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Romance Revival: How 'BookTok' has shifted romance in literature, for better or worse

Avid readers discuss how romance is used when marketing books online

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Photo illustration of a phone leaning up against a stack of books. Photo originally taken on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.


Whether or not you're a casual reader or a distinguished bookworm, chances are you've heard of BookTok — TikTok's little corner of the internet where all things literature are discussed. Since 2020, BookTok has taken social media by storm with one specific genre standing out amongst users — romance.

BookTok first saw its rise to fame during the COVID-19 pandemic with short videos on book recommendations, character tropes and relatable fan behavior.

Violet Hanney, a freshman studying creative writing, defines BookTok in its simplest form. 

"It's a subsection of TikTok, just the book community in general," Hanney said. "But then there's also subsections within that of romance and fantasy, specific genres."

Within this online community, the genre fiction has thrived — fiction including fantasy, science fiction and literary fiction all have their own little hubs on BookTok. 

Some of BookTok's most popular novels belong to a subgenre titled "romantasy." The genre defined by its mix of high fantasy and romantic themes includes popular series such as, "A Court of Thorns and Roses" and "Fourth Wing."

The growing popularity of  "romantasy"  highlights a bigger trend within publishing and authors who use romance as marketing to fans.

Aspen Ware, a freshman studying creative writing, admits she is not an avid romance reader but does read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi. She said popular BookTok books, specifically romance-heavy ones, feel formulaic and focused on fan service. 

In relation to "romantasy" books, she said, "Fantasy is a part of that selling point, but I think that romance is a huge part of that selling point when it comes to BookTok. They want to kind of enrapture people with the love story, and the sex in the book."

These romantic selling points in novels can be found through the use of tropes. The literary device is used to name recognizable themes and or clichés across stories. 

"A lot of BookTok is reliant on tropes, and there's a lot of tropes that have to do with romance," Hanney said. "So a big selling point is romantic tropes and fantasies."

Hanney said some notable tropes used in romance stories are "enemies to lovers" or "friends to lovers." 

Despite how present romance books are online, that might not always be the case in person.

Jennifer Hankerson is a sophomore studying film and media production and the co-president of the Book & Tea Club at Barrett. As one of the club leaders, she aids in picking the analyzed book every month that gets voted on. She said despite its online presence, the romance genre is not too popular of a choice in her club. 

"Every time I do a romance book or something that I find quite interesting that I want to read, it's always one of the lowest picks, which I'm very surprised about," Hankerson said. 

READ MORE: Insight: As a bookworm, 'BookTok' has been my literary paradise 

Hankerson said this is why BookTok has brought people together. She especially highlights the COVID-19 pandemic when people were more online and could connect with more readers with similar genre interests. 

This explains why users have invested so much in BookTok, because it allows for community and connection specifically among romance readers. 

"Despite all the controversies that come up, I think it has brought a lot of people together," Hanney said. "That's why it is so big, because it just gives us space for people to recommend books and just really bond over them." 

Edited by Andrew Dirst, Abigail Beck and Katrina Michalak. 


Reach the reporter at jagon128@asu.edu.

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Jazlyn GonzalesThe Echo Reporter

Jazlyn is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication. This is her second semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Blaze Radio.


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