Getting Back Into Fiction: How BookTok Helped Me Fall in Love with Reading Again
Like many readers, my love of books started when I was a child. My mum read to my sisters and me every night, and some of my favourite childhood stories are still ones I remember fondly today. Not Now Bernard, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and Peace at Last were books I asked to hear over and over again. Looking back, I think that’s where my love of reading really began.
My Early Love of Fiction
As I got older, my reading tastes changed, but my love for stories never disappeared. I devoured books by Chris Manby, Sophie Kinsella, and Jill Mansell, and I could happily lose an entire weekend inside one of their novels. Reading was always my escape.
When I Swapped Fiction for Non-Fiction
Everything changed in 2016 when I discovered The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.
I loved it so much that I ended up reading every book she had written. From there, I found myself drawn almost exclusively to personal development, positive thinking, and self-improvement books. For years, my bookshelf became filled with non-fiction, and fiction slowly disappeared from my life. I just thought that was just the type of reader I’d become.
The Book That Changed Everything
In 2022, I picked up The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.
I absolutely loved it.
It made me remember why fiction is so powerful. The emotions, the imagination, the characters that stay with you long after you’ve finished the final page.
The only problem?
I couldn’t seem to find another book that gave me quite the same feeling, so I drifted back towards non-fiction once again.
How BookTok and My Sister Got Me Reading Again
My older sister has always been a huge reader, and one day she asked if I could design a reading journal for her.
That simple request ended up changing everything.
I started creating reading journals and sharing them on TikTok. Before long, my feed became filled with BookTok recommendations, aesthetic bookshelves, reading vlogs, and endless book reviews.
Watching so many people genuinely excited about books reminded me how much I had missed reading fiction.
With plenty of encouragement from my sister (who has always recommended brilliant books), I decided it was finally time to give fiction another chance.
The Books That Brought Me Back
In 2023, I bought a small stack of fiction books with one goal: to fall in love with reading again.
It worked.
Some books that completely pulled me back into the world of fiction:
- The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
- The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
- Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
These reminded me exactly why I used to love reading so much. They were emotional, comforting, beautifully written, and impossible to put down.
After that, there was no stopping me.
My Reading Life Today
These days, I read every single day.
My bookshelves have grown… and grown… and grown!
I now love reading:
- Romance
- Thrillers
- Gothic fiction
- Magical fantasy
- Historical fiction
Like many readers, I also have a slightly out-of-control TBR (To Be Read) pile.
Actually… it’s currently sitting at 645 books.
Some are physical books, some are on my Kindle, and I somehow keep adding more every week. If you’re a fellow reader, you’ll understand that buying books and reading books are two completely different hobbies!
Why I Started Using a Reading Journal
One of the biggest joys of getting back into reading has been keeping track of everything I’ve read. I do record everything on Goodreads but I also love a physical book to write them in.
It’s amazing how quickly you forget titles, favourite characters, star ratings, or memorable quotes unless you write them down.
That’s exactly why I started creating the different styles of reading journals. What began as something for my sister has now become a way for thousands of readers to record their reading journeys, organise their TBRs, and remember every great book they’ve discovered.
Whether you’ve read ten books or hundreds, it’s lovely to look back and see how your reading tastes have changed over time.
Thinking About Getting Back Into Reading?
If you’ve fallen out of love with reading, you’re definitely not alone.
Sometimes all it takes is one incredible book, one recommendation, or even one BookTok video to remind you why you loved stories in the first place.
Don’t worry about reading what’s popular or trying to hit a certain number of books each year.
Read what makes you happy.
For me, that meant rediscovering fiction after years away from it.
And honestly?
I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed reading more than I do now.