I READ THE MOST POPULAR BOOKS OF 2023

[@Kay-wp8xf]

"I'm sorry for the person I'm about to become." INCREDIBLY RELATABLE

[@wickerlibrary]

i find the cover of Spare SO funny. i work at a paper source (owned by b&n) and we got some copies of Spare in and the way we had to display them would scare us so often coming out from the back room because his face was like life-sized and displayed at a height where it looked for a split second like prince harry/some random man was just THERE staring at us.

[@malishacorner]

This video came out at just the right time. I was having a really bad day and this is my comfort channel.

[@jessethereader]

I’m sorry you’re having a hard day! Sending lots of positive thoughts your way! 🖤

[@dobetterwithchristian4472]

I loved Happy Place! So many people didn't enjoy it, but she clearly wrote it just for us. I was in tears multiple times 🥰

[@jessethereader]

aw! I haven't seen many reviews for happy place yet, but i'm sad that not a lot of people liked it!

[@kairitetra]

I also am one of the few people who hasn't read Happy Place yet, but it's on my TBR for this year lol

[@HelloimCindy]

I personally think Divine Rivals should be just as, if not more, popular than Fourth Wing. It was such a good duology and the writing just made me so happy!!!

[@eulaliai463]

I agree! her writing was spectacular.

[@cianna-22]

so so glad you loved happy place!! the way emily henry wrote the friend group and put so much care into each of the friendships and their conflicts was so special to me. it felt like the platonic love was just as important as the romantic love, rather than something there to flesh out the edges of the story like you'd see in a lot of romance novels

[@addiewithapen]

your fourth wing review took all of my thoughts and put them into words

[@alexiscardenas9147]

Jessie! You made Fourth Wing sound amazing and then a LET DOWN! But you gushing over a romance made up for that! 🤩

[@eht367]

When Spare first came out, the main demographic was little ol' grandmas and SO MANY came to the bookstore on release day, so excited to read it. It greatly amuses me to picture their scandalized faces when they get to all the parts about his *ya know* 🤣

[@jessethereader]

oh my gosh 😭😭😭

[@marissa4761]

I was expecting you to hate Happy Place, but I'm so glad you liked it! I thought it was so well written and everything about how hard it can be to maintain friendships as people grow up and grow apart really hit home. It's one of my favorite things I read last year.

[@jennarogers1705]

I really appreciate how you said Fourth Wing wasn’t necessary for you, but you still get why other people enjoyed it! So respectful of you to not trash it. Also I LOVED HAPPY PLACE TOO! Probably my second favorite book of 2023. Emily Henry described grief in a way I really needed to hear, and I’ll never forget the imprint that book put on my soul.

[@timelord1040]

Happy Place was my first Emily Henry book, and it was my favorite read of 2023. I understand why people love rereading her books now, because I really want to reread Happy Place and annotate it. I sobbed so much reading it. I related to Harriet so much. It was so good!

[@emmal7510]

I did almost run out and buy Fourth Wing when it was new, because the early descriptions sounded right up my alley. I'm glad I waited, because the further descriptions moved it into yeah, no territory.

[@melissaguild1859]

I work at Target. We had the sprayed edges with the dragons version of Fourth Wing. It hadn't quite popped off yet, so I had no idea what it was. A few days after I bought it, BOOM! It was everywhere

[@deannascorner8112]

I listened to Spare on audiobook and so never really saw it in person. The scale of it compared to your face is wild - I didn’t realize it was so huge!

[@purplexzombie3371]

Fourth Wing is mind candy .it DEF needed like...another round or two of edits. I don't get people going feral for it but I do really love that it is accessible fantasy rather than so deep and difficult.

[@jacforswear18]

It’s the Twilight era all over again. Haha. I had my run with twilight and I fully sat this one out 😂

[@mandarina4157]

@jacforswear18 I read both the Twilight series and FW, and Twilight is like the best written, most intelligent book in comparison. I hate it when people say it’s just light, accessible reading. I love light, accessible reading where I can just enjoy myself without making too much effort, but this was just… unbetaed fanfic level. I weep for humanity cause how in the world did this book get so popular??? Then again, it’s tiktok, and it’s responsible for the Shatter Me séries revival, which still gives me ptsd.

[@BrandontheBeldam2993]

I just got the notification 😂so what’s up Early squad?! I’m currently reading a popular book at the moment ( Gilded by Marissa Meyer) but I usually tend to avoid the books hyped up by social media. That’s just my preference

[@WickedWestBooks]

Yellowface is the only book here that I want to read. I've really liked all the R. F. Kuang books I've read.

[@e-nev]

I loved Happy Place! It's definitely top tier Emily Henry. If you liked Happy Place over Book Lovers, I feel like you would also like People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read. All three have more emotional depth than Book Lovers (imo), which it seems like you prefer in your romances?

[@gabbyreads]

I felt the same about Fourth Wing, I don’t read fantasy at all but I was surprised I actually really liked the dragons, but the characters drove me nuts 😂

[@mackenziemc]

Ok ok, you sold me! I put Happy Place on my TBR

[@OliviasCatastrophe]

Life in detail with the press would be so difficult!! I need to hurry up and read yellowface as I am the only one on the planet who hasn't read it now. It was interesting to hear your thoughts on fourth wing.

[@WhitmoreReads]

Definitely picking up Happy Place. Years of listening to your reviews and I never wanted to read Spare, but this was the best review that made me curious about if he will have a follow up book where he does reveal more without the excuses. I have not read any of those yet, the book I have read this year that lives up to the hype was The Reformatory by Tananarive Due.

[@jennawar13]

I read happy place and yellowface, and they were both incredible reads for me! I think both authors are just so talented and a master at their craft 🤩

[@alexandradavies6669]

I've just finished reading The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. It was longlisted for the Women's Prize in 2023 but I haven't seen many BookTubers talk about it. It's about a group of women in India helping each other murder their abusive husbands and it's actually very funny, in a black comedy way. It talks about misogyny, caste and domestic abuse, but also friendship and solidarity, and the writing is consistently witty, so it's uplifting. Though the denouement is a little farcical. Still, it was good fun and satisfying to read, has a sweet little romantic subplot (through friendship is the focus) and is very well written. It also has a terrific sense of place, which I really enjoyed. You should try it!

[@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk]

Still new to this book tube malarky and finding my way around. I hope you get some great reads this year. Best wishes.

[@daniellewilliams1459]

Jesse, I’m so happy you uploaded a video it made my day because you are my favorite booktuber and it made me happy 😊 I couldn’t wait to watch this video !!! I’m reading currently The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood and I’m almost done but can’t wait to read my next book !!!! I’m thinking about reading Beach Read by Emily Henry ❤ also thank you for your input on Fourth Wing because I have no desire to read it but I was thinking about it at one time .

[@CassieQuach.]

I NEED you to read People We Meet on Vacation now. Its my absolute favorite Emily Henry although I know her fans all seem to have a different fav. Would love to know your thoughts.

[@shawnieadams1319]

I have both Fourth Wing (book club pick) and Happy Place on my TBR for February and can't wait, especially after watching your thoughts!! Like someone else mentioned below, I think Divine Rivals should be more popular.

[@august7421]

I feel like this is why I'm reading ACOTAR, because everyone and their grandma's are reading it and I just want to be in the know.

[@laynasmith6770]

I read the first book when it came out and I’ve had very little desire to finish the series since then, BUT my fomo is ACTING UP. I am trying to stick true to my past decision of donating the books and not feeling regret. But I am struggling 😭

[@august7421]

@laynasmith6770 hey you can always buy them or borrow them from the library if you ever want to finish the story!

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

I think we had a very similar take on Fourth Wing

[@missingyouale]

I loved Happy Place more than any other Emily Henry book, it was everything i could ever ask for in a book!

[@soniareppe]

😂"Take care of the frostbite wiener"

[@deetee8100]

I DNF’d Fourth Wing. It didn’t make sense and I hold every dragon book up to Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series. Fourth Wing didn’t. Truth be told, I quit pretty early.

[@itsGabrielaCristina]

My top 2023 releases should’ve all been more popular! In Memoriam, Hello Beautiful and The Collected Regrets of Clover. And I did read all the books in this video.

[@Lillyjoy]

Oh what a fun video 😊 I wasn’t planning on reading happy place because I didn’t like 2 of her books but you’re convincing me 😂

[@chocolateoreo6489]

I hope you have a great year (:

[@cathyenfield]

I'm going to be that Emily Henry girlie but I'm LIVING for how much you loved Happy Place 🥺 I can't wait to reread it soon, when I first went into it I think I was a bit put off by how sad it was just because I was already on the sad side myself😅

[@BRG604]

i like that you read books that aren't the popular stuff. How else would I have found out about "The Summer Hikaru Died"? I read a lot of manga and it never even came up as a recommendation either in goodreads or amazon. I am enjoying that series and I never would have known about it if you had never read and reviewed it.

[@banaa9463]

I read and loved Yellowface, soft DNF'd Happy Place (but will try it again because of your gushing), and have Fourth Wing on my TBR because of a challenge. I don't plan on reading Spare because I partially watched the Harry and Megan docuseries on Netflix and I really didn't like the way Harry spoke there. One 2023 release that I wish would get more hype is Ink Blood Sister Scribe! It's such a great fantasy

[@sheldonmack9977]

I’m glad there’s other people out there who also didn’t enjoy Fourth Wing. It just felt so juvenile and thrown together.

[@kaylacook1522]

My problem with Fourth Wing was the writing felt like bad fanfiction writing (which I have written and read my fair share of) half the time. It would be fine, I'd be in the world, and then it would be a whole page of a huge style change and it just ripped me out of the story. I had to DNF after 50% because I couldn't stand it anymore. The concept was great though.

[@LisaOfTroy]

My favorite book released in 2023 was Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley. It wasn't released in the US, but oh it was so worth ordering it from a UK retailer. The story starts with a translator in Japan, translating Japanese texts into English. One day Flo is on the subway when she discovers a book left behind. The story carries her away, and she wants to translate it. But she doesn't know the author. Will she be able to track down the author? And what is this mesmerizing story?

[@Ms.SpookyNerd]

Great video.📚❄️☕

[@AJCooperauthor]

Hi Jesse, great video! I was wondering if you reviewed young adult fantasy. I have a book coming out on April 9, 2024 titled The Dark One's Hand and I'd love to send you an ARC. This is the blurb: A summons from a long-lost mentor thrusts Reev Nax, a boy of uncertain parentage, into a fateful journey of discovery. Reev learns that an ancient evil has reawakened in the world of Varda, and that two prophetic figures, one the Hand of Light and the other, a man declared the Dark One's Hand, are predicted to appear. Along the way, Reev will meet many friends: Fortunato, a warrior and tracker; Wrinn, a former pit fighter; Ambrass, a serving girl whose fate may be written in the stars; and more. But as the world spirals into chaos, a question arises: who is the long-awaited hero, and who is the Dark One's Hand?

[@angelaholmes8888]

I absolutely enjoyed spare harry did a good job telling his life even though he did over share

[@jamiesbooksandstuff]

Do I need to read an Emily Henry book now?

[@Angelareadsalot]

Jesse over here convincing me I need to give Happy Place a try after giving Book Lovers 3⭐️ and DNFing People We Meet on Vacation….sigh…FINE I’ll give it a shot In other news, Yellowface was like a fascinating train wreck I couldn’t look away from…Fourth Wing was saved only by the sassy dragons…& I’m so glad I watched the Harry & Megan doc instead of reading the book 😅

[@francescakyanda9182]

you bashing Prince William is all I needed, uncarley does a great video on Spare and it's highly entertaining

[@arobinreads]

This was so fun! You're the only one I like to watch reviews from, you're so good at it

[@jorichner6678]

starter villain was one of my favorite last year and I bought two of these but I have read none of them

[@RodgersReads]

Friggin Fourth Wing....lmao I can't fall for a romance that has no normal conversations between the characters, they were literally only physically compatible but I need it develop into MORE. And spoiler alert, after that ending they go back to a will they won't they in the second book and I just COULD NOT with that.

[@Kronkgirl]

I feel like everyone read a different book than me when they read Happy Place cause I didn't care for it

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I still haven’t read fourth wing 😬

[@twistedlinguistic7347]

"Swamp Story" by Dave Barry should have been more popular

[@shazmatazz6769]

WELL HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIIIIDE😭 a full-time 9-5 job really made me fall off the Jesse’s video train💔

[@jessethereader]

omg I’ve missed your comments! Hope you’re well 🫶

[@shazmatazz6769]

@@jessethereader I’m okay, thanks for asking! Hope you’re well too!

[@handstand5208]

What page is the Happy Place quote on? hahahah

[@wiktoria5992]

man, i guess i /have/ the read happy place now, haha

[@craySean]

It took me an over a month to finish fourth wing… the dialog was very cringy. But I did like how sassy Tarin is

[@jessethereader]

so. cringey. very unfortunate! :(

[@mandarina4157]

The fact that FW is the most popular book of 2023 really truly shows how tasteless and illiterate people are… Don’t insult the other uber popular YA series like that by comparing them to this trash.

[@lizbradley7489]

I got Fourth wing it's very interesting so far

[@herbybib]

I feel like I am always at least a year or two behind on popular books, but I actually managed to read at least two books in 2023 that were published that year! 'Sisters of the Lost Nation' and 'Hi Honey, I'm Homo!" - both of which I highly recommend!

[@semblance3995]

Hi! Could I reach you somewhere to inquire about purchasing something from you? Thank you.

[@ahahangiee]

i went from yellow face to the poppy war and i knew athena was a self dig by rf but let me tell u how pissed i was when i realized june is also her bc how much plagiarism is in the poppy war

[@haileyfussell]

I completely understand (and on a personal level agree) that violet mentions how attractive people are constantly but I thought about it and 1. She’s a very young adult (like 20?) and I think a lot of us would probably say that doing that is just a huge phase we have as teenagers and she’s a bit immature so 😂 like romanticizing the idea of romance and then applying that to anyone because we haven’t learned our preferences or tastes yet. 2. Lust is so stigmatized for women, so I appreciated a book where the fmc doesn’t feel shame, and just openly has those thoughts. Did the author execute that well? Eh. But I do think in general those aspects are important in stories about young adults (that are adult books, not YA lol). Just something I thought about but I do agree 😂

[@dazsmith4958]

As a person with the same disability as Violet and Rebecca Yarros, I loved Fourth wing so much, and people need to be more aware of Ehlers Danlos syndromes.