Crystal Light Just Dropped BookTok-Inspired Drinks—and I Have Thoughts

Crystal Light just debuted three new flavors… inspired by BookTok. What does that mean? Why is this happening? Am I going insane? 

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Deep breaths, Ariana. 

Unfortunately, any discourse around BookTok activates the ugliest part of my personality. It pries open my soul to reveal a kernel of evil I keep locked away. Like a sleeper agent, it’s activated only by certain trigger words. ACOTAR, SJM, Fourth Wing, just to name a few. But I’m going to put my mean-spirited self and frustration with #BookTok aside, because actually, at its core, this is a brand platforming a new author (someone you probably already know and I happen to love), and I think that’s wonderful. Even if the overall concept feels a little forced to me. 

These new, limited-edition Crystal Light flavors are based on popular BookTok genres. 

The flavors (and their corresponding genres) are: 

• “Romance” Hibiscus Lemonade: light, floral, and semi-sweet lemonade
• “Mystery” Prickly Pear Lemonade: tart and tangy lemonade
• “Fantasy” Passion Fruit: a deeper, fruity, likely sweeter drink

And hey, they sound kinda good. Since Pink Lemonade and Regular Lemonade are our favorite Crystal Light flavors, Hibiscus Lemonade and Prickly Pear Lemonade sound like winners to me. Adding more tartness to balance Crystal Lights’s zero-sugar sweeteners feels like the way to go here. I’m not mad at it. (I’m really not. I’ve calmed down.)

This comes in collaboration with author Brooke Averick and her debut novel, Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It. 

You probably know Brooke from the podcast Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast or her own podcast, Obsessed with Brooke Averick. I love her. She’s very genuine and innately funny, and she’s gotten a lot of her fans into reading just by expressing her own passion for books and fandom online.   

Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It is a modern romcom about a girl who’s entered her thirties as a virgin and is determined to lose it, her anxiety over dating and intimacy be damned. It publishes May 26th. 

And I’ll give it to Crystal Light: this would be a refreshing drink to sip while reading in my book nook, window open, sunlight coming in and birds a-singin’. I see the vision, okay? I’m not a hater. Just don’t tell me SJM is a good writer and my b*tch of an alter ego will remain at bay.