{"title":"The Best of #Booktok: May","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eShop the Best of #BookTok in our monthly selection of popular reads and Booktok recommendations. From gripping romantasy, to fluffy rom-coms, we have the best selection of the best reads on Booktok, straight to you every month.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eIf you’re looking for something new or can’t decide between all the books popular on Booktok, use this monthly list to start your search.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eWe’d love to know your thoughts, don’t forget to tag us @exclusivebooks in all your reviews.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"9781911753131","title":"Stage Set  for Villains","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe gods are dead. All that’s left are the Players…The performers of the Playhouse are as worshipped as they are feared, their enchanting shows bending hearts, minds, and even reality itself. Vicious, godlike, lethal. Eighteen-year-old Riven Hesper knows the dangers better than anyone, after her own encounter with a Player resulted in a curse that is slowly killing her. When the Playhouse announces the spectacle of a lifetime? A chance for one mortal to steal a Player’s immortality? Riven sees her last chance to live. Desperate for answers, she infiltrates the competition. There, she finds Jude, the Playhouse’s brilliant, merciless Lead Player, whose charm is as dangerous as his Craft, and strikes a deadly bargain to save her life.But with time running out and the Playhouse’s secrets unraveling into a disturbing picture, Riven faces a grim possibility: she might not be the hero of her story after all. In fact, she may be the villain.Because the Playhouse doesn’t just tell stories. It rewrites them.And Riven’s might end in blood.Caraval meets One Dark Window in this lush and dark fantasy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shannon J. Spann","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52538211696958,"sku":"9781911753131","price":440.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4357\/7662\/files\/9781911753131.jpg?v=1762786078"},{"product_id":"9781398556768","title":"Just Friends","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis heartwarming and swoonworthy second chance romance about childhood friends reconnecting as adults is the highly anticipated debut novel from BookTok icon Haley Pham. Blair and Declan were inseparable growing up – best friends who knew each other better than anyone else. But when an impulsive kiss took them from friends to something more, everything changed. Just as quickly as their romance started, one moment shattered it all, leaving them with nothing but heartbreak and silence. Four years later, Blair is back in their coastal hometown of Seabrook to support her mom and care for her great-aunt Lottie. To make ends meet, Blair applies to work at a coffee shop – only to discover it’s managed by none other than Declan. The boy she loved. The boy she lost. The boy who still makes her heart race. As Blair’s path keeps crossing with Declan’s, old wounds resurface, secrets are revealed and sparks reignite. But could their future ever be free of their past? Told in dual timelines that unravel the magic and pain of first love, Just Friends is a moving, romantic story about second chances, the weight of dreams and finding your way back to the people who feel like home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Haley Pham","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52730981253438,"sku":"9781398556768","price":300.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4357\/7662\/files\/9781398556768.jpg?v=1765548066"},{"product_id":"9780349442846","title":"Night We Met","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis book is also available as a limited edition Deluxe HB with designed endpapers and sprayed edges In everyone's life, there's a split-second decision that can change everything . . .For Larissa, it came when choosing which guy to ride home with after a concert. That night, she had no idea she'd met the perfect man. She and Chris are great together, co-parenting a slightly unhinged rescue Yorkie, sharing their favourite books, and judging bread (pumpernickel for the win!). For the first time amid all her side hustles to scrape by, things finally feel easy. But Chris isn't the one who drove Larissa home all those months ago - Chris is her boyfriend's best friend. All Chris wants is for Larissa to be happy. Standing by on the sidelines is slowly killing him, but making a move would destroy someone else. And he's just not that guy.🎆With her dazzling acumen for knowing the human heart, Abby Jimenez delivers a gripping read that revels in laughter, friendship, and the messy choices life can throw our way.🎆\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Abby Jimenez","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52804278550846,"sku":"9780349442846","price":315.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4357\/7662\/files\/9780349442846.jpg?v=1767017368"},{"product_id":"9781529442458","title":"Game On","description":"\u003cp\u003eBook three in the No.1 New York Times bestselling Into Darkness series, following the dark rom-com sensations Lights Out and Caught Up. The game is on for these enemies-to-lovers with laugh-out-loud banter and scorching-hot brat play. I hate that woman. Tyler Neumann has spent years looking for his father, and not because he wants to meet the man. No, he wants to destroy him. And he'll manipulate whoever he can to exact his revenge. Including Stella McCormick. She's everything Tyler hates. Her wealth and privilege have protected her for her entire life, and Tyler thinks it's time she finally paid the price. Whether she's ready to or not. I hate that man. Stella might not believe in love at first sight, but loathing at first sight - no question. From the moment she sets eyes on Tyler in her tattoo parlor, she knows he's the devil planning to make her life hell. Forced to play the part of his girlfriend and invite him into her family's glittering circles, Stella quickly clocks Tyler's ulterior motives. But love and hate are two sides of the same coin, and soon she doesn't know which is worse: being blackmailed by a man who wants to ruin her, or that they can't seem to keep their hands off each other. Game On is an enemies-to-lovers dark romance with morally grey characters. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the content warning at the beginning of the book. Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers Forced proximity Fake dating Rom-com Morally gray MMC Black cat FMC Blackmail Kidnapping Power imbalance Age gap Betrayal and redemption Dark past Revenge\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Navessa Allen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52818738086206,"sku":"9781529442458","price":315.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4357\/7662\/files\/9781529442458.jpg?v=1767362774"},{"product_id":"9780008742775","title":"Yesteryear","description":"\u003cp\u003e            'THE BOOK THAT WILL BE EVERYWHERE IN 2026'             INDEPENDENT                    'EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT IT!' JENNIE GODFREY                      'NIGHTMARISH, SHOCKING, BRILLIANT'            STYLIST                    'BOLD, BITING. WILL LEAVE YOU GASPING' NITA PROSE          ‘WICKEDLY FUNNY' ABIGAIL DEAN          'SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR, LACED WITH DARKNESS' CLARE MACKINTOSH          'INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE' ASHLEY AUDRAIN          'THE STEPFORD WIVES MEETS THE HANDMAID'S TALE' HANNAH DEITCH                                    'My name is Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive…'                                Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and has the social media accounts to prove it. Her charming farmhouse on her working ranch is artfully cluttered, her husband is a handsome cowboy, her homemade sourdough boules are each more beautiful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What Natalie’s followers don’t know won’t hurt them.          Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Is this a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn't her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible.                      NOW BEING ADAPTED INTO A MAJOR FILM STARRING ANNE HATHAWAY          \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Caro Claire Burke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52839832355134,"sku":"9780008742775","price":390.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4357\/7662\/files\/9780008742775.jpg?v=1767795486"},{"product_id":"9780349436418","title":"King of Gluttony","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe next book in the KINGS OF SIN series by No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author Ana Huang She's his greatest rival . . . and his greatest weakness. Handsome, talented, and beloved by (almost) everyone, Sebastian Laurent is used to being on top. The heir to a culinary empire, his sharp instincts and effortless charm have made him a legend. What people don't see are the demons lurking beneath his golden-boy façade. There's only one person who's come close to knowing the real him - Maya Singh, his childhood rival and secret obsession. She's also the only one who's ever successfully challenged him. He can't stand her, but if that's true . . . why can't he stop thinking about her?***Smart, witty, and competitive to a fault, top marketing executive Maya Singh is used to winning - unless her opponent is Sebastian. It's something that's infuriated and motivated her her entire life. So when a series of unfortunate events forces her to work with her sworn enemy, she's determined to one-up him and show the world who's the best once and for all. What she didn't count on? Not hating their time together. To her horror, she might even . . . like it. There may be a thin line between love and hate, but that's one line she'll never cross. Not with him. Not ever. Why readers love Ana Huang 'King of my Heart (Ana Huang's Version)' Lauren Asher 'WE HAVE NO NOTES JUST LOTS OF HORNY FEELINGS' Ali Hazelwood 'Huang's sharp writing and ability to create intense, emotionally charged relationships shine through' Glamour UK 'Ana did not come to play . . . it was giving everything I asked for' @Aymanreads'Ana Huang never disappoints. This was my most anticipated read of the month and it was EVERYTHING!!' Goodreads Review\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ana Huang","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52940332925246,"sku":"9780349436418","price":315.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4357\/7662\/files\/9780349436418.jpg?v=1769608914"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4357\/7662\/collections\/booktok_banner_may_2026.jpg?v=1777881150","url":"https:\/\/exclusivebooks.co.za\/collections\/the-best-of-booktok-may-2.oembed","provider":"Exclusive Books Online","version":"1.0","type":"link"}