I have a confession to make. I was wrong. And as stubborn as I am to admit it, my ignorance was bliss. 

For context, a year ago I wrote an article titled The Book Industry in the Age of Tik Tok, in which I delved into the platform’s positive impact on the industry. However, my younger self failed to acknowledge the now blatantly obvious truth.

If you were to take a trip to your local Barnes & Noble, you would likely run into a table labeled #BookTok. What initially started as a unique way to share and review novels with an online community now has irreversible effects on the bookselling and publishing industries. 

The root of the problem does not lie within the ability to create bonds with an online community, but rather with what the community promotes far to often.

A recent trend regarding romance novels published within the past few years is the source of the issue. I will admit, I adore good romance books, as they are lighthearted, palate-cleansing reads. However, the problem arises with the glorification of a specific subgenre: dark romance.

Unlike traditional romance novels where the two main characters are smitten with one another and happy endings ensue, dark romance glorifies toxic relationships. In brief, the subgenre explores themes of violence, abuse, and trauma, which is worth bringing attention to, but authors tend to do so in a destructive manner.

Unfortunately, a majority of the books recommended on #BookTok fall under this sadistic category. With a large demographic of TikTok’s users being young, impressionable teens, the promotion of toxic relationships normalizes the concept. It can coerce developing minds to believe this behavior is what they should expect once they reach the dating age. 

One author, dubiously appointed the “next Jane Austen,” regularly romanticizes such harmful narratives: Colleen Hoover. According to Goodreads’ comprehensive list of “Toxic Relationship Books,” Hoover’s entire catalog is featured, with four of her novels on the first page alone. Hoover’s books commonly appear on The New York Times’ Best Sellers list, adding to her widespread notoriety. 

To put in perspective Hoover’s stardom, the best-selling print book in the United States in 2023 was her novel It Ends With Us, which garnered a little over 1.29 million unit sales. The book was later adapted for the screen in August 2024, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. The trouble behind the scenes is a whole other article in itself, but for some backstory, the movie is marketed as a romance, a film naturally designed to attract a female audience. However, the story itself concerns domestic violence — more specifically, the romanticization of domestic violence.

These narratives, which have made inroads through the book world, have brought forth claims of pseudo-feminism in the sense that dark romance novels normalize violence against women. By providing a traumatic background to rationalize the abusive actions, such narratives leave readers sympathizing with the abuser. And by the end, there is usually some sort of redemption arc that barely resembles an apology. 

Needless to say, readers can choose whichever books they want, and it is not my intention to denounce the broad concept of #BookTok. The platform is leading younger people to a renewed interest in reading, which is commendable. 

#BookTok is not an inherently destructive concept. However, some renovation is in order. By widening the spectrum of the literature promoted, it can allow for more diverse books to make their marks.