Whether readers own paperbacks, audiobooks, or ebooks, they expect the text to remain the same, unless a glaring issue or typo needs to be fixed. However, some fans of the Pretty Little Liars series recently noticed their Kindle copies had quietly changed.
A reader on X, @coastalsoftgirl, discovered the change in their copy of one of the books while revisiting the series. The book in question was originally published in 2006, yet her digital copy referenced TikTok within the first few pages.
She wrote, "Started reading Pretty Little Liars (originally published in 2006) and I’m five pages in and they’ve updated it to include a TikTok reference…do I DNF [Did Not Finish]?"
Soon afterward, other readers piled into the conversation, and many said the change ruined the nostalgic mid-2000s setting they remembered.
Readers say modern edits disrupt the original story
Commenters on X rejected the idea of updating pop culture references in older books. For instance, @offbeatorbit wrote, "I’m sincerely grossed out by this. This shouldn’t be a practice at all. Keep it as is!"
Others echoed that view while debating whether they would finish the book. @angireads asked, "Wait, why would anyone ever need to update A BOOK if not for something serious?"
Meanwhile, another reader said they immediately stopped reading when TikTok appeared in fiction. @vadamfcherry wrote, "this is actually one of my biggest book icks ever omg 😭 i immediately dnf books when tiktok is mentioned idc how good it is."
However, readers also acknowledged that edits sometimes made sense. For example, author Rachel Reid once explained on her blog that she replaced a reference to Ezra Miller with Cillian Murphy when republishing Tough Guy, the third book in her Game Changers series. She also "rewrote a small chunk of dialogue that [she] felt was insensitive about addiction." In that case, readers saw a clear reason for the update.
Reddit readers spot even more updated references
Meanwhile, readers on Reddit noticed similar changes months earlier. A Redditor named u/Remarkable_Web4595 posted in the r/PrettyLittleLiars subreddit that their Kindle books had slowly shifted to updated versions.
They wrote, "I own all the PLL books on my Kindle app, and they’re slowly turning into the updated version." As a writer, they said the edits felt frustrating. They argued that altering the Y2K setting, fashion references, and technology was "asinine" because it erased the context of the original story.
They also worried about losing the older versions entirely. "I wish there was a way to boycott the updated versions," they wrote.
One commenter raised a broader storytelling problem. u/TheBobbySocksBandit argued that modern technology changes how the plot works. In their view, updated references made the characters appear careless because smartphones now allow screenshots, recordings, and metadata tracking.
Because of that shift, they said the original premise worked best in an earlier era of the internet. In their words, the series needed to stay in a time "when the technology was new, and many people were aware of how it could be used against others."
HarperCollins did not respond immediately to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
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