Content Warning: This novel contains descriptions of emotional abuse, death by suicide, and stigmatizing and potentially offensive language and stereotypes regarding people with mental health conditions. Its contents are reflected in this study guide.

As social media platforms like TikTok have made it easier than ever for people to connect over common interests and share recommendations, genre fiction—thriller, romance, and fantasy—is seeing a resurgence in popularity among Millennial and Gen Z readers. TikTok’s book community, known as BookTok, consists of a scroll of recommendation lists in short video form that allows reading enthusiasts to sift through dozens of recommendations in a few minutes. BookTok is also a popular place for readers to gush about their favorite books, endings, and characters, helping novels take off on BookTok by enticing a wider audience. This creates a feedback loop of marketing, as BookTok influencers who wish to stay relevant are more likely to base their own content around books that others are already talking about. Whether they are good or bad, BookTok book reviews generate conversation about titles. The more controversial a title is, the more conversation it generates. The most popular genres on BookTok are romance, horror/thriller, and fantasy; books that blend these genres are also often successful.