Doesn't Gavin already have at least two cats? Sorry, I've been bingeing these vids and the image of him as Dorothy holding his cat is burned into my brain lol.
Not a great hard and fast rule, my cat darted out of the room when I adjusted my sitting position. I just blame my cat for strange noises in my house. Even if she is comes from a different room
What I appreciate the most about horror - particularly authors like Ketchum - is that they are hitting a very specific type of horror subgenre that is very much not meant to be a "comfortable" read. They are meant to shock and to make you think about people in a way you never thought you'd see them.
That's a good way of looking at it and I think that's how I will be looking at it in the future too. It's not supposed to be easy reading. Also I don't think I could ever watch the movie 🙈
I study sexual violence and war and your reaction to The Girl Next Door sums up how I feel about my studies. I can't drink strawberry milk anymore because it reminds me of a time I drank strawberry milk whole researching and came across lots of graphic photos of torture during warfare. I hate the way it makes you feel small and helpless.
As someone who got scared more than once by the fridge in the middle of the night, Imma tell you it's possible the noise is there during the day too but you don't hear it since there's more noise during the day. I read parts of Girl next door and watched one of the movies based on that story few years ago and I have no desire repeating it. Books based on true events hit harder.
Oooo interesting about the noise being there during the day! I may have to see if I can catch it out. And yeah, books based on true events really do hit harder.
"Asking For It" by Louise O'Neil had me sobbing in various places and I NEVER cry when I'm reading books. Utterly brilliant, utterly heartbreaking and I still think about it a lot. Honestly, human beings and what we are capable of is far scarier than ghosts and demons
Really wish I didn't read Sylvia's Wikipedia page. I find the most traumatising stories to be based on real life or stories I can see happening in real life. Why the eff would anyone hurt another human being? But then the news websites makes for harrowing reading lately. A lot of unnecessary violent deaths in the UK, the situation in Afghanistan, the pandemic... Why read horror when we are living it? It's why I love MG. They have a sense of overcoming adversity and the power to make changes for the better. They give me hope that life can be magical
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata gave me a total of three minor mental breakdowns, during each of which i seriously considered turning off the audio book and purging my entire knowledge of the english language for the rest of the week...listening to this at work was, in hindsight, a pretty terrible idea, but that's what i get for only remembering the first sentence of the summary before starting the book !
Ooooh been wanting to read Come Closer for ages coz my fave horror trope is possession, so good to know you enjoyed it after you said it wasn't really your usual bag Gonna pick it up next for sure xx
Bailey Sarian did a video about the true story of The Girl Next Door and honestly i couldn’t even finish it because the story was so horrible and gruesome
This is the first time I see someone talking about come closer - it’s forever one of the scariest books I’ve read, I just like the way everything progresses in this book
i never understood the hype for ITOET because i thought it got pretty boring, but i'm hoping to read the girl next door and have it be my cathartic & realistic trauma book after a little life. i know it's disturbing, but i prefer the "this stuff happens and all of it sucks" over "this stuff happened but now the character is magically okay without ever seeing a doctor" like girl that is not how pain works 😤
Yeah if anything, The Girl Next Door is extremely realistic and it really does hurt to read, so if you want a read like that, then I would recommend it for that reason.
The Girl Next Door is based on the true story of Sylvia Likens. The Girl Next Door is in my top 5 best books and it is 3rd on my most disturbing books list. Yes, believe it or not I've read two books that are more disturbing than The Girl Next Door. Those books are Survivor by JF Gonzalez and The Groomer by Jon Athan. The Groomer is my most disturbing book that I have ever read. I would recommend Jon Athan in general, he writes fantastic dark and disturbing fiction, with phenomenal plots and character development. The Groomer is so terrifying that my heart was racing several times when reading. The Groomer got under my skin so much. Please read The Groomer. If you read this, I guarantee you it will be the most disturbing book you have ever read.
All of Jack Ketchum's books are like that. When I read Weed Species my whole body would cringe inward during some parts. Fun fact: In the movie version of Girl Next Door the mother is played by the older sister Jenny from Sixteen Candles.
I thought I’m thinking of Ending things was okay. A 3 star read. I really enjoyed the last 1/3 in the school, so scary and tense! But the first part in the car… all those pointless anecdotes, was pretty boring. Apart from the creepy phone calls which were great.
Ooo… that's a really pretty copy of King in Yellow. I'm kinda surprised it ended up on that list. It's the only one of the four I've read, but I know enough about The Girl Next Door to make judgments.
This was brilliant :- ) Oh and all this time since I first heard about it, I thought that I'm Thinking of Ending Things is some sad book about depression 😅
Not a book, but I read the play "Gruesome Playground Injuries" and basically anything that approaches SA in a sincere manner will always reduce me to tears. I had to write a fake happy ending to a play once because I had a hard time letting go of a character that I connected with and his horrible ending
There were actually two movies based on Sylvia Likens' story. One is the adaptation of The Girl Next Door, the other is an attempt at a more accurate and realistic retelling called An American Crime. I've seen both and read the book and I can safely say that The Girl Next Door is a much more raw and brutal experience, but does Sylvia's story more justice. An American Crime felt watered down, like it was pulling punches, and it had the sheer audacity to try and make Gertrude seem remorseful when Sylvia's ghost appeared in her jail cell.
I still think about this historical fiction book, The Joyce Girl by Annabel Abbs. It’s about the life of Lucia Joyce, daughter of James Joyce. She took after him in a lot of ways, and had a lot of potential as a dancer. But while she was close to her father, she and her mother essentially hated each other. Her mental health deteriorated in her early adulthood and Carl Jung treated her for schizophrenia, which is an aspect of the book, her looking back on her life through those sessions and uncovering repressed trauma. The way that was conveyed itself scarred me, but learning more about how the family dynamics resulted in her treatment after the book’s events was shocking. She ended up being institutionalized, and while her father was still alive, he visited her. But once he died, her mother and brother essentially abandoned her.
I wasnt a fan of I'm thinking of ending things. It was very anticlimactic firnme anyway. The girl next door is a disturbing book for sure. Inhave read the others. Thanks for sharing ~ Tracey
The Sylvia Likans case was something I learned about as a teenager and I think about how everyone failed that poor girl. She deserved so much better and its just heartbreaking. There's actually I think 3 movies about her story and the one named after the book by Jack Ketchum is honestly the most difficult to watch, so of you do watch the movie, I'd advise not doing so on a day where you're not doing mentally well. It will make it worse.
I like reading the comments because it makes me realize how one book can impact in different ways for example I read tender is the flesh and I didn’t like it ( not traumatic at all ) and when I read some of the reviews about how traumatizing or fucked up it is,I end up thinking that there’s something really wrong with me 🤷🏻♀️ 😬however I do respect all the different opinions. I did read off season and the girl next door and they really messed me up! I read a book 12+ years ago that traumatized much more that all the 3 books mentioned above combined ( translated to English it’s called the rights of beasts ) don’t remember the author but ohhhh that’s the most scariest disturbing book I ever read. I loaned it to a couple of people and they dnf it and told me to burn it…. I really would love to see a tender is the flesh review from you! 🙂
I’ve never read that specific book, but I’ve definitely felt that. Like people will rave about how good or disturbing a movie is and I’ll watch it and be like....did we watch the same thing lol. Maybe I just hype things up in my head too much before going in.
I haven't read the book but I clearly remember the movie adaptation of it. It's been 10 years and the memory of it is still clear and the whole thing (real and fictional) was really heartbreaking. But I think it is a story people need to know about so maybe someone will take a notice when something strange going on around them and check in on it. So many people knew that girl was abused and no one did a thing about it, it's so so horrible.
Omg... you're face and demeanor after reading the Girl Next Door.... I wanted to just hug you, make you some tea and give you a cozy middle grade to make you feel better.
Loved this video but crikey I was shocked by how much the Jack Ketchum book affected you…oh my days 🤭 Loved the b roll and seeing you in York, tried to see the white bit that went near the ghost shop but wasn’t sure. I am still gobsmacked how this book affected you, oh my days 🤭😳
Most traumatizing recent read was Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell because it was scary AF. I hadn’t been that scared by a book in a really long time. Yes, I slept with the lights on. A List of Cages was traumatizing because of the abuse. I read it in a day and cried ALL DAY LONG. The Butterfly Garden was traumatizing because of the things the villain of the story did to the victims.
Can't believe I haven't subscribed before now!! Fixed it though. 😀 Most traumatizing book for me was Patricia Cornwell's Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed. I got about halfway through and couldn't continue reading it. I was lucky enough to attend a lecture by her about this book and her experience writing it. She worked closely with Scotland Yard and they reopened a lot of the files, so she had access to original source material, etc.. During the lecture, she said if she had known what she would discover while researching this book, she probably wouldn't have written it. She wished she had never started the project. It took her almost 2 years to write and she was still trying to come to terms with what she learned. So while reading this book, not only was I beyond disturbed by the subject matter, but it was compounded, because I knew what it cost Patricia Cornwell to write it. I'll never unhaul the book, but I'm not quite sure I'll ever read it either. Second book is Misery by Stephen King. I read it once when it came out in 1987 and there are STILL scenes from that book that I remember to this day. While I absolutely love the adaptation with Kathie Bates & James Caan, the movie can't portray the pure torment Annie Wilkes put Paul Sheldon through.
Come Closer sounds fascinating, though I am admittedly super creeped out by demon possession stories, so who knows if I'll ever be brave enough to read it. :V I commend you for reading Girl Next Door - the story of Sylvia Likens made me so angry and upset that I know I will never be able to stomach any fictional retelling of it. Like you, I was pretty traumatized just reading the Wikipedia article about her murder. Thank you for the great video, and I hope you were able to read/watch something more uplifting after making it through all this grim stuff!
I like your videos, you seem like a chill dude. I just would like to see less editing cuts, you know when every other sentence, you are being zoomed in or out, it's a bit too much.
Gavin. The Jack Ketchum book. I met one of Sylvia's torturers. She worked at my high school. Let me know if you want to chat about this ever. It's such a twisted story.
Oh no way! That's so interesting. I don't know what I would do or think or say if I ever met one of them quite honestly. I have so much anger and hate for everyone involved who didn't help that poor girl.
@@GavinReadsItAll @How to Train Your Gavin Yeah, she actually hid her identity and none of us knew who she was or what she had done. She got a job at my school working as a teacher aid for special education students, if you can believe that. It just came out a few years ago what her true identity is. She was using a different name and lied on her job application about her criminal record. The school fired her for lying on her application. It CREEPED ME OUT knowing that as a child I had spent so much time around someone who could do that to a child. She was one of the siblings who helped the mother with the torture. Ugh, feel sick just thinking about it now.
I have a book that will definitely disturb you. It’s called Twisted Thunder by J. Abarca. It's new and written by a new author. Be sure to read the author's content warning first if you decide to give it a try!
I remember buying I'm Thinking of Ending Things cuz I thought it looked cool. I remember reading it and finding it unbelievably boring and illogical. I barely remember it but I remember finding the twist dumb. I also don't remember the book being even remotely scary or disturbing lol.
hahaha Yes, academically you can actually use "cock tease" and "blue balls" interchangeably 🤣😂 Gosh, I feel nervous just thinking about you reading that Ketchum book. Thank you for saving me from having to do this...but I can't imagine it's worth it lol Ugh, even watching you review The Girl Next Door brought tears to my eyes...rough, definitely a nope for me. Come Closer sounds good...adding that to my TBR. Also, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is on my current Trash My TBR list, so this was helpful :)
Yeah Come Closer is probably my favourite book from this vlog to be honest, even though I gave it 4 star and Girl Next Door 5 stars, it was for totally different reasons. I think you'd enjoy Come Closer!
If you want to be scared, you should read Stolen Tongues. I actually had to stop after the prologue because it was night. I only read it while there was light outside.
I heard Stephen Graham Jones interviewed on Literary Disco, and he said that The Girl Next Door was the scariest book he had ever read. Did you watch the first season of True Detective? It was loosely based on the King in Yellow legends.
Despite the fact that you seem absolutely shattered by The Girl Next Door, you’ve intruiged me so much that I actually got kindle unlimited and downloaded this while I watched. I’ll be starting immediately.
I did read a long time ago I'm Thinking of Ending Things and it was unsettling, but the ending left me scratching my head, it felt improbable or I probably read it wrong, but I don't feel like reading that book again. Right now the books that stick with me are the ones that have made me cry this year like The Travelling Cat Chronicles, last 40 pages if that book made me sob. There was also a scene near the beginning that traumatized me and made me cry as well.
Oh. I've read I'm Thinking of Ending Things like 5 times. It's not traumatizing but it does stay with you. That author also has another book called "Foe" which is equally incredible.
My heart hurts as a mother from what you sad alone about what happend with the children. 😢 I'll never ever read it. But I'll read Come Closer because it sounds as a great horror book.
My prediction the only one that will bother you is the Girl Next Door, however I'm not sure about the other two because the only other one I've read is the king in yellow
The girl next door. Other person-Hey bro whats the scariest most disturbing book youve her read Answer- the girl next door Other person- oh yeah is it well written Answer- very well written Other person- and its scary? Answer- terrifying Other person-So you reccomend i read it? Answer- id never reccomend anybody read this book but if you want something scary, guesome and disturbing this is what your looking for but i dont reccomend it
I did a deep dive on the Sylvia case a few months ago after watching Bailey Sarian’s makeup murder Monday on the case. Elliot Page starred as Sylvia in a made for TV movie like 10 years ago i think? The movie is awful but also very well done and Bailey also did a phenomenal job covering the case. Not that you need more time spent with this awful story 🙈
I really hope you watch happy things and read some light Middle Grade after all of this, I mean I know Believathon is coming but still. I think that there was a value in discussing these books, but I just hope you are doing happy things after all that.
It makes a lot of sense why you gave that last book 5 stars. It sounds like such an heavy book, but I don't think 5 stars always means `'I absolutely adored it." In this case, the book was abhorrent because it detailed something horrifying. I haven't read it, but it sounds like it wasn't written to entertain, but to show the failures (like you said) in various systems (including the justice system from the sounds of it as I think they were all released some years after). It also shows how this young girl went through things no-one should be subjected to and probably to highlight, like you say, there are likely others going through the same thing which no-one knows about.. I can't think of any books which have traumatised me. I can think of a few movies - all based on true life: Anne Frank, Sybil and The Pianist. With anything that I read / watch I find I'm more traumatised by the atrocities committed by people rather than supernatural entities... well, so far anyway! Really great video!
Thank you for understanding and saying better why I have Girl Next Door 5 stars. Honestly, I couldn't put it into words but you did a great job of doing that for me, so thank you!
I nearly vomited watching An American Crime, I would never ever read or watch that story or a story like that ever again. I wish I never watched it. I didn't know what it was about, I just thought "oh Eliot Page is a great actor I'm going to watch their work..." lesson learned I'm content checking everything now
It might help to watch a video about the movie adaptation of I'm Thinking of Ending Things. I've only read the book but watching an explanation of the movie helped clear some things up. Spikima Movies did a good one on it.
I couldn’t disagree with you more about king in yellow. I hated it I think part of my issue was I read the version with the romancey stuff and it just ruined it for me because I enjoyed the 4 stories you mentioned to an extent anyway 😂 I also loved come closer though
In my opinion I'm thinking of ending things is a good books there's only two books I gived five out of five one us I'm thinking of ending things and two Tuesday with Morrie but the I'm thinking of ending things is a bad movie but also in my op reading it a second time really open up my eyes because when I read it the second time you notice more things you didn't see the first time but these are just my op
I saw the movie of the girl next door with friends, without knowing what was and no one told me aboutvthe tw so all i can say is that i cried compulsively.
I saw the movie An American Crime, which is also based off the true events. Humanity really needs to do and be better. It's just horrifying! Sorry you got traumatized, though!
I’ve never seen An American Crime! And I’m glad I read Girl Next Door so I never have to read it again, and I know my curiosity would have eaten away at me until I read it
No offense to anyone but I’m starting to think people only “like” I’m Thinking Of Ending Things because it makes them feel deep and artsy like “oh you just don’t get it etc etc” I hated both the book and Netflix film. It’s like falling down a hole but never hitting the ground.
I didn't exactly get traumatized by the following book but I keep thinking about it a lot. During and after reading it, I felt a lot of feelings. The book is called Unwind by Neal Shusterman and I would recommend this to just about everybody. It's amazing
Oh my, I think Unwind is on the second Buzzfeed list of books that disturbed people, so I may have to read that one next time! The premise unsettles me so much
😂😂 you're possessed or there's mice in the attic 🤷🏼 either one .... I'm afraid to read anything Jack Ketchum- I felt like I was holding my breath through your entire description of that book Cool video idea ❤️
Yeah Jack Ketchum is an author a lot of people should avoid to be honest. A great writer with truly horrific stories, but not for the faint of heart, for sure!
The book that got me back into reading was actually “the girl next door-jack ketchum” I’m a 15yr but jack ketchum is legit my fav author, I love him so much
The King in Yellow intrigues me, I might give it a go because it seems like a weird read. Yvette Fielding would have lost her mind at that orb down the shambles. Jack Ketchum is a writer I want to try but I know its not gonna be a pleasant read. But like after The Girl Next Door go read some spooky but fun middlegrades to help get your mind of it.
Haha RIGHT Yvette Fielding would have totally loved that orb in York. Super spooky. And I am in the middle of some middle grades right now so Jack Ketchum is slowly being washed from my mouth 😂
I didn't really like I'm thinking of ending things. It was too vague for me and the ending was pretty problematic in my eyes tbh. The movie I couldn't even watch, because it felt boring from the start, which the book also was. My most disturbing reads have been from a Dutch author (Dutch myself). His name is Thomad Olde Heuvelt. I read Hex by him and it was super creepy with a witch who has her eyes sewed shut and appears in random places out if nowhere. Very creepy. Currently reading Echo by him, which is about this two guys (it's queer!), one of them had an accident when he was climbing a mountain and comes back with a bad injury to his face and he is changed in a very disturbing way. Again very creepy and I love that it is queer as well.
@@GavinReadsItAll Great! Excited to see what you think. The author also has a very unique writing style I think and I love it. It's very modern and fun.
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder traumatized me. It's not even a horror or scary book, and I really enjoyed what the book did, but just one scene affected me so badly. I also had a similar feeling where I didn't want to go to bed until the traumatic part was over because I knew I would never want to pick up the book again. But it was so drawn out that I stayed up super late just shook afterwards lol
After watching your video I watched a video summarising the movie the Girl Next Door. I really want to spoil stuff. But one of the key aspects of the torture happens in some cultures (in different circumstances) and it makes me sad because there is no point to it except for controlling girls. The movie sounds a close representation so are you going to see it?
I probably won't see the movie as the book really did make me feel so uncomfortable and I just know I won't enjoy the movie, as good an adaptation it might be, I just don't think I can see it acted out.
Was that one guy on Buzzfeed actually scared that a book was over a hundred years old? Why is that scary? One day all stories will be over a hundred years old, its just that some will hit that date sooner then others. (Does that mean that the most disturbing piece of work is the Epic of Gilgamesh? That thing is the oldest piece of writing that's been found (c. 2100).)
You need to get a cat if you are able. My rule is " if the cat freaks out then I will freak out" when it comes to unknown sounds
That's a great rule to be fair! And a great reason to get a cat!
Ow no! my cat is a scaredy cat and is alarmed Every night bij the noise my fridge makes. 🙈😝
But my other cat guards me & my house so I do trust her when she hears something & starts to growl.
Doesn't Gavin already have at least two cats? Sorry, I've been bingeing these vids and the image of him as Dorothy holding his cat is burned into my brain lol.
Not a great hard and fast rule, my cat darted out of the room when I adjusted my sitting position.
I just blame my cat for strange noises in my house. Even if she is comes from a different room
What I appreciate the most about horror - particularly authors like Ketchum - is that they are hitting a very specific type of horror subgenre that is very much not meant to be a "comfortable" read. They are meant to shock and to make you think about people in a way you never thought you'd see them.
This is exactly why I ended up giving The Girl Next Door 5 stars, because it did all of that and more.
You might want to check out Bentley Little. The Association and The Vanishing is some of his best. He can be a bit of a misogynist though
The way I look at The Girl Next Door is the appreciation for telling the victim's story and to give her a voice. Also, there is actually a movie too.
That's a good way of looking at it and I think that's how I will be looking at it in the future too. It's not supposed to be easy reading. Also I don't think I could ever watch the movie 🙈
I believe there are two movies, and one of them stars Catherine Keener, Elliot Page, and James Franco!
Next on How to Train Your Gavin: The 10 Best Feel Good Middlegrade: Christmas Edition!
Oh my gosh you've got THAT right 😂
Tom Fletcher's Christmasaurus will make the list!
@@GavinReadsItAll have you still got that big bear because I have the same one does yours say snuggle buddies on the tag
I study sexual violence and war and your reaction to The Girl Next Door sums up how I feel about my studies. I can't drink strawberry milk anymore because it reminds me of a time I drank strawberry milk whole researching and came across lots of graphic photos of torture during warfare. I hate the way it makes you feel small and helpless.
The feeling helpless part is the worst, sorry your studies are making you feel that way ❤️
As someone who got scared more than once by the fridge in the middle of the night, Imma tell you it's possible the noise is there during the day too but you don't hear it since there's more noise during the day.
I read parts of Girl next door and watched one of the movies based on that story few years ago and I have no desire repeating it. Books based on true events hit harder.
Oooo interesting about the noise being there during the day! I may have to see if I can catch it out. And yeah, books based on true events really do hit harder.
"Asking For It" by Louise O'Neil had me sobbing in various places and I NEVER cry when I'm reading books. Utterly brilliant, utterly heartbreaking and I still think about it a lot. Honestly, human beings and what we are capable of is far scarier than ghosts and demons
Really wish I didn't read Sylvia's Wikipedia page. I find the most traumatising stories to be based on real life or stories I can see happening in real life. Why the eff would anyone hurt another human being? But then the news websites makes for harrowing reading lately. A lot of unnecessary violent deaths in the UK, the situation in Afghanistan, the pandemic... Why read horror when we are living it? It's why I love MG. They have a sense of overcoming adversity and the power to make changes for the better. They give me hope that life can be magical
Yeah so much horror in the world, it's partly why I love me some middle grade and why I need all the middle grade in November to recover 😭
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata gave me a total of three minor mental breakdowns, during each of which i seriously considered turning off the audio book and purging my entire knowledge of the english language for the rest of the week...listening to this at work was, in hindsight, a pretty terrible idea, but that's what i get for only remembering the first sentence of the summary before starting the book !
The girl next door broke my heart so much, I was sobbing so much 😭😭
Ooooh been wanting to read Come Closer for ages coz my fave horror trope is possession, so good to know you enjoyed it after you said it wasn't really your usual bag
Gonna pick it up next for sure xx
YAY do pick up Come Closer, a quick read but impactful nonetheless!
Bailey Sarian did a video about the true story of The Girl Next Door and honestly i couldn’t even finish it because the story was so horrible and gruesome
The way you felt about The Girl Next Door is how I felt about My Dark Vanessa.
This is the first time I see someone talking about come closer - it’s forever one of the scariest books I’ve read, I just like the way everything progresses in this book
i never understood the hype for ITOET because i thought it got pretty boring, but i'm hoping to read the girl next door and have it be my cathartic & realistic trauma book after a little life. i know it's disturbing, but i prefer the "this stuff happens and all of it sucks" over "this stuff happened but now the character is magically okay without ever seeing a doctor" like girl that is not how pain works 😤
Yeah if anything, The Girl Next Door is extremely realistic and it really does hurt to read, so if you want a read like that, then I would recommend it for that reason.
The Girl Next Door is based on the true story of Sylvia Likens. The Girl Next Door is in my top 5 best books and it is 3rd on my most disturbing books list. Yes, believe it or not I've read two books that are more disturbing than The Girl Next Door. Those books are Survivor by JF Gonzalez and The Groomer by Jon Athan. The Groomer is my most disturbing book that I have ever read. I would recommend Jon Athan in general, he writes fantastic dark and disturbing fiction, with phenomenal plots and character development. The Groomer is so terrifying that my heart was racing several times when reading. The Groomer got under my skin so much. Please read The Groomer. If you read this, I guarantee you it will be the most disturbing book you have ever read.
Thank you for the recommendations, I've never heard of those two and now I want to read them!
It was great to see you enjoying York- I’ve just moved there for my masters ✨ this was a great vlog- I need to pick up some of these books 📚
Aw yay I hope you love York and best of luck with your masters! I'm hoping to make many more trips to York in the future 😊
All of Jack Ketchum's books are like that. When I read Weed Species my whole body would cringe inward during some parts. Fun fact: In the movie version of Girl Next Door the mother is played by the older sister Jenny from Sixteen Candles.
I thought I’m thinking of Ending things was okay. A 3 star read. I really enjoyed the last 1/3 in the school, so scary and tense! But the first part in the car… all those pointless anecdotes, was pretty boring. Apart from the creepy phone calls which were great.
We are on the same page with that Jo!
I love how you always put yourself in these situations 😅 The Girl Next Door sounds absolutely horrifying 😳
It really is!
Ooo… that's a really pretty copy of King in Yellow. I'm kinda surprised it ended up on that list.
It's the only one of the four I've read, but I know enough about The Girl Next Door to make judgments.
I really like my copy of King in Yellow too haha
This was brilliant :- ) Oh and all this time since I first heard about it, I thought that I'm Thinking of Ending Things is some sad book about depression 😅
I mean it kind of is lmao
The basement scene with the painting in ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ made me sleep with a nightlight for a month 😂😭 Soooo eerie!
Not a book, but I read the play "Gruesome Playground Injuries" and basically anything that approaches SA in a sincere manner will always reduce me to tears. I had to write a fake happy ending to a play once because I had a hard time letting go of a character that I connected with and his horrible ending
There were actually two movies based on Sylvia Likens' story. One is the adaptation of The Girl Next Door, the other is an attempt at a more accurate and realistic retelling called An American Crime. I've seen both and read the book and I can safely say that The Girl Next Door is a much more raw and brutal experience, but does Sylvia's story more justice. An American Crime felt watered down, like it was pulling punches, and it had the sheer audacity to try and make Gertrude seem remorseful when Sylvia's ghost appeared in her jail cell.
you look STUNNING in that b-roll
THANK YOU SO MUCH 😭
Yes. The book that did that to me is My Dark Vanessa.
I still think about this historical fiction book, The Joyce Girl by Annabel Abbs. It’s about the life of Lucia Joyce, daughter of James Joyce. She took after him in a lot of ways, and had a lot of potential as a dancer. But while she was close to her father, she and her mother essentially hated each other. Her mental health deteriorated in her early adulthood and Carl Jung treated her for schizophrenia, which is an aspect of the book, her looking back on her life through those sessions and uncovering repressed trauma. The way that was conveyed itself scarred me, but learning more about how the family dynamics resulted in her treatment after the book’s events was shocking. She ended up being institutionalized, and while her father was still alive, he visited her. But once he died, her mother and brother essentially abandoned her.
Gosh that's such a heartbreaking story 😢
I wasnt a fan of I'm thinking of ending things. It was very anticlimactic firnme anyway. The girl next door is a disturbing book for sure. Inhave read the others. Thanks for sharing ~ Tracey
The Sylvia Likans case was something I learned about as a teenager and I think about how everyone failed that poor girl. She deserved so much better and its just heartbreaking. There's actually I think 3 movies about her story and the one named after the book by Jack Ketchum is honestly the most difficult to watch, so of you do watch the movie, I'd advise not doing so on a day where you're not doing mentally well. It will make it worse.
Are you okay Gav you really sounded like you needed a hug at the end there 😭
I'm okay now, but I could always do with hugs 🥰
@@GavinReadsItAll 🤗
I like reading the comments because it makes me realize how one book can impact in different ways for example I read tender is the flesh and I didn’t like it ( not traumatic at all ) and when I read some of the reviews about how traumatizing or fucked up it is,I end up thinking that there’s something really wrong with me 🤷🏻♀️ 😬however I do respect all the different opinions. I did read off season and the girl next door and they really messed me up! I read a book 12+ years ago that traumatized much more that all the 3 books mentioned above combined ( translated to English it’s called the rights of beasts ) don’t remember the author but ohhhh that’s the most scariest disturbing book I ever read. I loaned it to a couple of people and they dnf it and told me to burn it…. I really would love to see a tender is the flesh review from you! 🙂
I definitely want to get round to Tender is the Flesh, and oooo that book does sound awful and I may have to see if I can track it down!
I’ve never read that specific book, but I’ve definitely felt that. Like people will rave about how good or disturbing a movie is and I’ll watch it and be like....did we watch the same thing lol. Maybe I just hype things up in my head too much before going in.
I haven't read the book but I clearly remember the movie adaptation of it. It's been 10 years and the memory of it is still clear and the whole thing (real and fictional) was really heartbreaking. But I think it is a story people need to know about so maybe someone will take a notice when something strange going on around them and check in on it. So many people knew that girl was abused and no one did a thing about it, it's so so horrible.
You're right, it really is a story people should know.
A thriller who traumatized me was "Verity" by Colleen Hoover. I am a mother and this book make me feel so bad.
Oh my gosh, I understand why. I read Verity last year and know exactly what you mean!
Omg... you're face and demeanor after reading the Girl Next Door.... I wanted to just hug you, make you some tea and give you a cozy middle grade to make you feel better.
Loved this video but crikey I was shocked by how much the Jack Ketchum book affected you…oh my days 🤭
Loved the b roll and seeing you in York, tried to see the white bit that went near the ghost shop but wasn’t sure.
I am still gobsmacked how this book affected you, oh my days 🤭😳
Jack Ketchum always seems to have a way of affecting me, quite honestly 😭
Most traumatizing recent read was Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell because it was scary AF. I hadn’t been that scared by a book in a really long time. Yes, I slept with the lights on. A List of Cages was traumatizing because of the abuse. I read it in a day and cried ALL DAY LONG. The Butterfly Garden was traumatizing because of the things the villain of the story did to the victims.
Thank you for the list of books, they all sound rather terrifying!
Can't believe I haven't subscribed before now!! Fixed it though. 😀
Most traumatizing book for me was Patricia Cornwell's Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed. I got about halfway through and couldn't continue reading it. I was lucky enough to attend a lecture by her about this book and her experience writing it. She worked closely with Scotland Yard and they reopened a lot of the files, so she had access to original source material, etc.. During the lecture, she said if she had known what she would discover while researching this book, she probably wouldn't have written it. She wished she had never started the project. It took her almost 2 years to write and she was still trying to come to terms with what she learned. So while reading this book, not only was I beyond disturbed by the subject matter, but it was compounded, because I knew what it cost Patricia Cornwell to write it. I'll never unhaul the book, but I'm not quite sure I'll ever read it either.
Second book is Misery by Stephen King. I read it once when it came out in 1987 and there are STILL scenes from that book that I remember to this day. While I absolutely love the adaptation with Kathie Bates & James Caan, the movie can't portray the pure torment Annie Wilkes put Paul Sheldon through.
Come Closer sounds fascinating, though I am admittedly super creeped out by demon possession stories, so who knows if I'll ever be brave enough to read it. :V I commend you for reading Girl Next Door - the story of Sylvia Likens made me so angry and upset that I know I will never be able to stomach any fictional retelling of it. Like you, I was pretty traumatized just reading the Wikipedia article about her murder.
Thank you for the great video, and I hope you were able to read/watch something more uplifting after making it through all this grim stuff!
I like your videos, you seem like a chill dude. I just would like to see less editing cuts, you know when every other sentence, you are being zoomed in or out, it's a bit too much.
Thanks for the feedback!
Fun Fact: The movie for I’m Thinking of Ending Things was filmed at the school I work at and I got to be an extra in a few scenes 👍🏼
Oh no way!! That's so awesome! I'll be looking out for you in the scene when I finally get round to watching the movie!
Gavin. The Jack Ketchum book. I met one of Sylvia's torturers. She worked at my high school. Let me know if you want to chat about this ever. It's such a twisted story.
Oh no way! That's so interesting. I don't know what I would do or think or say if I ever met one of them quite honestly. I have so much anger and hate for everyone involved who didn't help that poor girl.
@@GavinReadsItAll @How to Train Your Gavin Yeah, she actually hid her identity and none of us knew who she was or what she had done. She got a job at my school working as a teacher aid for special education students, if you can believe that. It just came out a few years ago what her true identity is. She was using a different name and lied on her job application about her criminal record. The school fired her for lying on her application. It CREEPED ME OUT knowing that as a child I had spent so much time around someone who could do that to a child. She was one of the siblings who helped the mother with the torture. Ugh, feel sick just thinking about it now.
@@GavinReadsItAll I tried to link you to an article about it but I think UA-cam blocked it.
I've just started The Girl Next Door - so I'm interested to see what I think of it!!
Remember that The Girl Next Door is loosely based on Sylvia. The Sylvia story is a bit different.
love this vlog but the girl next door sounds horrific, i hope you're okay after all that
I have a book that will definitely disturb you. It’s called Twisted Thunder by J. Abarca. It's new and written by a new author. Be sure to read the author's content warning first if you decide to give it a try!
I remember buying I'm Thinking of Ending Things cuz I thought it looked cool. I remember reading it and finding it unbelievably boring and illogical. I barely remember it but I remember finding the twist dumb. I also don't remember the book being even remotely scary or disturbing lol.
It is hard to read books that are disturbing. Even well written the content can make it hard to get through.
hahaha Yes, academically you can actually use "cock tease" and "blue balls" interchangeably 🤣😂 Gosh, I feel nervous just thinking about you reading that Ketchum book. Thank you for saving me from having to do this...but I can't imagine it's worth it lol Ugh, even watching you review The Girl Next Door brought tears to my eyes...rough, definitely a nope for me. Come Closer sounds good...adding that to my TBR. Also, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is on my current Trash My TBR list, so this was helpful :)
Yeah Come Closer is probably my favourite book from this vlog to be honest, even though I gave it 4 star and Girl Next Door 5 stars, it was for totally different reasons. I think you'd enjoy Come Closer!
If you want to be scared, you should read Stolen Tongues. I actually had to stop after the prologue because it was night. I only read it while there was light outside.
Oh my, Stolen Tongues you say 👀
I don't think I could read these, I'm too much of a wimp for really scary books. The last book sounds heartbreaking
I heard Stephen Graham Jones interviewed on Literary Disco, and he said that The Girl Next Door was the scariest book he had ever read.
Did you watch the first season of True Detective? It was loosely based on the King in Yellow legends.
Despite the fact that you seem absolutely shattered by The Girl Next Door, you’ve intruiged me so much that I actually got kindle unlimited and downloaded this while I watched. I’ll be starting immediately.
I hope you enjoy it!
@@GavinReadsItAll I did NOT 😂
I did read a long time ago I'm Thinking of Ending Things and it was unsettling, but the ending left me scratching my head, it felt improbable or I probably read it wrong, but I don't feel like reading that book again.
Right now the books that stick with me are the ones that have made me cry this year like The Travelling Cat Chronicles, last 40 pages if that book made me sob. There was also a scene near the beginning that traumatized me and made me cry as well.
I also felt like the ending of that one was improbable. Aw I may have to try out The Travelling Cat Chronicles!
Oh. I've read I'm Thinking of Ending Things like 5 times. It's not traumatizing but it does stay with you.
That author also has another book called "Foe" which is equally incredible.
I would read something else from this author, like I thought it was very well written, just not for me entirely, but definitely an effective book!
@@GavinReadsItAll for sure!
My heart hurts as a mother from what you sad alone about what happend with the children. 😢 I'll never ever read it.
But I'll read Come Closer because it sounds as a great horror book.
Yep absolutely avoid Girl Next Door, but Come Closer is such a solid book!
My prediction the only one that will bother you is the Girl Next Door, however I'm not sure about the other two because the only other one I've read is the king in yellow
The girl next door.
Other person-Hey bro whats the scariest most disturbing book youve her read
Answer- the girl next door
Other person- oh yeah is it well written
Answer- very well written
Other person- and its scary?
Answer- terrifying
Other person-So you reccomend i read it?
Answer- id never reccomend anybody read this book but if you want something scary, guesome and disturbing this is what your looking for but i dont reccomend it
I did a deep dive on the Sylvia case a few months ago after watching Bailey Sarian’s makeup murder Monday on the case. Elliot Page starred as Sylvia in a made for TV movie like 10 years ago i think? The movie is awful but also very well done and Bailey also did a phenomenal job covering the case. Not that you need more time spent with this awful story 🙈
I had no idea Elliot Page did a TV movie based on Sylvia!! How did I not know that?!
I really hope you watch happy things and read some light Middle Grade after all of this, I mean I know Believathon is coming but still. I think that there was a value in discussing these books, but I just hope you are doing happy things after all that.
I am in the middle of a middle grade right now haha I NEEDED it after this experience 😂
It makes a lot of sense why you gave that last book 5 stars. It sounds like such an heavy book, but I don't think 5 stars always means `'I absolutely adored it." In this case, the book was abhorrent because it detailed something horrifying. I haven't read it, but it sounds like it wasn't written to entertain, but to show the failures (like you said) in various systems (including the justice system from the sounds of it as I think they were all released some years after). It also shows how this young girl went through things no-one should be subjected to and probably to highlight, like you say, there are likely others going through the same thing which no-one knows about..
I can't think of any books which have traumatised me. I can think of a few movies - all based on true life: Anne Frank, Sybil and The Pianist. With anything that I read / watch I find I'm more traumatised by the atrocities committed by people rather than supernatural entities... well, so far anyway!
Really great video!
Thank you for understanding and saying better why I have Girl Next Door 5 stars. Honestly, I couldn't put it into words but you did a great job of doing that for me, so thank you!
I nearly vomited watching An American Crime, I would never ever read or watch that story or a story like that ever again. I wish I never watched it. I didn't know what it was about, I just thought "oh Eliot Page is a great actor I'm going to watch their work..." lesson learned I'm content checking everything now
It might help to watch a video about the movie adaptation of I'm Thinking of Ending Things. I've only read the book but watching an explanation of the movie helped clear some things up. Spikima Movies did a good one on it.
Oooo thank you for the tip!
I couldn’t disagree with you more about king in yellow. I hated it I think part of my issue was I read the version with the romancey stuff and it just ruined it for me because I enjoyed the 4 stories you mentioned to an extent anyway 😂 I also loved come closer though
In my opinion I'm thinking of ending things is a good books there's only two books I gived five out of five one us I'm thinking of ending things and two Tuesday with Morrie but the I'm thinking of ending things is a bad movie but also in my op reading it a second time really open up my eyes because when I read it the second time you notice more things you didn't see the first time but these are just my op
I have Come Closer on my tbr. It looks so good. Also, I am dying to go to York Ghost Merchants one day!
Dooo ittt!! Also I couldn't get into the York ghost shop because the queue was soooooo long both days I was there!
I haven’t even heard of 3 of the 4 👀
Same!
Yay I love when I can talk about books not a lot of people have heard about!
Asking For It by Louise O’Neill is one of those. 5 stars for its effectiveness but definitely not a favourite because of the subject matter.
Glad I'm not the only one who understands that 5 stars can mean so many different things. Haven't read that one but maybe I should!
Toni Collette was great, but the rest of the movie was absolute crap.
I saw the movie of the girl next door with friends, without knowing what was and no one told me aboutvthe tw so all i can say is that i cried compulsively.
Aw man sorry that happened! I don't think I could ever watch the movie to be honest.
@@GavinReadsItAll its alot dont do that to yourself
I had to read Beloved for a class. It still haunts me.
The one by Toni Morrison?
@@GavinReadsItAll Yes, that is the one.
Thank you for the warning. I will need to skip this one.
I saw the movie An American Crime, which is also based off the true events. Humanity really needs to do and be better. It's just horrifying! Sorry you got traumatized, though!
I’ve never seen An American Crime! And I’m glad I read Girl Next Door so I never have to read it again, and I know my curiosity would have eaten away at me until I read it
That last book is obviously really serious and horrific but all I could think every time you held it up was “ketchup”.
"The Ketchup Man" - Ali, 2021
No offense to anyone but I’m starting to think people only “like” I’m Thinking Of Ending Things because it makes them feel deep and artsy like “oh you just don’t get it etc etc” I hated both the book and Netflix film. It’s like falling down a hole but never hitting the ground.
I didn't exactly get traumatized by the following book but I keep thinking about it a lot. During and after reading it, I felt a lot of feelings. The book is called Unwind by Neal Shusterman and I would recommend this to just about everybody. It's amazing
Oh my, I think Unwind is on the second Buzzfeed list of books that disturbed people, so I may have to read that one next time! The premise unsettles me so much
@@GavinReadsItAll Please do, I would love to hear your thoughts on it!
Just looking at that list We Need to Talk About Kevin (both the film and the book) is disturbing
I may have to read that one next time! Never seen the movie before.
Never read the book but watched the movie it was pure insanity and a look into the mind of a killer
😂😂 you're possessed or there's mice in the attic 🤷🏼 either one
.... I'm afraid to read anything Jack Ketchum- I felt like I was holding my breath through your entire description of that book
Cool video idea ❤️
Yeah Jack Ketchum is an author a lot of people should avoid to be honest. A great writer with truly horrific stories, but not for the faint of heart, for sure!
Get that man a Disney movie, STAT!
I watched like 3 the following day 😂
Oh man That's sad.😞
Yup 😞
The last one sounds so difficult to read.
It really was
Oh man, I thought The King In Yellow was a translation of a classic Ukrainian novel about Holodomor. Talk about disturbing
Starting the video, see your trigger warning - immediately hit the like button
Paused the video to read the wiki article of Sylvia Likens and holy freaking crap what did I just read
Same. It's HORRIFYING.
There is a video by Bailey Sarian on the case...it’s so sad what that poor girl went through before she passed.
Yeah, it made me so much more nervous about reading The Girl Next Door after reading what happened to Sylvia Likens.
The book that got me back into reading was actually “the girl next door-jack ketchum” I’m a 15yr but jack ketchum is legit my fav author, I love him so much
The King in Yellow intrigues me, I might give it a go because it seems like a weird read. Yvette Fielding would have lost her mind at that orb down the shambles. Jack Ketchum is a writer I want to try but I know its not gonna be a pleasant read. But like after The Girl Next Door go read some spooky but fun middlegrades to help get your mind of it.
Haha RIGHT Yvette Fielding would have totally loved that orb in York. Super spooky. And I am in the middle of some middle grades right now so Jack Ketchum is slowly being washed from my mouth 😂
I didn't really like I'm thinking of ending things. It was too vague for me and the ending was pretty problematic in my eyes tbh. The movie I couldn't even watch, because it felt boring from the start, which the book also was.
My most disturbing reads have been from a Dutch author (Dutch myself). His name is Thomad Olde Heuvelt. I read Hex by him and it was super creepy with a witch who has her eyes sewed shut and appears in random places out if nowhere. Very creepy. Currently reading Echo by him, which is about this two guys (it's queer!), one of them had an accident when he was climbing a mountain and comes back with a bad injury to his face and he is changed in a very disturbing way. Again very creepy and I love that it is queer as well.
Oh I've heard of Hex!! I've been wanting to read it, I might put it on my TBR to read next year. Also love the sound of Echo too!
@@GavinReadsItAll Great! Excited to see what you think. The author also has a very unique writing style I think and I love it. It's very modern and fun.
❤
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder traumatized me. It's not even a horror or scary book, and I really enjoyed what the book did, but just one scene affected me so badly. I also had a similar feeling where I didn't want to go to bed until the traumatic part was over because I knew I would never want to pick up the book again. But it was so drawn out that I stayed up super late just shook afterwards lol
Oh my, sounds like a really effective book!
Ketchum book sounds like this story that Bailey Sarian talks about in her vlog ua-cam.com/video/Aks0W6OSM2k/v-deo.html
You want traumatizing? Tender is The Flesh! 🥩 🪓
After watching your video I watched a video summarising the movie the Girl Next Door. I really want to spoil stuff. But one of the key aspects of the torture happens in some cultures (in different circumstances) and it makes me sad because there is no point to it except for controlling girls. The movie sounds a close representation so are you going to see it?
I probably won't see the movie as the book really did make me feel so uncomfortable and I just know I won't enjoy the movie, as good an adaptation it might be, I just don't think I can see it acted out.
All I know is, I saw this review of I'm Thinking of Ending Things that said you're "supposed to" read the book again but backwards.
I'm... not sure I'm gonna be doing that 😂 but that's interesting!
Daddy? Sorry. Daddy? Sorry. Daddy?
I hated I'm Thinking of Ending Things. One of the fews books where I can not find aspects that anyone could like 💀
@@hardbackhoarder after you said you didn’t like it, I could see why
💜💜💜
Was that one guy on Buzzfeed actually scared that a book was over a hundred years old? Why is that scary? One day all stories will be over a hundred years old, its just that some will hit that date sooner then others. (Does that mean that the most disturbing piece of work is the Epic of Gilgamesh? That thing is the oldest piece of writing that's been found (c. 2100).)
🥰🥰🥰
😻💀
Even though he changed the names and some of the events it's kind of sick that he made money off of Sylvia Likens' death.
Not sure I love how "truamatized" is being used here, seems frivolous.
I’m just using the term in relation to the Buzzfeed article, I didn’t mean offence, I apologise.