Giving four overrated authors one final shot… 😬

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Have you ever tried a popular author only to feel like the odd one out when you don't get the hype? This has happened to me SO MANY TIMES... so I decided to give four of the most popular, beloved (and possibly overrated) authors who have let me down in the past one final shot to impress me and stay on my TBR!
✨ The Original Four Books I Read and Hated ✨
Verity by Colleen Hoover
GoodReads review: / 3101290799
Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney
video review: • Did the 2021 Goodreads...
GoodReads review: / 4378924112
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
video review: • Did the 2021 Goodreads...
GoodReads review: / 3708225377
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
video review: • BookTok Reading Challe...
GoodReads review: / 3685104959
✨ The Four Books I'm Reading in This Video ✨
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Normal People by Sally Rooney
The Martian by Andy Weir
Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh
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✨ CHAPTERS ✨
0:00 when you hate a book everyone else seems to love...
4:50 introducing the books
11:50 predicting my final ranking
12:57 starting It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
15:08 my first impressions of It Ends With Us
20:13 mid-book update for It Ends With Us
22:59 SPOILER DISCUSSION It Ends With Us
27:08 END OF SPOILERS
28:23 final update for It Ends With Us
31:32 SPOILER DISCUSSION PT. 2 It Ends With Us
38:35 END OF SPOILERS final thoughts
39:38 starting Normal People by Sally Rooney
41:11 mid-book update for Normal People
47:15 final update for Normal People
53:14 starting The Martian
55:19 initial thoughts on The Martian
57:33 mid-book update for The Martian
1:05:13 final update for The Martian
1:12:47 starting Death in Her Hands
1:14:31 mid-book update for Death in Her Hands
1:17:11 final update for Death in Her Hands
1:21:17 final ranking
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✨FAQs
What does your channel name mean? I picked "Plant Based Bride" for my blog when I started it back in 2015 as I was starting the process of planning my vegan wedding and wanted to document it. I have been vegan for 8+ years and married since 2016!
What's your real name? Elizabeth
Where are you from? I'm a Canadian from Toronto, Ontario.
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Are your nails natural? Nope, they're press ons and I do them myself (see how in this tik tok: www.tiktok.com... )
What nail polish are you wearing? Pistachio by Cirque Colors

[@PlantBasedBride]

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[@liliguidance]

[@renascencern]

My kink is readers tearing apart Colleen Hoover books 😂😅

[@eliezeraltshul8550]

I suppose your biggest turn off is when you find a rew booktuber who seems to have similar taste in books to you and then you find out they a devout Colleen Hoover fan...

[@chatnoir9038]

​@@eliezeraltshul8550We need names. Spill the tea

[@-autumnfeelings]

Omg mine too

[@ettaetta439]

​@@eliezeraltshul8550The only people who I still decided to continue watching after that were dark romance readers. They know Colleen Hoover's "romances" are toxic, awful and stupid, and that her writing is 4th grade level and that's why it's so easy to read. That's why they love her books. Normal readers who don't realize her "romances" are dumb and stupid will never not have me confused, like they're so toxic.

[@camilab2430]

@@ettaetta439 I love dark romance books but I really dislike (to put it lightly) CoHo's books 🙃 because if she were to clasify them as dark romances I might enjoy them (might being the key word there) but she doesn't, they are just plain "romance" but every single one of her books (as far as I've seen, I haven't read them all thank god) is extremely toxic but she put them like such a normal and loving relationships when practically every single one of her characters doesn't need a relationship but therapy, thanks for coming to my tedtalk lol

[@panhexual]

I feel like every time I talk to someone about "it ends with us" and I say I hated it, people get mad at me bc "lily handles everything so well" and "Ryle deserves a second chance to be a father" HAHA no wtf he doesn't. He's an abuser and a giant trash bag. He deserves NOTHING. Also her naming the daughter dory is such a crime.

[@PlantBasedBride]

Yikes, what?? Why does he deserve a second chance? Just for existing??? The bar is truly in hell.

[@mikouf9691]

Dory? Like the fish in Finding Nemo? 😅

[@divvoni25]

@@mikouf9691yes 😭 because the main character, lily, wrote letters to ellen degeneres who so happens to voice dory from finding nemo

[@honeyxmoony]

​@@divvoni25"just keep swimming" no lily I wanna drown

[@VainSquirrel56]

@@honeyxmoonyLMFAOOO 😭😭

[@sighbees]

saw someone say that people who enjoy it ends with us are people who never read wattpad fanfic and are overcompensating for it now...that same sentiment goes for all colleen hoover books

[@masterkara23]

I have read so. much. bad writing, plot points, characters, arcs, etc. and I cannot STAND colleens writing, I don't think I even finished the first chapter of It Ends With Us lol

[@masterkara23]

side note, thank god I read it online and didn't give that woman a cent of my money

[@kimaya4503]

this is so real.

[@annadelphia]

I read It Ends With Us and I cannot for the life of me understand 1) why that book is so popular, 2) why that book is popular enough to warrant a film adaptation, or 3) why she felt it needed a sequel. I finished that book out of spite.

[@PlantBasedBride]

lol those are all great questions. #1 is the one that baffles me the most. I was looking at the 5 star reviews on goodreads and I'm just so confused!

[@reihwan]

@@PlantBasedBride I was mostly disturbed by what the book was based on... and then how it romanticized it all.

[@margueritemitchell1829]

OMG.....I rated it a waste of paper and ink. It needs a trigger warning for violence domestic abuse.

[@mrsfruity76]

​@@margueritemitchell1829CoHo didn't put in trigger warnings, because she thought it would ruin the " plot twist". Baffling(imo) because CoHo has a degree in social work and worked as a counselor for the WIC federal program. WIC is a program that assists low-income women, infants and children with getting access to food, nutrition counseling and health-care services.

[@honeybunnybunny1958]

I really didn’t like the ending.

[@cashewbag]

everything i've seen about coho makes me incredibly sure that i never ever need to pick up a book of hers, thank you for your service

[@PlantBasedBride]

Haha you are so welcome 😂

[@laurenk5379]

I feel like Sally Rooney, Otessa Mosfegh and Taylor Jenkins Reid all belong in the sad, pretty girl starter pack.

[@Chinadollz101]

Some people say trigger warnings would spoil "It Ends With Us" but i fully disagree. She talked about the abuse with Lily's mom and dad so Ryle would've still been a surprise even with a trigger warning before the book starts. I would've liked a warning.

[@theerinmiranda]

I read Normal people a little over a year ago and absolutely loved it. I just felt such a strong, but kind of unexplainable connection with the characters. It's odd though because if I had described the book to myself before reading it, I would've been 100% sure that I would hate it, and I can absolutely see why people do. It's the only book that I don't think I could ever have a (friendly) argument about, because I agree with everything people hate about it, but for some reason, I was just glued to it. Hated the lack of quotation marks though. Like seriously WHY?

[@JellyGal101]

i agree like everything she said i agree with it but i still love it lol. i think its just nice to read a story about characters who arent great people, not everyone makes good decisions and not every story needs to be happy and heartwarming

[@alexjames7144]

I honestly think that 99% of the praise for normal people is because it's about people studying literature and the characters are written to appeal to the very specific demographic of people who read contemporary lit fic. It's just very intensely pandering to a demographic and beyond that has very little to offer, if you can't project yourself onto the characters and don't romanticise the lives they have there's nothing else there.

[@muireannmc1056]

​@alexjames7144 its not pandering it the writer taking deeply from her own experience. Its a character study with a particular perspective. Maybe some people will get more out of it if they relate to that experience, which is fine? I think there's something for everyone if they're willing to be empathetic

[@diegoherrera7545]

The lack of quotation marks is a device utilized by Rooney to represent the miscommunication between the main characters, which is a central subject in the book

[@ajknight8640]

@@alexjames7144Ig it’s down to perspective but I think character studies are all about putting yourself in the shoes of the characters. It might seem like projection, but that’s only natural considering the book deals with emotions/situations that literally everyone has experienced.

[@captainjuliab]

the cat interim was so wholesome, omg. my day has been purified

[@PlantBasedBride]

🐈‍⬛🥰🐈‍⬛

[@KMort]

My condolences, I would never. The literal quote I live by is: my good opinion once lost is lost forever.

[@PlantBasedBride]

Sometimes it pays off to give someone another chance! Definitely not always, though 😂

[@lizziejackson2529]

is that you Mr Darcy????????😂

[@KMort]

@lizziejackson2529 the one and only

[@jeanneobbard]

But Lizzie’s reply is “that is a failing indeed!” Darcy’s whole arc is that he gets over his snap judgment … so you’re using the quote wrong. 👀

[@KMort]

@@jeanneobbard when i find my equivalent, i might change it, till then - bittertown 😂💀

[@annewilgenbusch6749]

Not only is "It Ends with Us" a bad story, it is also a DANGEROUS story. It romanticizes DV. It makes the reader fall in love with Rile. Hoover writes Rile as the love interest for Lily, and in turn, many young readers also find him as a love interest. It is so so reckless and dangerous in the way it romanticizes DV and makes the reader wish Lily had stayed with Rile. I will never shut up about how dangerous and bad "It Ends with Us" is for young and impressionable readers.

[@amberly8028]

Isn’t that its only redeeming quality? That the reader falls for it in the same way that Lily does? The writing is subpar at best and Hoover is just Not Very Good at being an author, but I’m glad I read this one just for this reason. I’ve never understood how women get themselves into relationships with abusive men, and it’s now clear to me how insidious they are and how easily it happens.

[@masterkara23]

@@amberly8028 although I agree that it is good how we see her point of view, it can be very dangerous and damaging to people who don't understand that he is not a good person and the things he does are not good behaviors. Some people are so sucked into Lily's perspective that they are blinded by the fact that he is abusive and you should not be sticking up for someone like that. By reading the book, many people are more susceptible to being in abusive relationships because they are shown that the actions are "romantic", "normal", etc.

[@michellecherie419]

This video is over an hour 😮 Girl, I feel for you with how long it must have taken you to edit this bad boy. Hats off to you. Instantly liking this video ❤️

[@PlantBasedBride]

haha so. many. hours. of editing 😂 thank you so much!!

[@zadira777]

This video was over an hour long and I still never wanted it to end

[@PlantBasedBride]

🥺🥹😭❤️ thank you! This one comment made all the hours to film and edit this video worth it 🥰

[@KirstieElen]

I LOVE the way you treat your cats. It's so incredibly heart-warming to see you cuddle them and it's so cute how you talk to them ❤ The cat-clips in this video (and so many others in more of your videos) are just so thoroughly wholesome ❤

[@PlantBasedBride]

Aw thank you 🥹 I love them a lot haha my husband and I have both talked to them like they’re little humans since we adopted them as kittens and they’ve become so talkative and animated from it! They’re pretty awesome 🥰

[@Octobig]

this is SUCH a fun idea for a video! 💖 thank you for suffering so we could have such lovely (and snarky!) entertainment. also, your bangs + new glasses = 50s librarian... ✨perfection✨ (also, i feel you so much on the project hail mary praise online. it's a very specific level of cringe that you captured PERFECTLY)

[@PlantBasedBride]

haha thank you! I'm feeling all my new glasses for sure ☺❤ and lol yes, PHM praise is on another level, and I am definitely past the saturation point on it 🙃

[@taylorgayhart9497]

I LOVE Project Hail Mary, but not at all because it’s SciFi but because Rocky is adorable and I loved their relationship! I recommend it to friends who aren’t SciFi fans lol

[@PlantBasedBride]

Rocky is definitely the best part of the book! I can see how it would appeal to people who don’t usually dip their toe into sci fi. I really wanted to like it but it just wasn’t for me, sadly!

[@WifeB0t]

I also love Project Hail Mary and Rocky must be protected at all costs. NGL when I heard PBB spout off so much hate for the book, seriously considered clicking off the video lol

[@catdownthestreet]

I think part of why I loved Project Hail Mary so much is because it explained things in an easy to understand way. I’m an eleventh grader with a post secondary reading level, so Project Hail Mary was a perfect book for me. I also appreciated the humor because it’s my kind of humor. Maybe that’s why it wasn’t as enjoyable for you, because it’s an adult reading level book that feels like it’s more for teenagers.

[@MsKassandraKotaku]

The Martian is actually one of my favourite books. I read it while completing my PhD and Mark was like so many people I knew so it made it funnier. The quirks get real when you are that high in education and you start devolving in a lot of ways. We ended up passing the book around and everyone really liked it. I think it is a very niche group of people that can enjoy the book from the start because they know a lot of annoying assholes like Mark. He's written unlikable in a lot of ways but you build empathy for him and start to appreciate him as you go through the book...kinda like those people in real life.

[@nikkithegeek3525]

Excuse me but the conversation with your cat - absolutely awesome.

[@PlantBasedBride]

🥰

[@annec8127]

It was my favorite part too. So sweet and conversational!

[@nicollemanuelaarandapanque7432]

I started to watch your videos only for the journaling but very quickly was attracted by the rest of them because your voice and vibe give me calm. As for this video, thanks for suffering in order to help with the question "sould I give a second chance to Sally Rooney?" YOU'RE THE BEST!!!

[@PlantBasedBride]

Aw thank you! I'm so flattered you're enjoying my other content, too ❤ And no, I wouldn't recommend giving Sally Rooney a second chance if you didn't enjoy her the first time 😅

[@tessaknowles1223]

So glad you mentioned the eating disorder in Normal People. I read that book when I was about a week into recovery and had no prior warning of it involving an eating disorder. It really threw me off and upset me to the point that I didn't finish the book for a month or so. I feel like it didn't serve a point in the plot and it read like a pro-ana 'she's so elegant and delicate and has so much self-control' . I really did not appreciate it at all and honestly besides the lacking quotation marks (which I couldn't stand), it ruined the reading experience for me.

[@happyjellycatsquid]

Thank you for acknowledging the severe disorder eating romanticisation in Normal People because it genuinely encouraged me towards even unhealthier eating habits when I finished reading this book despite how much I hated it (and I hate it A LOT). I couldn’t put it into words properly because I didn’t know what I was doing was disorder eating back then, but the insistence on the beauty of Marianne extreme thinness without any exploration of the drawbacks of being that way (health issues, loosing period, hair, etc.) definitely rubbed me the wrong way

[@PlantBasedBride]

I’m so sorry you were negatively influenced by the book ❤️ I would have been, too, if I hadn’t been in therapy/recovery for 7+ years now. It’s so dangerous to promote an idealized view of EDs like that 😔

[@cfbg]

Sounds like a you problem.

[@arui6143]

​@@cfbgIt sounds like you have a lack of sympathy and compassion towards other human beings and their experiences:) Kindly keep your thoughts to yourself if you don't plan on adding something of substance

[@verob498]

The first time I read “The Martian” I just started aerospace engineering and I wanted to be an astrodynamicist soooo bad because of that book, now I do not-related-to-space things still in the engineering field but I really enjoyed that book at that time. Glad you liked it, too 🥰

[@PlantBasedBride]

It was super interesting for sure! I love reading about space even though I'm too much of a scaredy-cat to ever go there (if I got the chance somehow 😂)

[@liquidmantle]

The problem with "popular books" is that they are popular with people who are not necessarily readers. Their standards of quality are lower because they have less experience with books to compare it to. The more you read, the less patient you are with cliches, tropes, bad writing, poor narratives, subpar character development and plot holes.

[@emilybastong3896]

As someone who hasn't read "it ends with us" but has personal experience with domestic abuse, I have a few questions, the main one being is there a character in the book that keeps pointing out red flags and abusive behaviour who maybe gets dismissed at first but apologized to at the end? Because that is the only scenario this whole story wouldn't seem problematic to me. Like there is nothing wrong with accurately describing the process of an abuse victim in the relationship, it is something a lot of people go through in their lives, but it has to be pointed out from the start that that is not a healthy relationship and it is in fact abuse. Also I don't think that this should be marketed as romance as it is clearly a crime story in the setting of a romantic relationship

[@PlantBasedBride]

I'm so sorry you have personal experience with dv ❤ to answer your question, no, there isn't anyone pointing out red flags (unless you include a one-off incident where her ex-boyfriend asks if Ryle has hurt her when he sees a bruise and attacks Ryle in a hallway. Lily acknowledges he was right about Ryle in a later scene.). None of the people close to them notice any of his red flags until Lily herself tells his sister what he did, at which point Ryle's sister says as his sister she wants Lily to forgive him but as Lily's friend she'll never forgive her if she stays with him. There's also no indication that Ryle's sister confronts him about his abuse or encourages him to seek treatment for his trauma and anger issues. None of Ryle's early red flags before the first incident of physical violence are ever called out as red flags by anyone in the story, even Lily herself when reflecting on their relationship.

[@emilybastong3896]

@@PlantBasedBride Thank you for getting back to me this quickly! I like to "trauma-read" in a sense, where I intentionally seek out books that portray certain topics. There are so many ways to tell a story of abuse while continuously reminding the reader that it is in fact abuse by either having a character calling it out from the beginning, telling the story through flashbacks and the MC now acknowledging the abuse while seeing it differently at the time, through criminal investigations or court scenes, or at least having a prologue stating clearly that this story may read like a romance at first but is in fact a typical portrayal of how an abusive relationship plays out... Honestly, from what I've heard in your review, there are so many ways this book could have been written differently, and also so easily edited in after the fact, that I don't believe this book should have been ever published, which actually goes for a lot of romance books because portraying male love interests who are on closer look narcissistic, abusive control freaks as sexy, to die for dream men seems kind of a trope in that genre. In my opinion, it only reflects how normalized misogyny and questionable power dynamics are in our society and it makes me really sad for future generations reading these books... So anyway, thank you for calling it out♥️ I love watching your reading content and thanks to you I will read "The Collected Regrets Of Clover" once it gets released in July. I hope I'll enjoy it as much as you did.

[@bookhuggah]

@@emilybastong3896I’m happy for books that do call out such nonsense as red flags, and it helped me to understand why certain people were not safe. This book doesn’t seem to have anyone else best interests in mind. Thank you again for advocating

[@jdhelms]

I felt this way about ACOTAR, anything Colleen Hoover, Credence, and 50 Shades. 😅

[@Candlelb]

Credence made me feel sick😭

[@GeerieBeerie]

I just wanted to say that I really love, and feel so calmed, by how protective you are about young people reading such toxic things and thinking it's romantic. But also when your cat turns her tail to us, for protecting her! It just really shows how much you care and how much thought you put into everything :)

[@TemiDansoArt]

I love that you’ve read this in order from worst to best, although starting with such a bad book might’ve made me lose my will to live😂

[@PlantBasedBride]

😂 I almost did, truly lol I’m glad I stuck it out, though!

[@taylorgayhart9497]

The order I think you’ll like them having read NONE of them 🤣🤣🤣 1. Death in Her Hands (bc I don’t know anything about it lol) 2. Normal People (I just think it’ll be the least offensive lol) 3. The Martian (it’s not SciFi, just Sci so I think you’ll be bored) 5. It Ends with Us (everything I know about this book offends me 💀)

[@PlantBasedBride]

LOL I love this, thank you for participating regardless 😂 you got two right 👀

[@sherbert48778]

I actually enjoyed the silly little (yay!) and (boo!) type things in the Martian, I think it just showed Watney's personality and that he wasn't losing his sense of humor despite being literally alone on Mars. He was also recording them as voice logs if I remember correctly, so it might make more sense to think of it was something he is saying aloud to himself!

[@moniquerc_]

I would recommend you watching the normal people adaptation, it is such a beautiful adaptation

[@ljcarey011]

It's worth noting that The Martian was sort of crowd funded/written like a fan fic, with people weighing in and offering feedback/science to help him out as he wrote/shared chapters. My feeling is that Weir on his own is an annoying person and a poor writer, so his truly solo books as of late are an actual depiction of his personal style, and The Martian is more a reflection of getting lucky with helpful fan feedback along the way.

[@tomedling9441]

that first shot of you reading 'it ends with us' with the nails and the see-through notes and the TINY tiny pen is the aesthetic i want in life

[@gingerrae1659]

Can you PLEEEEEAAAAASSSEEE do a ""How to do a book review" for us?! I have a hard time being critical of work. I love how discerning you are and I'd love to hone that skill in my reading.

[@lene.m]

I'm a Sally Rooney fan to my core and BWWAY is one of my favorite books but... I have to ask what you felt about the theme of class in Normal People (and the latter book)? Rooney is a marxist, and so class is probably the most important theme in her works. The contrast between the gender and class of Marianne and Connell is to me what makes the whole story so interesting and work. Connell has power & privilige over Marianne as a man and Marianne has power & privilege over Connell as he' s lower working class/the working poor. Honestly this is why I love his character and the book, growing up poor Ive rarely felt as seen or as recognized as in Rooney's characters. I think if one doesnt read Rooneys work as "arbeider litteratur" as its called in my country or "working class literature / marxist literature", the genre it stems from ams she talks about in interviews, then it just becomes a slightly icky romance or coming of age novel. and its so much more than just that imo. im not saying reading it as a romance is necessarily wrong for those who like it as that, but seeing the background of what shes writing from puts a lot of context in every story she does and fills it out more.

[@PlantBasedBride]

That’s interesting! I noticed the class themes in both novels (I believe I included classism as a content warning on both) but didn’t feel either did a particularly good job of exploring intersecting privilege with class as a main component, especially not if that is a primary goal of her work. But that is, I think, an extension of my gripe with her writing style in general: she’s an ideas woman, and (in my opinion) not much else. She has so many intriguing ideas to share, and I can tell she’s a very thoughtful person, but she doesn’t translate those ideas into a novel that is either captivating or thought provoking. The idea that she’s playing with power and privilege between two people (Marianne and Connell) by contrasting their class and gender identities is an interesting one. But I couldn’t tell you what she was trying to say by creating that juxtaposition. Perhaps she’s not saying anything other than pointing out that those power dynamics exist, but I personally don’t think that goes far enough to justify a novel. Thank you for leaving this comment! I found it more intellectually stimulating than Rooney’s book. (That’s not sarcasm, lol, I’m being serious! I appreciate your comment.)

[@LizApizaa]

I think this disconnect exists because of the difference of expectations of different readers. I love the idea of plotless meandering storytelling for the sake of it. Where the subtext (of race, class, gender) tells a parallel story. This type of storytelling helps in revelling in the characters’ mood for long periods of time and understanding how the socio-political impacts even our intimate relationships with closed ones. Whereas clearly a lot of people want a lot of plot points and overt plot details explicitly mentioned.

[@Robi-Chaud]

I read Normal People recently without knowing anything about it or Rooney beforehand. And I was delighted when I realized that it was a Marxist work. I think a lot of people overlook this and just don't see how much class is discussed and how it drives almost everything the characters do. Also, you didn't bring this up but since I'm here, I'll say something about it. This book does not at all romanticize abuse or eating disorders. It shows how Marianne tries to romanticize it to herself so she doesn't have to face her issues. But the framing of these things is highly negative

[@moniquerc_]

i think normal people is a hit or miss for people specially because i feel like it hits harder if you’re a person experiencing a similar situation as the main characters, i love sally but conversations with friends was not my favorite because i didn’t relate to it as much. thank your sharing your thoughts tho i love to hear them.

[@PlantBasedBride]

It’s interesting because I’ve experienced several things that both Marianne and Connell deal with in the book, but as I mentioned in the video, I found the framing of Marianne’s struggles, in particular, a bit exploitative. As someone who knows how hard things like eating disorders are, I’ll never be on board with authors romanticizing them.

[@alexjames7144]

I think this is why I have a very low opinion of Sally Rooney. She just makes characters crafted specifically to be relatable to her audience and has nothing else interesting to offer.

[@devoidgamerofficial]

You talk to your cat like I do mine and I'm here for it!

[@kalkwiese]

Gives me flashbacks to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Not even nearly as good people claim imo. Such a shame, I wanted to like it

[@katharness2797]

"sure jan 🙄" is now a sarcastic addition to the internal monologue that continues daily in my mind.

[@PlantBasedBride]

It’s perfect in so many situations 😂

[@anavere]

This happens to me all the time (being disappointed by widely-praised books)! I have been circling around The Fourth Wing lately because I've heard so many good things about it, but I am worried it can't live up to the hype. 🧑‍🚀

[@PlantBasedBride]

I'm scared to read The Fourth Wing exactly because it's getting so much hype! I feel like that very rarely ends well for me 😅

[@dianawolf1684]

This is why I haven't read it.

[@sussybaka7862]

Fourth wing is def over hyped, very mid book at best 💀

[@panditvidushi]

Fourth wing is so mid. I just don’t get the hype. Literally the most predictable fantasy plot ever.

[@copascribe7472]

Elliot Brooks did a great review of this book on her channel.

[@chriscze6153]

I've read none of these authors and don't really want to read any of them, but I'm glad you found at least one book you enjoyed. This is also why I very rarely DNF, the beginning of a book can be bad but it can always turn around or have a satisfying conclusion, glad The Martian turned around for you too!

[@PlantBasedBride]

Same here. Sometimes I think I should DNF more, but I've had so many experiences where a subpar start turns into a fantastic read (or at least an enjoyable one)!

[@TerrigenCrystal]

Your clear post-it idea is blowing my mind! I like annotating but what to be able to resell the books I don't like. I tried regular Post-its but I don't like that they cover so much of the book. And your way makes it so you can stop feel like you're actually annotating...I love it!!! I'm going to start doing this

[@PlantBasedBride]

Glad it was helpful! ❤️

[@robyn8221]

Never read Colleen Hoover or Sally Rooney and now I know I’ve made the correct decision. Great video ❤

[@PlantBasedBride]

Thank you so much! I’m glad I could save you from some disappointing reads 😅❤️

[@blehblehblehdracula]

I’ve tried to read CH. It’s a no from me, dawg.

[@zsfi-posts]

The two can't even be compared...

[@blah914]

the issue i have with pretty much every review of this ends with us, is the inability to separate the actions of characters with real life, and what they want to happen with what actually happens. for me, what made this book awful is how painfully real it was. this shit happens, real life doesnt always have happy endings, they screw up, they dont fix things, ppl are blind to the fault in the ppl around them. its really f annoying that ppl equate horrible character with some sort of moral failure on behalf of the author. its a very immature analysis. and fyi, a Romance book doesnt need to be romantic and fluffy. the definition of a Romance is that the central plot revolves around a romantic relationship, not that the relationship is healthy. the trigger warnings are in the suthors note. if u dont bother to read it its your own fault.

[@RivkahSong]

I enjoyed both Project Hail Mary and the Martian but I can definitely see why they're not everyone's cup of tea. I think it helps that I first encountered both books through the audiobook versions my dad had bought and fallen in love with. The reader on those took those juvenile humor/condescending comments you mentioned like the "fun fact: solar cells need sunlight" or the one about his asshole doing double duty and made them more like the character is making sarcastic mocking comments to himself. Until you mentioned them I'd never even thought they were anything other than that but yeah, if you're first encountering them through dry text in brackets they probably do come across as condescension or juvenile humor. As for his not-like-other-botanists moments, I honestly thought his pretentiousness was a purposeful character flaw but now that you say it that could just be that Andy Weir IS kind of pretentious lol. They're definitely not perfect books but I still enjoyed them. I'm glad you had a fairly positive experience with The Martian despite his style not really being something you like. As for the "real one" emojis I have only experience with CoHo and Andy Weir so for those two books I give CoHo a 🤮and The Martian a 😘

[@iheartmarie]

Your expression at the end of C. Hoover's book spoke volumes! This video was so long, but your comments were so interesting that I stayed until the end. I love this idea. I may try it with my own group of authors.

[@rizzart66]

I don't read very fast. Only about 12-15 book per year. I love that you go in-depth. I see Hoover's name everywhere. I'm trying to be more intentional about reading BIPOC authors, including "the classics" Octavia Butler, James Baldwin, etc. Your voice is so soothing. I'm watching while setting up my next month in my bujo.

[@abetterlife3188]

I haven't read any of these books and am not a book lover. I'm here because I follow your Bujo videos; But, I watched the whole 1 hr and 24 min video because OMG you explain things AMAZINGLY!! You are highly observant and depictive and the amount of precision you dedicate to understanding a book is astonishing. Just by hearing you, I feel wiser than yesterday. Love you!! Keep up.

[@PlantBasedBride]

Oh wow, thank you! What a lovely comment 🥹 you’ve made my day! ❤️

[@FairyDustandLace]

I totally agree with all of the things you say about the first book and I haven't finished watching the rest of the video yet, but just wanted to point something out. When Lilly is laughing at the surgeon guy, it sounds like a fear response. It might not have been written well, but as someone who experienced that type of response when an ex boyfriend fell badly and when an oven burst into flames at a friend's house, the laughter wasn't manageable. I couldn't will it to stop to check on anything. So, maybe the author just sucks at giving those kind of details. I mean the fact that she tried to get close to him is a lot for that type of response. That probably was her trying to check on him.

[@WonkyWonko]

You’re so lucky to have not encountered the no quotation marks trend until now. I absolutely loathe it and so many books do it now.

[@bookishmammabudgets]

My first experience with Ottessa Moshfegh was Death in Her Hands and I absolutely devoured it.

[@PlantBasedBride]

“Devoured” is the perfect word for it! It’s a very well crafted book.

[@miabennett3130]

Colleen Hoover is the epitome of hit or miss for me lol. Some books I loved like Regretting You and Reminders of Him. Others I read were terrible Confess, Ugly Love and It Ends/Starts With Us. Verity kept me on the edge of my seat but at the end I was like wtf did I just read hahaha. Guess that is the beauty of books, something for everyone :)

[@PlantBasedBride]

So true! I don’t think I have it in me to try her work again, but it’s nice to hear a balanced opinion of her. I feel like all I ever hear is either glowing praise or all-encompassing hatred 😂

[@HushIAmTalking]

I feel like Sally Rooney has a style that is both very readable and does not make me care about a single character in it. I picked up one of her books in a shop and very easily finished the first chapter and was gonna continue but when I paused to think about if I actually had any questions about what was going to happen or if I really felt an attachment to any characters… the answer was no? And it was a weird feeling bc there wasn’t anything wrong per se? But there wasn’t anything especially right either. And I’m very much a ‘if I’m not intrigued in the first page I’m not reading it’s person haha Also she has weird societal takes that rub me the wrong way 😅

[@Darkbillhook]

I was so excited for normal people after hearing everyone say how amazing it was (including some booktubers i usually agree with) ...and I thought it was awful! It felt like it was written by someone who had just learnt to put sentences together and the lack of quotation marks made it unreadable for me. Throw in the boring unlikeable characters and it was a 1/1.5 star for me - personally just don't get the hype at all. Coleen Hoover is also a big no from me. Although I do have to defend the forgetting oven gloves incident - I'm 32 with a masters degree but I can't cook unsupervised because I constantly forget to put oven gloves on and I check if pans are hot by touching them (I have autism and adhd), so that actually seemed very believable and relatable to me! 😅Thankfully that is the only way I related to Rile though😅

[@pipparussell1493]

Not finished with the video yet, but god I would NEVER categorize it ends with us as a romance

[@pipparussell1493]

Finished the part with it ends with us, and while I broadly agree on the execution leaving much to be desired (and agree on the 1 star rating), I do think Colleen Hoover was trying to show that Lily wasn’t a completely reliable narrator and the descriptions of Ryle’s abuse were through the lens of someone who couldn’t accept what was happening to them because of the stigma attached to abused women. Then again, maybe I’m giving CH too much credit bc the ending is sooooo bad (aside from the conversation Lily has with her mother, which I thought was the only moving part of the book)

[@pipparussell1493]

Also glad you liked the Martian! Read it in high school and thought it was a lot of fun, always liked that so much of the survival situations were mathed out the way they were

[@trisanger8104]

Thank you! The quotation marks (or lack of them) was so confusing and horrible!

[@PlantBasedBride]

Right? It's annoying but on top of that it feels like a pretty blatant accessibility issue.

[@shiningyoonie]

lol then I'd def not recommend y'all read Cormac McCarthy.

[@johnsilver8059]

@@shiningyoonie or James Joyce.

[@sanderengelen9140]

I read Hopeless from Coho and I’m still trying to bargain with Satan to get that time back 😭✋🏻 Edit: It wasnt as bad as I’ve heard other books are, but it still romanticizes some abuse/manipulation in relationships and has some VERY questionable dialogue sometimes.

[@lydiamodderman]

This came at the right time! I literally went to your channel to see if there was a video I hadn't yet seen, because I needed some calming passtime activity when I wasn't feeling well. Much appreciated! - I've also learned from it: I wasn't a trigger warning fan. But my therapist has been teaching me: not getting into a stressful situation if you have that option, is a -choice-, a healthy coping mechanism. It isn't avoiding dealing with trauma (as I thought I had to confront myself with things as much as possible, if I'd ever want to see myself get through). Paired with that I had a very painful reading experience last week; your "they give the reader the chance to decide for themselves if they want to read about it" hit the nail on a huge life lesson for me.

[@PlantBasedBride]

Oh wow, I’m glad I could help reframe trigger/content warnings for you! Most of the people I know who use them don’t use them to avoid anything triggering forever, but to make sure they’re reading that content when they’re able to take the time to practice self-care and self-compassion if it brings up difficult feelings/trauma. It would be awful to read a super triggering book while in the middle of a busy/deadline heavy time at work, for example! I have also found they can help avoid books that add in triggering content for shock value rather than approaching it with respect and care, which I always want to do. ❤️

[@dariapyzhova6457]

I am currently reading my year of rest and relaxation and I have to say, i don't think it's bad. I would not say it is a masterpiece and rocks my world, but I kind of enjoy this whole "doing nothing, sleeping all day, being a rich piece of garbage with a sad story". It is oddly entertaining. But FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, Never ever in my life would I ever pick up a Collen Hoover book. There is just so much wrong with her books. And this is me saying this being a veteran reader of wattpad stories.

[@holacomooduh]

the whole vibe of this video was so peaceful. i was listening to you, hearing your cat pur and the bgm. i crocheted while watching this and wished i could get more of this 😭

[@PlantBasedBride]

Aw thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I have quite a few reading vlogs on my channel if you want more of this vibe 🥰❤️

[@sweetviolents29]

Project Hail Mary made me so annoyed. I was interested in reading Artemis because it sounded like a riff on The Moon is a Harsh Mistress which I had fun with! Then I heard terrible things about how Weir writes women... and Artemis has a female narrator. So I read Hail Mary. Surprise! He writes men like if the Magic School Bus was driven by the collective consciousness of Reddit lmao

[@PlantBasedBride]

LOL your final sentence is the most perfect description of his protagonists I’ve ever read 😭😂

[@billiep1603]

Colleen Hoover’s obsession with pregnancy and women NEEDING children makes me sick to my stomach I will not lieeee

[@etc4604]

I am now very interested in the book about fungi that you mentioned. as always, it was amazing hearing you talk about books for over an hour! I agree with your feelings about sally rooney, her books aren't necessarily... coho-level bad but they are rather overrated. also I wanted to say I noticed the transition cards - the moon turning into the sun, I think they're very pretty and they were a nice touch! great video 💞

[@PlantBasedBride]

Aw thank you! I highly recommend Entangled Life. It was fantastic 🙌

[@wittleMermaid13]

OMG one of your tab "keys" for the first book -"eyerolling so hard my eyes got stuck." You just got yourself a new subscriber. I just snort-laughed out loud.🤣🤣🤣

[@tatianavalentinataranu446]

I did this with TJR. I’ve read ‘the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ and gave it 1⭐️, but then I read ‘Carrie Soto is back’ and I ended up changing my mind and gave it 3⭐️

[@n14d14]

I can totally understand why someone may not click with my year of rest and relaxation, but the character isnt supposed to be a cute annoying unlikable protagonist. She is intentionally the worst of the y2k paris hilton rich girl era in one person. These bad traits are all intentional, and the protagonist experiences an arc throughout the novel of working towards being a better person. the ending is definitely out of left field tho like it left me all 😲😲

[@PlantBasedBride]

Oh I get that, but I didn’t see any growth by the end lol

[@kateeverling3730]

I have only read normal people and I did not like it all.. the part where you said it had no plot and felt nothing was SO relatable!! Also I’m very glad I listened to it because I would’ve hated the quotation marks and dialogue 😂

[@GlitterEnby]

I'm a DV survivor, and, based on what you're saying about the Colleen Hoover, it sounds horribly irresponsible. And it's wild thinking that a person who would abuse a partner wouldn't abuse their child. Children are even easier to abuse because they have less strength and power. They are less able to protect themselves and less likely to be believed if they try to get help.

[@syazanamansur1805]

i've only read one book on your pile which is the martian. i was in engineering school but i have to say i skimmed thru most of the astrophysics because it felt so distant to me but i felt like i quite enjoyed the characters and how it was written to be very approachable to most

[@bedlambelle]

The anti-colleen hoover is Rosalind James. She is such an excellent writer and she makes her plots interesting and sexy without being toxic. The relationships demonstrate consent in a beautiful way and the plots never hinge on poor communication. She also has a decent amount of representation of minorities lgbtq and neurodivergent-(coded) characters. (Although they're set in Aus/new zealand so mostly maori/mixed POC)

[@basiamichalska1965]

A bit of a nitpicky comment: you can't "accidentaly murder" someone. If it's by accident, it's not a murder.

[@LizApizaa]

I appreciate your video but I am in disbelief when you said, 'I'm not really sure why this book exists.' My jaw dropped! Are things not allowed to exist if you don't enjoy them?

[@PlantBasedBride]

Of course they can! I wasn't saying all copies should be destroyed or something, I was wondering what the purpose of the book was (does it have a message? Is it meant to educate? Or entertain?). I guess I didn't express myself clearly enough 😅

[@dawndiscusses5685]

Whenever I think that about something, it's less 'this shouldn't exist' and more 'I can't see what the creator was trying to do with this'.

[@jamieb2289]

I loved this video! I haven't read Moshfegh yet, but her books have been on my TBR list for ages. I am interested in "Lapvona", so I'm tempted to start with that, but then I'll give "Death in her Hands" a whirl.

[@NelliBeen]

I really resonate with what you said about normal people. I found the parts you mentioned about Marianne’s abusive relationships and sex realllyy triggering. I think for me it was BECAUSE of the writing style, that things were just thrown in there without properly delving in and ?kinda romanticising that made it quite jarring for me. I really wish it had trigger warnings!

[@lynnysharp8428]

When I first read the Martian I think I was in late middle school/early high school, and I remember really enjoying the writing style and the jokes. Looking back, that was probably because I was in my early teens! Your analysis was good and I'm glad you began to enjoy the book as you read it. Did you read a print version of Project Hail Mary or did you listen to it on audio? I listened on audio, and I think that enhanced the reading experience, especially in the production of alien speech (though I do understand your criticisms of the book and Weir as an author!)

[@SeattletoWellesley]

44:14 The only book I’ve ever heard that tended to not use quotation marks and didn’t separate quotes by paragraph was Handmaids Tale. Great book but I thought the same thing as you for normal people. It’s just not necessary.

[@mwillis7791]

I feel like it would have been so much better and appropriate if they would have just labeled “it ends with us” as a fiction novel instead of romance. That label is deceptive and damaging. For those that have suffered DV, I can’t imagine picking up a novel centered around a DV relationship and find it is labeled romance.

[@kscod6108]

A long time ago I made the decision to never watch or read anything for a long time after the hype dies down.

[@aricaice6447]

I did give a try to most of these authors but weirdly enough, the one I hate the most is Sally Rooney's work and I already tried Normal People and Conversations with Friends. Really didn't understand the hype because I don't find the writing style that amazing and I find most characters to be soooo dull. Btw, love the glasses and those nails!

[@PlantBasedBride]

Yeah, I’m not either 😂 though I feel like I should be as an overthinking academically-minded millennial 🙃 her writing style really irks me!

[@aricaice6447]

@@PlantBasedBride Omg ikr! As a millenial myself, she definitely isn't the voice of our generation, and you're right, maybe just a subset. On the other hand, I really enjoy watching your hour long videos while I work! I feel like I'm ranting with a virtual bestie on these books 😂

[@mikalena501]

That is my biggest gripe about Colleen Hoover’s books and how they are advertised. I work in a bookstore and it kills me when young girls and women are buying these “romance” books. These should be shelved and advertised as fiction. All stories deserve to be told, but DV stories aren’t romance and that should not be what is sold to young and impressionable people as romance!

[@JourneyThroughGenres]

I have read all these authors and have felt the exact same as you while reading them!! I couldn’t even finish Colleen Hover when I tried her.. I read rest and relaxation and hated the character and the book and almost didn’t give the author another chance…. But I read death in her hands and thought that was more up my alley in terms of taste… then I read Eileen and it’s my favorite of hers! I hope you continue to try her. I will warn you though… her newest book is insanely disturbing, soo if you have a week stomach I wouldn’t recommend, it’s full of shock value. However I really loved that too.

[@PlantBasedBride]

Now that I've had a good experience with her I've been considering Eileen! I've heard good things. I also have no intention of reading Lapvona (if that's the one you're referring to). The content sounds like it would be way too much for me!

[@sauen1988]

Thank you for making this video, I appreciate all the work that you put into it and I watched the whole thing ❤ I think I'll give The Martian a go, maybe. Also, I'm a writer, working on my debut novel. Now, even the thought of you reading my book terrifies me 😂 Making notes and analyzing like that! Good thing I'm writing in my native language, but I do hope it will be translated to English 😅

[@Buntibooks]

I have never seen the appeal of "gritty" romances or what i call depressing books. I read to escape reality, why would i want to read about bad relationships.

[@alecuellar698]

I like it ends with us on the fact that a lot of people are questioning Ryle's actions from the beginning, it's good that we're questioning what abuse is and why we romanticize those behaviors. Someone healthy, from chapter one it says, that man is a red flag. People who don't may be questioning it now with all the comments.

[@DragonBloodShepherd]

Oh, I admit, I was silently hoping I found someone with similar feelings about book, and I was sooooo right! Thank you! By the way, that black kitty cat brighten my mood. A lot! She's adorable!

[@PrimordialGrey]

I remember wanting to read The Martian years ago but it wasn't in my bookstores. I saw it the other day and seeing it in this video was a funny coincidence. I dont know if you've ever done this but a video with your sci fi recs or sci fi for beginners would be pretty cool to hear what you think :D

[@user-bg4ig7rl3d]

Good choice on Hoover, I made the mistake of continuing to read them all and what a mistake, it gets worse. And irresponsible is the perfect word for it

[@impastomusic]

I’m only twenty minutes in but my masochistic side is so grateful that you are willing to suffer for the content gods 😅 I’ve not read any of these books or authors, though Rooney and Weir are somewhere on my endless TBR. But my reading tastes jive enough with yours that I’m a little skeptical. I am always here for CoHo critiques and am looking forward to the rest of the video. I’m also proud of myself that I remembered to use your affiliate code when I ordered from A&O today ❤️

[@PlantBasedBride]

Lol you are so welcome 😂 it ended up being a really fun experience despite not loving all the books, though! And thank you! ❤️ what did you get from A&O?

[@jessicafalkner9785]

I absolutely hated Beautiful World, Where Are You too for all the same reasons. It was so boring too. It was my least favorite book of last year.

[@PlantBasedBride]

SO. BORING. 😭

[@joannievh2071]

Similar to your prediction, I rhink from least to most liked is going to be: Colleen Hoover, Sally Rooney, Ottessa Moshfegh and Andy Weir. I love your spoiler alert! 😍 Edit: Unsurprising that you know yourself better than I do! 😂 I haven't been in that situation: I have hated novels from authors that I live but it was never my first read. Otherwise, I have not given second chances to author from which I didn't like a book... Perhaps I should! 😅

[@PlantBasedBride]

Oo you got two right! 👀❤️

[@austinsimmons535]

It depends on the attitude you have going into it. You knew you wouldn’t like It End With Us, therefore you didn’t. You can try to say you remained openminded but subconsciously you did it to yourself. Also, some point of views and stories may be hard to grasp and a little hard to swallow. Does not make it bad or necessarily wrong. These can be real experiences from real people sometimes.

[@hybiscusify]

When I saw this video, I decided to look at the first few minutes to see what you would do with a segment like this (I’m a bujo fan), and I ended up watching until the end. I’ll admit that I skipped through a lot of the time you were actually reading, but I’m amazed that I watched it till the end. Great job, and thanks so much. About the Martian, I looove science fiction, but I am not a Sciency person. I really appreciated that the beginning of the book was simple. I was able to get into a mindset that allowed me understanding how the main character would describe things. I truly enjoyed the rest of the book for all the reasons you described because I had been prepared for the way that he would talk about, the more technical aspects of what he was doing on Mars.

[@sarahandhershelf]

The new glasses are giving Ms. Frizzle vibes and I mean that as the highest compliment possible. 💛

[@PlantBasedBride]

Wow, thank you! 🥹❤️ it’s a dream I have had for so long 🙌🙏

[@solar1913]

They’re all beautiful but the hexagonal ones are sooo pretty. I love « bigger » glasses but they usually overpower my face but those don’t have big frame so it might work? Hmmm…

[@solar1913]

Oh and thanks for the sacrifice. I will avoid the suffering these book might bring!

[@Breanakechelle]

I had to pause at 15:53 to read the key for your tabs and I’m falling over laughing 😂😂😂 the third one is too good!

[@simplyreads]

Where did you get those post-it note stickers you used in "It Ends with Us"? I would like to get some for my own reading!

[@tirarosaurioreads]

Your void makes such similar noises to my black cat

[@PlantBasedBride]

Aw haha I don’t know but I love them! Our floofy void makes similar sounds but he’s got some of this own quirks going on 😂

[@Ashley212131]

I agree with your take on It Ends With Us!!! You put all my thoughts about this book into words. I’m not sure why it’s so hyped. If I’m being honest I’d rather read the whole Twilight saga all over again as it is more entertaining than this book will ever be 😂

[@PlantBasedBride]

😂😂😂

[@warnerblair]

Whenever I saw it ends with us it was always in the fiction section. Not the romance and all of a sudden in the recent year and a half ago or so all her books which were first on fiction are now in romance. I don’t know if I’ll ever read them

[@stillbejulesed]

finally a video for me!! i had the same experience with Emily Henry as you, i HATED people we meet on vacation then loved the rest of her books (would love to hear your opinion on her newest novel happy place!!) and also with Sally Rooney ( DNF'ed normal people but ADORED conversations with friends) so i get the struggle and i am always open to reading books from authors whose other work i didn't like all that much!!! i really liked this video, your thoughts are very insightful!!!

[@stillbejulesed]

also forgot to mention Stephen King, i despised misery (King's portrayal of women is.... something) and then really liked carrie