2020 thrillers are FIRE | Winter Reading Wrapup

[@AlexaDonne]

This is under 40 minutes I think I deserve a medal.

[@oowatwat]

I actually love how long your videos are but I'm sure a shorter video is easier for you to edit so congrats! 😁

[@izstrella]

Gosh, I love your book reviews. I just added almost all these books to my list, haha, thank you!

[@hfollman98]

I would just like to say your eyes and your makeup go PERFECTLY with that outfit, like wow :)

[@AlexaDonne]

I actually filmed an eye makeup tutorial for this look! I'm editing it now and it should be up soon :)

[@hfollman98]

@@AlexaDonne Wow, I did not expect a response! I look forward to that video, and I love your content so much!

[@boringstorythings7855]

I've been in a reading slump for a while. I'm glad that I can hear your books and realize that I can get out :D

[@MxSangy]

Love you, Alexa! Thanks for all the recs. I'm really excited to read some of these, as well as some from your previous wrap-ups. You may be getting me into thrillers, haha! I'm even considering writing a thriller myself, though it'll be more of a home invasion . . . and the protagonist is blind. Anyway, hope you're staying safe! ❤️ Can't wait for your next video ☺️

[@jackelinemorales3229]

All of these books sound really solid! Definitely adding these to my TBR!!!

[@ScrubsAndCoffee]

I really enjoy the videos you make talking about what you have read, maybe because I'm in school and never have time to read. I miss sitting down with a good book so much. I will keep some of these in mind when I finally graduate and have a life!

[@amberflowers4]

Quarantine is making me super early to your uploads now!!

[@huffleclawhouse7326]

:/ have you also already eaten through your chocolate supply?

[@amberflowers4]

Huffleclaw House wasn’t even able to buy a chocolate supply! However, I don’t think I have any potato chips left. They vanished while writing for six hours....

[@huffleclawhouse7326]

@@amberflowers4 two good things about this terrible pandemic are that we'll all have written more and be eating better :)

[@amberflowers4]

Huffleclaw House true! I have made more progress on my novel than I ever have! I think the fact that I LITERALLY could not be doing anything better helps with not making excuses to write haha

[@kendraosborn1926]

I just bought a good girls guide to murder - so happy to hear you loved it!

[@christyzamudio5070]

I literally want to read every single book you reviewed. Lol. Great job :))

[@ChapterandConverse]

I just saw a commercial for the Betty Broderick show last night! Talk about eerie. I'm so intrigued. And also so excited for so many of these thrillers....but so impatient that I have to wait for most of them to come out 😂 I've been eyes A Good Girls Guide to Murder so looks like that will be happening. Love your review videos. Keep 'em coming!

[@jenniferpickering4802]

The Night Swim is the book I picked for this months “Book of the Month” can’t wait to start it!

[@madisonhayes7051]

I love that you loved the last flight. Julie Clark was me and my brother’s fifth grade teacher and her and my mom went to high school to get her so that makes me so happy that you liked it!

[@AlexaDonne]

That is so cool!!!

[@Kelly-Martin]

Ahhhh Rabbit holes. They are so much fun to go down ;) I remember the Broderick story vaguely, but now I want to find out more (so thanks for that lol).

[@banthony8545]

You got me to read Betty's story and everything you said about the read - well I had the same experience of the book. Not my usual read at all, but bless Bella; I couldn't put it down or stop talking about it to my husband. I hope you read this review, because normally I would only have picked this book up, no I never would have picked this book up and don't regret reading every last page of it. Wonderful on Bella's part. Now I am re-listening to this for more recommends.

[@Laura-gg4zo]

Outstanding, thank you so much for this all the books sound great 😃😃😃😃

[@reneebarrette4514]

I plan on picking up most of these!!

[@ErinLovegood73]

I vaguely remember the Betty Broderick case. (I was 15/16) I remember the tv movie more, however. Love your reviews.

[@ReadingWryly]

As a new booktuber, I have to say, your delivery and concise descriptions are GOALS. Definitely a new fan. Subscribing! Teach me your ways! Lol.

[@WinterWind]

Alexa I just read both The Stars We Steal and Brightly Burning and enjoyed them both a lot! I'd love to see more from this universe if you ever got the opportunity to. The only thing I didn't like in TSWS was that I sort of wish Leo had married Daniel because I liked him more than Eliott.

[@majesticcat2437]

Alexa, seeing as you liked Lucy Foley's book, have you heard of The Murder Game by Rachel Abbott? It's another British 2020 release based on a wedding that doesn't happen - and the murder game they're invited to a year later. I read it rather quickly, you might enjoy it too!

[@AlexaDonne]

Oooh that sounds right up my alley! I will definitely check it out.

[@elizalagonia1049]

Oh, I forgot to tell you, before they closed all the libraries in NYC I saw your books on the shelves. I own both on my Nook app so I didn't check them out, but I thought that was cool and you'd like to know.

[@saikat93ify]

I loved Escape Room and I did not know that she wrote another one !

[@sasapejcin3568]

Actually Alice Feeney wrote another thriller after SIL and it's called I know who you are!

[@welcometorealiti1244]

I am really searching for good psychological thrillers for research, and I've read The Anonymous girl and The Sisters, both of which I am not satisfied :/ Hope some from your list will be better! :3

[@elizalagonia1049]

I don't remember the Broderick Case I think because Lorena Bobbit happened in '89 (I looked that up) and we were still joking about that since I was in elementary school at the time. I look back and there were some tasteless jokes back then. I think I might try and find the book because it seems really interesting. I wish the journalist was still with us because I'd have like to get her take on the events now; would she see things differently? It is taking me forever to read anything these days but some of these thrillers sound really good.

[@AlexaDonne]

Lorena Bobbitt was actually in 1993, which is why I remember that one! I also recall all the tasteless jokes. Have you seen the documentary on Prime? It was really excoriating of, well, everyone. It examined the whole thing and makes you feel AWFUL for allowing an abused woman to turn into a joke. And I agree! I wonder if that journalist might have done an updated edition after Broderick's parole was denied (again) a few years ago. Would she revise the older edition, taking out those few instances of victim blaming? Would she dig deeper, re: the "perfect mom" moniker having interviewed her four children as adults? She never spoke to them in the 90s b/c two of them were traumatized minors and the other two didn't speak to media.

[@elizalagonia1049]

@@AlexaDonne I looked back at where I looked it up and didn't read they were married in 1989 and the case was in 1993, which is why I remember it so well I was 7 in '89. I have not seen the documentary, but I'll look it up. I think it'll be interesting to see the new perspective on the Lorena Bobbitt case.

[@amberhardwick266]

Hi Alexa 👉👈💕

[@JohannaM4]

Alexa, where do you buy your clothes? Sorry for the slightly personal question, but you literally wear exactly the kind of stuff I want to wear, but never seem to find in the shops. Maybe I'm just a lousy shopper. 😅

[@AlexaDonne]

Everything I wear is from Torrid! It's plus sizes only, so won't help if you're smaller, but if you wear a US size 10 or above, you can shop there!

[@JohannaM4]

@@AlexaDonne Thank you, so much! 😀

[@mia_alonzo]

I am in love with your videos. I am from Mexico (:

[@aeronprosek7963]

PLEASE NOTE that personality disorders are widely misunderstood, and a lot of the biggest problems that arise from them arise from mis-education and a failure to receive an adequate diagnosis at a point where the sufferer can recover. Personality disorders CAN BE fully recovered from, for the most part, if patients receive enough care. Yes, sufferers can be difficult to get along with, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't help perpetuate the stereotypes about us, especially on your platform. There's a LOT of stigma, and admitting to a diagnosis can destroy your social and even professional life. PLEASE keep that in mind. There are always extreme cases, but those are the ways that get books written about them and famous stories released everywhere that everyone knows. There are more sufferers who end up disadvantaged because of ignorance. You are a great creator I really respect and admire, so I just wanted to impress this. I don't want someone I look up to in the writing community perpetuating stereotypes, and please do IMMENSE research before you ever include a personality disorder in any sort of fiction, and I would strongly advise against including one in an antagonistic character without a "good" foil who exhibits the same symptoms. I won't tell you what to write because no one should tell you what to write, but I just respect you enough to sound the alarm if I worry you might be perpetuating dangerous stereotypes. Thank you very for your time.

[@AlexaDonne]

I appreciate the comment! I do come at this from some personal experience, having experienced more than my fair share of personality disorders IRL which is why they are of interest to me (thus why I do so much research/personal reading on them). However, I do understand the level of care needed. Of course they're not evil, but those with them tend to cause a lot of destruction in the personal and emotional lives of those around them. I think that why they're so often fodder for antagonists in fiction. I did take care in the video to disclaim that Betty Broderick is an EXTREME case... but still certainly illustrative for fiction. I will say all the literature I have read indicates that you cannot recover from BPD or ASPD in particular. One can develop an awareness of symptoms (and cause/effect of behavior) and continually work on coping mechanisms basically forever, but the root personality disorders never go away. You have to work on it forever, and also want to work on it? Each one is different and complex and they scale in terms of severity. It's the most extreme ends that we see dramatized in fiction. I also think it's not fair to lump them all together? I have far more empathy for people with BPD than ASPD, for example--people with BPD aren't intentionally hurting others. ASPD is a whole other ballgame in terms of empathy deficits and actively hurting people. With Betty Broderick specifically, that's why I feel there's a missing ASPD diagnosis somewhere. You can be borderline and/or histrionic, or even narcissistic... and you don't kill people. She's a very very extreme human being, period. Outlier. It really is a fascinating story to read via the lens of her PDs though. They color her perception of everything and, of course, how she then reacts to things. At every turn she made the opposite choice most of us would make (with absolute self conviction!), ultimately ending in both self-destruction and the murder of two people.

[@hnz5714]

Hey if a decent publisher is willing to take your first novel, but you’re not immensely proud of the work, should you do it?

[@awesomelyizzy]

While I love your videos, I think that this way of speaking about personality disorders is quite irresponsible. Implying that murder was almost inevitable due to someone’s diagnosis really perpetuates harmful assumptions about people diagnosed with personality disorders, who are generally trauma survivors and many of whom would never be violent. There’s already a widespread problem of trauma survivors carrying a personality disorder diagnosis being denied mental health care due to being branded as too difficult to work with, just on the basis of their diagnosis. It’s also important not to frame domestic abuse as anything other than a choice made by the perpetrator.

[@KimbaZed]

Fritzie!

[@AlexaDonne]

RISE!

[@KimbaZed]

@@AlexaDonne She's f*cked. I'm ready. The Gd show must go on.

[@minortalentshow2653]

Hey alexa 👍👍

[@universe7one712]

nice share dear frn awesome

[@BlackReshiram]

One: I would ask you to be very careful with diagnosing other people/characters with mental illnesses if one doesn't have a degree in that particular medical field. Idk how others like that see it; but as a mentally ill person of mine that strikes me a little icky. If that person was legally professionally diagnosed, then dismiss my comment. But if it isn't, please take my comment to heart.

[@Mjackson2319]

The Guest List did not deliver for me. I found it anti-climatic.

[@lifeofatrapwitch]

I just downloaded his and hers on Audible thank you!