A US influencer has garnered millions of TikTok views with her tearful reactions when she read the Harry Potter books for the first time.

Kierra Lewis, a book influencer best known for her “saucy” reviews of erotic literature, started posting TikToks after discovering the JK Rowling series last year. Since then, she’s been on an emotional – and often sobbing – journey following the plot twists of the wizarding world.

Lewis, 28, of Nashville, Tennessee, has amassed 1.5 million followers on the platform with her #BookTok content and is known for her emotional attachment to literary characters — but her reactions to Harry, Ron and Hermione’s adventures at Hogwarts have earned her a cult following.

Seemingly skeptical of the hype surrounding Harry Potter, she posted in one of her first videos: “I’m taking notes on the damn book and thought you wizard people were hyping this shit up. I thought you were exaggerating, as immersed as I am in this story.”

Since then, she has posted 67 videos documenting her journey through the seven-book series, admitting that she “cried several times” during the more emotional moments. She was apparently most moved by “The Prisoner of Azkaban” and “The Goblet of Fire.”

So far, Lewis has posted 67 videos reviewing the popular series and has even started watching the film adaptations. In her first review, Lewis said she finally understands why the series has created a cult-like following. She said, “I’m taking notes on the damn book and thought you wizard people were hyping this shit up. I thought you were exaggerating, as I’m already engrossed in this story.”

After finishing The Prisoner of Azkaban, the third book in the series, originally published in 1999, Lewis said, “I just have to say that I was really surprised by the emotional pull this book had on me; I cried several times.” Lewis began Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in December 2023 and has now finished the fourth book in the series, The Goblet of Fire, in which the story becomes darker for Harry Potter and his two famous friends in his fight against Voldemort.

A recent video from Lewis’ TikTok shows her reacting to the death of Cedric Diggory, who was famously killed during the Triwizard Cup in The Goblet of Fire. Sobbing, she reads the plot twist involving Diggory (played by Twilight star Robert Pattinson in the Harry Potter films) and cries, “I don’t know what I expected, but my baby Cedric and Edward Cullen being gone is not what I f***ing wanted.”

Her recent journey through the fourth book seemed so emotional for Lewis that she lost an eyelash from crying so much. Lewis’ 1.5 million TikTok followers responded to her viral Potter posts with a mix of admiration, amusement and fear on her behalf for what’s to come in the final three books. One poster commented, “I’m literally so scared for you for the rest of the series,” while another reacted, “Girl you have no idea how painful this book is.”

Another commenter added: “Friend. Take a break. Please take a break. It gets more real with each book.” As more people chimed in, someone else wrote: “Darling take a break because book 5 is going to hurt like hell :(“

Lewis now has three books left on her emotional rollercoaster. Next up is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book in the series – which is considerably darker than the previous one – before the final two books, The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows, which came out in the UK in 2007.

Which Harry Potter book is considered the best in the series?

The Harry Potter series has sold over 500 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 80 languages. According to research by JoyBird, the last book, The Deathly Hallows, is the most popular of the seven books in the United States.

The UK seems to have a similar story, with 67% of people surveyed by YouGov in 2017 having read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. According to this survey, the books lose popularity as the series progresses. The percentage of readers drops for the last book, Deathly Hallows, with only 53% of respondents saying they have read it.

A 2020 study by TES found that while all seven books were in primary school students’ top ten favourites, the same could not be said for older students. Children in secondary school did not have a single Harry Potter book in their top ten.

On February 26, a first edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sold for more than £11,000, having been bought by the original buyer for 13p. The book is a used proof copy purchased in 1997.

Harry Potter expert Jim Spencer said: “This book really deserves a good reputation. This is where the Harry Potter phenomenon began.”