Pop fiction has for a long time been more popular than more serious literature. I mean, it’s in the name, ‘popular’ fiction. Even among avid reading adults and older people who have been reading for decades, trashy consumerist novels are extremely popular. Not to bag on romance, but there’s a reason it’s the biggest selling genre.

Most young people mature with experience and they soon learn that these tropes are just tropes. Also, if they want erotica we live in a world now that pornhub is easier & quicker to access & navigate than Goodreads.

So I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It’s not the books being marketed that’s changed but just the manner in which they are now being marketed.

I dont use booktok though so I may be under estimating it? Idk