Talking about books and sharing their reviews is not a new phenomenon. However, in recent years, the popular movements “BookTok” and “Bookstagram” have changed how readers present their hobby and recommend books to others.
As BBC reports, the “BookTok” and “Bookstagram” communities on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube consist of readers, authors, and content creators. They share book reviews, recommendations, show their bookshelves, and talk about what they are currently reading.
This phenomenon has already helped some books become true bestsellers, encouraged people to read more, and even reduce the time spent in front of screens.
Among such people is 14-year-old Mia from Bristol, who is a passionate reader.
Although the girl herself watches book-related content on YouTube, she told BBC that she now spends “definitely less” time in front of screens because she devotes more time to reading.
Mia also said that her desire to read was strengthened by friends and their recommendations. One of these recommendations was Lauren Roberts’ romantic fantasy (romantasy) series “Powerless,” which captivated the girl so much that she did not want to put the book down.
“While reading it, I was glued to the book and kept wondering what would happen next,” Mia told BBC.
According to her, books have partly replaced entertainment like Netflix and Disney+.
“I hardly use them anymore because I think: what would I rather do? Watch a series or find out what happens next in my book?” the girl said.
Mia believes that reading helps keep the mind active and allows a brief escape to another world.
“I think (reading – editor’s note) helps keep my brain engaged. When I read, I feel like I’m in another world,” she said.
She also encourages not to be discouraged by books if one genre is not liked.
“There are many different genres. If you don’t like one thing, for example, detective stories, don’t give up reading – maybe you’ll like romance or something else,” Mia told BBC.
“BookTok” moved from social networks to bookstores
Although the “BookTok” phenomenon was born online, its influence is felt in the real world as well. As BBC notes, many bookstores have special “BookTok” recommendation shelves and sections.
Earlier this year, a “BookTok” book ranking was also introduced, where data from traditional bestseller lists, such as the Sunday Times ranking, was combined with UK sales statistics and analysis of the #BookTok hashtag, BBC reminds.
The first ranking was dominated by romance and romantic fantasy books. The latter is a combination of romance and fantasy genres, whose popularity has grown significantly in recent years.
It was a romance-focused bookstore that 20-year-old Holly Irwin decided to open. Earlier this year, the girl moved from Hamilton, New Zealand, to the Cotswolds. She started her Instagram account in 2021, where she shared book reviews, searched for new works, and communicated with other romance fans.
However, as Holly told BBC, in childhood she “never really got into reading” and for a long time thought that books were just not for her.
Everything changed during the COVID-19 pandemic when she read the “Twilight” series.
“I really liked the movies, so I started reading. Until then, I hadn’t really tried reading romance books, so I thought books weren’t for me,” Holly told BBC.
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But she simply “devoured” the Twilight books and hasn’t stopped since.
Her social media accounts also began to rapidly gain popularity. Holly now has more than 149 thousand followers on Instagram and TikTok.
From a dream to a specialized bookstore
In 2024, Holly and her mother Maria visited Oxford. Then they began to consider opening a bookstore dedicated to the romance genre.
“We came back home to New Zealand and just thought: life is too short. You have to follow your dreams and try,” Holly told BBC.
The women planned for several years how their bookstore should look and finally decided it was time to act.
“It was like all or nothing. It was crazy but at the same time very meaningful and worthwhile because I see my dream coming true,” she said.
According to BBC, UK publishing revenues reached a record £7.4 billion (about €8.6 billion) in 2025. The Publishers Association said one of the growth factors was increasing interest in fiction, children’s books, and audiobooks.
However, not all genres grew equally.
According to NielsenIQ BookData, sales of romance and saga books fell by 15% in 2025 – 10.1 million copies were sold. BBC notes that this decline occurred after several years of very rapid growth.
Despite this, sales of this genre were still twice as high as in 2019.
Meanwhile, sales of science fiction and fantasy books, which include the romantic fantasy genre, reached a record last year. They grew by as much as 42% year-on-year.
A total of 8.8 million such books were sold – 183% more than in 2019. BBC quotes a NielsenIQ BookData representative.
The bookstore attracts not only locals
Since the opening of Holly’s bookstore “Hollyhocks” in August, the girl says she has met many local romance fans. However, people also visit Cirencester specifically to visit her bookstore.
Holly told BBC she noticed that some specific books and subgenres sell out much faster than others.
Among them are romance books based on ice hockey players’ stories and so-called “cowboy romance” stories.
“It’s definitely because of BookTok… everyone was just infected with the cowboy romance mania,” Holly told BBC.
She believes people are drawn to such books because they allow an escape to a completely different world.
“I think people like to escape to a completely different world, so that is definitely one of the factors,” she said.
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And Holly calls the power of social networks hard to comprehend.
“I am amazed by the power of social networks,” she told BBC.
