Jeremiah Brown may have lost a home in the Love Island USA villa in June 2025, but he gained a new home in an unexpected corner of the internet: BookTok.

Brown first gained popularity as a contestant on season 7 of Love Island USA, during which he had a “toxic” relationship with fellow contestant Huda Mustafa. Shortly after he was dumped from the villa, Brown used his newfound social media fame to start a book club on TikTok. Brown now has a combined 3 million followers across Instagram and TikTok where he posts about the book he's reading for his book club every month.

"Reading is one of the most powerful ways to change your life," he told TheGrio. "You can literally read a book, get something from that book, implement it every day, and then in two, three weeks, like, you can have a whole new habit."

He recently held his first book club meeting in May, where he gave away bookmarks and t-shirts, sold books featured in his book club, and met with fans. In 2026, Brown’s book club included titles such as The Housemaid by Freida McFadden, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Brown takes the book club seriously: He posts book reviews and picks a date to host a "reading room" on TikTok Live, where he answers questions and engages with book club members about the assigned book.

Brown's transition from Love Island contestant to book club host isn’t a surprise to viewers: During his introductory video on Love Island USA, Brown described himself as a "huge bookworm." After he was dumped from the villa, he said fans on TikTok Live urged him to start a book club on TikTok. Aside from his newfound fame on BookTok, Brown also posts lifestyle content on Instagram and TikTok, including travel and gym videos.

Brown's unexpected rise as a BookTok influencer is a lesson learned to not judge a book by its cover — and we’re excited to see which books will be next on his reading list.

From YouTubers and TikTok stars to streamers and podcasters, Mashable talks to creators about how they built their platforms, the gear they swear by, and the trends they see coming next. Read more of our creator coverage or see more of this year’s Mashable 101 to discover the internet's most exciting voices.