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Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Inside TikTok's literature boom: BookTok creators share their top summer reads
Stuck looking for your next beach read? With BookTok currently booming, four creators share their favourite reads and hottest trend predictions for this summer While TikTok has earned a name for brainrot and doomscrolling, it's actually leading this summer's hottest revival: BookTok. The hashtag currently contains over 59.3 million posts, while TikTok Shop data reveals that book sales were up 375% in 2024 compared to 2023. But what are people reading? According to popular online bookseller, Books2Door, the romance genre has seen one of the biggest readership surges, with sales rising 20% month on month. And while romantasy has dominated the book charts (think ACOTAR), Books2Door predict a slight change in reading habits this summer. 'A noticeable trend this summer is a shift from last summer's Romantasy (romantic fantasy) boom toward darker romance genres,' the bookseller reveals. They add: 'Titles like Legacy of Gods and Haunting Adeline are gaining traction, reflecting readers' growing interest for suspenseful love stories with a darker edge. This shift signals a broader trend in adult fiction where readers are exploring complex emotional themes paired with thrilling, sometimes supernatural elements.' So, looking for your next fairy-king romantic epic to sizzle over by the pool? Or maybe a more sentimental drama to lie back with in the grass? We asked four popular BookTok creators for their summer picks: Ben Mercer, @bcemercer Summer holidays are the perfect time to invest in a deep read. Ben shares his top fictional picks that might make you shed a tear or two. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante - "This summer I'm going to Italy and I'm finally going to take down Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels starting with My Brilliant Friend. It's fun to read something related to where you're headed, it's supposed to be brilliant and if I like it, I can crack on with the sequels!" The Names by Florence Knapp - "Knapp's debut novel The Names is a great concept, Sliding Doors mixed with One Day. A mother takes her newborn son to the registry office and the narrative splits in three as the name she chooses changes the rest of his life. It's easy to read but funny, shocking and moving all at once." A Month In The Country by J.L. Carr - "This is my favourite read of the year so far. It's warm, profound, and funny with a small mystery running through the tale of a WW1 veteran who's spending a month uncovering an old painting in a village chapel. It's got the perfect elegiac, quietly beautiful tone for a summer read." For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror's Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox. Sam - @samfallingbooks Sometimes we find love where we least expect it. Here are Sam's top romantic and fantasy reads to transport you faraway - without getting on a flight Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid - "A beautifully written story set in the 1980s centring around the life of astronauts! It blends the wonder of space with all the love we find in our lifetime. An unforgettable read that will 100% make you cry." A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna - "A cosy fantasy about a witch trying to get her powers back while running an unconventional inn for the lost and the wandering. Equal parts hilarious, thoughtful and heartfelt. An absolute delight." Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez by Abby Jimenez - "This book never fails to deliver a romance with so much heart. Falling in love when you least expect it, falling in love while life keeps moving, while you're still navigating hurdles, and holding on to the love that you have throughout it all because that's what makes it all worth it. I will never skip an Abby Jimenez book." Dakota - @sp3llb00k If dark romance is your cup of (black) tea, then Dakota has the best picks for you. Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan - "A sharp, melancholic tale of a teenage girl's cruel games and emotional awakening during a sultry summer on the French Riviera. It dances between innocence and manipulation, freedom and guilt. Holden Caulfield if he were a hopeless romantic girl. Reads like a spell - you'll feel the sun on your skin, too." Mrs. S by K Patrick - "A taut, sensual portrait of forbidden desire set in an English boarding school where a repressed young matron begins an affair with the headmaster's wife. It's about bodies, boundaries, and the ache of queer becoming across a blistering hot summer. Wonderful and gross." The Girls by Emma Cline - "A sun-drenched fever dream of adolescence and obsession, following a teenage girl lured into the dark glamour of a Manson-like cult in 1960s California. It's about a longing for belonging, for danger, for someone to notice you. Sexy and terrifying." Coco - @cultofbooks Looking for love – but with less fairies? Coco shares some of her favourite contemporary romances. Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston - "This book found me at a point where I was losing my love for reading. It shows a love story that was beautiful, not perfect, and was a little out of its time loop (once you read it, you'll get what I mean)" Game On by Ki Stephens - "It's so nostalgic to all my favourite books, the romance, the tension AND she is an English girl in America (take me out right now)" Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young - "This is a beautiful contemporary romance that highlights a relationship of a differently able couple and how they deal with a surprise that comes along the way (9 months in the making!)"
Forbes
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
10 Must-Read Books About Friendship And Connection
Actresses Irene Maiorino and Alba Caterina Rohrwacher on the television series "My Brilliant ... More Friend," based on a novel by Elena Ferrante that is one of the best books about friendship. Life is about relationships, and so many people enjoy reading friendship books that offer them insights and guidance they can use in their own lives. Whether you choose books about friendship that teach you something or ones that simply entertain, you have many options to choose from. Novels, memoirs and nonfiction advising what to do following the loss of a friendship can help you understand developments in your own life. Your choice may depend on what you are looking for. All the best friend books on this list deliver the poignant, intelligent and interesting takes on relationships that you need to become an even better friend. Top Books About Friendships Friendship helps you feel supported, seen and valued in your daily life. It gives you a sounding board and a place to be yourself. This list includes four novels, but is mostly nonfiction, including memoirs and self-help. Friendship literature is a subgenre of self-help focused on relationship-building. These rankings are based on the quality of the insights delivered in the books and how well they hold up over time as well as the books' critical reception, commercial success and any pop culture recognition. This speculative Printz Honor book is set in a world free of hunger, disease and war, so now the government must kill people for population control. Two friends train to become the Scythes that deliver death—and the teens learn the toll that takes on them and their friendship. This book is best for fans of fantasy or young adult (YA) novels. Neal Shusterman's Scythe is available from publisher Simon & Schuster. Gail Caldwell and Caroline Knapp were friends before Knapp was diagnosed with cancer, and Caldwell memorializes their relationship. They became best friends by bonding over their dogs as well as their alcohol dependencies. Caldwell writes beautifully about non-romantic devotion while exploring how their relationship rooted and grew. This book is best for those looking for books about grief when a friend has died. Gail Caldwell's Let's Take the Long Way Home is available from Penguin Random House. This much-lauded novel, a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and National Book Award, follows four college friends as they drift through life, with a man who suffered deep childhood trauma serving as their anchor. Hanya Yanagihara examines found family and how we choose (or don't choose) our friends. This book is best for anyone seeking a novel that meditates on what we owe our friends. Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life is available from publisher Penguin Random House. Latina Rebels founder Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez examines the unique issues facing women of color, including discrimination and colorism, while encouraging community. She provides encouragement and urges pride in identity, creating a space where women of color can feel safe, valued and, indeed, friended. This book is best for women of color who feel overlooked when trying to make friends. Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez's For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts is available from publisher Seal Press. The internet may connect us to a great way to share knowledge, but it has also led many people to feel disconnected from others. Anna Goldfarb makes a case for the value of friendship and explains how to achieve it in a world where more and more people feel isolated. This book is best for anyone feeling closed off from others. Anna Goldfarb's Modern Friendship is available from publisher Sounds True. What starts as an exclusive group of teens at a camp becomes a clique that rules their world far longer than seems healthy. Jules is shocked when she's welcomed into their exclusive group, and as decades pass, their friendships shift in unexpected ways as they confront real life and abandon their ambitions. This book is best for anyone who loves dense tales of found family. Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings is available from Penguin Random House. Chelsea Clinton, left, and Meg Wolitzer attend 92nd Street Y presents: Chelsea Clinton discusses her ... More new book. Wolitzer wrote the great friendship novel "The Interestings." Named to The New York Times' Best Books of the 21st Century list, Stay True dissects a seminal friendship New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu developed with a fellow Asian American who was very different from him. His close friend's violent, unexpected death throws Hsu's world into disarray. This book is best for those who want to read about a life-defining friendship. Hua Hsu's Stay True is available from publisher Penguin Random House. No one can dispute that the world is more fragmented than it used to be. So, how can you find your tribe? Science, argues Marisa G. Franco, who delves into behavior and attachment style to explain why making close friends is difficult and how to make it easier. She offers research-based ways to connect. This book is best for science nerds. Marisa G. Franco's Platonic is available from Penguin Random House. Before Ann Patchett became an acclaimed novelist, she befriended fellow writer Lucy Grealy, whose bout with childhood cancer stole part of her jaw. The book follows their intertwined lives for two decades as they pursue literary success and confront some terrible truths about life, including how to navigate losing a friend. This book is best for those looking for powerful books about real-life friendships. Ann Patchett's Truth & Beauty is available from publisher HarperCollins. New York Times and international bestseller My Brilliant Friend, which HBO turned into a series, follows the friendship between seeming opposites Lila and Elena. The first book chronicles their first meeting and their schoolgirl years, making it a great coming-of-age tale as well. Elena Ferrante famously writes under a pseudonym. This book is best for anyone ready to sink into an exceptional four-book series. Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend is available from publisher Europa Editions. Bottom Line Books about friendship can lift your spirits and help you form deeper connections. Enjoy a novel, memoir or self-help book to help you move forward in your platonic relationships. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What Are Good Friends-To-Lovers Books? Good friends-to-lovers book show the arc of a relationship as the main characters realize their comfortable friendship is actually based on attraction. Two terrific romances are: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (2021), in which two longtime best friends and total opposites whose friendship fizzled come back together. Friends and Lovers by Eric Jerome Dickey (2000), in which four young Black friends are searching for love. What Are Good Poems About Love And Friendship? Good poems about love and friendship explore interpersonal dynamics while also making a greater point. Two great poems for people of any age are: "Us Two" by A.A. Milne (1927), creator of Winnie the Pooh, which shows the mutual devotion of Christopher Robin and Pooh as they adventure and talk. "Hug O' War" by Shel Silverstein (1993), which illustrates the virtues of choosing love and companionship over conflict. What Are Good Books About Making Friends? Good books about making friends outline strategies for creating lasting relationships. Two great options are: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (1936), one of the classic self-help books, which explains how to use communication to connect. Belong: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life by Radha Agrawal (2018), which offers a blueprint for finding your people. What Are Good Books About Female Friendships? Good books about female friendships capture the humanity and kindness that drive these relationships. A couple fantastic choices are: Text Me When You Get Home: The Evolution and Triumph of Modern Female Friendshipby Kayleen Schaefer (2018), which plays on that classic direction women give each other after a night out. Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson (2017), which follows childhood relationships as they grow and crack into adulthood. What Are Good Books About Friendship Breakups? Good books about friendship breakups can help you navigate these painful realities. Titles that may help during this period include: When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk (2020), one of the standout YA books about a friendship implosion. The Friend Who Got Away: Twenty Women's True Life Tales of Friendships that Blew Up, Burned Out or Faded Away by Jenny Offill and Elissa Schappell (2007), which chronicles the breakups of real-life friendships and the reasons behind them. What Are Good Books About Friendship For Adults? Good books about friendship for adults capture ways to be a better friend and guidance to strengthening relationships. Two to consider are: We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships by Kat Vellos (2020), which is a self-published book with more than 300 conversation starters The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center by Rhaina Cohen (2024), which profiles people who have chosen friendship over romance. What Are Good Books About Friendship For Kids? Good kids books about friendship include advice in story form that will make kids think. One for young children and one for tweens include: Meesha Makes Friends by Tom Percival (2021), which details a young girl's trouble making friends. The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert (2020), which shows two girls with seemingly nothing in common finding central ground.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Fantasy Football Ruined Our Lives OTT Release Date: When and where to watch this absurdly real Italian comedy
Fantasy Football Ruined Our Lives OTT Release Date: Netflix is ready to serve up a uniquely Italian comedy full of obsession, betrayal, and one hilariously twisted mystery. Fantasy Football Ruined Our Lives (originally titled Ogni Maledetto Fantacalcio) is a sharp and self-aware look at how a 'harmless' fantasy game among friends can spiral into chaos when ego, secrets, and bonus points collide. The film premieres globally on August 27, exclusively on Netflix. What is Fantasy Football Ruined Our Lives all about? At the heart of this outrageous story is the Mai una gioia Fantasy Football League, a close-knit (but emotionally chaotic) group of long-time friends bound by their shared obsession with fantasy football. Things take a dramatic turn on what should've been a double celebration: Gianni's wedding and the final game day of their fantasy season. But Gianni (played by Enrico Borello, Supersex) never makes it to the altar… or the app. Even more bizarrely, the reigning champ didn't submit his final lineup, a cardinal sin in their fantasy world. Suspicion grows. Where is Gianni? Enter Judge Giudice, played brilliantly by Caterina Guzzanti (Carlo & Malik), witty, sarcastic, and not here for anyone's nonsense. Her interrogation begins with Gianni's best friend, Simone (Giacomo Ferrara, Suburra: Blood on Rome), a screenwriter whose life is more chaos than structure. As the investigation unfolds, we're introduced to the full, dysfunctional league lineup, including the mysterious newcomer Andrea (Silvia D'Amico, Christian), who might be hiding more than one secret. The story barrels forward through a storm of group chats, rage-fueled messages, incriminating memes, and even death threats. Could a fantasy football league actually drive someone to murder? That's the question lurking behind every insult and emoji. Meet the cast and cameos Giacomo Ferrara as Simone Enrico Borello as Gianni Caterina Guzzanti as Judge Giudice Silvia D'Amico as Andrea Francesco Russo (My Brilliant Friend) Antonio Bannò (Christian) Valeria Angione (Falla girare 2) Diletta Leotta – TV presenter Pierluigi Pardo – Sports commentator Riccardo Gentile – Sports commentator Giuseppe Pastore – Journalist Daniele Orsato – Former football referee Leonardo Pavoletti – Professional footballer Fantasy Football Ruined Our Lives is as much a whodunit as it is a brutally honest portrayal of modern friendships tangled in competition and digital drama. Streaming August 27 on Netflix, this Italian original might just make you think twice before inviting your friends into another fantasy league. Or at least, before sending a death threat in the group chat.
