I love your videos so much! And I’m so happy you did a most disappointing/least favorite-I like learning the reasons why so I can either readjust my expectations if I still plan to read the books, or maybe why someone else didn’t like it is why I will. 😊 I love how subjective reading is!
Great video! Looking forward to your "Best of 2024!" also. I think the only one of these I've read was Y/N, and it was a lowlight for me too. I wasn't expecting a lot, but I have friends who write readerfic, so I said I'd take one for the team and give it a read (At least it's short). It very much felt like someone who thought fanfic, k-pop and everything around them were silly and gross and no serious people would be into them, did no research into what fandom was like, and then wrote a book making fun of the whole situation. I'd have enjoyed an actual satire from someone who knows the culture, because it often is very silly, but this was just ???.
I loved your opinion about Disappearing Acts! As someone who read it when it was first published, I can tell you that your reaction is apt. Keep in mind that the book was originally published like 35 years ago. Reading it with a 2024 perspective is an entirely different experience!
Ooh so interesting to see your number one worst book! I really liked Cultish, but felt like it was targeted to a very specific area of her interest (the focus on language use in cults and cult-like groups). Then I also found her podcast to be pretty self-interest focused…I guess I am not totally surprised that this book is like this 🤷♀️
I haven’t read any of these (whichh sounds like a good thing 😅) but one of the worst books I read this year was “business or pleasure” for a book supposedly about fandom culture it sure was derogatory *and* wildly inaccurate 😂
Oh I hate it when people with podcasts just put out a book about the same topic as their podcast. I think with how many podcasts there are this will be a thing done more often in the future, a built in audience is already there and it doesnt Sound like a bad deal for the publisher and author. BUT You can't tell me there is a need to have the same stuff just published in a different Medium. My most dissapointing book of the year did that. A austrian Journalist who has a podcast with a mortician out out a book, I read it and my friend wanted to. I just told her which Story and chapters where which podcast episode and we have the same knowledge of the stories now that I read it and never listen to it, just looked up the titles and episode descriptions amd she never even read a page and just listend to 20 episodes.
'Sounds fake' - yup, it really does, I call conspiracy 🤨🙃 Listening to folk talk about their worst books is just so entertaining - 'tis my favourite season 😂
Kissing with tongue? Fine. Taking things that are in your mouth and putting them into someone else's mouth? NASTY??? You're right and you should say it.
Say No More! I remember your romance vlog when you read Done and Dusted. I see that book in the bookstores all the time and just turn my nose up at it thinking about that whiskey scene. Gross!! I have read one Tessa Bailey book and know she is not for me. I loved the Drunken Rant video and the Patreon videos for My Killer Vacation. Won’t be reading that one either. 😂
23:00 You might like Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women's Words by Jenni Nuttall linguistics at the intersection of gender through history.
I felt the same way as you about Amanda Montell’s book Cultish!! It did not go deep at all!! It was so promising but ended up so surface level. Sad to see The Age of Magical Overthinking is not better.
I did love Into the Drowning Deep. Shame you did not like it but you do you. My worse book of the year was easily One Dark Window. Now, to be fair to the book it was advertised as an adult gothic and that is what I was in the mood for. It was not a gothic, it was a fantasy. Not even dark fantasy, and it may be adult but it did read like young adult to me. Unexpected genre I can deal with, but if I pick up a book that I thought was adult and it reads like young adult I do feel like I get whiplash and it does affect my enjoyment. Also, I despise the mysterious brooding love interest, and the kind of romance included. If you include that type of character I am going to hate them, and if you could that kind of romance I will hate it too. Think rolling my eyes every time they are on page. Beyond that, and the decently done magic system, the characters were shallow and cliche, the writing wasn't very good and the book was predictable. It was a bad book in my opinion, and I don't understand the love it gets.
@@caitlyn.m.t9618 I also struggled with One Dark Window! I heard the second one is better but I’m not interested in picking it up after the abysmal time I had with the first one.
I'm always up for a good rant from you. I'm good enough at picking up books that peak my interest enough to rarely be disappointed but it's always interesting to see which books people didn't enjoy and why. Love the Nigel cameo in his donut. Why is he wearing that? Hope he's okay.
Nooooooooo, not one of my favorite books of last year (Into The Drowning Deep)!!! 🤣 In all seriousness totally understand and agree with why you didn't vibe with this book, I adored it and even for me there were times when the pace was GLACIAL. Also the writing is sooooo dry and journalistic, which I strangely like but definitely understand why most wouldn't. Their zombie apocalypse book, feed, had the exact same issues and no killer mermaids, so I enjoyed that one a bit less. 😂
This year I've learnt to stop trusting booktok..... majority of the times ( 99.5%)they promote trash. The disappointment those over hyped books gave me is beyond words.
"i'm gonna be late for pilates" when you get so wound up by whisky spitting that you almost miss pilates (yeah, that is a full on ick for that scene) My probably worst book for the year is going to be Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore bc that FMC was real, dumb (plus the amount of "suspension of disbelief" the reader has to do to make any part of that book work was ridiculous, even for a fantasy)
Haha I personally loved Y/N by Esther Yi but that's because I thought the prose was so absurd it warped back around to being hilarious. I read it more as a satire on literary 'girlfailure' books , but I think if I'd gone into it expecting a straightforward book I probably would have hated it
I loved Into the Drowning Deep lol. 7:03 I also loved her Newsflesh series but if you didn’t like the writing in this one you might not enjoy the zombie ones haha. It’s been a few years since I’ve read them so I don’t remember if the style is the same but I did feel the suspense and the ending of the first book shook me. Edit: one of my worst books this year was Evocation by ST Gibson. The supposed urgent demonic possession was set aside in service of the horrible romance plot. The world building was half-baked and lackluster and the character dynamics were awful. I also read A Dowry of Blood and thought it was… fine. I really don’t get the hype around ST Gibson as a whole.
I´m so excited for your favourites list since our worst had a lot of overlap. House of Frank made my disappointing list this year, Mira Grants book did in whatever year I read that one, and The Age of Magical Overthinking would´ve made my top 3-worst had I not DNF-ed it and decided to pretend that was a feverdream that didn't actually happened. Probably my most unpopular "worst" was Graveyard Shift by ML Rio. That felt like such an unfinished cash-grab to me, that only got published because of the author's name. Any debut-author would've been laughed out of the publishers office with a manuscript this unfinished.
I loved Dead Silence too and now I am tempering my expectations for Ghost Station because you're the 3rd (possibly 4th) person I've watched who said it was disappointing.
I'm not going to point out the irony of the book "Done and Dusted" for the title. 😂😂 But also, *quickly removes from TBR* Terry McMillan is an author that's hit/miss with me. Terrible/rage-inducing things happen in her books a lot.
When you were talking about the doctor in Ghost Station, all I could think of was all the nurses I work with who are super smart in their field but don't seem to have enough common sense to open and check a soap dispenser to see if it's got soap in it. They'd rather send an email saying it's empty than actually check, and it's just so dang... Dumb... So yes... Smart people are just plain stupid in real life too. 😂
I have the Tessa Bailey book, bought for 1 dollar (which converted to 5 reais), but I haven't read because EVERYONE says is bad. and I'm like you, I loved 4 of the 6 books by her I've read, so maybe I'll skip this one, at least it was cheap.
That's so disappointing about ghost station. I actually have it on my reading list for 2025. It sounded right up my alley. Does anyone have recommendations for similar books?
The book Disappearing Acts was listed as a contemporary literary fiction/ urban fiction. The movie adaptation is listed as a romance drama. I just think thats something Hollywood does just for marketing. But this book was written along time ago. I read it over twenty years ago. Terry mcmillans books were so juicy back in day. Lol. I haven't read any of books recently so maybe they're just a bit dated now.
Ya, Cultish turned me completely off of that author. I’m sure her style is for someone, but if I’m being sold an informative read, I want to actually learn something.
I read Dead Silence because I watched one of your videos and I didn't really enjoy it. I may have to check out Ghost Station though. I recently read Mama by Terry McMillan...also didn't really enjoy it XD
16:21 This is why I haven't picked up a Terry book 😂😂😂 After all the cover drama for Tessa's book is why I put her up on the shelf. Oh going back to birding and it's a NOOOOO for me.
you rehashing the whisky spit scene had me loling so hard my daughter came in to check on me 🤣🤣🤣
😂😂😂
Omgggg I literally died at this part too
Now that I know what to not waste my money on, I cannot WAIT for your best books so I know which ones I need!
🙌🏾🙌🏾
I am here for the patented Jess Owens Rant. Here For It.
Your vlog about "My Killer Vaction" is one of your funniest videos! Although, I'm sorry you had to suffer through it.
My husband came in when you were talking about the whiskey spot scene and was laughing his ass off at what you were saying.
🤣🤣
The "this is why I don't read cozies" bit was spot-on. I want to read those books, but I have SUCH a hard time suspending my disbelief.
I feel like a bad black had me in tears. Girl lol
🤣🤣🤣
I love your videos so much!
And I’m so happy you did a most disappointing/least favorite-I like learning the reasons why so I can either readjust my expectations if I still plan to read the books, or maybe why someone else didn’t like it is why I will. 😊 I love how subjective reading is!
Woo! I was having a bad day already and then saw you posted. Can't wait to watch this one :)
I read all those cowboy books and they were fine but the whiskey scene also gave me an ick. So did the dirty talk that came outta NOWHERE 😂
Great video! Looking forward to your "Best of 2024!" also. I think the only one of these I've read was Y/N, and it was a lowlight for me too. I wasn't expecting a lot, but I have friends who write readerfic, so I said I'd take one for the team and give it a read (At least it's short). It very much felt like someone who thought fanfic, k-pop and everything around them were silly and gross and no serious people would be into them, did no research into what fandom was like, and then wrote a book making fun of the whole situation. I'd have enjoyed an actual satire from someone who knows the culture, because it often is very silly, but this was just ???.
I loved your opinion about Disappearing Acts! As someone who read it when it was first published, I can tell you that your reaction is apt. Keep in mind that the book was originally published like 35 years ago. Reading it with a 2024 perspective is an entirely different experience!
I think it got a newish cover, so I thought it was released within the last few years. Whoops!
Ooh so interesting to see your number one worst book! I really liked Cultish, but felt like it was targeted to a very specific area of her interest (the focus on language use in cults and cult-like groups). Then I also found her podcast to be pretty self-interest focused…I guess I am not totally surprised that this book is like this 🤷♀️
I had zero desire to read the Lila Sage books, but the whiskey spit section actually intrigued me. Lol!
I haven’t read any of these (whichh sounds like a good thing 😅) but one of the worst books I read this year was “business or pleasure” for a book supposedly about fandom culture it sure was derogatory *and* wildly inaccurate 😂
I have never heard of done and dusted but that scene would make me throw up 😂 it sounds absolutely gross
Oh I hate it when people with podcasts just put out a book about the same topic as their podcast. I think with how many podcasts there are this will be a thing done more often in the future, a built in audience is already there and it doesnt Sound like a bad deal for the publisher and author.
BUT
You can't tell me there is a need to have the same stuff just published in a different Medium. My most dissapointing book of the year did that. A austrian Journalist who has a podcast with a mortician out out a book, I read it and my friend wanted to. I just told her which Story and chapters where which podcast episode and we have the same knowledge of the stories now that I read it and never listen to it, just looked up the titles and episode descriptions amd she never even read a page and just listend to 20 episodes.
'Sounds fake' - yup, it really does, I call conspiracy 🤨🙃 Listening to folk talk about their worst books is just so entertaining - 'tis my favourite season 😂
Kissing with tongue? Fine. Taking things that are in your mouth and putting them into someone else's mouth? NASTY??? You're right and you should say it.
Absolutely disgusting!!!
Say No More! I remember your romance vlog when you read Done and Dusted. I see that book in the bookstores all the time and just turn my nose up at it thinking about that whiskey scene. Gross!! I have read one Tessa Bailey book and know she is not for me. I loved the Drunken Rant video and the Patreon videos for My Killer Vacation. Won’t be reading that one either. 😂
I’m glad I can save you the time 😂
23:00 You might like Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women's Words by Jenni Nuttall linguistics at the intersection of gender through history.
This sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing
I felt the same way as you about Amanda Montell’s book Cultish!! It did not go deep at all!! It was so promising but ended up so surface level. Sad to see The Age of Magical Overthinking is not better.
I did love Into the Drowning Deep. Shame you did not like it but you do you. My worse book of the year was easily One Dark Window. Now, to be fair to the book it was advertised as an adult gothic and that is what I was in the mood for. It was not a gothic, it was a fantasy. Not even dark fantasy, and it may be adult but it did read like young adult to me. Unexpected genre I can deal with, but if I pick up a book that I thought was adult and it reads like young adult I do feel like I get whiplash and it does affect my enjoyment. Also, I despise the mysterious brooding love interest, and the kind of romance included. If you include that type of character I am going to hate them, and if you could that kind of romance I will hate it too. Think rolling my eyes every time they are on page. Beyond that, and the decently done magic system, the characters were shallow and cliche, the writing wasn't very good and the book was predictable. It was a bad book in my opinion, and I don't understand the love it gets.
@@caitlyn.m.t9618 I also struggled with One Dark Window! I heard the second one is better but I’m not interested in picking it up after the abysmal time I had with the first one.
Come Together and that Catherine the Great biography on your non-fiction shelves are really good.
I am waiting on the audio for Come Together because I started it and need to continue
I'm always up for a good rant from you. I'm good enough at picking up books that peak my interest enough to rarely be disappointed but it's always interesting to see which books people didn't enjoy and why.
Love the Nigel cameo in his donut.
Why is he wearing that?
Hope he's okay.
Just allergies, to prevent him from scratching his face 🩵
Glad I’m not the only one that didn’t really like Into the Drowning Deep. Did not care!! And really would’ve liked more killer mermaids for sure 😂
I really wanted to like it, but it was so boring. And I really couldn't get over the weird infantalization of the deaf characters
Nooooooooo, not one of my favorite books of last year (Into The Drowning Deep)!!! 🤣 In all seriousness totally understand and agree with why you didn't vibe with this book, I adored it and even for me there were times when the pace was GLACIAL. Also the writing is sooooo dry and journalistic, which I strangely like but definitely understand why most wouldn't. Their zombie apocalypse book, feed, had the exact same issues and no killer mermaids, so I enjoyed that one a bit less. 😂
This year I've learnt to stop trusting booktok..... majority of the times ( 99.5%)they promote trash. The disappointment those over hyped books gave me is beyond words.
I need that sweatshirt. Also you made me start Way of Kings.
"i'm gonna be late for pilates" when you get so wound up by whisky spitting that you almost miss pilates (yeah, that is a full on ick for that scene)
My probably worst book for the year is going to be Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore bc that FMC was real, dumb (plus the amount of "suspension of disbelief" the reader has to do to make any part of that book work was ridiculous, even for a fantasy)
Haha I personally loved Y/N by Esther Yi but that's because I thought the prose was so absurd it warped back around to being hilarious. I read it more as a satire on literary 'girlfailure' books , but I think if I'd gone into it expecting a straightforward book I probably would have hated it
I loved Into the Drowning Deep lol. 7:03 I also loved her Newsflesh series but if you didn’t like the writing in this one you might not enjoy the zombie ones haha. It’s been a few years since I’ve read them so I don’t remember if the style is the same but I did feel the suspense and the ending of the first book shook me.
Edit: one of my worst books this year was Evocation by ST Gibson. The supposed urgent demonic possession was set aside in service of the horrible romance plot. The world building was half-baked and lackluster and the character dynamics were awful. I also read A Dowry of Blood and thought it was… fine. I really don’t get the hype around ST Gibson as a whole.
Mira Grant's zombie series (Newsflesh) is the one that got me hooked on her!
I´m so excited for your favourites list since our worst had a lot of overlap. House of Frank made my disappointing list this year, Mira Grants book did in whatever year I read that one, and The Age of Magical Overthinking would´ve made my top 3-worst had I not DNF-ed it and decided to pretend that was a feverdream that didn't actually happened. Probably my most unpopular "worst" was Graveyard Shift by ML Rio. That felt like such an unfinished cash-grab to me, that only got published because of the author's name. Any debut-author would've been laughed out of the publishers office with a manuscript this unfinished.
I loved Dead Silence too and now I am tempering my expectations for Ghost Station because you're the 3rd (possibly 4th) person I've watched who said it was disappointing.
I'm not going to point out the irony of the book "Done and Dusted" for the title. 😂😂 But also, *quickly removes from TBR*
Terry McMillan is an author that's hit/miss with me. Terrible/rage-inducing things happen in her books a lot.
When you were talking about the doctor in Ghost Station, all I could think of was all the nurses I work with who are super smart in their field but don't seem to have enough common sense to open and check a soap dispenser to see if it's got soap in it. They'd rather send an email saying it's empty than actually check, and it's just so dang... Dumb... So yes... Smart people are just plain stupid in real life too. 😂
I have the Tessa Bailey book, bought for 1 dollar (which converted to 5 reais), but I haven't read because EVERYONE says is bad. and I'm like you, I loved 4 of the 6 books by her I've read, so maybe I'll skip this one, at least it was cheap.
Into the Drowning Deep was on my best books of 2024 list. Just shows how reading experiences are so different 😂
i had the same critique on cultish
Ghost Station was soooo disappointing. The mc was truly the worst doctor. Revoke her license STAT!
That's so disappointing about ghost station. I actually have it on my reading list for 2025. It sounded right up my alley. Does anyone have recommendations for similar books?
I read Y/N by Esther Yi. It made no sense, was so stupid and seemed to actively hate the reader.
The book Disappearing Acts was listed as a contemporary literary fiction/ urban fiction. The movie adaptation is listed as a romance drama. I just think thats something Hollywood does just for marketing. But this book was written along time ago. I read it over twenty years ago. Terry mcmillans books were so juicy back in day. Lol. I haven't read any of books recently so maybe they're just a bit dated now.
I'm here but as always petrified lol
Worst books of the year were
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow & Sky Full of Elephants
Ya, Cultish turned me completely off of that author. I’m sure her style is for someone, but if I’m being sold an informative read, I want to actually learn something.
WAIT my killer vacation got ANOTHER cover change??? Damn
Well you have tattoos so are you also a bad boy by Tessa Bailey standards???
It’s like the third cover???
I read Dead Silence because I watched one of your videos and I didn't really enjoy it. I may have to check out Ghost Station though. I recently read Mama by Terry McMillan...also didn't really enjoy it XD
MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
16:21 This is why I haven't picked up a Terry book 😂😂😂 After all the cover drama for Tessa's book is why I put her up on the shelf. Oh going back to birding and it's a NOOOOO for me.
Like why are there so many covers for that ONE Tessa book!? And me and Terry 🙅🏾♀️
100% agree on My Killer Vacation.
Haha! Great reviews.
Not like a real family instead of a found family! Thanks for the warning lmao
🙂↕️
12:23 🤮 gross 😂 bless you for the spoiler. I wanted to read this book but no. No more. 😂 even if you’ve swapped body fluids that’s gross
into the drowning deep got sooooooo boring i was sad
🥃🤢