@@BirdySmith-o6oI mean give one of her books a try and form your own opinion, but I will say the hate for her so understandable and this is coming from someone who use to like her books😭
One book I read and couldn't stand ("Washington Square" by Henry James, one writer who is an acquired taste), I wanted to throw off the balcony of the apartment I was staying in while on holiday. Never read Henry James on holiday, unless you're a fan.
Ikr! I follow Haley Pham and she's always hyping up a bunch of books that I add to my tbr, and then Jack brings me back to reality again with these videos. 😂 Girl is fun and inspirational and all but her taste in books is that of a teenager.
@ Yeah, and she's completely clueless about literature. In one video she didn't recognize a very obvious Romeo and Juliet reference. She said that the Emily Wilde books had a fantasy element when they are fully within the fantasy genre. And she said that Yellowface had a touch of magical realism when in reality it doesn't, it's just the MC going crazy and seeing things. I really enjoy her videos, but she's not the book person she thinks she is. She'll get there, though, even if it will take a few years. Tbh, Jack is also on a completely different level than me and most of his recommendations are way too deep and heavy for my taste. You could say that they balance each other out. 😅
I’m always excited but scared to hear your critiques…Imagine you wrote a book and someone said, “I fear paint would watch this book dry.” I’M GAGGED. I’M RETIRING FROM WRITING.
1:15 it starts with us, by colleen hoover 4:58 graveyard shift, by m.l. rio 7:01 rebel rising, by rebel wilson 9:03 the pumpkin spice cafe, by laurie gilmore 10:33 enlightenment, by sarah perry 13:30 come and get it, by kiley reid 15:03 go to squarespace and use code jackedwards! 15:59 weirdo, by sara pascoe 18:24 jillian, by halle butler 20:04 true biz, by sara novic 23:00 jack kisses u
I enjoy them too but really hate how elitist the community then becomes. You can see it even her. Im no dan of CH, but the pure hate in the comments from people who didnt even read the book? Thats just awful.
The thing is, literature is made up of tropes. Strong female lead is a trope. The heroes quest is a trope. Literature has always been made up of a mix of tropes. What matters is how well written and original the book is. If it isn’t original, it will feel more tropey than original books.
That intro alone is a statement to how BACK we are!!!! The background 👏🏽 the hair 👏🏽 hair’s been HAIRING and last, but certainly not least, the roast was so good we left no crumbs. He cooked it and I ATE IT.
my worst read of 2024: A book called Anne F (by kristian klausen). It was a "what if Anne Frank, but it happened in Drammen, Norway". And I hope it never gets a translation. The fact that Swedes and Danes could read this if they put effort into it is embarassing enough. Firstly we *did* have girls like Anne Frank in Norway whose stories should be told. Secondly, this was about Otto Frank - but again, a Norwegian dude from Drammen (an industrial, Newcastly vibe)- thinking about his previous romances. And how his daughter "loved writing her diary", but indeed there is no. Substance. They hide in the attick behind a bookshelf, but the book is about like street names in Drammen. At one point a nazi guard literally thinks about how "hot" Anne is. Which is when I knew I didn't want to live in a world where this book exists. I was tentatively optimistic. I get the "we connect more if it is local" angle. But as someone who has studied in Amsterdam I can simply say: this was not it. And I want financial compensation for having read this book. Which was a gift in the first place. What if it happened here? It did happen here you git!!
M. L. Rio wrote Graveyard Shift because a publisher decided they wanted more novellas on the shelves that season and asked her if she would write one because of the popularity of her last book. She'd never written one before and pumped it out in the space of a couple months and man it really shows
I genuinely loved Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio. I adore her writing style, and while I would have loved to get deeper with these characters which could have been accomplished by making this a longer book, keeping the short novella format allowed the reader to feel a bit of that disjointed feeling of insomnia alongside the characters. As someone who suffers from insomnia, I get what Rio was going for and it worked for me.
Yeah, I feel like only someone who suffers from insomnia can truly enjoy this book. The one character that has tried all the medications to sleep and nothing has worked, I related to that desperation so much. I feel like you won't understand what it is like to spend 3 days in a row with zero hours of sleep, trying any medication you can get your hands on, until you've had that happen to you.
I think it works perfectly and serves its purpose better as a short story. It doesn't drag on, and no unnecessary fluff that might usually be added to mystery type books like these is present. I guess it helps that I went into it blind and had no idea who the author was and so had no expectations, which seems to be the main reason he didn't like it. I didn't really read it as a horror story at all, not even really as a mystery, more like a little anecdote of these college kids who were able to expose something unethical on campus. I really liked Hannah's character the best, and I loved its themes of insomnia.
the horror genre really makes you go so off king, the way you hate the tropes and all the boredom is exactly my spirit while reading horror books as well!
Hi Jack, I just recently came off the 2025 TBR video you posted and was scared to say something but I’m NOT anymore. I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Reading was something I never thought I could enjoy or be good at. I genuinely struggled to read a lot growing up and as I got older it felt more and more unattainable. I struggled so much to find books that I could actually finish but your insight, enthusiasm and joy rubbed off on me in the best way possible and lead me to discovered just how beautiful reading can be. Even if it’s not a huge goal for most I officially read 15 books in 2024!!! This was a huge achievement for me and if it weren’t for you I don’t think I would have fallen in love with reading like I have now. I only hope to continue with this passion and enjoy so many more books to come. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart ❤️
Absolutely despised Pumpkin Spice Café. What a waste of a cozy name! None of the characters communicated properly, none of the characters felt like people. When you say this book is a result of 'tropification', I think that's bang on. It genuinely felt like an incorrect way of writing a book.
I bought this thinking it was going to be a cosy mystery type book and was so disappointed. Mind you, by the end, I was hoping someone would die, just to make things a bit more interesting!
Maid is a much better representation (in my humble opinion as someone who's luckily never experienced relationship violence) of a mother caught up in an abusive relationship, trying to escape. I rewatched the series two days ago and it was still as chilling as the first time I watched it.
YEEESS WE ARE BACK BABYY!!! So happy to see you post a video where you actually tell us your appinion 💗 Its olay to dislike books and we love it when people do it that Can actually articulate why it did not sit Well with them. Keep your opinions coming Darling💗💗
the candle under the candles always messes with my brain 😂 like light the actual candles please!!! I promise they are cheaper and will just ✨elevate✨ the background!! because the FLOWERS??!! chef's kiss💁♀️
I’m glad I’m not the only one disappointed in Tru Biz for exactly the same reasons you described! As a queer deaf woman myself based in the US and who uses ASL as a primary mode of communication l, I had high hopes but it just feels like it’s not for me. I was also constantly confused and I assume it’s because of the writing style. The “2 books squished into one” is so real.
I finished Graveyard Shift today and it was such a nothing book. I think it was mismarketed as a horror, its actually a mystery. And that would have been fine if the twist was interesting, but cant manage even that.
I love when your humour overflows like this. English is my second language, I always need a moment to catch up with what you've just said and it's such an engaging activity for my brain. If that makes sense 😂
A book I didn't vibe with at all (and I'll apologise in advance): White nights. It was so hyped; I saw it everywhere; you, Jack, recommended it. "It will change your views on love", they said. So I searched every bookstore for it, because I really wanted a fresh perspective on love. Sold out (probably because of booktok). And then finally, I found it. At that point my expectations were so high that it accelerated the downfall of my hopes. Maybe in that context, and my breakup at the time and also the current wave of social media feminism that came from all sides to drown me, made me somewhat hate the male main character. All the self-pity, almost drowning in it, and cryptic rambling, and this naive image of love. Especially with that age gap and a minor as a target. People would go around and call him a red flag these days if the author didn't have a big name and was writing in this century, I'd argue. And Nastenka, although a more understandable character in some way, but with that same superficial image of love. I'm sorry, if I offend anyone here. Maybe I'll have to re-read it at another point in my life and then feel differently about it. At least the second short story was a bit more interesting to me, so it wasn't a complete waste of time and money (though it wasn't a lot). But it was not, whatsoever, a life changing experience that altered my views on love. It deserves a triggerwarning for annoying characters.
Hiya, I had this experience as well with White Nights. I too was excited to read it after hearing so many positive reviews and hearing Jack talk about it. After finishing it I was like 'oh should I have liked that more than I did?' haha. I'm glad someone else had a similar experience. I also found the rambling super annoying and was very confused when the main character started talking about his dreams. It also just felt painfully outdated to me as well which I guess makes sense.
While I find it the most mediocre out of the Dostoevsky’s pieces I’ve read, the criticism about the age gap and the red flags is abysmally superficial, I’m sorry.
I already didn't like 'It Ends with us' but my friend recommended it - for her it was life-altering. Don't know why, I finished it because I wanted to see if I could figure out what the hype was. I bought it as a package deal with 'It Starts with us' and literally read both within a weekend because they were so 'empty' and superficial. But the second book was so much worse not because it was just as bad and didn't have to happen but also straight-up copied pages-long letters word for word. Talk about trying to reach the page count 😅😂
Omg finally the pumpkin spice cafe was also one of the books I read in 2024 and it being my first romance book it sucked! I hate it when the characters get together and it’s only been like a couple of months, like that’s not how real life works 😭
I’m in the same boat with Graveyard Shift. Felt like a loose sketch instead of a full story, clearly the publishers just wanted SOMETHING new from M. L. Rio and it came out prematurely. Sad!
I read the Pumpkin Spice cafe and completely agree! Reading the second one now as I bought them as a bundle, it feels even more rushed!! It’s like they have 2 conversations and immediately get together 😅
I read the pumpkin spice café, and going in with my expectations on the floor bc it’s a tiktok book, I thought it was nice and simple (perfect when in a reading slump)
I actually started this series out of order. I started with christmas tree farm first (it was Christmas 😅) and enjoyed that book, so i bought the first and second book. The first one, pumpkin spice cafe was eh, it did a good job introducing all the characters but i enjoyed the second book so so soooo much, it's a true page turner! And the chemistry between the 2 characters were soo heart warming. I would recommend book 2 and 3 even if book 1 didn't do much for you, it didn't for me either c:
@@MRJarwson you can always leave the christmas one until next year xD but i think it's still pretty cozy to read during winter. Do let me know if you like them better!
@@MRJarwson sameeee, though the next book of the series is coming out sometime this year too, so your timing is great. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Also because all the covers are so pretty 😍
I really would have loved for Graveyard Shift to be a novel instead of a novella, the build-up felt so promising and the ending was a bit confusing, and overall it just left me wanting more and not getting anything out of it really. The good thing is that it left me wanting for Hot Wax even more, so I hope this is gonna be fire when it comes out.
Graveyard shift was great... excluding the end. I don't think it should've been a novella because if it was longer and there was more to it regarding one particular character and the answers weren't all dropped at the same time, the end wouldn't have been so dull. Great idea, not so great execution sadly..
Omg when you posted books I’m reading in 2025 and we’re holding up pumpkin spice cafe I was like noooooooo please don’t waste your life away! It actually made me think maybe I can just start writing absolute crap set in a Gilmore girls esque setting and quit the day job 🤣
I've said the same thing about It Starts With Us since the beginning of what feels like time now. Everyone was so excited for it (CoHo fans) but I always said it never needed a sequel
I personally recommend giving The Graveyard Shift a chance. Maybe I'm the target audience, but I really enjoyed it. Very different form If We Were Villains, but a very interesting read for me.
Hi Jack. The premise of Enlightenment, by Sarah Perry, really does sound interesting, but alas. I always steer clear of Booker Prize winners because they're so -- out there and incomprehensible. Love your channel! -Julie in the U.S.
okay wait i LOVED come and get it….. it’s set where i went to college during the time i was there, so a lot of it for me was probably nostalgia, so i just loved how she described the campus because i’m so familiar with every place she talked about
I will never get over visiting a bookstore in 2023 with a list of books I was recommended by friends or online, finding none of them, but there was an ENTIRE SHELF top to bottom stocked with It Starts With Us books, next to another entire shelf stocked top to bottom with It Ends With Us and her other awful books. I resent everyone who played a part in that happening.
Okay, admit it. How many people out there only read these books out of obligation? Believe me, I've done that in the past (I'm still recovering from reading "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo").
I loved Enlightenment for all the reason you didn't! It's refreshing to me to find a book that sits in the details in the way a victorian novel would because a lot of popular modern books seem rushed (almost read like action films).It makes me happy that a book like this can still be published in the money/stats-centric industry that we have today. I loved sifting through the prose to get to the end discovery (imo it was holmesian in a sense).. it reminded me of Possession by A.S. Byatt but a little more accessible for someone who isn't obsessed with victorian poetry like I am.
genuinely the worst book i read in 2024 was The Tea Ladies. now my mum read it and she loved but it was just too cozy of a mystery for me. there was a murder, an arson and a kidnapping and i did not care to find out who was behind it all
I listened to the True Biz audiobook years ago, but I remember enjoying it! A lot of the details are fuzzy now, but I remember thinking the ending was a little out of left field. The book basically speed ran a plot in the last quarter, iirc, but I didn’t mind. I think the voice actor(s) does a good job differentiating perspectives, so I didn’t even really notice any issues with POV
I've genuinely never once watched a 'worst books' video without atleast one Colleen Hoover book in it. Worst author ever.
She is another category all together.
Rebecca Yarros is a heavy contender for that title...
My issue is her terrible writing style...
@@law2859 That's like my least issue lmao. Her issue is romanticizing abusive relationships and toxic and controlling men.
Apparently she just quit writing
If colleen hoover has no haters we are all dead
@@marloeslovestea real
Truth
I feel like I can’t be a hater of her bc I haven’t read her books. :/ but the things I hear about them make me not want to read her
@@BirdySmith-o6oI mean give one of her books a try and form your own opinion, but I will say the hate for her so understandable and this is coming from someone who use to like her books😭
Fr
“The only ground breaking is the floor when I throw this book at it” had me CACKLING 😭😂
One book I read and couldn't stand ("Washington Square" by Henry James, one writer who is an acquired taste), I wanted to throw off the balcony of the apartment I was staying in while on holiday. Never read Henry James on holiday, unless you're a fan.
oh how i love shortening my tbr without actually having to pick up a single book on it
Ikr! I follow Haley Pham and she's always hyping up a bunch of books that I add to my tbr, and then Jack brings me back to reality again with these videos. 😂 Girl is fun and inspirational and all but her taste in books is that of a teenager.
@@ellenkarlsson9490I agree completely😂 I’m glad she enjoys those books but she keeps recommending books I would’ve read when I was fourteen
@@ellenkarlsson9490 Seriously I get attacked when I say that but her books are all books I read as a young teen
@@ellenkarlsson9490 She's the worst booktuber ever. Like girlie grow the fck up.
@ Yeah, and she's completely clueless about literature. In one video she didn't recognize a very obvious Romeo and Juliet reference. She said that the Emily Wilde books had a fantasy element when they are fully within the fantasy genre. And she said that Yellowface had a touch of magical realism when in reality it doesn't, it's just the MC going crazy and seeing things.
I really enjoy her videos, but she's not the book person she thinks she is. She'll get there, though, even if it will take a few years.
Tbh, Jack is also on a completely different level than me and most of his recommendations are way too deep and heavy for my taste. You could say that they balance each other out. 😅
14:29 "trying to find the point of this book was like trying to find nemo IN THE DESERT" is so far my favourite roast ever
The bookshelves and the candles in the back are Beautiful i keep getting distracted cause they're GORGEOUS
thought i was going crazy at 13:20 until i replayed it like three times to make sure it wasn't my computer lmao
i was so sure it was my internet connection lol
Me too! I didn’t realize it was the video and not my phone until I saw this comment
Lmao saame
lol sameeee
Same, I replayed it twice and only figured it out when the timer kept going 😂
The hateritis intro was so beautifully cinematic that it should be in The Criterion Collection.
Bhai tum yaha bhi
@ Yes, I’m here
Sir, I find you everywhere I go. You are omnipresent
Aye bhai yaha kaha
firing shots like luigi ALLEGEDLY*** babes gotta dodge potential lawsuits like how the ceo should’ve dodged bullets
😂😂😂😂
luigi is innocent 😌↕️
jack have you considered stand-up comedy as a side hustle? because this video was UNHINGED
💯
I’m always excited but scared to hear your critiques…Imagine you wrote a book and someone said, “I fear paint would watch this book dry.” I’M GAGGED. I’M RETIRING FROM WRITING.
1:15 it starts with us, by colleen hoover
4:58 graveyard shift, by m.l. rio
7:01 rebel rising, by rebel wilson
9:03 the pumpkin spice cafe, by laurie gilmore
10:33 enlightenment, by sarah perry
13:30 come and get it, by kiley reid
15:03 go to squarespace and use code jackedwards!
15:59 weirdo, by sara pascoe
18:24 jillian, by halle butler
20:04 true biz, by sara novic
23:00 jack kisses u
it's all women??? JACK.....
I see my dead name at 18:24
@@Bensaurit’s probably because he read more books by women than men, which would indicate he actually has a preference for literature written by women
Definitely needed this
Not you adding the squarespace ad 😂
lowkey feel bad for the authors whose books were mentioned in the same context as a colleen hoover novel, literally the worst insult ever.
Different strokes, different folks. Not everyone is going to love a particular book.
Woah the quality is CRISP
emma and jack roast of their worst books of the year is always my favorite.
guys emma is another youtuber who talks about books and she is so good at roasting lol. her channle name is emmie
Yes!!! Emma and Jack are my faves
@@emma-q3fI thought you meant that he was literally manifesting Jane Austin's Emma to roast these books
@autisticandproudsnephew3636 LMFAOOO NOOO!
Thank god we are bringing back hate reviews
I enjoy them too but really hate how elitist the community then becomes. You can see it even her. Im no dan of CH, but the pure hate in the comments from people who didnt even read the book? Thats just awful.
“This books tastes vanilla and goes oooh that’s a bit much, that’s a bit too flavorsome for me” 😂😂
Oooooh let’s have a whole video on the tropification of literature! Would love to hear Jack’s thoughts 🤓👀
The thing is, literature is made up of tropes. Strong female lead is a trope. The heroes quest is a trope. Literature has always been made up of a mix of tropes. What matters is how well written and original the book is. If it isn’t original, it will feel more tropey than original books.
It’s more ao3 tags than tropes lmao
@@HungarycloudLMAOOOOO
The Book Leo has a good video on the subject! She brought up a lot of really good points imo
You do know that tropes are literally here from antic plays right…
That intro alone is a statement to how BACK we are!!!! The background 👏🏽 the hair 👏🏽 hair’s been HAIRING and last, but certainly not least, the roast was so good we left no crumbs. He cooked it and I ATE IT.
that intro was the best thing i've ever heard in a while. luigi would be proud.
WAAA
my worst read of 2024: A book called Anne F (by kristian klausen). It was a "what if Anne Frank, but it happened in Drammen, Norway". And I hope it never gets a translation. The fact that Swedes and Danes could read this if they put effort into it is embarassing enough.
Firstly we *did* have girls like Anne Frank in Norway whose stories should be told.
Secondly, this was about Otto Frank - but again, a Norwegian dude from Drammen (an industrial, Newcastly vibe)- thinking about his previous romances. And how his daughter "loved writing her diary", but indeed there is no. Substance.
They hide in the attick behind a bookshelf, but the book is about like street names in Drammen. At one point a nazi guard literally thinks about how "hot" Anne is. Which is when I knew I didn't want to live in a world where this book exists.
I was tentatively optimistic. I get the "we connect more if it is local" angle. But as someone who has studied in Amsterdam I can simply say: this was not it. And I want financial compensation for having read this book. Which was a gift in the first place.
What if it happened here? It did happen here you git!!
M. L. Rio wrote Graveyard Shift because a publisher decided they wanted more novellas on the shelves that season and asked her if she would write one because of the popularity of her last book. She'd never written one before and pumped it out in the space of a couple months and man it really shows
I genuinely loved Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio. I adore her writing style, and while I would have loved to get deeper with these characters which could have been accomplished by making this a longer book, keeping the short novella format allowed the reader to feel a bit of that disjointed feeling of insomnia alongside the characters. As someone who suffers from insomnia, I get what Rio was going for and it worked for me.
Got me out of me reading slump I loved it too!!
YES I loved it so much!!
ok good i'm so glad, because i've been looking forward to this one since it was announced and im excited to get it soon!
Yeah, I feel like only someone who suffers from insomnia can truly enjoy this book. The one character that has tried all the medications to sleep and nothing has worked, I related to that desperation so much. I feel like you won't understand what it is like to spend 3 days in a row with zero hours of sleep, trying any medication you can get your hands on, until you've had that happen to you.
I think it works perfectly and serves its purpose better as a short story. It doesn't drag on, and no unnecessary fluff that might usually be added to mystery type books like these is present. I guess it helps that I went into it blind and had no idea who the author was and so had no expectations, which seems to be the main reason he didn't like it. I didn't really read it as a horror story at all, not even really as a mystery, more like a little anecdote of these college kids who were able to expose something unethical on campus. I really liked Hannah's character the best, and I loved its themes of insomnia.
the horror genre really makes you go so off king, the way you hate the tropes and all the boredom is exactly my spirit while reading horror books as well!
graveyard shift just made me sad personally because I SAW THE POTENTIAL and it just wasn’t long enough i think
i thought the same too. if only it would have been longer and she explored the characters a little bit more. idk
Hi Jack, I just recently came off the 2025 TBR video you posted and was scared to say something but I’m NOT anymore. I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Reading was something I never thought I could enjoy or be good at. I genuinely struggled to read a lot growing up and as I got older it felt more and more unattainable. I struggled so much to find books that I could actually finish but your insight, enthusiasm and joy rubbed off on me in the best way possible and lead me to discovered just how beautiful reading can be. Even if it’s not a huge goal for most I officially read 15 books in 2024!!!
This was a huge achievement for me and if it weren’t for you I don’t think I would have fallen in love with reading like I have now. I only hope to continue with this passion and enjoy so many more books to come. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart ❤️
The mere mention of a coloring book made me speechless. Colleen are you okay?
Absolutely despised Pumpkin Spice Café. What a waste of a cozy name! None of the characters communicated properly, none of the characters felt like people. When you say this book is a result of 'tropification', I think that's bang on. It genuinely felt like an incorrect way of writing a book.
I bought this thinking it was going to be a cosy mystery type book and was so disappointed. Mind you, by the end, I was hoping someone would die, just to make things a bit more interesting!
I'm an American and I've never heard the phrase "true biz" in my entire life
It’s only in deaf culture, he really didn’t pay attention to the details of this book 😂
Came here to say the same thing! 😂
Graveyard Shift had M L Rio gorgeous writing but it read more like a draft to a novel than a complete novella. It was really disappointing.
Maid is a much better representation (in my humble opinion as someone who's luckily never experienced relationship violence) of a mother caught up in an abusive relationship, trying to escape. I rewatched the series two days ago and it was still as chilling as the first time I watched it.
The memoir is really incredible too!!
Yessss, I was just thinking about it too. Would love to read the book.
Jack you are glowing
How is no one talking about this book The Censored Guide to Wealth on Bovolorus is something else
spam bot, everyone! ignore
As a fellow hater I waited so long for this to drop lmao
being a jack edwards stan is counting down the days for the crème de la creme video, but more importantly, CRAVING the hateritis plague 😭😭
YEEESS WE ARE BACK BABYY!!! So happy to see you post a video where you actually tell us your appinion 💗 Its olay to dislike books and we love it when people do it that Can actually articulate why it did not sit Well with them. Keep your opinions coming Darling💗💗
the candle under the candles always messes with my brain 😂 like light the actual candles please!!! I promise they are cheaper and will just ✨elevate✨ the background!! because the FLOWERS??!! chef's kiss💁♀️
“The juice wasn’t worth the squeeze” has been added to my vocabulary now. Thank you very much.
“My most boring, dull friend” Elena Ferrente’s 1-star prequel lmao
@@alyssasamia922 this joke made my day
I’m glad I’m not the only one disappointed in Tru Biz for exactly the same reasons you described! As a queer deaf woman myself based in the US and who uses ASL as a primary mode of communication l, I had high hopes but it just feels like it’s not for me. I was also constantly confused and I assume it’s because of the writing style. The “2 books squished into one” is so real.
I finished Graveyard Shift today and it was such a nothing book. I think it was mismarketed as a horror, its actually a mystery. And that would have been fine if the twist was interesting, but cant manage even that.
I love when your humour overflows like this. English is my second language, I always need a moment to catch up with what you've just said and it's such an engaging activity for my brain. If that makes sense 😂
I completely agree with the colleen Hoover review. I haven't read the rest and now i think i won't either.
I'm really glad I didn't read "it starts with us" after somewhat crashing down with "it ends with us" & I'm proud of my decision ;-)
In a book with Lily Bloom the florist and Atlas Corrigan, idk why it's always the name Ryle that pisses me off so much
this channel has evolved from book videos to stand up comedy, jack cannot go thirty seconds without conjuring up some pop culture pun
Came for the hate reviews. Stayed for the hairstyle (and the hate reviews too)
A book I didn't vibe with at all (and I'll apologise in advance): White nights. It was so hyped; I saw it everywhere; you, Jack, recommended it. "It will change your views on love", they said. So I searched every bookstore for it, because I really wanted a fresh perspective on love. Sold out (probably because of booktok). And then finally, I found it. At that point my expectations were so high that it accelerated the downfall of my hopes. Maybe in that context, and my breakup at the time and also the current wave of social media feminism that came from all sides to drown me, made me somewhat hate the male main character. All the self-pity, almost drowning in it, and cryptic rambling, and this naive image of love. Especially with that age gap and a minor as a target. People would go around and call him a red flag these days if the author didn't have a big name and was writing in this century, I'd argue. And Nastenka, although a more understandable character in some way, but with that same superficial image of love. I'm sorry, if I offend anyone here. Maybe I'll have to re-read it at another point in my life and then feel differently about it. At least the second short story was a bit more interesting to me, so it wasn't a complete waste of time and money (though it wasn't a lot). But it was not, whatsoever, a life changing experience that altered my views on love. It deserves a triggerwarning for annoying characters.
Hiya, I had this experience as well with White Nights. I too was excited to read it after hearing so many positive reviews and hearing Jack talk about it. After finishing it I was like 'oh should I have liked that more than I did?' haha. I'm glad someone else had a similar experience. I also found the rambling super annoying and was very confused when the main character started talking about his dreams. It also just felt painfully outdated to me as well which I guess makes sense.
While I find it the most mediocre out of the Dostoevsky’s pieces I’ve read, the criticism about the age gap and the red flags is abysmally superficial, I’m sorry.
Yay! Happy to see you posted! Hope you’re having a relaxing and peaceful January
I already didn't like 'It Ends with us' but my friend recommended it - for her it was life-altering. Don't know why, I finished it because I wanted to see if I could figure out what the hype was.
I bought it as a package deal with 'It Starts with us' and literally read both within a weekend because they were so 'empty' and superficial. But the second book was so much worse not because it was just as bad and didn't have to happen but also straight-up copied pages-long letters word for word. Talk about trying to reach the page count 😅😂
same!
The way I randomly clicked this video just to see he uploaded this 6 mins ago . Jack is really dedicated to 2025 🙌🏼
Omg finally the pumpkin spice cafe was also one of the books I read in 2024 and it being my first romance book it sucked! I hate it when the characters get together and it’s only been like a couple of months, like that’s not how real life works 😭
Brilliant intro 10/10
I’m in the same boat with Graveyard Shift. Felt like a loose sketch instead of a full story, clearly the publishers just wanted SOMETHING new from M. L. Rio and it came out prematurely. Sad!
I read the Pumpkin Spice cafe and completely agree! Reading the second one now as I bought them as a bundle, it feels even more rushed!! It’s like they have 2 conversations and immediately get together 😅
9:38 missed opportunity for a linger by the cranberries reference 😔
I love that I learn something new every time I watch your videos!
I absolutely love when Jack talks about his disappointments and criticizes books. So fun and refreshing and of course, helpful. Thank you Jack ❤❤
JACK HOUSE TOUR STAT!!! I need to see more of your Pinterest living!!!
So many dad jokes, and I'm like three minutes into the video (I love this man) 🫶🏻😔
I read the pumpkin spice café, and going in with my expectations on the floor bc it’s a tiktok book, I thought it was nice and simple (perfect when in a reading slump)
I actually started this series out of order. I started with christmas tree farm first (it was Christmas 😅) and enjoyed that book, so i bought the first and second book. The first one, pumpkin spice cafe was eh, it did a good job introducing all the characters but i enjoyed the second book so so soooo much, it's a true page turner! And the chemistry between the 2 characters were soo heart warming. I would recommend book 2 and 3 even if book 1 didn't do much for you, it didn't for me either c:
@ Ohhh, might need to pick up the others then, thank you!! Though a bit late to read a Christmas book now😅
@@MRJarwson you can always leave the christmas one until next year xD but i think it's still pretty cozy to read during winter. Do let me know if you like them better!
@ True 😄 I think I’ll pick them up sometime this year (my tbr is already so long😭)
@@MRJarwson sameeee, though the next book of the series is coming out sometime this year too, so your timing is great. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Also because all the covers are so pretty 😍
I really would have loved for Graveyard Shift to be a novel instead of a novella, the build-up felt so promising and the ending was a bit confusing, and overall it just left me wanting more and not getting anything out of it really. The good thing is that it left me wanting for Hot Wax even more, so I hope this is gonna be fire when it comes out.
by the title alone, we are SO back
"they should've redacted this entire thing honestly" is DIABOLICAL 🤣🤣 anw sooo loving this energy from you Jack
Not me watching this at midnight and the scream at 6:41 absolutely shaking me to my core
Beautiful bookshelves Jack! Love it 😊❤❤
Graveyard shift was great... excluding the end. I don't think it should've been a novella because if it was longer and there was more to it regarding one particular character and the answers weren't all dropped at the same time, the end wouldn't have been so dull. Great idea, not so great execution sadly..
My one and only pushback is that playing bingo with old people can be very fun
Omg when you posted books I’m reading in 2025 and we’re holding up pumpkin spice cafe I was like noooooooo please don’t waste your life away! It actually made me think maybe I can just start writing absolute crap set in a Gilmore girls esque setting and quit the day job 🤣
I’ve heard so many bad reviews for graveyard shift which is so disappointing because it sounded so interesting 😢
This is the content i live for!!!,
I've said the same thing about It Starts With Us since the beginning of what feels like time now. Everyone was so excited for it (CoHo fans) but I always said it never needed a sequel
Just the thumbnail had me devistated, I've been so excited to read The Graveyard Shift and Come and Get It
I personally recommend giving The Graveyard Shift a chance. Maybe I'm the target audience, but I really enjoyed it. Very different form If We Were Villains, but a very interesting read for me.
The quality makes your eyes SHINE so hard oml i love it
Thanks for this. You saved me so much money over the years with your book recs.
Please read The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams!!! It’s about the creation of the Oxford dictionary and women’s suffrage movements!
Jack drop the haircare and skincare routine
U r killing it ❤
It Starts With Us was my worst read of 2024. It had hardly any plot.
jack is usually so caring and considering in his reviews....that I'm living for this little moment of him being a hater, it's so fuuuuuun 😂
i cannot stress enough how creative only the title and the first 20 seconds are. appreciate it!
Unrelated but you look so cute with your hair like that, definitely watching your videos bc of your looks rn 😭
Hi Jack. The premise of Enlightenment, by Sarah Perry, really does sound interesting, but alas. I always steer clear of Booker Prize winners because they're so -- out there and incomprehensible. Love your channel! -Julie in the U.S.
The grave yard shift was like half a book. I thought “was that it?” When it ended because it genuinely felt like we got nowhere.
okay wait i LOVED come and get it….. it’s set where i went to college during the time i was there, so a lot of it for me was probably nostalgia, so i just loved how she described the campus because i’m so familiar with every place she talked about
I will never get over visiting a bookstore in 2023 with a list of books I was recommended by friends or online, finding none of them, but there was an ENTIRE SHELF top to bottom stocked with It Starts With Us books, next to another entire shelf stocked top to bottom with It Ends With Us and her other awful books. I resent everyone who played a part in that happening.
The time I spent reading this, I could have spent reading something else is how I always feel about bad books.
Okay, admit it. How many people out there only read these books out of obligation? Believe me, I've done that in the past (I'm still recovering from reading "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo").
In last few years many authors who have a best seller seem to then start to crank out mediocre stories. Cash grabs for sure!
I’ve never said this about any man but you really suit longer hair more than short !!!
I was so excited to read Graveyard Shift because If We Were Villains is one of my favorite books! I'm probably still gonna read it but...
the hair is looking good today Jack!!
New hair? Looks great
After making If We Were Villains my whole identity for a months after reading it, Graveyard Shift seriously let me down 😭
Loved True Biz, but agree the ending and some parts of the book felt rushed and abrupt but enjoyed the format and writing style.
I loved it too. Jack’s opinion of True Biz has been his most bizarre book take ever, in my opinion 😅
@ Yeah was honestly suprised how hard the review was tbf. Interested to read some of his 2025 reccos too with that in mind.
I loved Enlightenment for all the reason you didn't! It's refreshing to me to find a book that sits in the details in the way a victorian novel would because a lot of popular modern books seem rushed (almost read like action films).It makes me happy that a book like this can still be published in the money/stats-centric industry that we have today. I loved sifting through the prose to get to the end discovery (imo it was holmesian in a sense).. it reminded me of Possession by A.S. Byatt but a little more accessible for someone who isn't obsessed with victorian poetry like I am.
THANK YOU. The pumpkin spice cafe was so disappointing to me.
genuinely the worst book i read in 2024 was The Tea Ladies. now my mum read it and she loved but it was just too cozy of a mystery for me. there was a murder, an arson and a kidnapping and i did not care to find out who was behind it all
Love it! Always enjoy your content.
Nooooo I just bought Grave Yard Shift because my local bookstore had signed copies and it sounded so intriguing 😭
I listened to the True Biz audiobook years ago, but I remember enjoying it! A lot of the details are fuzzy now, but I remember thinking the ending was a little out of left field. The book basically speed ran a plot in the last quarter, iirc, but I didn’t mind. I think the voice actor(s) does a good job differentiating perspectives, so I didn’t even really notice any issues with POV