Can TikTok Recommend a Good Book?

When my dog passed away, I suddenly wasn’t sure what to do with all my newfound ‘free’ time. I hadn’t realized how much of an impact she’d had on my life until she was missing from it. There were no more trips outside for walks or playtime with her. I no longer had to make tips to PetSmart or Petco to buy her food and toys. There were no more Chewy packages to track. She was no longer beside me as I wrote and watched movies, which caused those hobbies to become harder for me.

Without her, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I took up one of my old hobbies. I decided to read twenty books this year, which is more than I’ve read in a while. I haven’t met my goal yet, but I’ve made a dent in it.

While searching for books, I found myself on Booktok (a part of TikTok where the focus is on books). Some books seemed interesting, but I noticed I was seeing a lot of the same books. I thought it was a marketing tactic, and the Booktokers were paid to promote those books. I decided to find out for myself if the books recommended on TikTok were any good.

I started with Ask For Andrea by Noelle Ihli. It's an interesting read, with multiple protagonists. The author writes about the ghosts of women who were all murdered by the same man and their experiences after death. His first victim stalks him as he interacts with his family while meeting new women online. Another victim spends her time reliving her memories and visiting deceased relatives. The last victim watches her mother as she struggles to cope with her death.

At first, I thought that I wasn’t going to like the book, because the author describes the murderer as looking like Chris Hemsworth. I had previously been taught that name dropping a celebrity instead of describing that character ages your writing. However, that writing rule may be outdated, as most writers want to see their writing become successful while they are still here.

Once I could move past the author’s chosen description, I enjoyed the book. I ended up checking out the author’s other work and found myself drawn into The Thicket.

The Thicket is a book about a popular haunted house attraction like Hollywood Horror Nights that draws visitors from far and wide. One visitor ends up dying, sparking a debate about whether the attraction should stay open.

Like any other major corporation, the Thicket ends up staying open, and the sister of the murdered boy ends up returning. We never find out who the killer is, and the ending is a little predictable, but I still found myself longing for a sequel. I ended up enjoying The Thicket more than Ask for Andrea.

My least favorite (but still good) book by the author is Run on Red. Run on Red is about two girls attempting to go to a party, only to be chased by men in masks. I found it hard to enjoy the ending because it of the twist to relate it to real-world situations. The game of cat and mouse that the characters played took too long, and it was sheer luck keeping the girls safe. I don’t want to say much more about the book, because I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I still think it’s worth checking out.

The author has announced another release, Room for Rent, due in September. I, personally, can’t wait to see what she has in store for her readers.