We all love BookTok. It’s introduced most of us to at least one book that we love and adore. However, recently I’ve noticed that it’s been hyping up a lot of books that are underwhelming and somewhat basic.

These books are everywhere; they're all anyone can talk about. When you finally pick one up to see what all the hype is about, you're left feeling scammed.

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This article is about three books that I found to be examples of that—books that failed to live up to their hype. This isn't about these books in general but about the entire literature industry and social media's role in that. New books are being written to replicate previous beloved ones.

It could have been nostalgic, but tropes like forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, one bed, are being so over-used that it just feels repetitive. That’s fine to an extent, but most trending books today feel like copy-paste versions of stories we’ve already read, without adding anything new.

Tropes are becoming more important than the plot itself. When authors promote books now, they focus on the tropes rather than the story they’re telling.

Powerless by Lauren Roberts: A Book Designed for BookTok

This is a prime example of a book made for booktok (don't kill me). Every element—enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, deadly trials—felt like it was placed there because it would go viral, not because it made sense for the world or the plot. Don’t get me wrong, I love a well-done trope, but Powerless was a collection of them with no originality behind it.

The world-building felt like a watered-down mix of The Hunger Games and Red Queen, except without the deeper commentary or emotional weight that made those books stand out. It was like Roberts borrowed familiar elements from other books without really considering why they worked in the first place.

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Then there was the romance, which was both the book’s strength and its weakness. Kai and Paedyn had moments, I won't deny it. Some of them even made me giggle and kick my feet in the air (a disturbing sight, I assure you).

But the constant, over-the-top tension ended up making it feel less intense rather than more. When everything is dialed up to the max all the time, nothing actually hits. The enemies thing was so forced. The thing I hate more than anything in the world is insta-love. Both of them were obsessed with each other by their first meeting, and forgive me but I did not see a hint of enemies anywhere. Banter? Sure. Enemies? Not even close.

That said, I did enjoy Reckless a lot more. The sequel had better pacing, the emotional beats hit harder, and I actually felt invested in the characters’ growth. And yes, I’ll be reading Fearless because, despite everything, I am hooked.

But Powerless itself? A prime example of a book that exists because of Booktok, not because it had anything new to say.

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Caraval by Stephanie Garber: A Beautiful Concept with Messy Execution

I went into Caraval after Once Upon a Broken Heart, and while I know I technically read it in the “wrong” order, I don’t think it spoiled much—and honestly, I enjoyed OUABH way more. The writing style remained whimsical, but where it felt magical in OUABH, here it often felt redundant and overly flowery without actually immersing me in the world.

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The plot, while interesting in theory, was hard to follow at times, and instead of feeling like a well-planned mystery, it often seemed like it was making itself up as it went along. I love a good mind-bending story, but this one didn’t always feel intentional—it was more confusing than mysterious. And while I absolutely adored Scarlett, Donatella was insufferable, which made my experience with the second book (and most of the third) frustrating.

I tried to understand her, but every time she made a reckless decision, I wanted to scream. I even looked up why other people don’t like her just to see if I was alone in this. Turns out, I’m not.

The world of Caraval had so much potential, but instead of actually being immersive, it was weighed down by an overwhelming amount of description. I swear, Scarlett or Tella could walk into a room and immediately notice and describe every unnecessary detail—the curtains, the floor, the furniture, the dust particles floating in the air—and it took me out of the moment rather than pulling me in. That being said, Jacks carried the last two books.

He was the breath of fresh air that made everything more interesting, and I would have dropped Dante in a second for him. The only other saving grace for me was Scarlett and Julian—without them, I probably would have DNF’ed.

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The Caraval trilogy had a fantastic premise, but compared to OUABH, it felt like a messy first draft of what Garber was truly capable of writing.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson: A Thriller that Dragged

Now, before I go in, I want to say I love her other books, like A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Five Survive. They had that perfect balance of suspense, mystery, and characters you actually cared about. But Rachel Price? Let's just say I had way higher expectations.

First off, the pacing. It was like watching paint dry for most of it. The beginning hooked me, for sure, but then it just dragged and dragged, which was a shame because the premise had potential.

We’re supposed to be solving the mystery of Rachel Price’s reappearance, but instead, we get a lot of unnecessary details—stuff that didn’t even need to be in the book, honestly. Like, how many times can you mention a knot in Bel’s stomach before it just becomes repetitive and annoying? Cut that out—save us all 50 pages, please!

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Then there's Bel, the main character. I understand she has trust issues, but her judgemental and rude behavior was exhausting. Also, I'm fine with swearing but she dropped the f-bomb like 150 times.

Was that really necessary? At first, she’s suspicious of Rachel, fair enough, but at least give her the benefit of the doubt? But then she does a complete 180, and I’m sitting here like, “Wait, how did we get here?” Her emotional growth was definitely lacking.

And let’s talk about the romance for a second. The only word I have for it is underwhelming. Ash was great.

Sweet, supportive, and just the right balance to Bel’s moody personality. I loved him. But the romance? It didn’t do it for me. I didn’t feel any real chemistry between Bel and Ash, and their banter, while cute, didn’t have that emotional depth I was hoping for. It was just kind of... there.

Conclusion

It's easy to get caught up in the hype of books because everyone is reading them. All of these books had great concepts, but the execution was messy and underwhelming. It's a reminder that not every viral book is a must-read, and sometimes we have to dig a little deeper to find the books that we actually want to read. This is your sign to not pick up a book just because someone's telling you to; instead, maybe look at reviews of it and see why they love it.

Don't waste your time on books you don't enjoy. Life's too short for that.