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Under contemporary and digital philosophy, our TikTok For You Page reflects all things in ourselves that fall true. Or rather, it shows us that we spend way too much time scrolling – to the point where we find ourselves trapped in the niche parts of the app where we’re surprised to discover that we belong. And that is the case of BookTok: who would’ve guessed that reading the Percy Jackson series when you were 11 would lead you down this virtual rabbit hole?
All jokes aside, the BookTok community has managed to achieve incredible feats. With libraries and bookstores launching BookTok book lists and book sales on the rise thanks to TikTok book recommendations, it’s clear that the well-read side of TikTok has encouraged many people to pick up – or come back to – reading.
We’ve always loved a good “signs as” – from Taylor Swift songs to study break activities – and BookTok’s neighbor AstrologyTok has been doing numbers as of late, educating people on their birth charts and the effects of the next Mercury retrograde. It only makes sense, then, to combine both.
So in a crossover between the two hashtags, here are 12 astrologically-approved books to read. (And, to be honest, even if you don’t believe in the zodiac, these are star reads nonetheless.)
- Aries (March 21 – April 19)
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When We Collided, by Emery Lord, is the story of when Jonah Daniels met Vivi Alexander. After suddenly losing his father – left with five siblings and an absent mother to take care of – Jonah struggles to keep his head above water. But, when Vivi comes to Verona Cove on vacation, her zest for life and new-girl-in-town charm conquers the Daniels’ household, alongside Jonah himself. When her positivity begins to frail, and her spontaneity brings out risks, though, Jonah is met with a new side of Vivi, drowned by problems and the past.
Profound and beautifully realistic, this coming-of-age novel will tap into the unexpected emotional and thoughtful side of Aries. It will also remind this fire sign that it’s okay to be messy, angry, or vulnerable.
Not to mention that Vivi’s is eccentricity and complete lack of filter is an Aries through and through.
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- Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
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In The Spanish Love Deception, Elena Armas confronts the Taurus tenacity through protagonist Catalina Martín. When Catalina lies to her family, saying she has a boyfriend to bring to her sister’s wedding in Spain, they’re all in disbelief. When Catalina’s work nemesis Aaron Blackford offers to accompany her as her fake date, she’s overcome with disbelief, too.
Fighting her pride and pretending to be above it all, she accepts his proposal and prepares herself for three days of pretending, bickering, and absolute, total despair — no need to say that they find the arrangement much more agreeable than they initially thought.
This one might be a guilty pleasure for you, Tauruses, but it will hit the sweet spot of comfort and security that you all sort of crave.
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- Gemini (May 21 – June 20)
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Impulsive, playful, and talkative even when faced with a wall, Geminis are driven by their need to know about everything. So convince me that the protagonist of Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is not a Gemini herself.
This thriller entails Pippa’s attempt to solve a closed murder case in a town haunted by the crime. Although Sal Singh has already been convicted in the court of public opinion, Pippa doesn’t think he’s the one who killed popular schoolgirl Andie Bell five years ago. As she dives into the case, she starts to uncover secrets that are better left alone – something she’s far too curious to do, leading her to knock on the door of the supposed killer.
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- Cancer (June 21 – July 22)
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Represented by a hard-shelled crustacean, Cancer is known for being sensitive while doing everything it can to protect itself emotionally. Cancer’s, ahem, Achilles heel is probably wearing their heart in their sleeve, just like The Song of Achilles’ Achilles himself. Set in Ancient Greece, Madeline Miller’s popular novel is a retelling of the classic Greek hero’s tale through the eyes of his best friend — and exiled prince — Patroclus. This homage to Homer’s Iliad is powerful and heart-wrenching, not to mention a definite page-turner. Cancers, just trust me on this one.
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- Leo (July 23 – August 22)
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Listen, I know that, technically, The Great Gatsby isn’t a BookTok novel. But, undeniably, this beloved 1925 classic has gained the recognition – alongside the “Great American Novel” – as it reentered the hearts of many through the social media app. Written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, this book is narrated through the point of view of Nick Carraway after he moves to a bungalow in Long Island and is drawn into the world of his enigmatic, millionaire neighbor Jay Gatsby. True to the Jazz age New York ambiance, The Great Gatsby is luxurious, creative, infamously dramatic – all things Leo.
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- Virgo (August 23 – September 22)
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I have a hunch that logical, overthinking, and critical Virgos love a good thriller – and that’s why Ace of Spades is just the novel for this earth sign.
Authored by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, this Dark Academia book depicts the story of Niveus Private Academy students Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo. After being chosen as senior class prefects, the duo is met with text messages from an anonymous student who goes by the nickname Aces. Targeting the only two Black students in the elite school, Aces is determined to expose buried secrets that could put Devon and Chiamaka’s future at risk. With piercing social commentary and relatable, complex characters, this piece is guaranteed to entertain Virgo’s million ideas per second.
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- Libra (September 23 – October 22)
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In People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry, we travel beyond Libra’s matters of the heart by diving into the vacations of Poppy and Alex. Like the air sign itself, the two are the perfect representation of tying opposites together and somehow finding balance in between. While Poppy is as wild as Alex is stoic, they’ve formed an improbable friendship throughout the years. Every summer, the two come together from different parts of the United States for a joint vacation.
Two years ago, though, Poppy ruined everything. When she realizes that the last time she was truly happy was on that disastrous, final trip, she makes the impulsive decision of asking her former best friend for a last vacation together, even though she never expected him to accept.
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- Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)
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Scorpios are sometimes seen as elusive. Always deemed intense. Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch is both of those things.
Portraying the life of Theodore Decker, this one is a Pulitzer Prize winner to boot. When a terrorist bombing strikes Manhattan’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and kills Theo’s mom, then 13-year-old Theodore takes The Goldfinch, a Dutch painting with immeasurable value, as he struggles through debris to escape the attack. Over the years, the piece keeps him company as he deals with loss, grief, and change. In his adult years, it also becomes a portal into the underworld of art dealing — no big deal.
The Goldfinch is bold, creative, and a little bit mysterious, and that’s what makes it fit so well with this water sign.
- Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
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Could I interest you in an adventure, Sagittarius? Because Six Of Crows is nothing short of a journey made with your free-spirited sign in mind.
By Shadow and Bone author Leigh Bardugo, this Grishaverse series follows criminal Kaz Brekker as he receives a proposal to perform an impossible heist. It’ll lead either to his death or to a fortune beyond his dreams. Joined by an eccentric, complex crew of misfits to help him, Kaz threads his path through a world filled with fantasy, twisted magic, and threats. A lot of threats, to be clear.
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- Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)
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It wouldn’t be a BookTok list without Colleen Hoover. Although not the most popular book of hers (as contender It Ends With Us takes the cake) Ugly Love showcases the author’s talent to narrate realistic, contemporary takes on adulthood and relationships.
In Ugly Love, Tate and Miles meet in a less-than-ideal scenario. Both can agree that they wouldn’t go as far as considering themselves friends, but they do have something in common: physical attraction. So they strike off a deal of sex with no strings attached. No questions are allowed either, specifically about his past and their future. Of course, trying to make it simple only makes things more complicated.
Thorns aside, Ugly Love tackles that oh-so-Capricornian urge to put logic over emotions, brain, and duty over the heart, resonating with them beautifully. It can be a frustrating read at times, but the way it taps into topics like resilience and being a little bit wild captures the very traits embodied by the last earth sign of the zodiac.
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- Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)
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Innovative, progressive, and shamelessly authentic. Sound familiar?
Daisy Jones & The Six is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Aquarius-rimmed, rock ‘n’ roll packed story of Daisy fighting for her space under the spotlight. But with her dreams comes a world of drugs, sex, and scandals attached – especially when she meets musician Billy Dunne. Intense and mature, Daisy Jones & The Six is narrated through interviews that rip open the backstage of the music industry in the 70s in a lifelike narrative.
An Aquarius to an almost painful level (if I do say so myself), the protagonist Daisy Jones is stubborn, creative, and esoteric. Her value of personal freedom is an Aquarius struggle through and through.
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- Pisces (February 19 – March 20)
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Despite being the last star sign of the zodiac, we didn’t forget about Pisces – something that contrasts hugely with the main character of this next book. In The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, author V. E. Schwab shares the tale of Addie LaRue’s curse. In 1724, our French protagonist bargained to live forever, on the condition that she’d be doomed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Across centuries, Addie makes peace with living without being remembered, but everything changes when a man remembers her face as they cross paths in a tiny bookstore in Manhattan.
Represented by two fish swimming in opposite directions, Pisces is divided between fantasy and reality, joys and pain, and so is the bittersweet story of Addie LaRue. It may leave you reaching for a tissue or questioning everything from time to time, but this novel will paint the everlasting Pisces question (or rather, daydream) of, “What if?”
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