There’s nothing like the sound of steady rainfall while you’re lost in the pages of a good book. Something about it is so therapeutic. And what better way to find your next rainy-day read than turning to BookTok—the community that has taken the book world by storm? No pun intended!
Look out the window, brew your favorite warm drink (sweet lemon loaf tea, perhaps?), maybe have a pan of cookies or two baking in the oven, and just simply enjoy a book with a rainy storm behind you. In moments like those, it makes you think, life is so beautiful.
From dark academia classics to emotional romances, these trending BookTok favorites will make you want to curl up under a blanket and read straight through the storm:
1. Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
When two rival journalists, Iris and Roman, secretly begin exchanging letters through a magical typewriter, an unexpected bond forms—despite the brutal war raging around them.
As their connection deepens, the lines between enemies and lovers blur, leaving them with impossible choices.
2. If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
At an elite arts conservatory, a tight-knit group of Shakespearean actors live and breathe their craft—until one of them ends up dead.
Told in flashbacks by Oliver Marks, who has just served a ten-year prison sentence for the crime, the story slowly unravels what really happened that night. With betrayal, obsession, and tragedy stitched into every page, this dark academia thriller is as haunting as a storm.
3. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Professor Emily Wilde wants nothing more than to document the hidden folk in a remote Nordic village. Socially awkward and more comfortable with books than people, she is startled when her charismatic academic rival, Wendell, shows up to “help.”
But Wendell may have secrets of his own, and the fae world is far more dangerous than it first appears.
4. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Richard Papen transfers to a small Vermont college and is pulled into a secretive circle of classics students led by the enigmatic Julian Morrow. Their intellectual world seems intoxicating—until a murder shatters the group’s fragile facade.
This is the quintessential dark academia read, which makes it absolutely perfect for stormy afternoons.
5. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
After years as a battle-hardened orc, Viv decides she’s ready for a quieter life. Her dream? Opening a coffee shop in a town that’s never even heard of lattes.
With the help of new friends—and a touch of unexpected magic—Viv learns that community and comfort can be just as rewarding as adventure. This is the cutest fantasy book with a touch or two of that good heartwarming feel.
6. Babel by R.F. Kuang
Set in 1830s Oxford, Babel follows Robin Swift, a Chinese orphan trained in translation and silver-working magic. As he studies at the prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, he becomes increasingly aware of how the institution’s knowledge and power uphold British colonialism.
Torn between loyalty to his peers and rebellion against the empire, Robin must decide what he’s willing to risk.
7. A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
Constanta is pulled from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger—Dracula himself.
Immortal and bound to him by blood, she joins his circle of lovers and slowly realizes that their life of beauty and power hides manipulation and abuse. This is the coolest gothic retelling yet, and it's easy to see why BookTok can't get enough.
8. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Nora Stephens is a sharp, career-focused literary agent who knows she’s not the “sweet small-town heroine” in a romance novel.
But when she takes a summer trip with her sister to North Carolina, she repeatedly runs into Charlie, a grumpy editor from her New York publishing world. As sparks fly, Nora is forced to rethink her story.
9. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Every decade, six of the most talented magicians are chosen to compete for initiation into the Alexandrian Society, an elite group that guards ancient knowledge. But only five will make it, and the competition is ruthless.
10. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Told through the eyes of Patroclus, this retelling of the Iliad reimagines the love story between him and Achilles. From their innocent childhood bond to their tragic destinies on the battlefield, this book is poetic, heartbreaking, and unforgettable.
