Wattpad & Me: From Online Stories to E-bookshelves

Introduction

Throughout this post, I’m going to talk about Wattpad in the past tense, not because it no longer exists (it does) but because the Wattpad I grew up on is not the one that exists today.

I was a Wattpad girly, I spent many nights reading under the covers, exploring stories and genres I had no business knowing about as a 13-year-old. I still stand by the fact that some of the best books I’ve ever read were on that platform. It was a defining period in my reading journey and I hold Wattpad so dear to my heart. 

Wattpad was an online social reading and writing platform where users could read and publish original fiction, connect with other writers and readers, and explore various genres. It gained popularity in the 2010s and became an integral part of the lives of many teenage girls. Though I no longer remember how I found it, I was immediately hooked the moment I joined.

Wattpad became the place where I first discovered fantasy and romance. As a pre-teen and teenager, I read many dystopian books like Divergent and The Hunger Games. As I got older, I delved more into authors like Meg Cabot and series like The Gallagher Girls. So, Wattpad felt like the logical next step, offering a space to explore these genres further and dive into the stories that fueled my imagination.

What I Read on Wattpad

Wattpad was my escape into the forbidden and the fantastical. While my school library and traditional books nurtured my academic and literary growth, Wattpad was where I indulged in the stories I couldn’t find anywhere else, the taboo and the addictive. Fantasy, werewolves, and vampires were my holy trinity. If a story didn’t have a fated mating bond, a heartbreaking rejection, or an alpha with a dark past, I wasn’t interested. It gave me absolutely everything and fed my young curious mind (possibly much further than it needed to at that age). I spent many years hiding what I was reading and deleting the app from my phone to maintain secrecy.

From there, I spiralled deeper into romance. Wattpad wasn’t just where I read my first arranged marriage story; it was where I fell in love with the trope. A bond that lasts till this day. What started with supernatural soulmates evolved into enemies-to-lovers and fake relationships. Wattpad wasn’t just entertainment, it was the foundation of my love for high-stakes, emotionally charged storytelling. What started as a guilty pleasure shaped the kinds of stories I’d chase for years to come.

​​I read some great books on Wattpad, some of my favourite books in fact. But who could forget the ones that dominated the app, from the After series Kissing Booth, and My Life with the Walter Boys, all of which have been adapted into screenplays? I still can’t believe that books written by girls my age are now being watched by millions. The appeal of Wattpad was that it gave teenagers and young adults the chance to write and share their stories without the barriers of paywalls and traditional publishing.

However, it also meant waiting months, sometimes years, for chapters to be released, with authors occasionally updating us on how their real lives were interfering with their writing, much to the chagrin of their readers. To this day, many stories remain unfinished, and I’m still devastated by that. 

The Transition from Wattpad to Other Books

As I got older, the Wattpad app changed, and I suppose I did too. It became less accessible for readers, with payment plans and locked stories, which made me feel like I might as well just start reading actual published books. I transitioned from Wattpad to Kindle Unlimited and discovered that many of the books I once loved were now published. This allowed me to revisit them with fresh eyes and a more mature perspective.

Two of my favourite books ever, Clayton and Dallas by Rachelle Mills, I first discovered on Wattpad. When I found out the author had published them not only was I overjoyed for her, but it also meant I now had the chance to reread stories that had such a profound impact on me as a teenager, as an adult. It was fascinating to see if something that had resonated so deeply with my adolescent brain would still hold the same magic as an adult. I have to say, it did. In all honesty, I’ve read and reread these books countless times over the past few years, and they never get old.

How Wattpad Shaped My Reading Habits

Interestingly, my Wattpad era didn’t just shape my reading tastes, it rewired the way I consume books. I used to spend hours on my phone, which made digital reading second nature to me. It wasn’t that I couldn’t read physical books; I just didn’t gravitate towards them anymore. Screens became my comfort zone, and that habit has never faded.

Today, as I tell you all the time, I’m an ebook girl through and through, with a Kindle to fuel my addiction. While I still love the weight of a book in my hands, I know I’ll probably never go back to reading physical books, it also helps that it is a cheaper and more accessible form of reading. However, that doesn’t stop me from dreaming of owning a grand personal library one day, to fill with books I will never touch.

Conclusion

I truly believe Wattpad played an integral role in my growth as a reader. It helped me appreciate literary masterpieces and understand what makes a good book from both a grammatical and storytelling perspective. At the same time, it fed my youthful curiosity and fueled my imagination.

It also shaped how my reading preferences evolved. I’ve grown past certain themes and no longer need specific tropes to enjoy a book. Lately, there’s been a resurgence of overly smutty romance novels—stories that are all sex and no plot—and I always joke with my friends that the adults who love them are the ones who never had a Wattpad phase.

Having said this, Without Wattpad, I might never have discovered my love for contemporary romance or indie authors. I will always appreciate Wattpad for what it did for me and it breaks my heart that the new teenage girls of today won’t have the same authentic experience I did. But hey, so is everything nowadays. I do wonder what and how the young girlies are reading these days. 

So tell me were you Wattpad girls? Are any of you still? How did Wattpad shape your habits? I would love to know. 

Thank you for reading and see you next time. 

Signed, 

A Mo-tivated Reader ☺️