BookTok Glossary: Popular BookTok Terms Explained
BookTok has created its own reading language. From romance tropes to fandom slang, these terms show up everywhere on TikTok, Goodreads, and book blogs. This glossary explains the most common BookTok terms, what they mean, and how readers use them.
ARC (Advance Reader Copy)
An ARC, or Advance Reader Copy, is a free copy of a book shared before its official release date. Authors and publishers give ARCs to readers in exchange for honest reviews. ARC reading is popular on BookTok because it lets readers discover new books early and help create buzz.
Best for its own page later.
Book Slump
A book slump is when a reader loses motivation to read, even if they normally love books. Many BookTok readers talk about book slumps after finishing an emotional read or binge reading too fast. Changing genres or reading something short is a common cure.
BookTok
BookTok refers to the book loving community on TikTok where readers share recommendations, reviews, tropes, and emotional reactions. BookTok has influenced bestseller lists and helped many romance and fantasy books go viral.
Dark Romance
Dark romance is a romance subgenre that explores intense, morally complex, or taboo themes. These books often include power imbalances, darker character arcs, and heavy emotional content. Content warnings are common and recommended.
Enemies to Lovers
Enemies to lovers is a popular romance trope where characters start out as rivals or enemies and slowly fall in love. This trope is especially popular on BookTok for its tension, banter, and emotional payoff.
Fanfiction
Fanfiction is reader written fiction based on existing books, movies, or shows. Many BookTok readers use fanfiction platforms to read long romance stories for free, often featuring favorite tropes like slow burn or found family.
Found Family
Found family describes stories where characters create strong emotional bonds outside of traditional family structures. This trope is common in fantasy, romance, and YA books and is widely loved on BookTok.
HEA (Happily Ever After)
HEA stands for Happily Ever After. In romance books, an HEA means the main couple ends the story together and happy. Some readers also use HFN, which stands for Happy For Now.
Indie Author
An indie author is a writer who self publishes their work instead of going through a traditional publishing house. BookTok has helped many indie romance and fantasy authors reach huge audiences.
Mood Reading
Mood reading means choosing books based on how you feel rather than following a set reading plan. Many BookTok readers embrace mood reading to avoid burnout and book slumps.
Romantasy
Romantasy is a blend of romance and fantasy, where the love story is just as important as the world building. This is one of the most popular BookTok genres, often featuring magic, high stakes, and intense romantic tension.
This is SEO gold. Definitely its own page.
Slow Burn
Slow burn is a romance trope where the relationship develops gradually over time. These stories focus on emotional tension, longing, and character growth rather than instant attraction.
Spice Level
Spice level refers to how explicit or steamy a book’s romantic scenes are. BookTok readers often use spice ratings to help others decide if a book fits their comfort level.
TBR (To Be Read)
TBR stands for To Be Read and refers to the list of books a reader plans to read. BookTok is famous for creating extremely long TBR lists.
Tropes
Tropes are common storytelling patterns like enemies to lovers, found family, or slow burn. On BookTok, tropes are often used to recommend books instead of traditional summaries.