a major film.

The key titles: It Ends With Us, It Starts With Us, Verity, All Your Perfects, Hopeless, Slammed.

What to read first: It Ends With Us is the obvious starting point. If you prefer thrillers over romance, start with Verity instead — it's darker and more suspenseful than her other work.

Secondhand price: £3-5 for most titles in very good condition. Her books are so widely owned that the secondhand market is well stocked.

Freida McFadden

Freida McFadden went from self-published thriller writer to one of the bestselling authors in the world in the space of about 18 months. The Housemaid was the book that broke through, and she's since released a string of page-turning thrillers that BookTok can't get enough of.

The key titles: The Housemaid, The Housemaid's Secret, Never Lie, The Coworker, The Boyfriend, The Inmate, The Surrogate Mother, One by One.

What to read first: The Housemaid. It's the one everyone talks about for a reason. Short, sharp, and the twist genuinely catches you off guard.

Secondhand price: £3-6 depending on the title. Her newer releases hold value a bit longer, but the backlist is very affordable.

Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing turned dragons and military academies into the most talked-about fantasy romance on BookTok. The sequel Iron Flame kept the momentum going, and Onyx Storm is the latest in the series. If you've seen people on TikTok clutching a book with a dragon on the cover, this is probably it.

The key titles: Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm.

What to read first: Fourth Wing. It's the beginning of the series and the book that started the hype. You'll know within 50 pages whether it's for you.

Secondhand price: £4-7. These are newer releases so they hold value better than older BookTok picks. Iron Flame is available from £3.60 secondhand, which is less than half the new price.

Ana Huang

Ana Huang writes contemporary romance with a lot of heat and high-drama relationship dynamics. The Twisted series and the Kings of Sin series are her most popular, and both have been heavily recommended across BookTok.

The key titles: Twisted Love, Twisted Games, King of Wrath, King of Pride.

What to read first: Twisted Love if you want the series that made her name. King of Wrath if you prefer something slightly more polished.

Secondhand price: £4-6. Widely available and consistently listed by sellers clearing their romance shelves.

Ali Hazelwood

Ali Hazelwood carved out a niche writing romances set in STEM academia. The Love Hypothesis — a story about a fake-dating arrangement between two scientists — became one of the most recommended romance novels on BookTok. Her books are smart, funny, and refreshingly specific about their settings.

The key titles: The Love Hypothesis, Love on the Brain, Check & Mate, Bride.

What to read first: The Love Hypothesis. It's the book that built her following and it's a genuinely enjoyable read whether or not you care about academia.

Secondhand price: £3-6. The Love Hypothesis has been in circulation long enough that secondhand copies are plentiful and cheap.

Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas has been a fantasy bestseller for years, but BookTok took her to a completely different level. A Court of Thorns and Roses is the series most people start with — a fantasy romance that gets progressively more intense across the books.

The key titles: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin.

What to read first: A Court of Thorns and Roses. The first book sets up everything, and most readers report being completely hooked by book two.

Secondhand price: £4-5. The earlier books in the series are widely available secondhand. Newer releases cost a bit more.

More BookTok favourites available secondhand

A few other titles that regularly appear in BookTok recommendations and are currently listed by Sell Your Shelf sellers:

Happy Place by Emily Henry — A group of friends, a shared holiday house, and two exes pretending they haven't broken up. Emily Henry writes the kind of romance that makes you laugh on public transport.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig — A woman gets to try out the lives she could have lived. It's one of those books that makes you think about your own choices for days afterwards. Not strictly BookTok, but it's been recommended constantly since it came out.

Normal People by Sally Rooney — The book that defined a certain type of millennial relationship drama. If you watched the TV series, the book goes deeper. If you haven't watched it, start here.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney — Her most recent novel, already being passed around on BookTok. Two brothers dealing with grief and complicated relationships. Rooney at her best.

Why buy BookTok books secondhand?

The reading pace that BookTok encourages is expensive if you're buying new. Five books a month at £9 each is £540 a year. The same books secondhand cost £3-6 each, bringing that down to £200-350. That's a meaningful saving, especially for students and younger readers who make up a big chunk of BookTok's audience.

The books themselves are identical. A secondhand copy of The Housemaid has the same words, the same twists, and the same ending as a brand new one. The only difference is someone else read it first.

And when you're done, you can sell them on to the next reader. Buy for £4, read it, sell for £3. Your net cost per book is closer to £1 than £9. That's how you keep up with BookTok without going broke.

Browse all books currently listed on Sell Your Shelf, or download the app to buy and sell.

Frequently asked questions

What is BookTok?

BookTok is the book recommendation community on TikTok. Users post short videos recommending, reviewing, and reacting to books. It's become one of the most influential forces in publishing, regularly pushing books onto bestseller lists years after they were first published.

Are BookTok recommendations actually good?

Generally yes, within certain genres. BookTok is strongest on romance, fantasy romance, thrillers, and contemporary fiction. The recommendations tend to favour emotionally intense, fast-paced books with strong hooks. If that's what you enjoy, you'll find plenty to read. If you prefer slower literary fiction or dense non-fiction, BookTok may not be the best source.

Which BookTok books are worth reading first?

If you're completely new to BookTok recommendations, start with one from each major genre: It Ends With Us (romance), The Housemaid (thriller), and A Court of Thorns and Roses (fantasy). Those three will give you a good sense of whether BookTok's taste aligns with yours.

How do I find BookTok books secondhand?

Online secondhand marketplaces are the easiest option. Sell Your Shelf, eBay, and charity shops all carry BookTok titles regularly. Because these books sell in such huge volumes, the secondhand supply is strong and prices are low.

Do BookTok books hold their resale value?

Recent releases hold value well for the first few months. After that, prices settle to £3-5 as more copies enter the secondhand market. The most popular titles (Colleen Hoover, Freida McFadden) are always in demand from new readers discovering them, so they sell reliably even at lower prices.