TikTok Book Awards: Edinburgh bookshop wins big during first TikTok Book Awards

Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh has been voted as Indie Bookshop Of The Year in the inaugural TikTok Book Awards.

From left winners Bolu Babalola, Holly Jackson and Eden Victoria. Image: TikTok/TikTok Book Awards

BookTok may be a relatively new community, but avid readers on the app have revolutionised the publishing industry.

In recognition of this, the social media app launched the first ever TikTok Book Awards UK and Ireland earlier this year, calling on the community to vote for their favourite books, authors and creators.

Views on the BookTok hashtag have grown to more than 167 billion – and counting – with TikTok favourites, such as Colleen Hoover and Taylor Jenkins Reid, sweeping bestseller lists.

And it’s all because of the BookTok community, which prides itself on its love of all literature, from “spicy books” to heart-wrenching dramas.

BookTok has launched careers and helped spark a love of reading within an entirely new generation. In addition, the app has partnered with bookshop.org; an online bookseller which aims to financially support local and independent venues such as the Portobello Bookshop.

So without further ado, here are all of the 2023 TikTok Book Award winners.

2023 TikTok Book Award winners

BookTok Book Of The Year: Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

Bolu Babalola's debut novel won Book of the Year. Image: Getty

The debut novel of British-Nigerian author Bolu Babalola, Honey & Spice is a romance which follows a young black woman whose determination not to fall in love is challenged when she finds herself in a fake relationship – a TikTok favourite trope – with the man she warned others about.

Also nominated in this category: Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood, Maame by Jessica George and Young Mungo by Scottish author Douglas Stuart.

BookTok Author Of The Year: Holly Jackson

Holly Jackson, the writer behind the Good Girl's Guide to Murder series, won author of the year. Jackson's debut novel, and the first book in the series, was published in 2019 and is among the most recommended books on the platform. A television series is currently being produced by the BBC and will star Zain Iqbal and Emma Myers, who is best known for her role in Netflix series Wednesday.

Also nominated in this category: Dr Suzie Edge, Lex Croucher and Bolu Babalola.

BookTok Creator Of The Year: @edenvicttorria

With more than 583 thousand followers and 15.7 million likes on her TikTok page, BookTok creator Eden Victoria was up against stiff competition to become the first creator of the year. With videos on subjects from romance tropes and book covers to recommendations and criticisms, she can be found on TikTok @edenvictorria.

Also nominated in this category: @abbysbooks, @compulsivebookbuyers and @sivanreads.

Indie Bookshop Of The Year: Portobello Bookshop, Edinburgh

Since opening in 2019, Portobello Bookshop (or @portybooks as it's known on TikTok) has developed its reputation as an independent bookseller with its diverse selection of books, passionate staff and quirky store right by the seaside. It's among a number of excellent indie bookshops in Edinburgh and is well worth a visit.

Also nominated in this category: Chapters in Dublin, The Feminist Bookshop in Brighton and Mr B's Emporium in Bath.

Best BookTok Revival: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice recently won at the TikTok Book Awards 2023.

Instead of new releases, this category celebrates older or classic novels which have seen a fresh surge of interest as a result of the app with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice coming out on top. With Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy essentially originating the ever-popular enemies to lovers trope, this win is rather unsurprising.

Also nominated in this category: One Day by David Nicholls, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and 1984 by George Orwell.

Best Book to End A Reading Slump: Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Dolly Alderton's memoir is a favourite on TikTok. Image: Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney

The dreaded reading slump, a bookworm's worst enemy. The phrase is often used to describe periods of time where no matter the novel, author or style of writing it becomes impossible for a person to focus, understand or finish a book. It's a problem which BookTok frequently seeks to cure, and Dolly Alderton's memoir is clearly one remedy. In Everything I Know About Love, the only non-fiction book on the shortlist, the journalist shares tales and lessons from her chaotic early twenties, clearly resonating with the TikTok generation.

Also nominated in this category: The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell, My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, and The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.

Best Book I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time: Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman

Joe Locke as Charlie Spring and Kit Connor as Nick Nelson in Heartstopper Season 2. Image: Teddy Cavendish/Netflix

And last but certainly not least, Alice Oseman's syrupy sweet graphic novel about two young boys and their developing relationship is the book which BookTok wants to experience again for the first time. Also a popular Netflix series, Oseman has a large body of work in the Heartstopper universe to keep fans entertained.

Also nominated in this category: Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman, Normal People by Sally Rooney and Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson.

How were the winners decided?

The shortlist was selected by a number of names in the UK publishing and literature industry, alongside BookTok figures such as authors Candice Braithwaite and Elizabeth Day and representatives from publishers Bloomsbury and Bonnier.

Winners were then decided by thousands of TikTok users who voted for their favourite authors, books and bookshops.