From BookTok to bookshelves with debut author Busayo Matuluko

January 20th 2025

The BookTok community has played a significant role in fostering a dynamic book culture for teen readers. Users are encouraged to share their reading recommendations and opinions, which filters from online to offline spaces. BookTok also spotlights niche as well as popular genres for teens, like murder mysteries and crime thrillers. 

For award-winning BookTokker Busayo Matuluko, joining the BookTok community reignited her love for reading - and writing. Now a debut YA author, Busayo joins us on the blog and shares her thoughts on the influence of BookTok on teen readership, as well as reveals more about her gripping debut, 'Til Death.

Busayo Matuluko | Author Busayo is a Black British-Nigerian nurse, award nominated BookTokker and YA/Crossover mystery and romance writer. As someone who grew up reading many books without the representation she desired, she started writing to fulfil that need. Her debut novel 'Til Death is a slick and addictive YA mystery thriller that celebrates the nuances and dramas of Nigerian family and culture.   discover DEBUT NOVEL 'Til Death

You started a BookTok account with your best friend, Kemi, and now you’ve written a YA mystery thriller! Can you tell us the story of how you went from engaging with BookTok, to writing your debut novel?

Kemi and I started our BookTok after reading Karen M. McManus’ One of Us is Lying in the pandemic. It was the first book I had read after taking a six-year hiatus from reading due to grief, and back-to-back exams from GCSE to A-Levels. I devoured the book in four hours, told Kemi about it and she and our other friend buddy read it, and made a whole mystery board together trying to find who was the killer. It was such a thrilling experience (it’s extremely full circle that my character does the same in ‘Til Death.) From that shared experience, our love for reading was reignited, which made us want to join BookTok.

One evening, in one of the many nights shared in my flat in university. Kemi and I talked about how we used to read so much, and I mentioned that I used to write too. I soft pitched her an idea for a romance, I had when I was sixteen, and she said ‘write it, I would read it.’ I didn’t listen to her haha, not until I was quite literally kicked off my nursing course due to being high risk and had nothing else to do… and the rest is history!

How does BookTok inspire young people to enjoy reading?

I think BookTok inspires young people to read by making books feel relatable, trendy, and accessible. The short form, and engaging format of videos helps create hype not only around specific titles but also niche trends. There are so many corners of BookTok you are bound to find one where you belong.

BookTok also helps showcase diverse authors in a way historically wasn’t shown before, it’s now easier than ever to feel and find a book you are represented in.

It’s also incredibly lovely to see your peers passionately recommend books, their excitement for a story makes me excited and makes me want to pick up a book to feel the same way.

How might teachers and librarians use BookTok to promote reading for pleasure?

I think teachers and librarians can connect with BookTok by curating displays of trending titles. Niches are really popular on TikTok so by creating their own ‘what’s trending’ boards with their own titles curated for their classrooms and age groups, it will help bridge the gap between what they see online and what they see in person and help foster discussions.

Introducing our NEW TikTok keyword filter to discover trending titles SEARCH TIKTOK Trending titles

Why do you think murder mysteries are so popular with teen readers?

Murder mysteries are so much fun! There’s a sense of euphoria you get that can hardly be matched with any other genre when reading a mystery. Even the cosiest of mysteries have an element of eeriness to them.

I think teens love to feel smart or at least are excited for the challenge to outsmart the main character and get to the bottom of the mystery themselves. But even if not aiming to solve it, the combination of suspense, puzzle solving and intrigue is enough to keep any reader interested.

Tell us about your YA murder mystery, ’Til Death. What can we expect? (Or not expect!)

‘Til Death is a cosy-until-its-not mystery, and I say that purposefully because things are cosy and fun in the first half. You’ve got chaotic but hilarious family dynamics and a bunch of ridiculousness going on with a wedding party who know each other a bit too intimately.

But when things get serious, they get serious. The mystery is fast-paced and laced with drama, all wrapped up with an insightful and layered message at the end.

I think it differs from other teen mysteries because often with main characters, they are thrust into a mystery by accident, and even if not, they’re often quite coy about having to solve one. Whilst Lara is thrust into it, she unabashedly loves and lives for the drama that mysteries come with, even if she has unfortunately found her cousin tangled in this one.

I also think ‘Til Death has a very vast ensemble; you can see yourself and your family members in any of the characters

One of your characters lives with sickle cell anaemia. Why was it important for you to include this condition in your story?

When exploring the idea of writing a mystery, I had to know what the ending was. I never intended to debut with a mystery so when the idea was presented with one, to make things easier, I had to know who did it, and more importantly why.

I always knew I wanted to do a sickle cell story in whatever genre because it is something I live with, but I always felt like my story wasn’t enough because despite it being such a horrible illness, it actually doesn’t affect me much. It’s not until drafting ‘Til Death that I realised, no it does.

Without spoiling things, I went to the very worst scenario and started toying with the idea of having a character with a seemingly perfect world but deep down, they have their own secrets and they’re being used against them in the worst way possible.

It was important for me to write a story younger me would want to read, and to fulfil the representation that I wanted when I was younger.

'Til Death True-crime-obsessed Lara Oyinlola is heading to Lagos for her favourite cousin, De´rin's, wedding. It's going to be a holiday filled with glitzy dress-fittings, glamorous parties and, of course, the star-studded event of the year. But everything isn't perfect in De´rin's world. She's been receiving anonymous threats telling her to cancel the wedding...or face dire consequences. £6.65   Save 26% DISCOVER