absolute worst books of 2022 (dramatic?) NO | reverse harem, sucky romance, & mid thrillers

[@valryered]

I love seeing people talk about things they hate.

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

me too!

[@JeantheSecond]

😂

[@dimerymichaels3539]

Saaaaame 😂

[@LilyEvans1996]

Lol why are we so toxic 😅

[@brkh96]

It brings real joy

[@irenamcg]

TikTok obviously damaged people's brains when they consider some books worthy of 5 stars

[@tramasrarasoddplots]

I am learning the hard way that some book reviewers/critics don't seem to actually read the books. They're doing a combination of binge and speed reading. I get it bc they're reading a lot of books but it's it's criticism based on vibes.

[@ellias]

💀

[@-Bente-]

I love it when people hate on books (as long as no books that I like are being hated on lmao) but go off king edit: no books I like were mentioned, let's go~

[@ellias]

LMAOOOO

[@lightwoodalec5037]

Ellias - "ignore tthe tinkling noises" Me - living for pira doing his things in the background 🥺😍

[@ellias]

haha he cute

[@C.T.T535]

You've summed exactly why I can't bring myself to look at Goodreads anymore. As someone passionate about books and storytelling (as a once aspiring author), the low standards on display is almost soul crushing for me.

[@ellias]

OOP!

[@rissasaki]

The fact that he read not one but three of the books in this series made me crack up so much 😂

[@ellias]

am i the fool or am i the fool!!!!!

[@catherinemackay9143]

personally hurt by the loveless slander :((

[@estefizamora]

Same, it's my current read, and i'm actually loving it ☹️

[@knebyula]

That's my main gripe about mystery novels. The unlearned 'detective' doing better than professional law enforcement is just so annoying to me.

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I’m reading things we never get over rn… since September 😬

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

yikes!

[@musicalnerds101]

GIRL DROP THAT BOOK

[@halloween42]

Girl just dnf it already. It's not worth it.

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

I literally see two of my favourite books in the thumbnail and I am s c a r e d

[@ragansreads]

OMG I had the same thoughts about a good girls guide to murder. I did see a TikTok recently though from a guy who solved an unsolved case for his high school senior project in real life. Legit SOLVED the case!!! And even though his project got the true murderer JAILED, his teacher gave him a C because he didn’t write his results and findings in MLA format. The audacity

[@sumankumari5004]

Really??-

[@ellias]

a C IM CACKLING

[@readwithpattie4804]

I'm sorry but I must be blind or deaf because A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Like what?

[@jamietp]

I read Loveless in 2021 and I was so excited to read it as an asexual who also didn’t really understand myself and I thought Loveless would be able to put into words feelings and experiences that I didn’t have the words for and I’d come across things that me and the characters could relate with. However I was sadly disappointed (I still gave it 3 stars despite being rather underwhelmed). It was a very, very superficial exploration of asexuality and I was surprised that it was such a long book (over 400 pages) which in retrospect makes me feel like the aro/ace part of the book was just a side plot. Now that I think about it this book is more about friendship, found family, and being a freshman at university.

[@sannemx_]

Great video as always! ❤️ It makes me sad that people nowadays don't seem to understand the difference between trashy romance and toxic crap. The first one is fun, the second one is teaching people (but mainly young women/girls) to romanticise abusive and extremly toxic relationships; yes im looking at you CoHo. The fact that her books have such a high average rating is seriously disturbing.

[@Everythingwillsurelybealright]

9:50 It’s a little out if my lane but I can speak a little bit on this trend in the romance genre. I read an academic take on the girlies exploring things like non-con love scenes in fiction that presented it as one of the only ways women can explore these themes in a way they actually have complete control over. If it happened in real life it’d be a horrific nightmare, but in fiction? The readers have ultimate control over whether it happens or not, and they can change details on the fly in their head, so the power dynamics can be explored without real life consequences and might even be a bit cathartic to explore themes that hang heavily over people but aren’t allowed to be discussed in regular conversation. That aside, books should still be written well, so I can’t speak to anything else that happened in that novel 👀

[@wordstowordlessthings]

the Truly Devious series is a good example of YA mystery that feels realistic. Main character and sidekicks have relevant skillsets for putting some pieces together, but just as much if not more of the clues are complete luck or mistakes by other people, and there are consequences to them!

[@ThyPhan94]

im here for bad books slander

[@Jaynne1395]

I really tried with “Things we never got over.” But by the time I got to “….Weapon of mass destruction,” I could literally feel each and every one of my brain cells dying. 🤢🤢🤢🤢

[@Capricorn152]

I'm so mad about how Reprieve was marketed - I wanted a horror thriller, I got literary nonsense

[@ellias]

truly!!!

[@wurmmithut]

i didn’t read any of these but enjoyed the video so much, thank you!

[@kidistbekele1817]

Cracking my knuckles to watch Elias rant and most likely use a good amount of cuss.

[@ellias]

that's me

[@JadaSimons]

You reading the jbree quotes 😂😭 and then admitting to reading 3 of the books was gold. They're garbage. But addicting garbage books.

[@tangerinesrsophisticated]

LOVELESS SLANDER >>>

[@beoreads]

i requested worst books of 2022 on insta when you asked what we want to see and go off king “girl you’re not like the other girlies bc your brain obviously didn’t fully develop past the age of 12” 😂😂😂

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

I love a good rant review, even when it's a book I liked

[@nico.robint]

"Try to make your love interest more likeable, or even presentable" is me when my girlfriends wanna invite their man

[@priscachoi7530]

Congrats on another year of booktube! Ur vids r so relaxing for me to listen to when i work. Cant wait for more great vids this year too

[@ellias]

aww thanks for watching and keeping up :) !!

[@chocolatekismet]

i'm here for the slander of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

[@payalbansal7360]

Ellias I would REALLY like to know your thoughts about haunting adeline.It's a really popular book and I feel like you will roast the shit out of it and I'll be here for that lol.

[@simplexdreams]

twisted love and things we never got over were my worst reads of 2022, only positive I will give them is they were a very entertaining dumpster fire😂

[@asan1050]

That was a short 19 minute video, Thanks Much!

[@JeantheSecond]

Women can be very misogynistic.

[@allbutperfect]

Yes! ☹️☹️

[@Kimberly5453]

I love watching your videos, you're always making me laugh and smile. 😂😊 you also saved me so much money by helping decide if I wanted a expensive book subscription for trashy romance, lol.

[@claireloueeez]

How you felt about that Lucy Score book was how I felt about From Blood and Ash 💀

[@ellias]

girl both books are soo bad imo!!

[@lightwoodalec5037]

The thing is I still wanted to read things we never get over and then watch their live show but now I have watched noelle and ellias hate on it so hard in their separate videos I don't think it's for me 🙂

[@ClaireKinmil]

I read several bad books in 2022, but the top spot has to go to "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" aka "Blade Runner" by Philip K. Dick. The amount of sexism in old scifi astounds me every time and what's worse is, I keep reading the crap! Here's to hoping 2023 is the year I finally learn!

[@somatoes4667]

I read both how to kill your family and a good girl’s guide to murder. DNFed the first and rated the second a 2/5. Thought maybe YA mystery/thrillers weren’t my thing. Then I stumbled upon one of us is lying and absolutely loved it. Flew through it because I couldn’t put it down. I sometimes think it’s harder writing a compelling YA mystery/thriller than it is YA fantasy.

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

and also one that feels realistic. That's often my biggest issue with YA mystery/thrillers

[@maychenwoo9205]

This is so interesting because I hate one of us lying as I’m able to guess the mystery halfway through every single time, the romance also annoys me and some of the characters are utterly unlikable but i keep hate reading it lol Waiting for book three

[@fedhaamour]

@@maychenwoo9205 which characters

[@maychenwoo9205]

@@fedhaamour everyone expect the bad boy character’s lizard and Knox from book 2 I am not exaggerating…

[@SydBookWorrom]

Finally someone else agrees with me on good girls guide 😅😂

[@ellias]

that book is beloved by too many it seems lol

[@GoddessKry]

Things we never got over just sounds like a "Wattpad" book to me. IYKYK

[@alexarosca2667]

I love how you felt about Lucy score book! Yeess❤ I felt the same way!

[@Rachelw]

I didn't like Good Girls Guide to Murder but I proceeded to read the rest of the trilogy anyway. I liked the second one better than the first and I absolutely hated the third. It was so dumb! If you thought Pip was terrible in the first book you wouldn't believe how much worse she is in the last one. Her choices are so terrible and dumb.

[@chloe.imogen]

The way I WHEEZED at "I read three" 💀

[@ellias]

i caved oml!!

[@kristid4246]

Ok I literally just started reading Things We Never Got Over…think I’m going to save me some time.

[@zhisu2665]

and you've cursed my eyes because I see her novels behind you

[@kidistbekele1817]

I DNFed a good girl's guide to murder and I almost never DNF

[@macieleann1990]

things we never got over is no plot just smut 😂

[@tangleslong499]

How do you guys juggle with reading books and working full-time? I couldn't seem to find the time to read. Reading was so much easier back in those days when I had semester breaks. On the days when I'm not working, I need to go out of the house to stay sane because I work in a call-center - a tough job that mess my mind up, but I need to work for the money. :(

[@ellias]

youtube is my full time atm :)

[@carolcorreia1245]

Omg I too dislike Lucy score writing! But i read other - the worst best man. Horrible!!!

[@kaasabally]

Ellias did NOT come to play haha

[@lorihz]

Haha!

[@ellias]

not with these terrible books lol

[@HollyComstock15]

lol not me skipping to the loveless part only for you to mention it for 3.5 seconds. This book bored the hell out of me and as you said, felt super shallow, and I'm ace so it was kinda disappointing

[@ellias]

yeahhh i felt the same but i got a lil scared bc that book's fanbase is scary lol

[@lightwoodalec5037]

Such good hate was given by ellias I don't know how else to put this 😌

[@jasmineijo]

people LOVE 'things we never got over' but i always had a ping that I wouldn't like it. Thank you for confirming lol

[@Anshul_126]

Damn is was good read the 1st book... I'm glad i got this video in recommendation 😅

[@bookoffholicbookwart5945]

That thumbnail 🤣

[@kayri687]

worst read: verity (i just needed to see, i know i did this to myself); most disappointing read: the book eaters (so boring... i don't see how so many people loved it, but also DNF it)

[@glitchpink]

you hated loveless 😭

[@ellias]

i didn't hate it really ahah but it definitely wasn't as good as i thought it to be!

[@TheWordN3rd]

Lol. The Late Night Book Club had a rough time w some of those group books too 😂😂😂

[@ellias]

WE DID!!! haha but it was fun

[@AO1hasyoutube]

Background cat! Love to see it

[@ReadingNymph]

The rants are just hilarious 😂

[@cryingaboutbooks]

I’m hollering

[@a.b.2405]

Tell Pira I said hi 😊

[@ellias]

he says bye (so sassy idk where he got it from ;)

[@a.b.2405]

@@ellias lmaaooo! 🤣😭

[@sophiekate9461]

Things we never got over was my #1 worst book and now anyone that recommends it and says they like it I don’t trust because of how bad it was

[@louisity]

Ooh... I will probably dislike A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. 🔪😬

[@caitlyn.m.t9618]

I have not read any of the books here. I am lucky in a sense where I haven't had reads in 2022 where I have negative feelings towards, so my worse books aren't ones that I hated or thought were especially bad, but they weren't good and they didn't do anything well. Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill is one of them. This read like a first draft. A lot of plans and ideas being laid out, but not actually writing it as a story or poem or fully developing it to what it could have been. That being said there were a handful of good ones, and I did like some of ideas and the fact she told the stories from all the perspectives. For example her Cinderella lot, we had Cinderella, but then we had the evil stepmother and then the evil stepsisters, and she told how they got to the point they did and why the acted the way they did. There is also The Atlas Six, which I found lacking. It didn't do anything particularly well, and the aspects I did prefer either was not really there in the book (aka I would like to have gotten more of it) or I thought that it was done better than other parts of the book, but that doesn't mean I thought it was done well. I have pretty much the same thoughts on the bear and the nightingale, except there are some things I did think it did well. It just engaged with everything on a shallow level, and completely lacked development, build or anything along those lines. I dnfed it 50 pages from the end, aka when things started happening, because I didn't care and I thought it was poorly built up to.

[@wordstowordlessthings]

Worst reads: Find Me, the sequel to CMBYN. unbelievably dull and spent 90% of the time with characters we didn't care about being in love based on absolutely nothing. Also Death on the Nile, I love Agatha Christie but this was predictable within the first few chapters.

[@carlacannizzaro1643]

I just read Court of the Vampire Queen and haven’t laughed out loud while reading in a looong time. The dialogue is flat, repetitive and character development is next to zilch. The sex scenes are plentiful and start early (pg 3!) but even those get repetitive after a while. How many times can you end up covered in blood after a 3-some and still find it shocking/sexy?! While this is still far from the worst book I’ve ever read (that dishonor goes to SPIN by Tom Lowe) it isn’t great but it does help pass the time on a long flight.

[@485OCEAN]

Oh it’s about to go d o w n

[@abeautifullysadstory7953]

Phanthom of the Opera was one of my best read in 2022. 😆😀

[@booksnbeauty3745]

Not you reading three books from the Broken Bonds series when you didn’t like the first one 😂😂

[@Heynowwtf7413]

i'm sorry but the whole time i was staring at your cat and screaming. don't know what happened in this video whoops

[@ellias]

LOL he truly is the main character

[@katekursive1370]

YES tell meeeeeEEEEH

[@zhisu2665]

Booktok seriously hypes up some of the most mid creations, I'm happy people are reading but they need to read a variety of works before claiming stuff like "Colleen Hoover is the Jane Austen of our generation" kind of bs. because there's a reason Jane Austen's novels have lasted over 200 years [I'm not a fan of them at all but I can still appreciate her contributions] and why Hoover is infamous. People have their opinions but man, I've read so many that are just absolute nonsense and they're popular for the tropes.

[@Meuncakd]

Me at 20% of reading A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder: found this video

[@TheThreeBookshelves]

Ellias. Didn't you learn anything from Survive the Night? Give up on Riley Sager!

[@ellias]

im too nice honestly haha

[@JanAgaton]

it's not worth shutting off your life support hahahahaha

[@chelleaveo5196]

The house across the lake was boring!!!

[@ZephyrChaosRyder]

re: the first book. can we please not refer to drug users as bad people as a blanket statement thankq

[@stace_d]

That kitty is thicc

[@ellias]

HE HATES GETTING BRUSHED!

[@carolk2832]

a good's girl's guide to murder was fun but not the amaizing story people have been promoting it as

[@LilyEvans1996]

You keep talking but your cat is stealing the spotlight haha

[@ellias]

its his world and im just in it really

[@dimerymichaels3539]

These do not sound good. 😂

[@_elle]

THANK YOU - as someone on the aroace spectrum, I can't stand how the community glorifies Loveless like it's the end all be all of representation for the aroace experience. I DNF it myself; I couldn't stand it. Weird concoction of presumptuous narrative voice and boring as sin.

[@sandmr257]

As an asexual arromantic, yeah, Loveless is a very shallow book. A lot of telling and not showing. I looooove other Alice Oseman books tho, they're amazing ❤️‍🩹