One advantage of TikTok is that it has content for everybody, no matter their interests. A side of TikTok that has grown in popularity over the last year is BookTok, where creators can share their favorite books and review their current reads. Like many other products, TikTok has caused many books to gain attention and become viral. Here are my (spoiler free) thoughts on 3 of the most popular romance TikTok books.
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
Summary: It’s a dual perspective book, following Miles and Tate as they agree to be strictly friends with benefits. Upon meeting, Tate is immediately curious about Miles. However, Miles has two rules: 1) Don’t ask about his past and 2) Don’t expect a future. Tate agrees to this, but she soon realizes that she wants more with Miles than he is willing to give. The book switches between Miles’s past and Tate’s present situation with him.
Review: This book is very well written, with many parallels between the past and present chapters that make it a really interesting story to follow. From the first chapter, I was hooked because I was curious about Miles’s past and what made him so closed off to the idea of relationships. Colleen Hoover does a great job of putting you in Tate’s mindset, because while I wanted their relationship to work out, I was also frustrated by Miles’s refusal to let her know him on a deeper level. My main critique of the book is its resolution. It felt rushed to me, and I would’ve liked to see it drawn out and developed a little bit more. Despite this, I can understand why people love this book so much. It is an addicting read with a sad, yet beautiful story.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Summary: After Catalina lies to her entire family in Spain that she is in a committed relationship, she is in desperate need of a fake date to her sister’s wedding. As she complains to her best friend at work, Aaron overhears her and offers to pretend to be her boyfriend for the wedding. Although this might seem like the perfect solution to her problems, Catalina refuses to accept his help because they are enemies. However, she eventually agrees after realizing that he also needs a fake date. As they pretend to be in love with each other, the line between what’s real and fake begins to blur.
Review: I couldn’t wait to read this book after hearing all the positive reviews on TikTok. Sadly, it didn’t live up to my expectations. First of all, “enemies to lovers” is a very popular trope on BookTok, and this book falls under that. However, the enemies part of their relationship came across as very one- sided to me. While it was obvious that Catalina disliked Aaron, he did nothing to make me think that he felt the same way towards her. It seemed like she was refusing to accept his help for immature reasons, despite the fact that she desperately needed it. Additionally, I felt like the first 100 pages or so were very repetitive. In my opinion, it dragged on longer than it needed to. I did start enjoying the book about half way through, when they get to Spain. The books picks up a lot more during this, and we get more development in their relationship. If anything makes this book worth the read, it’s Aaron and his ability to always say the perfect thing. Overall, however, I can’t say that I recommend this book.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Summary: Evelyn Hugo was a huge movie star in the 1950s, and she is offering a reporter named Monique an exclusive interview about her life and relationships with all 7 of her husbands. It switches perspectives between Evelyn telling her story in the past and Monique’s life in the present with her own struggles. While romance is a significant part of the book, the story is about much more than that.
Review: This book deserves every bit of hype TikTok gives it. I was captivated by the story the entire time I was reading it. Although I didn’t agree with everything Evelyn did, I could empathize with her and understand why she felt like she had to make the decisions she chose. Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote her in a way that made her feel like a real person. Listening to her tell stories about her past made me feel like I was watching a movie about her life. It touches on issues like sexism, racism, and homophobia. Throughout the story, you will meet characters who you love and others who you’ll hate. This book made me feel every emotion, from laughter to bawling my eyes out at 2 am. Needless to say, this book is heartbreaking, entertaining, and absolutely worth your read.
