20 BookTok favorites to add to your TBR in 2026

by Rachel Reid

🎧 Audiobook

We can’t talk about Romance BookTok titles in 2026 without mentioning Heated Rivalry and the Game Changer series! If you haven’t been inducted into the cult—I mean fandom—yet, this book follows two rivals in the NHL who have secretly been in love with each other throughout their careers. 

Season 1 of the Heated Rivalry TV show hit streaming services in Nov. 2025 and since then, it’s taken the world by storm, holding the #1 spot on HBO Max week after week.

Here at Libby, we saw over 744% increase in checkouts across the whole Game Changer series and a 698% increase in checkouts for the Heated Rivalry ebook and audiobook after the show premiered. 

by Ali Hazelwood

🎧 Audiobook

While this STEMinist romance novel is coming up on its five-year anniversary, The Love Hypothesis saw a spike in BookTok popularity after it was announced that Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman were cast as the leads in the film adaptation which is anticipated to come out this year! 

The novel follows Olive, a PhD candidate who finds herself fake dating the young (and hot) Professor Adam Carlsen to convince her best friend she’s over her ex. You’ll want to read this one ASAP so you’re prepared when we finally get a release date for the film. 

by B.K. Borison

🎧 Audiobook

This romcom follows a hopeless romantic who meets a jaded radio host in a Sleepless in Seattle-inspired love story—do I even need to say anything else? 

First-Time Caller took BookTok by storm this past spring and is still at the top of our minds as we await the sequel, And Now, Back to You, set to release Feb. 24. 

Author B.K. Borison also kept her stronghold on romance BookTok when she released her holiday romance. Good Spirits, this past fall. I’m anticipating we’ll see even more of Borison’s titles taking over TikTok this year!

by Carley Fortune

🎧 Audiobook

If you’re yearning for warmer weather like I am, this should be your next read. One Golden Summer tells the story of Alice, a photographer who has been dumped by her long-term boyfriend and is now her grandmother’s caretaker after a bad fall left her with a broken hip. Alice suggests they return to Barry’s Bay, where she encounters Charlie. 

This book is fabulous and will leave you longing for lake days.

by Devney Perry

🎧 Audiobook

Romantasy readers wasted no time crowning Shield of Sparrows as one of 2025’s breakout hits. Released in May, the book quickly took off on #RomantasyBookTok thanks to its blend of romance, political intrigue, and high-stakes fantasy worldbuilding. Buzz only intensified when news broke that a film adaptation is already in development. 

I absolutely loved the audiobook narrated by Samantha Brentmoor and Jason Clarke, but part one of the full-cast audiobook is out now as well, with part two coming in late February!

However you choose to read this book, make sure you check this out before the next installment, Rites of the Starling, comes out in April.

by Callie Hart

🎧 Audiobook

Quicksilver took BookTok by storm in late 2024 and this highly anticipated sequel, Brimstone, only fueled the virality of the Fae and Alchemy series. I loved the broody tone and enemies-to-lovers dynamic and the many twists and turns in this series. Kingfisher will top your list of book boyfriends as soon as you read this and I promise there will be moments where you laugh out loud. Many of the minor characters really stand out in this series showing how much depth Callie Hart puts into her writing. 

Pro tip: If you chose to listen to Quicksilver, make sure that after you’re done, you also borrow the Quicksilver Bonus Scenes audiobook.

by Rebecca Yarros

🎧 Audiobook

This one goes without saying. Onyx Storm is Book 3 in The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros and BookTok was eagerly awaiting it’s release at the start of 2025. 

We still don’t have a publish date for Book 4, but my educated guess is it won’t be until 2027 (which is now only a year away—yay!), so if you haven’t gotten to this installment of the series yet, you have plenty of time to catch up. Just make sure you leave time to dive into all the fan theories on TikTok after you finish. 

by Kalie Cassidy

🎧 Audiobook

Kalie Cassidy took BookTok by storm with this debut. This is the first book in The Siren Mage duology, with the second book, In the Wake of the Ruined, set to be released in July. This dark romantasy has major gothic vibes and follows Imogen, a hidden siren who’s rescued from her abusive father when a neighboring king comes to visit. She might’ve been rescued from her father, but an even greater monster threatens to destroy them. 

The writing is beautiful, and the setting is immersive. I was sold on this book when I read it was perfect for fans of One Dark Window and For the Wolf, and it did not disappoint.

by Rachel Gillig

🎧 Audiobook

One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns are both BookTok favorites, so it wasn’t surprising that everyone was eagerly awaiting Rachel Gillig’s next series, The Stonewater Kingdom. 

Released in May of 2025, The Knight and the Moth quickly became one of BookTok’s favorite fantasy novels of the year (including mine). Rachel Gillig is a master of worldbuilding, unique magic systems, and atmospheric settings. This is truly a book that will make you laugh and cry and you won’t be able to set it down. 

If you haven’t read this one yet, what are you waiting for, Bartholemew? The Knave and the Moon will be out in the fall and you need to be ready for it! 

by R. F. Kuang

🎧 Audiobook

Any new release from R.F. Kuang is guaranteed attention, and Katabasis was no exception. BookTok discussions around this title leaned heavily into its mythological, philosophical, and literary roots, intellectual themes, and Kuang’s reputation for genre-bending fantasy. If you’ve ever studied the classics, this book will bring you back to Dante’s Inferno, Greek epics, Paradise Lost, and more. 

I highly recommend that you try an immersive reading experience for this book, listening to the audiobook as you follow along with the book or ebook, so you don’t miss a single word of this journey through hell.

by James Islington

Epic fantasy made a major comeback on BookTok this year, and James Islington’s Hierarchy series benefited from readers rediscovering and recommending complex, high-stakes fantasy worlds. These titles surged in popularity, combing ancient Roman politics, dark academia, and epic fantasy into one genre-defying series. Also be sure to check out Book 2 in the Hierarchy quartet, The Strength of the Few.

If you’re thinking 2026 is the year you’ll read more epic fantasy, this series is a great place to start!

by V. E. Schwab

🎧 Audiobook

V. E. Schwab’s name alone is enough to stop a scroll, and this novel quickly became a BookTok favorite thanks to its haunting premise and emotional depth. It’s not an easy task to follow three main characters over the course of three timelines and still manage to weave the story so seamlessly together, but she manages to do it. 

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook narrated by the incredibly talented Julia Whelan, Katie Leung, and Marisa Calin. 

by Holly Jackson

🎧 Audiobook

Holly Jackson delivers another tightly plotted thriller packed with twists, secrets, and the kind of pacing that makes “just one more chapter” inevitable. When a case refuses to stay buried, layers of deception unravel, forcing characters to question everything they think they know.

This is a gripping, high-stakes read perfect for fans of fast-moving mysteries with emotional depth.

by S. A. Cosby

🎧 Audiobook

Set against the backdrop of the American South, King of Ashes is a gritty, character-driven thriller that explores family loyalty, power, and survival. 

When Roman Carruthers returns home after his father’s suspicious accident, he finds his family entangled in dangerous debts and long-buried secrets. To save them, he must strike a deadly bargain—and prove he’s far more dangerous than anyone realizes.

by Alice Feeney

🎧 Audiobook

Alice Feeney excels at psychological suspense, and Beautiful Ugly is no exception. With an unreliable narrator and a story that twists back on itself, this novel plays with perception and truth in unsettling ways. 

If you enjoy thrillers that keep you guessing until the very end, add this one to your list.

by Charlie Donlea

🎧 Audiobook

A chilling cold-case thriller, this novel follows the aftermath of a disappearance that continues to haunt everyone involved. As long-buried secrets resurface, the tension builds toward a shocking conclusion. 

Donlea’s crisp storytelling and layered mystery make this a compelling binge-read.

by Tracy Deonn

🎧 Audiobook

A contemporary fantasy rooted in Arthurian legend, Legendborn follows Bree Matthews as she uncovers a hidden magical society tied to her own family history. Blending contemporary themes with myth and mystery, this novel is rich, emotional, and powerful. 

While this series is technically YA, it’s a favorite amongst adult fantasy readers as well.

by Suzanne Collins

🎧 Audiobook

Returning to the world of Panem, this highly-anticipated installment expands the Hunger Games universe with new perspectives and deeper political context. We finally get to see what really happened during Haymitch’s time in the arena and dive even deeper into the corruption of the Capital. 

Suzanne Collins once again explores power, survival, and resistance, making this a must-read for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

by Jenny Han

🎧 Audiobook

While this trilogy has been a YA favorite for over 15 years now, the TV series really propelled its popularity to new heights. A nostalgic coming-of-age story about first love, friendship, and growing up, this novel captures the emotional intensity of summer memories that linger long after the season ends. 

This series was a favorite of mine in middle and high school and I’m thrilled BookTok and the TV series gave it new life.

by Kristen Ciccarelli

🎧 Audiobook

This duology exploded on TikTok over the course of 2024 and 2025! I adored this series and think one of the reasons it gained so much momentum is Kristin Ciccarelli’s ability to blend romance, worldbuilding, and complex magic systems into an approachable romantasy that can be enjoyed by teens and adults alike.

If you like enemies-to-lovers, you’ll love the dynamic between the two main characters: a witch and a witch hunter. 

Also don’t miss the conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology, The Rebel Witch.