47 Booktoks Back to School Book Recs | College Romance, Academia & Fall Vibes

Romanticize your back to school season with #Booktok approved reads, from spooky dark academia mysteries to sweet campus romances you can enjoy with coffee or your favorite drink and kickstart the fall season!

35 Booktok’s Back to School Book Recs | College Romance, Academia & Fall Vibes

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Table of Contents

Fall has officially started which means back to school seasons for most students. Whether you are a student or just want to feel the season of fresh notebooks, cozy study sessions, new beginning and romances these booktok approved back to school book recs is perfect for you, as these books will give you all the campus, dark academia and college romance vibes. And, if you are a student like me some of these books will definitely get you in the season and the ultimate studying spirit.

Personally I love books with an academic setting. As a student it gives me motivation and inspo to finish some school work before deadlines and in general to keep going through the hard times. Studying and getting things done with my favorite fictional characters feels great like doing it with a friend and I also get to learn so many new things. Which is also a reason why I started my Fictional characters study method series, you can check here and will find more in this study and academia series as I continue to make more, especially during this back to school season.

Now, let’s talk about the book recs. I tried to pick some of my all time favorites: campus setting, light and dark academia, romantasy, mystery, secret society, and found family themed books. But I have also added some that I have not read but matches perfectly for this book rec.

From Elle Kennedy The deal book which is coming to our screen as the off campus series to dark academia classics like The secret society and we were villains find all the academia themed books in this guide. Now, get yourself a cozy drink or snack, your favorite blanket or any reader’s essentials and dive into some of these books.

Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy

Get The Off Campus Series

Starting with the og college romance series, The off camus by elle kennedy. Campus setting, hockey boys, frat parties, banter, early morning classes to late night study sessions – what more do you need??

The Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy is a popular booktok romance series that follows four college hockey players, Garrett, Logan, Dean, and Tucker, who are roommates at Briar University. Each boy gets their own book, all are first person, dual pov. It’s an interconnected series with slightly different timelines. Can be read as standalones but I would recommend reading them in order (I did not) but I avoided some of the major spoilers.

The books are a mixture of humour, emotional growth and steamy romance as the characters go through their tough times on and off the ice, in academics, family issues, and self doubts. The series is characterized by relatable characters, humorous dialogues, and the theme of friendship and romantic relationships, which is why it is popular with the audience of the sports romance genre.

The Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy Reading order :

The Deal (Off-Campus, #1) by Elle Kennedy
The Mistake (Off-Campus, #2) by Elle Kennedy
The Score (Off-Campus, #3) by Elle Kennedy
The Goal (Off-Campus, #4) by Elle Kennedy
The Legacy (Off-Campus, #5) by Elle Kennedy

Gothikana by Runyx

Gothikana on Amazon

If you want something with dark academia, gothic setting and the same vibes as Wednesday, we have Gothikana by Runyx. The og and booktok sensation, gothic romance. Set in an ancient secluded castle on top of a mountain in Vernemore, Gothikana is a dark academia, suspenseful gothic romance that follows Corvina Clemm and Vad Deverall.

While dealing with the grief of losing her mother, Corvina gets an admission letter to attend a mysterious university of Verenmore. She accepts it as a sign of the universe and finally experiencing the real world after living all her life homeschooled and surrounded by her books.BookshelvesGift baskets

But as soon as she arrives there she starts hearing rumors and experiencing unexplainable things, a lot similar to things that have been following her for a long time. Until she catches the attention of the silver eyed devil, Vad Deverall who happens to be her literature professor with a similar mysterious past like the castle.

Enigma by Runyx

Enigma

If gothikana wasn’t enough we have we have enigma. It’s a dark academia romance novel with darker twisted elements which is the main theme of Runyx books. It’s about Salem Salazar and Cazimir van der who are students of Mortimer University. Salem is obsessed with forensics and Cazimir with Arts. Set in a dark secretive university with the themes of secret society, murder mystery, twisted truth of the past, forbidden tension with slow burn and an amazing found family enigma is a perfect read for back to school season.

Maxton Hall Series by Mona Kasten

Maxton Hall Series

A book with elite prep school vibes, class tension, forbidden romance with pure academic aesthetic? Say no more, because Maxton Hall has it all.

The maxton hall series is a book trilogy that follows ruby bell and James Beaufort. Ruby is a scholarship student at an elite private school named Maxton Hall in England. and James is an arrogant heir to a powerful family going to the same prestigious maxton hall school. Their story starts on mutual dislikes as Ruby finds out a secret about James’ family which forces her to be in James’ world, yes we also get rivals to lovers and boarding school drama for that.

And, for specific reasons they are in forced proximity and continue working together at their schools annual gala and other events and slowly draw close to each other even though they hate each other. The book also has themes of love, hate, family dynamics, complicated relationships, social class and validations, betrayal, dark twisted secrets and more.

Here is the reading order :

Save Me (Maxton Hall #1) by Mona Kasten
Save You (Maxton Hall #2) by Mona Kasten
Save Us (Maxton Hall #3) by Mona Kasten

Kingmakers Series by Sophie Lark

Kingmakers Series

What if there were books that are a combination of Hogwarts and Mafia?. Well Sophie Larks, Kingmakers series gives us just that.

Following the kids of Sophie Lark’s Booktok popular Brutal birthright series, the second generation of the series are also interconnected standalones with different timelines. The series follows the kids as they are set to begin their college journey on an island. As mentioned in the first book, “Mafia families from around the world send their children to Kingmakers Academy to learn the skills of criminal enterprise.”

The series will give off Harry Potter x Mafia vibes with many great tropes like enemies to love, rivals to lovers, morally gray characters, dark past, tragedies and the craziest plot twists.

Here is a recommended order to read the series. Will make a Sophie Lark author guide soon with more details.

Here is the reading order :

The Heir (Kingmakers, #1) by Sophie Lark
The Rebel (Kingmakers, #2) by Sophie Lark
The Bully (Kingmakers, #3) by Sophie Lark
The Spy (Kingmakers, #4) by Sophie Lark
The Savage (Kingmakers, #5) by Sophie Lark

The Hardest Fall by Ella Maise

The Hardest Fall

If you don’t like the dark heavy themes of the previous picks, here is a light and sweet recommendation: A slow burn college romance that will make you laugh, cry, feel all the fluffy fluttery emotions with a mix of study motivation to finish your assignments and studies.

With a very awkward meet cute Dylan and Zoe become friends as they find themselves to be unexpected roommates. They both go to the same college and slowly start living together as there were no other options for them. And also slowly form a strong bonding which becomes something more. This is a perfect book with campus setting, roommates to lovers with emotional depth and character growth.

Royal Elite Series by Rina Kent

Royal Elite Series

Another prep school rec? – heck yess. But it’s fully Gossip girl but made it British but filled with more secrets, betrayal and rina kents signature dark romance styles. The series also has toxic school dynamics, high tension and intense emotions plots with insane twists. Royal elite is the first series of Rina-verse. It has a total of 8 books which follow 5 couples.

Cruel King (Royal Elite #0) – Astrid Clifford and Levi King
Deviant King (Royal Elite #1) – Elsa Steel and Aiden King
Steel Princess (Royal Elite #2) – ” “
Twisted Kingdom (Royal Elite #3) – ” “
Black Knight (Royal Elite #4) – Kimberly Reed and Xander Knight
Vicious Prince (Royal Elite #5) – Teal Van Doren and Ronan Astor
Ruthless Empire (Royal Elite #6) – Silver Queens and Cole Nash
Royal Elite Epilogue (Royal Elite #7) – All Couples

Only Deviant King, Steel Princess, Twisted Kingdom are part of the trilogy but all the other books in this series are interconnected and can be read as standalones. Set in England, It’s about a group of friends “the horsemen” going to Royal Elite High School and their legacy series is called Legacy of Gods.

Legacy of God Series by Rina Kent

Legacy of God Series

If you thought the Royal elite was dramatic and could not get any better, the legacy of gods is here to prove you wrong. The legacy of gods series is the second generation series of some of Rina Kent’s books. You can find the Rina Kent reading order in this guide with more details on this series and other books by her. But things you can expect , more drama, college setting, secret groups, mafia elements and more.

Zodiac Academy Series by Jessica Gadziala

Zodiac Academy Series

A magical boarding school with more celestial magic, enemies to lovers and a twin rivalry that will keep you hooked till the end. Zodiac academy is a fantasy series set in a magical boarding school where academia meets astrology with crazier drama and plots.

Here is the recommended reading order :

The Awakening
Ruthless Fae
The Reckoning
Shadow Princess
Cursed Fates
Fated Throne
Heartless Sky
Sorrow and Starlight

The Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros

The Empyrean Series

Yes, fourth wing. The book that broke the internet but will give you magical academic vibes. Set in a war college for dragon riders the Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros is a romantasy book series following the intensity of military war college entwining with the darkness of an elite academic.

The plot is based on a strong minded but physically frail heroine Violet Sorrengail who involuntarily enters a ruthless dragon training camp where the chances to survive are minimal and acts of treason were ordinary.

Dragons, political games, enemies-to-lovers angst, gothic and high-stakes vibes all make this series everything we adore about dark academia but in the fantasy setting.

Nothing Like The Movies by Lynn Painter

Nothing Like The Movies

You have probably heard of Better than the movies, following the childhood nemesis also neighbors next doors who slowly becomes friends to lovers with fake dating. But fast forward to college years something happens and they break up but soon begin their rekindling. It follows Wes and Liz as they get their back to each other and fall in love all over again in their college life.

The Atlas Six by Olivia Blake

The Atlas Six

Dark academia at its peak, A secret society that follows morally gray magicians competing with each other for power and knowledge with philosophical debate and sharp prose. A slow and gentle read if you don’t like romance in an academia setting. This book is also a mix of the secret society with slow burn and fantasy.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

If We Were Villains

Shakespspere, tragedy and obsession, If we were villains follows theater students focusing on the line between performance and reality. This book pretty much sums up the whole academic genre. It’s lyrical, haunting and perfect to pair up with a rainy day study session, best to buddy read with a friend to get some academic motivation together.

And, that’s all my pick for this book rec. I hope you like books. Fall is all about new beginnings and feeling the back to school seasons and the leaves keep falling down.

So, grab your favorite drink, throw on a cardigan or your favorite blanket and curl up with one of these books and maybe convince a friend to buddy read with you and get in the back to school season together because sometimes getting the best kind of studying is studying fictional characters instead.

Happy reading and a back to school fall season!! <3

47 Booktoks Back to School Book Recs | College Romance, Academia & Fall Vibes

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