I asked 700 people what their worst book is ☠️

if you've been personally attacked by any of these books, now you know you're not alone!
*if you'd like to use my book depository affiliate link to check out any of the books mentioned and support my channel it's below! www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm...
🏺I also exist in these places 🏺
ASMR CHANNEL / @lunarlibraryasmr3652
GOODREADS: / emma
INSTAGRAM: / emmie.reads
BUSINESS: [e-mail]

[@neena7617]

I work at a bookstore and the amount of colleen hoover books sold each day is despicable.

[@snapcrrracklepop]

i think that proves that regardless of what social media spews, most people enjoy her literature. i’ll still pass

[@whoknowsvee]

same. it gives me the ick, because like, the other day a mom with like a 12 year old girl came in and the girl was deciding between a colleen hoover book and red, white & royal blue (which i personally find WAY MORE appropriate and overall better than any CH ....) ONLY to leave with the hoover book because it was cheaper....

[@maggiefelisberto5281]

Same at the library, so many of them are always on the holds shelf

[@elina-ru9mf]

@@whoknowsvee where I live the booksellers tell the parents what age the book is suitable for so recently I tried buying a coho book just for the fun of it and the seller told my mom its not suitable for ppl younger than 18 so I couldnt get it

[@anateator486]

Hate Colleen Hoover books and Verity is the worse!

[@brunamgc]

We all already knew Colleen hoover was going to be in this video before opening it 😂

[@LexieMoon321]

It’s a mutual thought that we all had 😂

[@brunamgc]

@@LexieMoon321 now I am laughing at the amount of times she appeared in the video!

[@khalilahd.]

Lmfaooo yup. I was waiting for it too 😂

[@pinkman17_]

God i hate her books so much im mad shes in a list even if it's a bad list lmao

[@LexieMoon321]

@@pinkman17_ I just know the BookTok girlies are about to come across the table to defend her lol

[@plantbasedontheprairie]

"How can a book that is entirely set on the ocean be this dry?" I absolutely lost it there 🤣

[@industrialstr242]

They're just salty....🙃

[@kristen7623]

How did she keep a straight face 😂

[@stanzinjigsdal7447]

Timestamp pls? 🙏🙏

[@mwahaha3750]

@@stanzinjigsdal7447 11:46

[@nevaehlittle4296]

@@kristen7623 cuz she’s dry

[@cassandralyne]

My biggest issue with Colleen Hoover is her books are NOT romance… they romanticize abusive relationships as if they are all the rage and normal *uwu*

[@Blondie101010100]

Unfortunately a lot of relationships are like that and toxic. They are probably the people that love her because they can relate to that type of "love" and it's normal for them 😔

[@saqweq]

The main issue with her is just how shitty the writing is, her character writing is awful. Most popular fiction authors have no idea how to construct three-dimensional characters. they feel like fanfiction fantasy.

[@saqweq]

@@Blondie101010100 they don’t relate to it. They fantasize about it much like girls who loved 50 shades of grey.

[@0210fnunez]

I hate that and is very common among writers.

[@nishthagupta1357]

Exactly yes

[@HarvestLockwood]

"I was never Team Edward or Team Jacob. I was Team Carlisle." Valid.

[@isaa1782]

100% agree with her. Was team Carlisle as well

[@preppy.smores]

im team edward x jacob and then alice x bella

[@isaa1782]

@@preppy.smores that would've been great!

[@preppy.smores]

@@isaa1782 yes!

[@PichuElric]

@@preppy.smores Only thing that makes sense

[@Arcon1ous]

I feel like The Great Gatsby gets such a bad rep because in the states they often give it out as high school required reading material in grade 9 or 10, when people aren't really ready to digest something like it, so its boring and awful and hard to get through for them.

[@anitas5817]

I agree!! High school is too young for the themes in this book.

[@sweetviolents29]

Absolutely, I had NO ear for ironic dialogue at 14 lol

[@athiyamia7579]

100% I for sure agree. I also think the themes in classical literature is often misunderstood or taken to be boring by kids in school. It’s hard to get kids to love a book that’s basically social commentary or allegory or satire 🤷‍♀️

[@mdipeace]

Yup. Exactly. I read this when I was assigned it around 12 and did not get it.

[@hamoudalnasser]

Yeah it's like people who think they hate Shakespeare. Don't realize how indebted a lot of their favourite writers are to his work. People just don't like being forced to read books. I feel like people who say that is their least favourite novel are people who haven't read much since high school.

[@littledeebee]

I saw SO much hype about Colleen Hoover being so awesome. I finally read It Ends With Us, well tried to read it. I couldn't force myself to read it all. She writes like a high school student. The sentences and dialogue are SO simplistic. I felt actually dumber for having read what I did. This video made me feel better!

[@Mili0713]

MG YES. seriously not trying to act elitist but having grown up with classic and romances like that of Austen and Brontes and so on, i physically want to cry every time i see someone saying her books are the best romances ever written....not to mention how problematic they are. I read the back cover summary of a couple books and the first few chapters or so of it ends with us and i dropped it immediately. Sadly, I've seen wattpad fanfictions better written than this

[@cbwoods5166]

Just like Nora Roberts last series…. I felt I was in a high school girls bathroom, listening to immature conversations. Bleh

[@alinenakamura962]

i read a translated version of “it ends with us”. I thought the weird sentence structures and just bad writing was very much because of the translation. now i have to stop talking shit about the translation seeing that the original writing is the actual problem lol

[@knccc]

I read Verity and It Ends With Us I could not finish either of them 😭

[@kavehkavehkaveh]

forget a high school student, she writes like how i did in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 😭

[@asahiynj4459]

it’s crazy how fast hoover went downhill, she was a trend in the booktok community and now all of a sudden EVERYONE dislikes her 💀

[@priiifrg]

no, the kind of girls who liked her back then still like her now, what happened is that more sane people got exposed to her works and became haters 😂

[@devonmunn5728]

Before BookTok was even a thing there were people who criticized her works. Like one big example I remember is when WhittyNovels review where she criticized the relationship dynamics and Colleen Hoover ended up reading WhittyNovels review and was affected by it that in digital editions the scene was changed. I would say when It Ends With Us was really well received when it came out even by people who weren't fans of her previous works now it seems to be getting the same reception as her other books

[@asahiynj4459]

@@devonmunn5728 sure but im talking about how her sales went up because of booktok and went downhill when everyone started jumping on the bandwagon, she’s always had people dislike her books but her popularity peaked because of booktok and fell pretty fast because of it too.

[@loulelou]

I'm a Catcher in the Rye apologist! I read that one when I was an angry teenager myself and boy, did I feel understood. Idk how I will feel abt it now, but I think I'll still love it. Holden has a special place in my heart.

[@lorilimper5429]

I also loved this as a teenager and totally identified with it. When I read it again recently I was surprised to see the narrator as a narcissistic entitled a-hole. This makes me appreciate the book more than ever.

[@becgroves5795]

@@lorilimper5429 I read this in my 30s and I thought it was absolutely brilliant. I didn’t think he was narcissistic. I thought he was totally unable to process his pain and so resistant that he literally went from one thing to the other to try to avoid it. I think it is a story that shows you can never outrun pain, and if you try you are only a pain to everyone else.

[@wormdoodles]

@@lorilimper5429 The thing is, the main character is a 15 year old boy who's really going through some stuff. It drives me nuts when people call teenaged characters in books a-holes, or narcissists, or whatever because, well, that's who teenagers are.

[@cinnamon9390]

@@lorilimper5429 Wait what about him (Holden) makes you say he's a "narcissistic entitled a-hole"??

[@cutie11711]

Same!!! I guess I understand why it’s not for everyone, but I really like it and I think it’s a great depiction of the painful and confusing process of losing childhood innocence. Sure, Holden is a little annoying but that’s cause he’s a literal child and he’s just trying to figure shit out.

[@leena118]

Donna Tartt's The Secret History is one of my all time favorite books. Tartt's way of drawing character in this book was so authentic, I felt like I was at the university with those group of people. So good. For those of us who went to college in the 1980s, this book is a way to immerse ourselves in that time while following a really compelling story.

[@griffendell]

100% agree!

[@saqweq]

The Secret History was better than The Goldfinch. She can’t write men or adolescent males well but for some reason is obsessed with writing books focused on mostly men. Similar to men writing women, her narrator’s internal monologue feels like what a pretentious 30yo woman wants a man to be like.

[@samanthaleaf]

i feel the same way

[@Sueellenmschke]

Yes, I loved The Secret History. It was a 5-star read for me.

[@industrialstr242]

Yep, I love this book. I honestly listened to the book, read by Tartt, after I heard her read another favorite of mine, True Grit. Her voice! Sorry... it kills me and melts me into a pudding lol. The audio has a few mouth noises which raise my hackles but .... yeah... totally worth it.

[@megsharber8429]

I can't wait to hear what you think about catcher in the rye. Tons of its fans are insufferable, but the book itself is actually super beautiful. I think a lot of people read this for the first time as teenagers and don't realize that Holden Caulfield is unlikable on purpose. Reading it as an adult, it breaks my heart. Such a sad story about a deeply, deeply lonely teenager who is dealing in all the wrong ways with grief and alienation.

[@jessicahartle3946]

I liked this book as a teenager but I wonder if reading it as an adult would chance my opinion….. might be a good challenge. Compare: Your teenage self rating books vs adult self rereading and re-rating the same books…

[@QuirkyGirl10]

I was a teenager when I first read ‘Catcher in the Rye,’ and yes, I found Holden Caulfield unlikable, but have always wondered if one’s perspective changes upon reading it later on in life, so now it is on my TBR. I hope to reconcile my feelings towards Holden upon a re-read😊

[@Sky-bu1jj]

I _am_ a teenager lol, I read it two years ago, and I completely agree with you. However, I'm seeing a lot of people who read it for class at my age who absolutely despise it, so I think reading it independently (of your own free will), thinking about it independently without the classroom atmosphere gave me a different experience than the probably like 50% of US-Americans that read it for class (and hate it).

[@nguyethuynh11]

I first read it when I was around 17 and I hated it back then. But four years later, I picked it up again and I found it to be the most relatable thing I have ever read in my life. Maybe certain books just need to be read at the right time.

[@khush7779]

I'm a teenager who's read it twice and I find the hate around it so sad. Like people need to empathize with Holden while reading it, he's lonely and dealing with grief and depression, he's not some snarky teen hero

[@brittlizzzzzz]

The Great Gatsby took me 3 reads to fall in love with it. We read it in high school - hated it. I tried it again a few years later - still hated it. Then tried it again last year and omg I loved it.

[@paulafahnenbruck8238]

I kind of felt that pattern with a lot of the books in this video. It´s mostly books people encountered in high school, which in a lot of cases already puts you in a different mindset while reading, and they just remember not liking it and never picked it up again (of course just an assumption). I felt kind of sad to see Great Gatsby or Catcher in the Rye on here, because they are in my opinion classics for a reason and I think a lot of people would like them if they gave them a second chance in a context that is not school.

[@katien3022]

How did you have the energy to try it three times?! Wow I’ve only re read books I’ve liked that many times.

[@industrialstr242]

I read, on and off. I go through seasons of reading, so to speak. Much like you this one needed to land in my lap when it did for me to discover I love it. I think it is generally wasted on most teenagers and that may damage the book's reputation and keep people from re-examining it later. That's sad to me as this is probably my favorite book, and one I have read as many as 10 times in one year. It's the only book I have read more than three times.

[@finding.dorii.]

Respect for book second chances 👍🏻 I have trued reading Gatsby roughly a year ago, it didn’t happen and it got dnf-d, but only this week I got a new copy from WOB, and I am willing to give it another chance. Sometimes the timing of the book is just not right, sometimes we are just not in the right headspace to receive the story within :)

[@marty9011]

I've just finished reading The Great Gadsby & it's OK but not a great book. I had read it years ago & will not read it again. I also recently re-read The Catcher in the Rye & found it so boring.

[@rosabellebelieve7762]

I'm such a Lord of the Flies apologist, i cant even- I LOVE survival horror stuff, speeecially when it takes on peer pressure and rising stakes. it all turns into ABSOLUTE chaos, and the ending is like having a bucket of cold water thown at you, yet it feels warm at the same time

[@JoannaNaomi]

“What was more culturally significant, the renaissance or…” The Renesmee??? Emma, the joke was there! Can’t believe you missed it 😂😂😂

[@Rocker9593]

I thought she was calling the baby renaissance at first 😂😂 🐀

[@PichuElric]

Fr fr

[@jjleecore]

[TW: mentions of unaliving] The depiction of mental health in The Midnight Library isn't bad, it is A depiction. Not everyone struggling with mental illness/depression and suicidal tendencies have the same experience and there is something very weird about proudly saying "that's a bad depiction of mental health" because there's probably some people who felt really seen by the way the main characters deals with her issues. We have to remember that media cannot represent everyone and everything all at once. The people who could not relate to the issues of the main character are totally valid but there's a lot of people who did and by discrediting the work and themes Matt Haig puts forward, we are also dismissing the real-life struggles that the people who did relate are currently facing. The book has its issues but the depiction of mental health is probably not what people should be criticizing.

[@sweetviolents29]

I haven’t read the book you mentioned, but I feel like this happens every time something popular scrapes the surface of mental health. I’ve never felt more alienated than than when review after review denies that a given representation of mental suffering could possibly reflect reality… when it looked pretty darn real to me! Just because a depiction isn’t accessible, doesn’t mean an experience doesn’t exist. I wish this sentiment was more common.

[@blueXkanna]

Hi Jamie, thank you for posting this. I hadn't stopped to think about it like this and I've always taken reviews about "bad depictions of..." at face value. I see now how important it is not to ignore someone's experience even if it isn't the popular one.

[@Mia_M]

I really enjoyed the book as someone who has struggled with mental health issues. I do think our experiences affect our feelings and perspectives when reading topics that hit close to home. Mental health experiences are so subjective because it’s so different across the board. It’s why some people adore The Bell Jar and others hated it’s depiction of mental health.

[@Queen1Kingdom]

I loved the book. It was a 5 stars read for me. You’re exactly right in what your saying. Also, the author has struggled with mental health and sui**** thoughts

[@mirela2608]

Agree hundred percent.

[@Maria-pz3bz]

I really liked Lord Of The Flies : it was so interesting to see how the boys would survive and what would happen. But yes, sometimes it was a bit long

[@safaiaryu12]

I'm about the same on Twilight... The series kept me very entertained for like a week in college. Then I realized how, uh, terrible the relationship was. But my sister, who had struggled with severe dyslexia her whole life, read Twilight and loved it. It started her interest in reading. I can't hate Twilight for that.

[@Mia_M]

For me, I was 12/13 when I read it and it was like my first dip into YA romance. I loved it to the point of obsession lol but this was right before the first movie dropped, too. Not many preteens/teenagers are discerning enough to recognise the toxic and problematic elements because you get wrapped up in the ‘love’ story.

[@ellie27]

@@pierrein8432 because toxic romances are always very basic and crap in writing, hence more accessible to anyone unfortunately

[@Mia_M]

@Pierre In they’re easy reads and don’t require too much of an emotional investment

[@sweetestaphrodite]

@Pierre In ✨entertainment✨

[@nishthagupta1357]

Same lol & Bella irritated the hell out of me!

[@nicolefegan]

I am a Moby Dick apologist!! It can be technical at times but I think the gorgeous writing and overall vibes make up for it. I especially think you would like it, Emmie, so don't let this deter you!

[@emmiereads]

so nice to hear!!!

[@Tolstoy111]

@@emmiereads It's a masterpiece. An absolutely majestic work.

[@penultimateh766]

Yeah, just skip the whaling descriptive chapters if you want. "Speak, venerable head!....all this hast thou seen, and not a syllable is thine!"

[@mwyz]

Also gonna piggyback on your comment and chime in here. If I had the guts to bite the bullet and get a tattoo, it would literally be a quote from Moby-Dick. Yes, the more technical sections are quite dry. However, there are also some beautifully introspective, philosophical reflections that are absolutely stunning.

[@camscornerbooks]

I was trying to read Moby Dick when I was 10. I loved it. I can’t wait to read it again now that I’m able to actually understand it 😂

[@ihaverabies]

ugly love is essentially a 'love-story' between the main guy and his step sister, but don't worry because it was all in the ✨past✨

[@sarahs.2610]

The Secret History audiobook is narrated by Donna Tartt herself and it’s spectacular. Really brings Richard, Camilla, Charles, Henry and Bunny to life. I ended up buying the physical copy afterwards because I loved it so much. Definitely recommend listening before reading!

[@Ninaofthe90s]

I'm surprised Wuthering Heights isn't on this list. I know so many people who hate this! (It's one of my favorite books) 😊

[@LexieMoon321]

I think it’s not because about the book being bad but how sad it is and how the character are not the best. I read it this past summer and I thought it was a good read.

[@ivy-ys8or]

i’ve never heard anyone say bad things about wuthering heights! i still need to read it

[@Ninaofthe90s]

@@LexieMoon321 yeah but like I said... I know a lot of people who hate this book. They despised all the characters and therefore despised the entire book. I heard that so many times 😂 personally I think the characters are brilliantly written and therefore I'm incredibly invested in their story. But I guess if you don't care about any of the characters you don't care about anything that happens to them and it makes you dislike the book 🤔😂

[@QuirkyGirl10]

@@Ninaofthe90s I agree. I have at least one friend who hates ‘Wuthering Heights’ with a passion, saying that the characters are all screwed up, and after hearing her rant, I’m disinclined to read it myself, but then again, I was never inclined to read it in the first place.

[@moonsage.art.studio]

i was expecting the same..its my fav book of all time

[@Amorim_o_Breve]

I don’t really know why Paulo Coelho’s Alchemist is so popular in North America. Nobody in Brazil even takes the author seriously 😂

[@anacampos6240]

Bem isso, eu li depois de muito tempo ouvindo o povo falar que era ótimo e terminei tipo "Era isso?", parece que a maioria fica tão feliz de ter terminado e entendido um livro que tornou ele um favorito kkkk

[@AnnEast85]

Someone recommended it to me, so I just bought it a few days ago… Now what? Do I give it a chance? 😅

[@anacampos6240]

@@AnnEast85 Ofc it's a really quick read, not bad but also not so fantastic as people make it sound. It's just really simple over-all

[@Rohin1995]

When I had to read The Catcher in the Rye in high school I hated it but after I got a little older I gave it another shot and completely fell in love. CiTR was probably the first book to ever seriously deal with teenage angst and it came out in an era when it was almost never discussed. Holden is 16 years old, he’s dealing with immense grief, and it’s implied he’s a victim of SA. Of course he’s jaded and takes it out on other people and has long whiny rants in his head, who wouldn’t? But even through all that Salinger shows many times over that Holden is still a very sweet boy at his core, and just trying to navigate a very confusing world at a very confusing point in his life. Holdens hurt, he’s troubled, he feels alienated, and he’s constantly let down by the adults around him. It’s incorrect to shoot him down as just a whiny brat like so many people do. I actually think it’s one of the most empathetic novels ever written and one of the most deserving of a re-read by people who were assigned it in high school.

[@QuirkyGirl10]

Ah, yes, I was one of those high school students who had to read about Holden and his whining, but I have decided to re-read it as an adult - middle-aged, to be exact - to see if my feelings hold up. I’m inclined to think maybe not, so we’ll see if Holden finally wins a place in my heart😊

[@Nora_M.Byrne88]

Unfortunately I tried to read it three times during adolescence and finally read it two years ago (32 years old) and I hated it 😮‍💨😔 I found it repetitive, not that well written and without heart in general. Now that I'm reading, for example, your view on it I find some valid points but I think, for me, none of this concepts passed through words while reading it, and that's the one thing I don't like about it. I think classics have to impact us in a way that is detached by the cultural era and life, that's why they become classics and if I have to read an analysis to find all the right points the book hasn't done its work (with me, at least 😅) I'm glad anyway if anybody else find it beautiful, totally get it 🤍✨ (sorry if my english is a bit unclear)

[@Sikkimesegirlinengland]

I second that. Holden as a character is utterly misunderstood and I empathize with him so much. Catcher in the Rye is probably one of my favourite classics ❤️

[@tarastreasure]

I live in Europe so this book is not really "a thing" here and we didn't have to read it in school, when I agree, it can be confusing/uninteresting for most students. But still it's a known book here (at least if you're into reading I suppose) so I read it in my very early 20s and I loved it. I agree with your view of Holden. And the book has many subtleties that I discovered when I read it the second and third time... It's not so out there as it may seem. It also prompted me to read other books by the author and I liked them all.

[@yustaanna5009]

I loved this book! And agree with you 100%

[@dylanjones6068]

My whole thing with Moby Dick, is that a chapter will start as being very dry information about whaling and then it will end with some deep philosophical revelation in a way that really sneaks up on you. I love Moby Dick and its been a gateway into a lot more reading for me!

[@donnabert]

Nice!

[@hikari-.-7345]

Not Lord of the Flies! It’s one of the greatest works I’ve read, this novel digs deep in human innate behavior and human psychology.. it’s quite brutal but realistic I love this book.

[@sparksfly6149]

I'm going to take a hit at that, and say quite the opposite. In my opinion, the book is an overly simplistic representation of supposed "human nature", where even the actions of the child characters is not supported by precedent. In the vast majority of survival situations, such as the Andes flight disaster, it is shown that people do not resort to savagery even in situations more intense than what is seen in the book. I honestly believe that William Golding sought to profit off the rise of the dystopia, as well as the popularisation of pseudo-psychology (resurgence of Freud, etc) that could be seen at the time. This is seemingly supported by the fact that, unlike other dystopia writers (see; George Orwell) he only seemed to strike gold with that novel. Of course, I should admit that I haven't read his other novels. I never got around to it after reading LoTF, which I found surface level and contrived (so, none of the plane washed up? And there were convenient fruit trees? And nobody had ever seen a parachutist?). Though I had a lot of gripes with the book, I'd like to hear more about what you liked about it, if you will; I'm cynical by nature, so maybe I've missed what made the book so well loved.

[@dustrose8101]

@@sparksfly6149 I mean iirc the author said he wrote it because he hates British schoolboys so... yeah

[@frostrangerofthefrozenrelm]

I read the book by mistake, but I rather enjoyed lord of the flies. I found the story itself pretty interesting and wasn't upset that I read it by mistake (got the wrong summer reading list for ap lit)

[@donnabert]

I guarantee Harry Potter is on this chick's top ten books. She's shallow and will never understand true literature.

[@cmac11]

sunbeamsjess did a vid on unpopular book opinions from her viewers a while back and there's this quote someone sent about Sally Rooney's writing and that 'she presents generic observations as something profound' and honestly, that's how I felt about normal people

[@AthynVixen]

curious to hear you mention Sunbeamsjess doing this as she is notorious for not engaging with her viewers or responding to comments

[@kirbyvore]

But the beauty of Normal People is how it describes modern relationships in a way I’ve never seen other authors do. I related so hard to both characters and to their relationships and their relationship with each other. Generic things CAN be profound because they aren’t generic to everyone.

[@emarigo]

@@kirbyvore EXACTLY thank you. i completely understand the criticism of sally rooney but i cant help absolutely loving normal people. it makes me bawl my eyes out everytime i come across a quote from the book/scene from the series. not one piece of media made me felt so seen like normal people and especially marianne had. its exactly about what the name implies - normal modern relationship between two very flawed young people. im a proud normal people apologist bcs this book made both me and my partner finally actually feel completely understood!! its so amazing

[@anna-ie5lk]

I can understand how this would be annoying for someone expecting in depth, descriptive prose, but i still consider rooney an incredible writer because those generic things she’s saying - i have never read them anywhere else. She has a power to grip the parts of life that are really its core, and show you an unblemished, pure handful of it. Most other books tend to show you these things through filters of what you’re meant to feel reading it. I don’t read her prose with a thought of “this sentence is meant to be deep”, I read it as “you’re meant to read this sentence and sit with it, take from it what you will. If it doesn’t mean anything to you then it doesn’t mean anything.”

[@epapes730]

I think several (most? all?) of the classics are on here because in the US (and maybe other places, but I can't speak to that) many of us are forced to read this books before we have the ability or desire to actually understand and appreciate them. I wish high schools focused on more modern, relatable books for required reading, because so many of them still have merit and themes worth studying, and maybe they wouldn't foster such a dislike of reading among so many young people.

[@gruftitrash1774]

Same in german gymnasiums. They have to read goethe, kafka, schiller, dürrenmatt

[@PichuElric]

Amen!

[@jackdonohue7893]

I have the opposite opinion. One English class I had we had to read more modern books and I was annoyed, as high school required reading should be getting kids to read books they normally wouldn’t read on their own

[@rienn8559]

@@jackdonohue7893 they should do a mix of both :) all genres too

[@MadisonKirby-sw9ru]

this video made me laugh out loud. i love how you hate cursed child with out even opening it. that book was pure torture.

[@Samuel-sw4yg]

I have read the Catcher in the Rye twice in my sophomore and junior year of college and loved it. I think I like the melancholic vibe it has throughout the book and the last sentence always gives me the chill in a good way.

[@vanesaeos]

I love how this video is just the books i get recommemd on booktube and bookstagram all the time

[@blabbinglobster]

I found My Year of Rest and Relaxation to be deeply sad, but Moshfegh is in full command of her writing craft. Reading Vanity Fair in university was pure torture. I was literally counting down the pages until it was over, and I remember almost nothing about it.

[@thefriesofLockeLamora]

I couldn't disagree more. Moshfegh is not a brilliant writer. She's the literary equivalent of Lena Dunham

[@lolalove6141]

Oh, thank God! My Year of Rest and Relaxation is such a bad book. I struggle with the mental illnesses and even the grief of losing parents depicted in the book. I was even interested in the idea of locking yourself away to have a reset in life. This book did such a disservice, in my opinion, to all that it touched on, and the lack of payoff just made me so upset. I think I gave this book a 2.5, and that felt generous. I could rant for hours about how much I hated this book!!!

[@becgroves5795]

@@lolalove6141 i read this on a recommendation and I hated it. I hated that she was so self-indulgent. She was only able to do what she did because she has money. It affected my mood too - brought me down. Awful, awful book.

[@Kwiwit]

I really liked that book - main character was absolutely insufferable and it made it weirdly refreshing to me, I didn't feel any empathy towards her so i could follow her journey without second hand embarassment or pain. I loved the writing style and i agree it absolutely affects the mood - for most of it it felt as if main character was pulling me deeper and deeper with her fall, but ending brought refreshment and a feeling of katharsis. So interesting to read about all of yous insights though

[@tine272]

More than anything I wish people could just say a book is bad without needing some moral highground to justify why they hate a book

[@nerd26373]

Emmie never disappoints. She always knows which book that will fascinate her.

[@khalilahd.]

Agreed

[@donnabert]

WTF are you talking about?

[@isisvanharen730]

omg I'm so happy Eleanor and park made it to the list. I absolutely wanted to rip the book apart because it was so bad but I couldn't find anyone who thought the same. Now I have finally find my humans

[@aunabildigarna3199]

A Little Life is trauma after trauma after trauma but it also has one of the most beautiful sentences I have ever come across in my not so little reading journey. This is dark and talks about abuse, well, there are abused people out there and why not read about them once in a while. This is beautiful after beautiful after beautiful. You just have to see beyond the description of trauma and abuse. It's about love and acceptence and friendships and relationships.

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

YESSS!! Thank you!!!!! I loved the relationships (friendships and "family" loving someone so much yet the one being loved can't accept it).

[@ellie27]

Yes! I found it so beautiful and the thought put into it was amazing. A huge, unnecessary trauma dump but it was truly incredible and so well written.

[@thifanny7298]

It felt very exploitative for me, but I understand why people like it

[@anna-bj2tt]

@@thifanny7298 how did it feel exploitative? it wasn't romanticizing abuse in the slightest, it wasn't based off of real people/stolen narrative... its hard to see what could be considered exploitation. just because a narrative graphically depicts something to the nth degree doesn't mean it is exploiting something. horror movies are often grotesque and over-exaggerated but extremely effective allegories for tough topics. they both ask the viewer/reader "can you look at this?" and there's nothing wrong with not being able to - but its not good criticism, just personal taste and endurance.

[@unigon794]

@@anna-bj2tt ​ ​ ​ Coming in with comments from another video: the author admitting she did little to no research on trauma rightfully struck a nerve with some people. Along with the depiction of therapy as useless or even in the wrong. The queer community also took some issue with the book with Jude's abuse and suffering throughout the story, feeling as though he was an easy target and to have people obsessed over it even worse. And there was frustration expressed over every single man he came across as a kid must SA him. And as someone who did read the whole book, it was meh. The present parts of the story I was more invested in, but Jude's past went from tragic to ridiculous (mostly for the reason above). It was a tiring read for its length but not because it drained me emotionally, but because it became a series of "Oh, jeez, again?" And that's an issue when Jude, in this story about four friends, filled about 75 percent of the entire book (with too little moments about their actual friendship). Plus personally, I thought some plot points were just added as a deliberate jab at your emotions while feeling pretty cliché. I do agree that there were beautiful lines and moments, but it didn't make a beautiful tragedy or story in general underneath the misery.

[@Greanbean4816]

I think you would actually really like “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”!! It’s not even close in story or genre to “They Both Die at the End”. It’s a very literary and surreal horror. It’s mostly just two people talking on a long car ride but I loved it.

[@karissaridge8145]

emmie posting you know it’s gonna be a banger night

[@caprese63]

I love how much you've been posting recently Emmie!! ily

[@emmiereads]

awe so glad, been having so many videos I want to film recently!

[@khalilahd.]

Same! She never disappoints

[@caprese63]

​@@emmiereads you're such an inspiration to me, you've brought me closer to reading again and i love every video of yours!! tysm for responding omg

[@caprese63]

@@khalilahd. I know right! ;)

[@spalanai]

i read the love hypothesis and my brain cells literally died 💀

[@nishthagupta1357]

I found it good though ❤️💖💜

[@spalanai]

@@nishthagupta1357 that’s your opinion. i found it heteronormative, smutty, stereotypical, and stupid. that’s my opinion.

[@nishthagupta1357]

@@spalanai you're too serious in life then bro. It was a great happy romance 💗

[@nishthagupta1357]

@@spalanai no toxic abusive relationship like colleen hoover ones. And not cringey at all. Just a sweet love story

[@nishthagupta1357]

@@spalanai and most real life romances are also "smutty" & "stereotypical" bro. No one is having a great adventurous story each time & yet we appreciate those real life stories of real people ❤️ than why not a real novel on that? Its just some good old romance set in a modern time 💗💗 plus, love absolutely makes you stupid lol

[@karinheiss2145]

I loved the secret history!

[@5Crows]

I just read They Both Die at the End and really enjoyed it. Cheesy at times and I wish there were more answers about the world, but I overall enjoyed it

[@xrayofsunshine5579]

I recommend the prequel The First to Die at the End, it fills in a lot of gaps about the world and connects both books

[@anakhanair_]

Love seeing The Hating Game on the list ,makes me happier than it should.

[@sarah214ahmed]

Oh my God same . My friend was obsessed with it and I did not like it i thought it was so boring and average. Im not saying its the worst (like After) but it was very underwhelming and boring

[@kianahendi4003]

your reaction to the great gatsby being on this list is PRICELESSSSSS 😂

[@jax8362]

My friend read ugly love and when I said, Btw it's an abusive relationship, she said, "No. No it's not." She is the reason I dislike Coleen Hoover (ignoring her terrible writing). She's convincing my friends that abusive relationships are okay. :(( sad.

[@annasbooks]

im so here for the CoHo Slander 👏👏👏

[@annamaria9392]

The fact that I read after in middle school before it was even published still astounds me. Like now I would not touch that book with a 10 foot pole (but honestly it should have stayed a fanfic and something you read once late at night when you’re young and then forget about it years later but nooo it had to be published and turned into a movie)

[@Filmguy525]

I really like watching your videos Emma. You and Carolyn got me interested in reading classic literature again. I haven’t read any since I was in High School in the 90’s. Recently, I read Dombey and Son after you talked about the book in a video. I thought it was an excellent book. I look forward to reading more of Dickens’s works. Oh so the classic literature I read in High School was, To Kill A Mockingbird and The Count of Monte Cristo both I thought were really good books. I just wanted to say thank you for the great content that you post. I find your knowledge of classic literature very informative and it really helps in deciding what books I would like to read.

[@hyacinthh6900]

DOMBEY and SON was a fantastic story. ♥️

[@ReadRideLiveYourLife]

I'm very slowly making my way through Moby Dick right now and I LOVE it! Sure it's very long and there's lots of technical stuff in there but the prose is so gorgeous, it's really great for reading out loud, and the relationship between our narrator and the friend he makes at the beginning is written with so much warmth and love it's just really beautiful to read.

[@myrtolefk]

great idea to make this video so i stop adding books i need to read on my list at least for one video😂 hope you're doing well emma!💛

[@emmiereads]

😂 hope you’re doing just as well lovely💙

[@shieladaitol]

I have the same feeling watching the video. 😂

[@rhiannonfisher2792]

I’ve seen so many people hating on The Cruel Prince and I think that’s so interesting because I loved it. It seems like maybe it could be a marketing problem b/c it’s kind of marketed (at least on book tok) as this enemies to lovers romance, and there is some of that there, but it’s really political and about power and I really liked that Jude was selfish sometimes and was allowed to make big mistakes. I liked how deep the delved into the world of the fae and how the author made it pretty clear that they aren’t human. I think that’s why she gave Carden a tail too, like he’s not human and she didn’t want us to forget that. I really love political intrigue in books so maybe that’s why I liked it so much, but yeah, I’m a Cruel Prince apologist for sure lol.

[@stienvanhalen]

jep thats exactly why i hate it. it was marketed to me as a romance novel, when in the end the trilogy only consisted of like 5% romance, without the proper pay-off imho.

[@stienvanhalen]

but tbf the rest of the novel was enjoyable. gotta say tho, i really didnt enjoy the last novel, because i felt like the happy ending was a tad too happy. perhaps i felt that way due to the consant betrayal and hostility between characters, which felt no where near resolved at the end of the trilogy

[@kavy_ay]

i agree. i enjoyed it because it was so non human and weird. Also they didn't try to make jude all righteous and all and let her be selfish and power hungry. Twas fun

[@sofiar57]

I usually pick up a book for romance but I love love love the trilogy and the reason I kept reading was for Jude and the world building and the politics. I accepted really early on that the romance was a side plot and I never enjoyed it less Bc of it.

[@JustLisaLife]

Okay, super late to the game, but yeah, my biggest issue was, that it was marketed as a romance and that seemed super toxic, so I decided not to read it. I only gave it a try afterI got a free copy, and holy f am I glad I read this, because ruthless, powerhungry June was a real treat!

[@wannabehuman]

i actually loved the Lord of the Flies. read it in grade 7 and again in grade 12. made me think a lot about group mentality and tribalism, how people can be blinded by fear and get swept up in a mob. made me look my flawed humanity in the face. certain plot points made little sense to me, but i found it suspenseful and easy to read and it definitely wouldn’t end up on my worst books list.

[@cactitrash]

I’m actually reading The Love Hypothesis and everytime something about Adam is huge I lose one of my nine lives I’m down to one life now

[@thezeethatwon]

rip bestie 💀

[@serene_reads]

ok just read it and tbh what was that ? how can people like such thing?

[@cactitrash]

@@serene_reads I have to admit, I only really bought it because it was Grumpy x Sunshine, and I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. Look where I am now: regretting my decision. It really wasn't executed well...

[@serene_reads]

@@cactitrash yes it's so stupid and the writing style is unbearable

[@thezeethatwon]

@@serene_reads can we talk about how some of the scenes (like the sunscreen one) feel like something you find in a fanfiction and squeal over it because that's your fav ship?

[@pendragon2012]

BTW, I loved Moby Dick. I understand how the tangents to explain details of whale anatomy slows it down. But the story is gripping and it's one of my all time favorites!

[@mercury5136]

You think A Little Life is an amazing book when you first read it (at least when I first read it) until you realize you can't say one thing you like about the book and the author is just using trauma as a plot. It's so long, and whenever you think the story needs to end the author just creates a new traumatic event for the main character and the story goes on for another 100 pages.

[@queenangix5110]

this has been the best countdown book videos i've seen! cant wait to see more of your vids!

[@karinheiss2145]

So my take away from this is not to read anything by Colleen Hoover - noted 😊

[@iamperfectlight1978]

"Jump scare she's back" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'm here for the Emma on-liners.

[@kristen7623]

With the straight face too

[@lunapark874]

so excited for you to read the catcher in the rye! [no spoilers] but i think a lot of the hate for it super misguided. i don't remember where i saw this but someone once made the point that reading this book is an exercise in empathy and i completely agree! at the end of the day, holden caulfield is a 16 year old kid going through a rough time. i think everyone could go a little easier on this character (especially since he's a SUPER realistic portrayal of how young people act, despite how much they may argue against it). personally, it meant a lot to me. i read it at age 16 and although i'm only in college now, i still have a hard time coping with the fact that i'm growing up so i remember the book/character fondly because well, i understand! i think we all do

[@joyaalexandra7718]

aww I loved the secret history!! I get it though, it also took me a long time to finish it because it really wasn't fast paced at all lol

[@isaa1782]

I think what people hate about The Midnight Library is that mental illness is somewhat healed by looking at the directions your life could've gone, which is kinda problematic. For sure the author didn't want to downplay such issues (as far as I know he struggled with mental health as well and therefore wrote the book) but many disliked the representation. Didn't read it yet though that's just what I've heard in reviews

[@anitas5817]

I think Heart of Darkness is a difficult book but that doesn’t mean it’s not great. It’s hard to take and I can see why it would not be a favorite but it’s a classic for a reason. Moby Dick is dry if you’re only getting it as a story about a chasing a whale. It’s one of the true existential character driven classics.

[@siouzsie]

Both Heart of Darkness and The Secret History are two really interesting and well written books.

[@oll99]

couldn't agree more

[@Noa-cc9ur]

haven't read heart of darkness, i heard so many mixed reviews on it that im affraid to pick it up.

[@deebrcd]

OMG totally agree with you in ‘The Secret History’. So slooow, especially the whole time period where he is in college during the winter break. A potentially 4.5* book reduced to 3/3.5* because of this!

[@loversepiphany]

from blood and ash was literally such a horrific series but i couldn’t stop reading it because id already wasted too much time on it and decided to commit to it but then something happened and it made my brain turn inside out and to this day i still don’t remember what it was but it must’ve been the worst thing id ever set eyes upon (til i read it ends with us ig) because ive blacked out the entire series and im so proud of myself for doing that

[@rachelmace6189]

This video proves how subjective literary taste is, which is a great thing. The Secret History was my favourite book of last year, which wasn’t surprising because I loved The Goldfinch. I’m going to be reading Tartt’s The Little Friend this year too. I’ve never read any Colleen Hoover because it’s not really my bag. However, I’ve been trying to read as widely as possible after many years exclusively reading classics (mainly Victorian) due to study requirements. So I read We Were Liars last year and actually surprised myself by enjoying it. Will it be a future classic? Unlikely. Did I enjoy the reading experience enough to now consider reading the sequel Family of Liars? Absolutely 😊 You never know until you try

[@VampireHeart518]

I find that in this list there are 2 categories: (allegedly) sloppy writing & content issues, on one hand, and Very Popular or 'you were forced to read it in school', on the other hand, where it seems to me that people's feelings towards those books have little to do with the book and more to do with the expectations or annoyance etc The secret history has been insanely hyped - the deeper for the plunge of dislike for some :)) (I quite loved TSH and was happy to discover that a book so popular has a more 'literary fiction' writing)

[@MarisaAndChew]

The first time I read The Great Gatsby I absolutely hated it. The second time I was warming up and now I really enjoy it and woudl reach for it anytime I need a bit of a palet cleanser. I THINK the reason I hated it and slowly warmed up, was because the first two times I read it, I was also reading it for English classes in highschool. I read it in one sit to get it over with, each time. When I finally picked it up for my own pleasure, I was able to actually enjoy it and get into the story and characters. It's been about a decade since I picked it up last, but it is most definitely on the book shelf!

[@elizab3te]

this is the first video i'm watching of you, but i just wanted to say how amazing and peaceful, and beautiful ur voice is!!

[@camscornerbooks]

Another horrendous day at work and another Emma video when I get home. Sometimes I think this is all they keeps me going. ❤

[@emmiereads]

💙

[@ldgh2288]

I absolutely love Matt Haig. Saying that Midnight library has bad representation of mental health feels like a slap in the face, because I could relate to so much and I have 10+ years of depression.

[@griffendell]

Same!

[@wiktoriagrochola3256]

Yes! I feel like people who say it's bad representation believe that mental health issues look the same for everyone 🙄 for me it was perfect 😌

[@ellie27]

100% agree

[@temmiemew]

same. i read it during a mental health crisis last year and it really hit me.

[@thezeethatwon]

someone made a very good comment about how issues with mental health are different for anyone and there can't really be a "correct representation" of mental health. some people feel it is relatable and some don't

[@umairahabubakar9446]

i loved catcher in the rye!! It was required reading for my second year of uni but it was one of the books i really enjoyed

[@sakinaalia1067]

Please make a video on worst romances. I wanna get into it because I've been feeling really anxious recently and a book with a guaranteed happy ending could help that but I've tried so many where the toxicity of the relationship just pisses me off. When you said the love hypothesis wasn't one of your worst I really wanna know what were so I can avoid them

[@anavidreader277]

What kinda romance do you like - historical? Adult? Ya? Might be able to give you some recommendations :)

[@sakinaalia1067]

@@anavidreader277 I'm not really a historical girl I've found. Ya or adult is fine. If it's adult than I would like some steam but I don't want the whole book to be lust so maybe some sort of slow burn. I would just like to like the characters as people so dark romance is out and for there not to be an I'm not like others girl tinge to the fmc. Most important to me are banter and tension.

[@commedesgarcons9070]

@@sakinaalia1067 I don't really gravitate within the romance genre much, but I've read the brown sister trilogy by talia hibbert when I needed something to brighten my day after particularily tough reads. I found the stories to be very sweet. There is steam too and the guys are actually decent people haha. Each book is about the love story of one sister. You can read them independently though! I did and enjoyed the storyline of the third one the most so that's the one i'd recommend. Maybe you'll like it too!

[@saumyayadav8434]

I read After on wattpad when i was 17 and it was excruciatingly nauseating. It's place in the list is well deserved. Also I'm a catcher in the rye and the lord of the flies apologist. Loved both of them!

[@achmardi]

I read It Ends With Us by CoHo over the course of an evening and morning, sitting next to my roommate while she was working. Almost EVERY page, she commented or laughed at the faces I was making about how bad it was. It's terribly written, it's SO DIFFICULT watching the main character make every wrong decision when Ryle is disgusting from the very beginning, even the relationship we're supposed to be rooting for is problematic and creepy in its own way, the ending sucked... I speed-read it just to get it over with.

[@thezeethatwon]

exactly. ryle is a fucking creep. he meets her once, tells her he wants to fuck her and captures her photo only to hang it in his sister's house. that's fucking creepy. i don't know why the flower girl finds it an ego boost instead of getting tf outta there. there's so much problematic stuff in that book oh my fuck. what makes me even more scared is that there are actually people who think ryle deserved a "second chance" and the flower girl was in the wrong for leaving him.

[@DaDa-ur6kg]

I'm reading it right now, and it's a torture

[@utahman06]

So happy to see The Alchemist rank highly here. Never in my life have I been so confused as I was when I read through that after many people in my life raved over it.

[@k.2236]

Tbdate being on made me gasp 😭 i love it

[@liz-qd1xu]

i’m just getting back into reading, so i don’t have much of a recent list to pick from but thinking about the least favorite book, lord of the flies came up first so i was happy to see it was on the list and i wasn’t alone

[@lyadmilo]

I READ MOBY DICK IN JANUARY AND IT CHANGED MY LIFE. I'M GETTING A WHALE TATTOO.

[@riveroscar]

I considered voting for The Alchemist because I do hate that book, but there is one book I despise even more: Veronika Decides To Die, by the same author. This is about Veronika, who attempts suicide, wakes up in hospital and hears she is going to die of her injuries at some point in the near future and then goes on to sort of love life and regret what she’s done. This is so bad. I think it’s supposed to be inspirational and life affirming, although I don’t see how. It is by far the worst representation of anything mental health related I’ve ever seen. At times Coelho even sounds like he’s blaming mentally ill people for their illness (which genuinely hurt me as somebody with severe mental health issues). The writing is that same Pinterest crap that is supposed to be meaningful but in reality holds about as much substance as a thin plastic bag of smelly air. I can’t understand how people like this book, how they think it’s meaningful. It just isn’t. It’s incredibly bad.

[@karen.pangilinan]

I agree

[@danielaroscerocervantes9142]

I had no intention of picking up another Coelho after The Alchemist, but I'll DEFINITELY stay away from this one. Thanks! 🤠👍🏻

[@sweetestaphrodite]

I felt the same towards ‘The Alchemist’. It’s “philosophy” felt meaningless, impractical, and fanciful, as the book overall felt like a mockery of spirituality. I do not at all understand the hype for that book.

[@analogueapples]

I thought that Alchemist was just a random simple fairy tale book, so I never understood the hype nor the hate. But I did dislike his autobiographical book Hippie, which talks about his travels as a young person. It was incredibly demeaning how he and the other male characters interacted with women there. For instance, he didn't find himself attractive, so he was surprised that a pretty girl was interested in him. But as soon as he realized that, he started acting like an asshole, thinking he can sleep with multiple girls and it is their fault if they aren't cool and chill enough. There was another couple where a girl had helped his boyfriend overcome his depression and he was nitpicky about her, at the same time she tolerated his moods very well. He though because the girl isn't cool any more, he can sleep around - exactly what Paulo's character thought, like swapping their girls. Both guys were assholes and had some weird bro code that those hippie chicks are not chill enough and it is all women's fault which really showed the darker side of hippies' attitudes towards women. It wasn't a big part of the book, but I saw it everywhere that female characters were nowhere equal. I have read the same about The Alchemist, where everyone had the purpose, even things, except the female character whose only purpose was to wait for a man. I didn't pay attention back then, thinking it was a fairy tale mostly for those who like simple books. I'm not surprised that he can't write about women.

[@fey8755]

unrelated but love the cool lighting & setup you have in the background!

[@lunasole4920]

I read Eleanor and Park in 2018 and I absolutely remember nothing about it, I was literally talking to a friend yesterday saying I wanted to unhaul it (both because I'll never go back to it and it reminds me of a toxic person)

[@jenniferdivito4563]

Books I liked well enough to argue their merit: Lord Of The Flies, The Great Gatsby, My Year Of Rest And Relaxation. I will go down swinging for Catcher In The Rye. While I think most criticism of the book is valid, I could not name a single book that was more important for my personal development than Catcher. It's the reason I fell in love with literature in the first place. I've grown a lot as a reader and a person since I was 11 but a lot of that feels tied to this book still. I think at the time this book just felt real to me in a way that no literature really had up until that point. I realize that all of this describes an experience that's almost impossible for anyone who didn't read Catcher as a teenager to have. But it also explains why it's so hard for me to come down on this book.

[@v_aasu]

I really liked Moby Dick when I read it. The writing style appealed to me, and although some of the whale chapters can be a bit dry, others give an interesting perspective into thoughts about ecology in the 1800s. There was one chapter in which they discuss the "ongoing" debate about whether whales are fish or mammals. In another part, Melville brushes aside concerns about whaling harming whale populations. I thought it was so interesting to learn that, even back in the 1800s, people were concerned about whale populations, even if those people maybe were in the minority at the time.

[@Lisa-ug4rk]

A little life was one of the best book, I've ever read. Jude has heavy stuff on his shoulders, but also there are so wonderful people and friends in his life. This friendships are very good written. All in all it is a very very well and wonderful written book. But yeah much sad, traumatic stuff. But not trauma after trauma after trauma. There happens good things between some traumatic situations and there are years between. It's worth a try.

[@mikeharrison6039]

You start off with two of my favorite books (Moby Dick and Heart of Darkness). I think they’re great books but very difficult to get into and digest. I like to say that Moby Dick is more about zealotry than revenge, Abab is a Zealot leading a crew of madmen fanatics he represents politicians in America. Heart of Darkness is about hypocrisy. The fact that I’m a history teacher might be part of my love for these books

[@mikeharrison6039]

@Tanya for the Congo I love “King Leopold’s Ghosts” I also like “Last Stand of The Tin Can Sailors” and “the game wizards”

[@Fiona_Co]

I really liked The Midnight Library! For whatever reason, I think I just read it at the right time for me.

[@wyndle9228]

this is so interesting to me because i think i definitely read it at the wrong time 😭 i put it down and was like okay cool? it felt like it was dedicated to a depressed audience and written by a person who has never experienced depression 💀 however i am certain that i would have loved this book a couple of years ago 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

[@Fiona_Co]

​@@wyndle9228 That's totally fair! I think something that I always take away from these kinds of videos is that it's so interesting how individual people can read the same book and have completely opposite experiences! If anything when I hear that someone loves a book that I hated I'm just happy for them that they got something from it haha

[@El_Alf]

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books. I too want an explanation 🤣

[@siyamarwaha8323]

catcher in the rye is one of my all time favourites and im convinced anyone who comes away from the book hating holden because he's "annoying" didnt actually read it 😭 he's one of my favourite characters ever, its just a really heartbreaking story of a young boy dealing with trauma and loss.

[@anateator486]

Im shocked this book made the list, it is hailed as one of the best books ever written! Go figure!!???!

[@vasilisa1866]

Frrrr

[@kristen7623]

I figure that they’ve never been depressed lol

[@theEumenides]

@@kristen7623 That could track. I read it, found Holden annoying, and I've never been depressed. lol Definitely thought it was a very well-crafted, well-written book.

[@Swamp_fairy]

I’m so glad someone mentioned lord of the flies!!! I read that in high-school. Actually, I read a lot in high-school and I’d say it was the worst we read (and we read A LOT). And I’d say that I love literature and I’ve read a good bit since high school. But still to the this day I look back and I hate lord of the flies. Edit: (I thought I’d love it too!) Also hated A Wrinkle in Time (like, a lot) And Neil Gaiman’s the ocean at the end of the lane

[@itsa_peanut]

If people hated the Great Gatsby, its because they had a bad experience of it in high school. I read it in high school, but not as a part of class, and I adored it. My friends in another class read it, and they all hated it

[@jamesduggan7200]

Yes, I"m afraid that sums up the experience of reading in high school for most students. Also, it's possible that in their zeal to share with their kids a great story teachers overpress. As I recall, some students actively seek out moments in which the adult room seems odd. However, many readers do return to the classics.

[@sepidehshahmohammad5624]

It's really interesting to see how different people's tastes are. I absolutely love catcher in the rye. My worst book so far is the suicide shop. It's one that afterward I was really regretting my time having been wasted and wanted to delete the memory from my mind.

[@itsjustamy1876]

i love your top! Where did you order it from?

[@iris-vu8wk]

A little life as a reading experience feels so visceral, it's unpleasant but does what it aims to do. My issue with it is the unexamined ableism within its pages. The way Yanagihara depicts chronic pain through Jude's character is so strange, he is a conduit for all that is awful in the world, a dickensian tragedy of a character. His illness is unnamed, unexplored and unnuanced, as someone with chronic pain and disability, I take issue with depicting disability as a purely, tragic and terrible affliction. Sure, some people view it that way but the way it's used as just /another/ thing to pile onto Jude rather than a conversation on what disability is actually like.

[@sweetviolents29]

It is absurd to complain that Moby Dick is dry because, although whales are mammals, they have no legs and that is why they live in the sea.

[@Filmguy525]

One of the books on this list, Normal People was actually a recommendation from Carolyn in her last video.

[@asaber4528]

Good friends can disagree with eachother!

[@andreluissoriano]

Omg I didn’t expect you to reference Cunk’s “what’s more culturally significant” 😂

[@abrlocd04]

Emmie you’re genuinely funny 😂

[@kristen7623]

I felt so understood, as a depressed and privileged white teen…reading Catcher in the Rye. I read it like 5 times 😂 I also love The Midnight Library and Normal People. We Were Liars is my worst

[@shelleyhopkins8073]

I loved your description of The Alchemist as Pinterest philosophy. Never heard of Coleen Hoover.

[@annabeljones-vanboxtel4142]

I ADORE MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION HOW DARE IT END UP WITH TWILIGHT AND THE HATING GAME AND FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

[@greekademia9832]

looooooove the secret history, enjoyed every part of it, even the dark ending