That was an awesome way to describe “Normal People”. The part about it being melancholy and how that can be more impactful than tragedy. Maybe because melancholy is a mood that lingers?
"A Little Life" is definately not a hot girl summer book. People just want to advertise that they read it. Everyone with 5 brainscells left would'nt recommend that book to anyone when they don't know the mental state of the other person.
exactly!! I hate seeing this book recommended as just a "sad book" when this book is full of very heavy and complex topics that can really take a toll on people as they read it
people ask me very frequently if i think they should read it and my answer is "only if and when your mental health is okay, and please heed the trigger warnings" bc i cannot in good conscience just be like "YEAH LOL READ IT!!!"
This video is SUCH a vibe. Your setups are gorgeous. The colors, the plants, the outfits - wow. I'm definitely starting to hear everyone screaming about Sally Rooney, especially with all of the positive things I've heard about Beautiful World Where are You. Am starting to think I'll pick up one of her novels sooner rather than later...
The Idiot by Elif Batuman was shown in one of the tiktoks and it's such a fun book! It made me laugh out loud so often because of how much I saw myself in the academic pretentiousness. Since you're into Dark Academia you might also really enjoy it, even if it's not very dark 🤗 I read My Year of Rest and Relaxation in March/April last year which felt incredibly weird given the initial pandemic brain fog we were all experiencing...
I’ve been wanting to watch the normal people series for so long and I knew the book had really mixed reviews so I am so glad you actually enjoyed it since I trust your judgment a lot! Will be buying the book/watching the series!
@@user-qu8zs7vs1x what a weird description. Do people think this type of description makes them score points or something? You think people of color don't experience the difficulties and melancholies of growing up, abusive homes, complicated romantic and platonic relationships?
Omg, ive been watching Leonies videos for a while despite the fact that my taste has little overlap. These kind of books are the ones I see on my feed & run in the same circles as books I like - I really hope this means Leonie will read a bit more of the general fiction genre because I’m selfish and would love that 🤣
You should read “Leaving the Atocha Station”. Looks a lot like “My year of rest and relaxation”. It’s very good! And I don't think people in “My year of rest and relaxation” are bad, I just think they are depressed, especially the main character, who faces a very serious, even similar depression to the one I went through.
This is such a fun idea! And now those tweets and the teasers in other videos make sense as well :p I find it funny that miscommunication is such a hated trope, because I love it. Granted, it has to be done in a believable way, and not just chucked in at 2/3 of the way for some added drama. I like the miscommunication where the characters don’t know how much they mean to each other, because they’re not talking about their feelings, which is… an incredibly realistic thing to do. I’ll probably like Normal People, add that to the tbr. (It also motivates me to be very open in communicating my feelings, because I like it in books, but I don’t need that drama in my own life :D)
I really don't know why they indicated My year of Rest and Relaxation for hot girl summer. It is a huge red flag and incredibly triggering. It doesn't have to do with summer, it has to do with surrendering to depression. Like, what!!??
Thanks for another interesting video. I DNF'd Girl, Woman, Other but that wasn't because I wasn't enjoying it. It was one of those where I got distracted by other books and then realised I'd have to start again. I'll do that at some point. Sally Rooney is on my TBR.
I bought „a little life“ like two years ago…. I read about 250 pages and couldn’t finish it. The book is emotionally heavy and the content is full of triggers. Every time i tried to give it another chance, i was only able to read like two pages. (sorry if i made some mistakes:) english is not my first language)
Honestly normal people is just so absolutely devastating in how extremely realistic it felt. I haven´t stopped thinking about it since I read it almost a year ago.
cute video concept! one thing to note tho, GWO is mostly (if not totally) about the experience of black women in the UK and it’s ok to say that instead of women of color. it’s a specific experience and I think it’s crucial to differentiate that.
I just read radio silence after watching your best books of 2020 video and a lot of deliberation because I don’t really like books without romance but I enjoyed it so much so I just wanted to say thank you. Lot’s of love from India ❤️🔥💕💞💗
i recently picked up normal people for my library and when i started it, the lack of quotation marks really threw me, but i'm glad that you got used to it quickly! maybe i'll try it again
I really like Sally Rodney's books. Conversations with friends was not my favorite, because it didn't relate at all, but Normal people was my favorite book of 2020 for sure. Currently reading the silent patient 😄
@@tanyaroberts919 I actually listened to the audiobook...And the narrator's voice is still creeping in my brain. It was my mistake that I chose audiobook instead of physical one. The psychotherapist was mad in my opinion or may be he was influenced by his father. I actually didn't like how often he used to talk about his father like he wants to be in his past.
@@alexsteel6034 I know!! Me too. I loved the way it was written though. How the times were not separated until her sees her in the window. It was so creepy and awesome all at once it made his previous obsession more appropriate
@@tanyaroberts919 Yes, I liked the way it was written and the writer did a very good job in portraying the trauma one can suffer on various circumstances. I feel pity for the woman Alicia.
Really excited to see you reading contemporary fiction (my fave genre)! I hated both Sally rooney's books with a passion, but I am really looking forward to reading Girl Woman Other. I'd love to see a video about feminist and/or intersectional feminist books (such as girl woman other) books in the future!
I found Normal people so insufferable… As an autistic person, someone whose brain structure literally differs from the norm and has to deal with the consequences of that every, it was quite ridiculous to see these two extremely privileged characters acting as if they’re so quirky and different and act so fucking self-righteous about it… I can still hear in my head Connell’s pathetic, self-pitying spiel about how everyone in his class were lazy and stupid because they participated in class whilst he’s too awkward to talk in class… The nerve theses characters have to just blame their own limitations on everyone around them instead of facing their own narcissism…
@@allislindstrom7662 if you check google reviews, you will see that many many many people disliked her books. I personally loved normal people, but I also love reading terrible reviews of things I hate. Enjoy the bad reviews :)
i never realized u were dutch but then i saw the bol package and ur name and it just makes so much sense! love ur videos :) edit: i literally paused right before you talked about being dutch LMAOO the timing
Okay, I recognise that this is an unpopular opinion because I have seen many booktubers hate narrower paperback covers? I do not know what they are actually called, but I love them. I think they add an extra detail to the cover that just makes it so much nicer.
Where did you get your earrings (the face outline one, when you're wearing the yellow shirt and showing your book haul)? Totally off topic, but I love your style! Also love the idea for this video.
I’m currently reading “ Normal people” and I finished about 80 pages till now the book didn’t effect me that much , i feel the characters are bland and somehow sadly describe us and how our decisions are made cuz we don’t want to break the perfect image that others thinks who we are and I feel like this about Connell which makes me doesn’t like him that much , I hope by the end the characters will develop more and have more depth but I really like the boring details about the places and how they spend their normal day
A generation in Seven Scams I think was indeed my favorite short story in there. I felt like some of the essays just felt like they needed more direction, but it really made me want to read more essay collections. Which I still haven't done 👀
soo as far as i know hot girl summer is about living ur life they way you want to. its about fun, positivity, no drama, confidence etc. its about living your best life and doing things you love whether that is reading books, binge watching shows, hanging out with friends or going out on a walk. i doesnt really matter as long as u are happy and having fun. its about self care and being yourself, accepting and supporting others and not caring about what other ppl think. its basically just smthn like a lifestyle for young women and men who want to have a good time. the term hot girl summer was kind of invented by megan thee stallion and everyone has been using it since then. im guessing ur hot girl summer tiktoks mostly consist of mostly books bcuz ur on booktok:) also i looove watching your videos u are the cuteeeest thank you for being you
I think the reason most of the books in the hot girl summer lists are sad or essays or nonfiction is bc unfortunately theres this conception that people who read books like that are smarter than people who read ex: romance or fantasy and being smart is hot lmao. very annoying mentality ALAS...... anyway I got such a surprise when I read normal people because I try to stay away from sad books because I Feel Too Much and Get Overwhelmed Very Easily but that book touched me in such a unique way I accepted the melancholy with open arms :,) cant wait to read the rest of the books!! also I kinda NEED to know where u got the cardigan ur wearing around 12:00 ITS SO CUTEEEEEE love uuuuu have a great day
jup these books are definitely my booktok for you page. I hate when people say 'tiktok is just 2012 ya fantasy".. like? that's on you because i don't interact with those types of videos and I don't see them anymore
Normale Mensen was so confusing, I never knew who was who and who was talking. In the end I gave up. Maybe I'll pick it up again, since I'll take a book that gives me a positive void
I know it has nothing to do with the video, but I just wanna say that I read The Night Circus because of u P.s: sorry for nas english, it's not my first language and I have no respect for it lol
A little life is one of the next books written in the past decade, if you’re mental state is usually stable a hundred percent this is recommended for you to read.
The joke is with girl women other. Everyone say it's easy to read, because there are no points. But i found it pretty hard to get through. But i think that's because i am dyslectic. I found it also pretty difficult to go from one to the other woman. I put it back on my bookshelf for maybe later. Then i read normal people and turtles all the way down, and i loved it way way more.
I kind of agree though, it's currently DNF'd on my shelf because I just couldn't understand why am I reading all these people's stories? It is fully character driven, and no clear plot can make it hard to hang on, and keep track of characters
For me, My Year of Rest and Relaxation didn’t work primarily because of the writing. I love reading about unlikable characters and a story that offers no redemption or relief - which is why I read this book: it promised to be everything I love reading. But YUCK. Hated it. Something about the writing fell completely flat for me. I think if this story was given to a different writer, I would genuinely be excited to read it.
@@Mandyn8868 that’s a hard question to answer especially since this was my personal experience but I’ll try to articulate my problems. Because this story is set in New York, between the years 2000-01, it obviously covers 9/11. But since the character is so detached and borderline sociopathic, she is nonplussed by the horrors - which just rubbed me the wrong way. And although I like my books to be dark and surreal, this just felt like lazy writing to me. The character is doped up with drugs so obviously her worldview would be flat and deadened. But she started to grate on me by the middle of the book because she seemed to have no other trait other than her drug habit. I didn’t understand what the point of this book was after the author had established, very early on, what the character’s motivations and intentions, were. There seemed to be this repetition of the same behaviour written into different plot points which, to me, were boring. Other characters were equally flat - in that, they, too, were caricatures of themselves, having no other traits other than the ones we find out very early on in the story. Have you read Wide Sargasso Sea? To me, that’s the best example of a mad, unhinged character because Jean Rhys tells the story from the character’s childhood up until she loses her mind - all under 200 pages. That book honestly speaks for itself and, although these are two very different books in many respects, My Year of Rest and Relaxation utterly fails to hit as hard as that book did in its exploration of mental disintegration.
@@ShivangiBhasin you like unlikeable characters with no redemption but were rubbed up the wrong way by the narrators attitute to 9/11?? sounds like you dont actually enjoy what you claim you do
@@gabiocampos I’m currently reading her book Eileen and I’m enjoying is far more than My Year..💁🏻♀️ glad to know that I can enjoy her writing even though I didn’t have the best experience with my first book of hers
ì know this is several months too late but please i gotta know where you ate @10:45 that looks so good and ive been struggling to find good food like that around here 😫
hot girl summer book wise is just reading whatever u want and have fun ✌🏼✌🏼✨
That was an awesome way to describe “Normal People”. The part about it being melancholy and how that can be more impactful than tragedy. Maybe because melancholy is a mood that lingers?
"A Little Life" is definately not a hot girl summer book. People just want to advertise that they read it. Everyone with 5 brainscells left would'nt recommend that book to anyone when they don't know the mental state of the other person.
exactly!! I hate seeing this book recommended as just a "sad book" when this book is full of very heavy and complex topics that can really take a toll on people as they read it
Fr
people ask me very frequently if i think they should read it and my answer is "only if and when your mental health is okay, and please heed the trigger warnings" bc i cannot in good conscience just be like "YEAH LOL READ IT!!!"
YES!! I tell EVERYONE that I cannot recommend that book in good conscience
i bought it 3 days ago, read the first chapter and decided to wait a few months.... until summer 😭 well uh... oops
I believe cool girl autumn and icy bitch winter should follow hot girl summer
And we also need it girl spring
would definitely recommend uncarley's videos for other book recommendations in this hot girl summer "genre", she's also just hilarious lol
In the immortal words of Jack Edwards, it's Hot Book Summer!
Exactly
Agreed
for those who don't know, the "hot girl summer" meme originated from megan thee stallion's song of the same name!
This video is SUCH a vibe. Your setups are gorgeous. The colors, the plants, the outfits - wow. I'm definitely starting to hear everyone screaming about Sally Rooney, especially with all of the positive things I've heard about Beautiful World Where are You. Am starting to think I'll pick up one of her novels sooner rather than later...
Ah yes, nothing says hot girl summer better than sadness and challenges
Leonie: "Did I have a hot girl summer?"
Also Leonie: dressed in fall clothes
lol the netherlands just skipped the summer weather this year
The Idiot by Elif Batuman was shown in one of the tiktoks and it's such a fun book! It made me laugh out loud so often because of how much I saw myself in the academic pretentiousness. Since you're into Dark Academia you might also really enjoy it, even if it's not very dark 🤗 I read My Year of Rest and Relaxation in March/April last year which felt incredibly weird given the initial pandemic brain fog we were all experiencing...
I’ve been wanting to watch the normal people series for so long and I knew the book had really mixed reviews so I am so glad you actually enjoyed it since I trust your judgment a lot! Will be buying the book/watching the series!
i read the book then binged the series, they’re both so good
watch the series, it's so much better than the book IMO. Still depressing and very "white privileged first world problems" though
@Anjali Figueiredo The depressing feeling of it is what attracted me to it haha. I haven’t heard of the other book, I will check it out too!
@@user-qu8zs7vs1x Agreed. The book read like a dull YA novel to me. The show was much more entertaining.
@@user-qu8zs7vs1x what a weird description. Do people think this type of description makes them score points or something? You think people of color don't experience the difficulties and melancholies of growing up, abusive homes, complicated romantic and platonic relationships?
Oh my gosh, I read My Year of Rest and Relaxation on a plane and I agree completely with the hazy vibe it brings into your life. very well said.
Omg, ive been watching Leonies videos for a while despite the fact that my taste has little overlap. These kind of books are the ones I see on my feed & run in the same circles as books I like - I really hope this means Leonie will read a bit more of the general fiction genre because I’m selfish and would love that 🤣
normal people matching your shirt was so satisfying lol
You should read “Leaving the Atocha Station”. Looks a lot like “My year of rest and relaxation”. It’s very good! And I don't think people in “My year of rest and relaxation” are bad, I just think they are depressed, especially the main character, who faces a very serious, even similar depression to the one I went through.
Can we talk about your amazing dagger earrings!!!!
This is such a fun idea! And now those tweets and the teasers in other videos make sense as well :p
I find it funny that miscommunication is such a hated trope, because I love it. Granted, it has to be done in a believable way, and not just chucked in at 2/3 of the way for some added drama. I like the miscommunication where the characters don’t know how much they mean to each other, because they’re not talking about their feelings, which is… an incredibly realistic thing to do. I’ll probably like Normal People, add that to the tbr. (It also motivates me to be very open in communicating my feelings, because I like it in books, but I don’t need that drama in my own life :D)
I love your personality and the vibe of this video is so WHOLESOME
I really don't know why they indicated My year of Rest and Relaxation for hot girl summer. It is a huge red flag and incredibly triggering. It doesn't have to do with summer, it has to do with surrendering to depression. Like, what!!??
think you're taking the phrase too literally lol
Thanks for another interesting video. I DNF'd Girl, Woman, Other but that wasn't because I wasn't enjoying it. It was one of those where I got distracted by other books and then realised I'd have to start again. I'll do that at some point. Sally Rooney is on my TBR.
I bought „a little life“ like two years ago…. I read about 250 pages and couldn’t finish it. The book is emotionally heavy and the content is full of triggers. Every time i tried to give it another chance, i was only able to read like two pages.
(sorry if i made some mistakes:) english is not my first language)
Honestly normal people is just so absolutely devastating in how extremely realistic it felt. I haven´t stopped thinking about it since I read it almost a year ago.
I love your videos, and you make me read a lot more than a usually do.
THE OUTFIT!! Servin looks and quality content! 💫🔥
I LOVE that book “my year of rest and relaxation” hilarious but also serious subject!!
cute video concept! one thing to note tho, GWO is mostly (if not totally) about the experience of black women in the UK and it’s ok to say that instead of women of color. it’s a specific experience and I think it’s crucial to differentiate that.
good point, thank you!
Got a notification and directly clicked!
I just read radio silence after watching your best books of 2020 video and a lot of deliberation because I don’t really like books without romance but I enjoyed it so much so I just wanted to say thank you. Lot’s of love from India ❤️🔥💕💞💗
i recently picked up normal people for my library and when i started it, the lack of quotation marks really threw me, but i'm glad that you got used to it quickly! maybe i'll try it again
you're my favorite booktuber ily
Meg thee stallion coined the term “hot girl summer”
Your video ideas are always so unique and interesting!! You seem so intellectual 😇
I really like Sally Rodney's books. Conversations with friends was not my favorite, because it didn't relate at all, but Normal people was my favorite book of 2020 for sure. Currently reading the silent patient 😄
I just finished Silent Patient...and 🤫
Let's talk when you finish as I don't wanna give spoilers..
@@alexsteel6034 just finished it last night omg!!! That plot twist 😳 I can't spoil for others but I was freaking out
@@tanyaroberts919 I actually listened to the audiobook...And the narrator's voice is still creeping in my brain. It was my mistake that I chose audiobook instead of physical one. The psychotherapist was mad in my opinion or may be he was influenced by his father. I actually didn't like how often he used to talk about his father like he wants to be in his past.
@@alexsteel6034 I know!! Me too. I loved the way it was written though. How the times were not separated until her sees her in the window. It was so creepy and awesome all at once it made his previous obsession more appropriate
@@tanyaroberts919 Yes, I liked the way it was written and the writer did a very good job in portraying the trauma one can suffer on various circumstances. I feel pity for the woman Alicia.
Hi Leonie
I love how diverse your reading is. Hot girl 365
Really excited to see you reading contemporary fiction (my fave genre)! I hated both Sally rooney's books with a passion, but I am really looking forward to reading Girl Woman Other. I'd love to see a video about feminist and/or intersectional feminist books (such as girl woman other) books in the future!
finally someone else who disliked her books!!
@@allislindstrom7662 yall not that special tho..
I found Normal people so insufferable… As an autistic person, someone whose brain structure literally differs from the norm and has to deal with the consequences of that every, it was quite ridiculous to see these two extremely privileged characters acting as if they’re so quirky and different and act so fucking self-righteous about it… I can still hear in my head Connell’s pathetic, self-pitying spiel about how everyone in his class were lazy and stupid because they participated in class whilst he’s too awkward to talk in class… The nerve theses characters have to just blame their own limitations on everyone around them instead of facing their own narcissism…
@@dhihyakhalifah6138 take your rude remarks somewhere else
@@allislindstrom7662 if you check google reviews, you will see that many many many people disliked her books. I personally loved normal people, but I also love reading terrible reviews of things I hate. Enjoy the bad reviews :)
The origins of Hot Girl Summer, in case you really don't know: ua-cam.com/video/FbcLcSY2au4/v-deo.html
when you said that melancholy can hit harder than tragedy i was like DAMN THATS IT
i never realized u were dutch but then i saw the bol package and ur name and it just makes so much sense! love ur videos :)
edit: i literally paused right before you talked about being dutch LMAOO the timing
yey! starting the week right with a new thebookleo upload! yazzzzz! take care leonie! keep safe! 🥰🌼🌼
I’ve read 3/4 of these books!! 🤍
I keep seeing Sally Rooney. Now I am really interested in reading one of her books!
You should read the glittering court! It’s so good!
Okay, I recognise that this is an unpopular opinion because I have seen many booktubers hate narrower paperback covers? I do not know what they are actually called, but I love them. I think they add an extra detail to the cover that just makes it so much nicer.
Same there’s something super aesthetically pleasing about them to me
I’m so glad you like Girl, Woman, Other and Normal People. They are two of my favourite books I’ve read in the past while ☺️
Running to the library to get Trick Mirror, I can't wait !!!!
I'll read anything by Sally Rooney. And I'm dying to read Shuggie Bain, but I haven't picked it up yet.
I used Trick Mirror for my MA thesis (in Political Theory), it is a really interesting text. I'm glad you read and enjoyed it!!!
Where did you get your earrings (the face outline one, when you're wearing the yellow shirt and showing your book haul)? Totally off topic, but I love your style! Also love the idea for this video.
Can you make a book recommendation video based on hogwart's houses please?:')
I’m currently reading “ Normal people” and I finished about 80 pages till now the book didn’t effect me that much , i feel the characters are bland and somehow sadly describe us and how our decisions are made cuz we don’t want to break the perfect image that others thinks who we are and I feel like this about Connell which makes me doesn’t like him that much , I hope by the end the characters will develop more and have more depth but I really like the boring details about the places and how they spend their normal day
Added so many books to my TBR. Some were already there, it just gave me a push to place them higher on my list
I definitely want to read Sally Rooney's brand new book! It'll be my first book by her ☺
As I live in Australia I have sooo much time to prepare for Hot Girl Summer, that is if we are out of Lockdown by then hahaha
I hear ya, from Melbourne.
Totally unrelated to your awesome videos... But those earrings! Love them!
Tiktok: Read these books for a hot girl summer
Me: Y'all can read more than one book in a summer?
This is such a satisfying video to watch
A generation in Seven Scams I think was indeed my favorite short story in there. I felt like some of the essays just felt like they needed more direction, but it really made me want to read more essay collections. Which I still haven't done 👀
soo as far as i know hot girl summer is about living ur life they way you want to. its about fun, positivity, no drama, confidence etc. its about living your best life and doing things you love whether that is reading books, binge watching shows, hanging out with friends or going out on a walk. i doesnt really matter as long as u are happy and having fun. its about self care and being yourself, accepting and supporting others and not caring about what other ppl think. its basically just smthn like a lifestyle for young women and men who want to have a good time. the term hot girl summer was kind of invented by megan thee stallion and everyone has been using it since then. im guessing ur hot girl summer tiktoks mostly consist of mostly books bcuz ur on booktok:)
also i looove watching your videos u are the cuteeeest thank you for being you
Such an entertaining vlog ♥️♥️
Do I know what hot girl summer is? No. Do I assume Leo be rocking it? Yes.
Normal people’s ending was the most frustrating thing I ever read and I’m still feeling feelings days after I’ve read it.
I think the reason most of the books in the hot girl summer lists are sad or essays or nonfiction is bc unfortunately theres this conception that people who read books like that are smarter than people who read ex: romance or fantasy and being smart is hot lmao. very annoying mentality ALAS...... anyway I got such a surprise when I read normal people because I try to stay away from sad books because I Feel Too Much and Get Overwhelmed Very Easily but that book touched me in such a unique way I accepted the melancholy with open arms :,) cant wait to read the rest of the books!! also I kinda NEED to know where u got the cardigan ur wearing around 12:00 ITS SO CUTEEEEEE
love uuuuu have a great day
jup these books are definitely my booktok for you page. I hate when people say 'tiktok is just 2012 ya fantasy".. like? that's on you because i don't interact with those types of videos and I don't see them anymore
Normale Mensen was so confusing, I never knew who was who and who was talking. In the end I gave up. Maybe I'll pick it up again, since I'll take a book that gives me a positive void
"I'M NOT GONNA READ A LITTLE LIFE" PLS IUHDOIFSOGUXF CI LAUGHT
Finding top 1-star reviews for the books/movies you love is absolutely one of the most infuriating things in life
I'm pretty sure HGS originated with Megan the Stallone.
17:26 damn... that's SPOT ON, never thought about it that way
Did uncarley make all those tiktoks? :)))
I know it has nothing to do with the video, but I just wanna say that I read The Night Circus because of u
P.s: sorry for nas english, it's not my first language and I have no respect for it lol
Lmfao
@@pranveramulgeci5242 I mean, hating english is a third world smart girl shit lmao
Are u Brazilian?
@@r4.v3n sim
Also i love how ur parents are also bookworms aaa
my life goal is having a library like they do
I loved Girl, Woman Other and Normal People so guess I need to go pick up the other two to have my own hot girl summer 😁
Cold wench summer is the biggest mood
Cold Wench Summer 2021
i need more books omg
Ooo yes I hate the publisher flap too!! 😩
A little life is one of the next books written in the past decade, if you’re mental state is usually stable a hundred percent this is recommended for you to read.
Eu quero muito ler my year of rest and relaxation! Parece ser bem interessante...
Também!
"Hot Girl Summer"
Alaskan girls: ...
Shots fired!
I loved my year of rest and relaxation i read it as dark comedy, i had a blast 😂
I also hate those flappy covers! I avoid them at all costs 😂
Petition to remove flappy things right after we remove deckled edges
The joke is with girl women other. Everyone say it's easy to read, because there are no points. But i found it pretty hard to get through. But i think that's because i am dyslectic.
I found it also pretty difficult to go from one to the other woman. I put it back on my bookshelf for maybe later.
Then i read normal people and turtles all the way down, and i loved it way way more.
I kind of agree though, it's currently DNF'd on my shelf because I just couldn't understand why am I reading all these people's stories? It is fully character driven, and no clear plot can make it hard to hang on, and keep track of characters
@@suzy9323 indeed
Congo for 100K subs.
For me, My Year of Rest and Relaxation didn’t work primarily because of the writing. I love reading about unlikable characters and a story that offers no redemption or relief - which is why I read this book: it promised to be everything I love reading. But YUCK. Hated it. Something about the writing fell completely flat for me. I think if this story was given to a different writer, I would genuinely be excited to read it.
what specifically was wrong with the writing for you bc ive been thinking about reading
@@Mandyn8868 that’s a hard question to answer especially since this was my personal experience but I’ll try to articulate my problems.
Because this story is set in New York, between the years 2000-01, it obviously covers 9/11. But since the character is so detached and borderline sociopathic, she is nonplussed by the horrors - which just rubbed me the wrong way.
And although I like my books to be dark and surreal, this just felt like lazy writing to me. The character is doped up with drugs so obviously her worldview would be flat and deadened. But she started to grate on me by the middle of the book because she seemed to have no other trait other than her drug habit.
I didn’t understand what the point of this book was after the author had established, very early on, what the character’s motivations and intentions, were. There seemed to be this repetition of the same behaviour written into different plot points which, to me, were boring. Other characters were equally flat - in that, they, too, were caricatures of themselves, having no other traits other than the ones we find out very early on in the story.
Have you read Wide Sargasso Sea? To me, that’s the best example of a mad, unhinged character because Jean Rhys tells the story from the character’s childhood up until she loses her mind - all under 200 pages. That book honestly speaks for itself and, although these are two very different books in many respects, My Year of Rest and Relaxation utterly fails to hit as hard as that book did in its exploration of mental disintegration.
@@ShivangiBhasin you like unlikeable characters with no redemption but were rubbed up the wrong way by the narrators attitute to 9/11?? sounds like you dont actually enjoy what you claim you do
I actually loved the writing
@@gabiocampos I’m currently reading her book Eileen and I’m enjoying is far more than My Year..💁🏻♀️ glad to know that I can enjoy her writing even though I didn’t have the best experience with my first book of hers
I loved my year of rest and relaxation
Your accent is so interesting I’m hearing so many
i don’t understand how people like normal people 😐
ì know this is several months too late but please i gotta know where you ate @10:45 that looks so good and ive been struggling to find good food like that around here 😫
i don't remember the name but it was a vietnamese restaurant on a big plaza!
Unpopular opinion - I love the miscommunication trope.
i love that sally rooney had a book called normal people.
motivated bc of you :)
New video!! Yaaaaaay 🎉🎉🎉
hot girl summer was started in 2019 by megan thee stallion
Take a shot every time she says 'hot girl summer'
i'm actually going to groningen soon, do you maybe have recommendations for english bookstores there?
Pride and prejudice is also a big miscommunication issue 😆 that's not always bad
I just added all of these to my TBR
Oh you enjoy “sad books about messy characters” do you?? Guess it’s time to read A Little Life!!! 🤣