So the title's a bit irrelevant. And I'm having a tough time thinking how to describe my doubt but I'll try my best. Apologies if it is vague, do let me know in the comments.
So I just finished reading the work-energy theorem and was moving on to the concept of potential energy (which my book explains poorly, or I'm missing something).
I understand that by the work-energy theorem the change in the kinetic energy of a body is the work done by an external force force on the body. ✓Got it, the change in the kinetic energy of a body is equal to the work done by the net force
So I moved on to potential energy, where my book tries to explain stuff by starting off with an example in which we're elevating the book of mass $m$ by doing work $mgh$ on it, where $h$ is the height to which it is raised.
My first doubt is, since the force we applied is $mg$ (equal to the gravitational force of attraction in magnitude yet opposite in direction), the resultant force on the book is 0. Since the resultant force is zero, the work done by the resultant force on the book should be 0, and there should be no change in the kinetic energy.
Secondly, the force done by us (the external agnecy), is along the direction of the displacement, the work done is positive and so the change in kinetic energy should be positive (by the work energy theorem?)
What am I messing up? Mixing the two concepts (potential energy and work energy theorem)? Yet after the work we do, potential energy increases, not the kinetic energy? What am I confusing?
Edit
So the given answers helped me understand where I was going wrong (somewhat). The change in the kinetic energy of a particle is equal to the work done on it by the net external force (if the particle is the system)
Now I'm having trouble interpreting the work energy theorem for a system of particles. A book explains it by considering a system of two charges (one positive and one negative; attracting each other). It says:
Because of mutual attraction, the particles are accelerated towards each other and the kinetic energy of the system increases
Firstly, how can we consider something which isn't fixed as our system (the charges move...).
Secondly, there is no net force on the system, so how is the kinetic energy even increasing.
PS: I'm still all confused about potential energy. Before my book starts about potential energy it goes on to talk about the work energy theorem for a system of particles, and that's where I'm confused now.