MY 12 WORST READS OF 2022

[@McKenzie601]

The review bombing of Lightlark was so infuriating because it took away such an important part of a serious topic, which is that you can't just sit down, write a book with terrible prose, lengthy descriptions, zero character development, perpetuate common stereotypes, then post on tiktok with a blurb that consists purely on tropes and expect 5 stars. Lightlark appealed to tiktok because it's a rerun of common romance tropes, even though its not a romance its a fantasy and it was missing some of the basic elements like... idk, world-building? It was like I was stuck in an eternal fog, fumbling around because I had no idea why or where I was. The idea was brilliant and could have been done really well if she hadn't half-assed it for *checks notes* 10 years??? Nothing takes that long in the modern era, especially when there was 0 world-building involved. This was a great video Rachel!

[@grimlesbians]

all of the good and insightful conversations we could have if ppl online could chill out and not mindlessly bandwagon... lightlark itself isnt even as special as the circumstances that created it. now thats FASCINATING but ppl r still stuck on it being a bad book lol. edit: i literally didnt say "its not bad" y'all r missing the entire point. bad books get written every day, theres other reasons why we pay special attn to ones like lightlark.

[@McKenzie601]

@@grimlesbians it is a terrible book tho?

[@wiggl3s_821]

If you write a book, you shouldn’t expect everyone to like it. Like whether she’s a new author or not… a bad book is a bad book. There are plenty of authors whose first book was incredible even if it isn’t their strongest book because their talent still shines through.

[@Moony1568]

@@grimlesbians but it is a bad book though. I feel if the book was pretty good, it wouldn’t have gotten as much crap as it got. Edit: what conversations are you referring to? People talked about how Aster is not a self-made indie author, how she appealed to booktok’s favorite tropes but didn’t deliver, and how she may or may not be an industry plant (she’s not. This didn’t the music industry). I’ve seen these conversations everywhere. What else is there to discuss that’s not about the book itself (which is bad btw)?

[@grimlesbians]

@@Moony1568 i mean as far as bad books go, this seems pretty run-of-the-mill to me? like... nothing much to write home abt except that its bad. we dont talk abt mediocre-lvl bad books with uninteresting authors, for good reason. lightlark being bad is a dead horse and u are free to stop beating it any time u like. honestly i wouldnt count half-baked arguments baseless accusing her of being an industry plant. like, thats not productive and its not rly informative of how the industry works at all. the only point uve made here is that she didnt deliver but that, too, involves some degree of focusing on circumstances that happen all the time. unless u wanna point out something specific? but otherwise "aster didnt deliver" "shes an industry plant" these r boring and dead convos i dont wanna have. sorry.

[@ElyseReadsandSpeaks]

See I don't get why people are so against "worst of" lists. I already want to read Gild based on what you said. People need to calm down. I'm sure the books I hate really appeal to people with different reading tastes.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Yes totally agree with you 💯

[@kylinajordan]

Read Gild! Just slog through it and then you'll get to the rest of the series which is actually very interesting and much better constructed as a storyline. If I'm not mistaken, the first book or two were self published by herself before she started working with a team and beta readers, so keeping that in mind helps in understanding why the first book and some of the second book aren't as good, but the rest had me very engaged.

[@dismurrart6648]

@Kylina Matteoli idk why but it makes me happy she got the tools to improve and did

[@KittyxKult]

The morbid podcast absolutely lost me when they got super offended at me pointing out that they inappropriately laughed at Kurt cobain’s death and provided very inaccurate information about addiction. As someone whose best friend overdosed and died, I find them disgusting for how they treat stories like murder p0rn. Can’t say I’m shocked she wrote a garbage book

[@ReadswithRachel]

Oof sounds like a mess!

[@cam4636]

I've yet to see a true crime podcast crew that doesn't treat their pet topics as basically pr0n. It's straight up turning real people's lives into spectacle to gawk at with popcorn.

[@KittyxKult]

@@cam4636 it is definitely a thin line. There are a few who get their stories from families who want their loved ones story told especially if the case has gone cold. But for every one person who gets their stories responsibly there are a dozen more who will latch on to any gossip and drama to get views. Morbid was really interesting at first bc they covered a lot of stuff like history of death masks and body viewing, forest legends, etc. then they started getting into cases and i noticed they were speaking very disrespectfully of the victims and making inappropriate and inaccurate jokes and statements. And mocking people who try to correct them and getting their fans to harass them for trying to correct them, goes beyond even the regular “rubber necking” that most true crime is

[@tabithadickson36]

I love Learning about crime and criminals but am quite quickly getting turned off of podcasts and such id rather watch real documentaries not KZbin channels and podcasts because they all with a few exceptions i like mr ballen and eleanor neale i think her name is. tend to romanticize what and who there covering its like the dahmer show i loved it at first but then I saw little girls call the real dahmer sexy and a thirst trap and stuff same with Bundy and im like no im out ive come to the decision that those shows don't educate the public about crime and the criminals but are more about making the serial killers likeable and young people think its edgy to look up to them when i learned that the people who made dahmer didn't ask the victims families permission for the show to be made i knew I was right to drop it its sad because it was a really good show but the way it made young people speally girls look at him is a big no no for me

[@MaryFrankShelfy]

Wait they laughed at kurt cobain's death??

[@elenabarbieri1286]

"Someone is murder!ng cops and we're supposed to care" I AM CURRENTLY DECEASED

[@angryotter9129]

This year I’m grateful to have found this channel and specifically for Rachel adding the phrase “upsetty spaghetti” to my repertoire.

[@bibliophile2012]

Me too!!

[@AmberT365]

Agreed ❤️

[@rayraysully5486]

Same here

[@delyseonduty]

Same

[@millicentthecat]

Upsetty spaghetti is now a go-to

[@GreenGretel]

"I also left off any nonfiction by fundies because that's low-hanging fruit." 🤣🤣🤣

[@Julie-ep6yk]

As a Sagittarius THANK YOU for mentioning how it’s missing from Zodiac Academy! It was making me so mad, and you’re the first person I’ve seen point it out!!! I never really wanted to read it and I know this is going to sound silly but after seeing how my sign was missing from the cover of it I decided I never would read it out of spite 😂

[@QueenViolet]

HA! as someone who tried reading zodiac academy i just couldn't get into it the minute I read that the mc was Tori Vega I left. As a fellow fire sign (Leo) I'm sorry you were left out.

[@julesking1303]

@@QueenViolet I checked the wiki to see what the series had about my fellow Aquarius folk, and in one of the sections it mention the MC and the name “Tory Vega” made me laugh SO HARD 😭

[@elecrom_9757]

Technically it's not missing, it's just weirdly covered by the series logo^^

[@erebusmint]

I am SO glad I found your channel this year, it’s incredibly refreshing to see creators who actually critique and call out poor or problematic authors, books, etc. The ass-kissing needs to stop! Weird defensive parasocial relationships with aggressive and ignorant authors need to stop! Plus you are just absolutely hilarious, and binge-watching your videos has been an absolute pleasure ❤

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thank you so much!!

[@emmanovella]

Shoutout to J.M Arlen for introducing me to your channel 😂

[@ReadswithRachel]

He’s my #1 fan lol

[@AMFibers]

"Oh my gracious, I cannot believe a woman made such a mean video! Don't you know that ladies do not feel negative emotions and if we do, we absolutely cannot share them with anyone! Men do not find angry women attractive and our entire existence must be dedicated to pleasing men!" Everytime you say that people think you're too mean, that is what I imagine them saying. But for real though, finding your channel has been one of the great parts of 2022. Thank you for what you do. 🧡

[@dlyn1124]

I can't believe Andrew Tate's political fantasy epic autobiography historical fiction episodic emails didn't at least get an honorable mention. Wishing you all the goodness in this upcoming year!

[@Duhgel]

lmfaoo that description is sending me

[@dlyn1124]

@@Duhgel 🤣🤣🤣

[@SAVYWRITESBOOKS]

GIRL i cannot get over how good your eye makeup looks

[@opticalyoutube5597]

RIGHT???? Ugh I am so jealous. Rachel teach us your ways of the flawless eyeliner/eyeshadow!!!! 😍💖

[@justanormalfish]

I love how people claim 'you only read things you hate'- buddy you have to read something to see if you hate it or not. Also happy new year, I'm glad I discovered your channel this year ♥

[@sarahcores]

wow i was actually thinking of picking up the pawn and the puppet and i’m so glad i watched your video first. i have severe ocd and i absolutely would’ve been triggered and very upset reading it. what kind of cruel and frankly just evil person depicts an ocd character as a child murderer, knowing fully well the reason she gave that character ocd is bc violence is a huge type of intrusive thought a lot of ppl with ocd experience, myself included. to write a character like that when she knows ppl with ocd are subjected to horrifying thoughts from their own brain day in and day out is simply fucking evil.

[@ReadswithRachel]

THANK YOU. Exactly.

[@emmaboxer4659]

I'm genuinely curios to whether Alex aster is going to get a lightlark sequel after all of this. I saw someone who works in publishing say that something they look for now is social media presence as a tipping point for whether to publish someone or not and she's a great example of why that doesn't work. Tik tok popularity doesn't equal talented writer

[@KamenRiderFeline]

She's got enough negative press that someone might still publish the sequel to lightlark as a quick cash grab.

[@ladyredl3210]

That is so… gross. What if you’re 60 publishing your first novel

[@emmaboxer4659]

@@ladyredl3210 yup its absolutely ridiculous. One literary agent I was looking at specifically asks for a full 500 word report on your different social media accounts, follow numbers, engagment etc. Another person in publishing reported that they were told to look for manuscripts that had "viral moments" in that would make good tiktoks. Another reason trad publishing is problematic 😂

[@ladyredl3210]

@@emmaboxer4659 I’m submitting tomorrow, I really hope I’ve picked a small enough publisher that doesn’t happen to me

[@emmaboxer4659]

@@ladyredl3210 good luck! Hope they get back to you with good news :D I've ended up just going through kindle direct publishing

[@rainydayjules]

I also want to suggest Crow Caller’s video on Lightlark, it’s super long but really gets into a lot of the craft details

[@JulianGreystoke]

I love this time of year because we get all the worst of the year lists! Gimme the snark! Gimme the sass!

[@KatieColson]

Okay, let me start off by saying I love your channel and it’s a fault of mine that I constantly watch videos without commenting. So now it seems like this is the first time I’m watching when really I’ve been lurking for months 😂 BUT! God BLESS you for your take on Ready Player One. This is the exact review I gave in 2020 and was immediately shot down by rabid fans. And I genuinely thought maybe it was me and I was reading too much into it. Hearing your review sent me all the way back. I’ve been clapping for five minutes straight.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Hey katie! Glad to have you here Listen… was it mostly men giving you flack because… same

[@KatieColson]

@@ReadswithRachel exACTly! It’s like my goodreads dms.

[@brianc4632]

The zoom out and image flip while you were explaining that one scene in Silk Fire is cracking me up. 😂

[@ReadswithRachel]

hahahaha good i am glad

[@victoriabryer4710]

The snow was like icing sugar, scattered across the land. The clouds were light and fluffy, like mashed potatoes. Their eyes were glowing with the colour of blue Powerade. I'll stop.

[@tieyonnasvlogs894]

A court and miss fury

[@bronzergoth7598]

i cackled at your VERY accurate (imho) description of Ready Player One. My worst ex loved that book, and Scott Pilgrim, and god do i wish i recognized those combined interests as red flags at the time

[@ZenitsusDad]

i worked in a geriatric psych unit for about 6 months and i genuinely don't understand why people always romanticize the psych unit and mental illnesses. there's nothing sexy about some of the shit i've seen people do in the midst of psychosis. nothing romantic about being so convinced you're in danger that you are literally trying to fight the staff. i would hate read the pawn and the puppet, but i don't think i'd make it.

[@invadernav3422]

Also as someone who was also baker acted, I agree that any setting in an asylum or clinic of that nature makes me very uncomfortable, so I sympathize with that greatly.

[@walksuphills]

I appreciate your take on Ready Player One, since unfortunately it's a book I loved when it came out (2011), and I ranked it my second favorite of the year. But I have really soured on it as I heard more diverse opinions on it, and I think it's emblematic of something I've come across more often: curated nerd culture. I am a nerd in a way, but it's completely random. I know Star Wars because I watched it a hundred times growing up. I don't know D&D because my Satanic Panicked parents would never let me within a mile of such witchery. But in Ready Player One, and some others (notably Rabbits by Terry Miles, which I read this past year) the characters have to know *every* nerdy reference, even though none of it would be organic to the characters who were far too young to play Pacman arcades or whatever, and it becomes a form of gatekeeping. You aren't a real fan if you haven't played every single game and watched every single movie that I have. But it's presented under the guise of poor underdog nerds. Anyway, my lowest rated book for 2022 was Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. I kind of liked some of his ideas, but it's clear he's a libertarian who thinks individual geniuses can solve problems that the government can't, even including saving humanity from a doomsday comet. Done with him.

[@morgannnroberts92]

Strangely validated that Butcher and the Wren made worst reads of the year hahaha. Have been looking forward so much to this video, did not disappoint 🤣 also #1 book... absolutely valid.

[@annaolson4828]

"Why does E.L. James hate Albania so much?" is a question I never expected to hear.

[@TytoPhoenix]

I totally thought Ready Player One would take the number 1 spot, then I remembered how bad the Pawn and the Puppet was Also you can call me Sev! I didn't even think about how much of a mouthful ModelRK300 is lolol

[@ReadswithRachel]

Sev it is! 💕💕💕 Ready player one was SO CLOSE to being number one

[@TytoPhoenix]

@@ReadswithRachel 💖💖💖

[@taylorgayhart9497]

I’ve heard so many people say the same thing about Gild!! I was actually told to skip it, and read the rest of the series, and I wouldn’t miss anything! Lol

[@lianai.9795]

I'm so hyped about the discord! Thank you for taking the request into consideration, Rachel 🙏

[@mattywren]

I love you so much LMAOOO your reviews bring me so much joy and laughter, especially now that I’m having issues in my personal life that seem to make everything stressful or sad. This is my comfort channel now nobody can stop me

[@ReadswithRachel]

Glad you’re here!

[@RC-yy4qp]

I just started a bookstagram to force myself to read more; I want to write and publish a horror/thriller novel one day, and reading more will help me become a better writer. So happy to have found you! I'm about to review my first book, TBATW, this week and I've been doing research on other reviews. The amount of positive reviews was dumbfounding. It's refreshing to hear your honest review, and I'm not just talking about the critique You provide plenty of details to show you actually read the book and analyzed it. So many reviews I've found, outside of TBATW, lack any detail about the book. Loses all credibility for me. There's no point in these reviews in my opinion. Thank you for actually being critical (and being funny about it)of literature!

[@HuckleberryCyn]

Can I commission you to self care? You’re too good to us 😆

[@ReadswithRachel]

Lmao im literally over here trying to convince myself that only doing one video next week is okay 🫣

[@ShaleNinja]

As an (aspiring) author, I deeply value channels and content like yours because...fuck's sake, readers are NOT obligated to a behavioural paradigm like authors are. That's like saying the code of conduct for both staff and customers is identical. Readers getting sassy and savage about a book they didn't like is some of the best research out there...no one's beta got good from multiple rounds of arse kissing and whining about feedback! Like, I get it. Choking out a novel is more strugglebus than glamour, especially for those of us working full-time jobs and running households etc while also trying to write and edit a quality product. Authors want to see at least some of that love of the craft reflected back in readers. But so many get it wrong...what we need isn't worship and parasocial bullshit, it's engagement. Feedback doesn't have to be positive to be valuable and valid, and at this point, feedback doesn't have to be about your shit at all for the point to land. And your points. Boy howdy, your points. I'm in several of the minorities you relentlessly and articulately defend, and yeah. If more of the sorts of authors that end up on these lists just stopped and listened to what readers are saying when they read the WHOLE DAMN BOOK and ANALYSE, we'd have less Butcher and the Wren actively harmful nonsense getting shoved at people and a little more thought put into the impact of a work on its audience. As long as they're not interacting with readers about their own work, authors really ought to spend time actively listening to what's being discussed beyond their circles (and circlejerks).

[@FaithTheFallen]

While I don't disagree with you, this is kinda ignoring the fact that a lot of terrible stuff comes out of trad publishing too and there's very few checks outside of audience draw. If the "gold standard" is Lightlark et al you can't be surprised that indie authors feel like they can get away with the same level. Criticism should be given, of course, but the lack of common standard is a big issue for indies. Also while writers should stay out of readers spaces, if only for their own MH, unnecessarily harsh criticism for the views isn't helpful. Not saying that's Rachel, I like her videos, but there's a difference between critical feedback and being a dick for engagement.

[@ShaleNinja]

@@FaithTheFallen I mean, you're absolutely right. I fully agree - my comments were in regards to all published authors, not just Indie authors. The bar really is set very low across the board, and Rachel's Authors Behaving Badly series is just so darn good at shining a light on it all, with it seeming like the vast majority of bad behaviour going unchecked coming from traditional publishing. I can see where it comes from with trad authors, too - for all but the biggest names, they're STILL in charge of their own marketing and it's all too easy to fall down the rabbit hole of yelling at people on the Internet that under no conditions were you even meant to interact with. I doubt most publishing houses are coaching their authors on how to behave either. And if they're not doing it, it's the wild west for Indie authors. Also fully agree with you regarding valuable criticism/feedback vs having a bash for clicks. As well as that a lot of hot garbage is coming out of traditional publishing, and has been since forever. We literally threw out an entire, pristine set of Fifth Sorceress at the bookshop I share space with after I described the series to the owners, and that's getting on 20 years old at this point...it's rife, it blows my mind, but it also gives me hope that the drivel I hope to publish some day might actually make it onto shelves if Lightlark et al somehow made it there.

[@AuthorWASimpson]

Thanks! Thanks for hearting my comment. Unfortunately, I didn't know that by editing it, it would delete the heart. And I only corrected a typo! It's the writer in me! Great videos!

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thanks so much for watching! Appreciate you being here 💙

[@Abyrae]

"Why does E. L. James write? Why couldn't she have just stayed on fanfiction websites?" The answer is "money".

[@dorothynguyencavell9084]

Hi! I just came here to say that you absolutely rocked that purple makeup! 💜

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thank you so much!

[@parentingadabsurdum]

I started watching this month and you’ve quickly become one of my favorites, looking forward to seeing your channel explode in 2023! (Love the makeup today too!)

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thank you so much!!

[@victoriavillanti2475]

God I completely forgot about the baker act - as someone with chronic mental health issues who grew up in south Florida, my greatest nightmare was a mandatory reporter finding out and having me baker acted. It happened to three of my friends and was more awful every time. It did so much damage to me to have that fear that even now as a grown ass adult who left the state I have trouble opening up to a friend or even a therapist. I’m so sorry that you had to go through that and I’m glad that as an adult you have been able to open up about your experiences with mental health

[@Long_May_They_Raine]

It was truly the portaling bear comment that got me- I can’t stop laughing. 😭

[@Long_May_They_Raine]

No, she is vicious and I love every moment.

[@Long_May_They_Raine]

“Somebody get her a fucking snack!” I’M WHEEZING, PLS 😭😭😭

[@chelsiem4495]

I literally can't even with how well your hair/makeup/shirt matches the colors of the books behind you.

[@linglingspacewhales1977]

I'm just great greatful to find this channel this year lol.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Glad you’re here!

[@redmermaid84]

This is great! Sooo great! Love it!❤❤❤

[@ronidee85]

Even if Horror Goose wants you to call them something else, please don’t! Hearing that name makes me laugh every time.

[@mistorWhiskers]

"It's not a bag of bugles, it's a bag of nonsense." That could be for all of 2022 in general

[@rainydayjules]

Honestly I was gonna guess RP1 for number one just cause I fully forgot about Pawn and Puppet, and you retelling what it was about makes me think I just wiped it from my mind lol

[@sagecarson3459]

I have ocd too and oh my god, a child killer? WHAT?

[@shy_swimmer5750]

I subscribed to you recently and you were at about 16K. Now you're at over 20K! I love seeing your channel growing :)

[@_Kuma_]

Purple looks lovely on you 💜 I love these videos more than good book reviews tbh ahaha idk why it’s so cathartic and bad media is so much more entertaining to me

[@AidenFeltkamp]

This video is SO helpful. Thank you!!

[@mglarson5936]

Hey, I got sent to the psych ward in high school too! I went there willingly, but then i was sent to a “therapeutic boarding school” (put in quotes because it was not therapeutic) against my will. So I feel ya :/

[@adrianghandtchi1562]

So close to the end, thank you for enduring! I better save this video for later, need some sleep before work. Have a happy new year dear!

[@ReadswithRachel]

Happy new year!

[@meganmakesmagic802]

I'm thinking Ready Playeer One will be your #1!

[@Mario_Angel_Medina]

The guys from the _342 pages I will never get back_ podcast pointed out something very interesting about Ernest Cline's books: there was a lot of _Ready Player One_ fanfiction online, but Cline's next book, _Armada_ had no fanfiction whatsoever (at the time they made their read-along, at least). To me, that shows that what made _Ready Player One_ popular beyond the weirdo incel circles wasn't really the story or characters, but the idea of a pop-culture playground were you can interact with your favourite ~toy commercials~ cartoon characters... I mean, _Fortnite_ is basically becoming more and more like a real-life "O.A.S.I.S." everyday

[@Coolcameracat03]

This was such a fun video for how painful, I'm sure, returning to each of these books was lol. I'm so glad I found your channel this year. I don't actively check for any booktubers or anything like that since I don't keep up with new books that closely, but I must've been blessed by the algorithm once I clicked on a random video of yours a few months ago. You're so entertaining and I really respect your opinions on these reads! Thanks so much for the great content this year and I hope you keep flourishing in 2023!

[@K.Marie119]

Years ago, I had an idea for a slice of life type novel with a... twist (sort of, but not really) that the entire cast was in a residential treatment program. I was in a long-term program at the time, and writing was one of the few things keeping me from literally climbing the walls. The conflict is sort of inherent when you take 30 women of various ages and in different stages of recovery and put them in what is, essentially, a 15 bdrm house. The catch is that everyone is locked in, and there's no internet, cable/satellite (this was 2013) video games, books, etc. But then I realized I don't have the skill to approach severe mental health and addiction problems and cover them with the care and respect they deserve.

[@ladypeyton]

Love your list. Love your channel and love the way you speak. I'mma gonna be using upsetty spaghetti a lot this week.

[@Lemonade_Stand_]

Oh man i had forgotten about some of these books. I was also in and out of psych wards throughout my late teens and early 20s and to this day (in my early 30s) have a hard time reading books taking place in psych wards and/or that are centered around mental illness. I completely agree with everything you mentioned about mental illness.

[@leightoningstrike6971]

The anticipation of watching all my guesses showing up in the bottom half! Fingers crossed, it will be Jimmy Buckles! Come on, Jimmy Buckles.

[@ReadswithRachel]

Sadly our friend Jerry Buckleshucks can’t make the list because I read all of her books in 2021 😭

[@leightoningstrike6971]

@@ReadswithRachel yes I realized afterwards the playlists go from oldest to newest 😅 happy to be wrong because it meant I forgot #1 existed

[@Rhedd30]

Alex also now has a movie deal which is crazy

[@Hibernation-Library]

God I forgot about some of these. And I thought my one star reads this year were bad lol.

[@sweetblackangel]

Secondly, as someone who has also been in institutions for mental health reasons, thank you for pointing out that ITS NOT SEXY! A lot of good, important stories can be told from that setting, but it should be handled with knowledge and sensitivity, and for the purpose of breaking stereotypes and taboos.

[@invadernav3422]

I'm going to be starting my year by reading a book I kept meaning to read last year that I was excited for. I wanna start the year right!

[@asdfghjklasdfghjkl321]

500 pages of kill me 😂😭😂😭

[@starsbythepocketful.]

The comment about about lightlark having more loopholes than a Swiss cheese omg ded😭😂

[@haleylquinton]

not me rushing to watch your JM Arlen video. how did I miss the reddit tantrum? 😂

[@DrLampshade]

Oh man, if I hated you I could definitely commission next years worst book. The last hacker by Mark Wahlbeck. The main character was both an incel and a bitcoin bro, also had a sex robot girlfriend who he emotionally abuses. I had to dnf at 12% after a scene where he talked about having to train a woman he’s never met or interacted with to be intellectual, because he just assumes he’d need to. The scene ended with him deciding all women in LA are ugly. It was so bad

[@lie5108]

to gild: aurum means gold in latin thats why she is called auren... yeah.

[@aredheadedstranger]

THANK YOU for your review of Ready Player One. I read it after hearing all the hype and my ex-husband loves it…and I just could not understand. I could write my own book just about what was wrong with that one.

[@natalielawinger8757]

I was in a mental hospital before and it is its own kind of trauma... not mysterious and sexy at all 💀 there are some things that I think people who have never experienced it should be very very hesitant to write

[@RR-kz4hq]

Thank you

[@katherineeaster5799]

I'm going to say that The Mister will be your worst for the year. I was going to say Gild maybe, but I can't remember how far back that was.

[@Ivymyoungwrites]

I will happily contribute to the therapy bills!! You take one for the team every time you’re trapped reading one of these! My worst book HAS to be “Knotted” by Pam Godwin. How do I commission you as a therapy level to read and review because YIKES

[@ReadswithRachel]

This is at least the third time someone has mentioned Knotted to me in a negative context lmao. Someone told me if I review it I have to do it in a cowboy hat and I REFUSE Thanks for your interest!! The “therapy bills” tier on my patreon comes with the ability to make specific review requests! They go directly onto my commissions list which takes me about 8 weeks in turn around time. Patreon.com/readswithrachel is the link 😃

[@Ivymyoungwrites]

@@ReadswithRachel (I’m Harley! Lol on my way to Patreon!) It’s…it’s bad. So bad I made a rage filled TT about one line that sent me through the roof.

[@ReadswithRachel]

I’m a connoisseur of tiktok rant reviews so I’m off to find yours lol

[@missyroberts8197]

I've had Zabe Ellor blocked for so long I can't even remember why but I know it was bc they were so problematic. I'm thrilled to see their book on your worst list 🤣

[@haydenrhys44]

The pawn and the puppet 😭 god we need some god damn $ for reading the entire book 😃

[@ReadswithRachel]

FACTS

[@aubreycampbell921]

another banger as usual rachel

[@queendsheena1]

As a new subscriber who has been binging your videos. I'm proud that I chose the Academy book as #1 at the beginning of the book, and it ended up being #3. I was close and yes that Puppet book deserves the #1 spot. Forgot about that one like my brain wanted to erase your review from existence.

[@booksnlipstick]

Hahaha Zodiac Academy is derivative and badly written but damn if it’s not addictive. Book 1 was hard to get through (I wouldn’t have done it if a friend hadn’t made me finish)…..but now I’m halfway through book 5 and I just want more. MOAR TRASH! I AM THE TRASH WOMAN 😂😂😂😂. As always, love your content and your makeup is fab in this video

[@aberdeen0107]

Right this is such a guilty pleasure haha

[@kyokunskitty]

Your perfect timing for always uploading shortly before I'm about to give myself my T-shot so I have something to watch when I have to lay down after cause my vasovagal response sux. Thank u for this blessing lmao 🙏

[@ReadswithRachel]

Glad you're here! Hope you're able to rest

[@katieb63]

Happy New Year, Rachel 🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆

[@ChristineReadss]

My guess is either the Butcher one or the night and it’s moon 😂😂

[@Vapor249]

*Hugs* What you personally experienced was harrowing.

[@ReadswithRachel]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

[@jessymcdermott7033]

packed a bowl and ready to get my feelings hurt

[@ReadswithRachel]

You just became my favorite commenter

[@jessymcdermott7033]

@@ReadswithRachel gf you just became my fav booktuber AND I will agree the first few books of ZA have no plot but its a funny shitshow to read

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

I love everything about this 🥰

[@MortMe0430]

Love your videos! I appreciate being warned away from terrible books lol. I can't immediately think of a worse book I read this year, mostly because I actually finished very few published books (mentally occupied with a trade school training program, serial DNF-er, etc). And boy, do I have thoughts about demonization of mental illness! But here I'll keep it to two points: unfortunately "classic" asylums like from 50s or roundabouts, have very distinct visuals that are cheap shorthand for a horror setting, and many people don't understand that the scary thing about them was the doctors and treatment, not the patients themselves.

[@keiththorpe9571]

Damn, half of me hopes I don't find my book on your "Worst Of 2023" list... but half of me almost does.

[@motherbipsy960]

I appreciate you

[@jennycomelately]

Darn I thought for sure it would be Lightlark. That one seems to be the one that everyone had the most fun with lol.

[@MegaChadAnakin]

I've been binging all your videos these last days 👀 happy new year !

[@ReadswithRachel]

Thanks for watching! Happy new year 💙

[@nox_reads]

Pausing at the beginning to guess LIGHTLARK for number one! (Also yes this is your Super Bowl and yes you should definitely have Artemis do the halftime show)

[@nox_reads]

Oh my God I forgot Pawn and the Puppet was this year. Has 2022 really been this long??? Have a Happy New Year, Rachel!

[@reagan2347]

Yeah, I actually quite liked the sequels to Gild! But Gild itself was definitely unnecessary and plotless. I agree that they could have just squeezed the pertinent parts into the second book.

[@mavywavy801]

As a Pisces, I’m very scared on how we are depicted in the zodiac Academy. 😖😭

[@ReadswithRachel]

Nobody is depicted in regards to how their personality relates to their star sign, it’s completely irrelevant to the book despite being named ZODIAC academy and not “fairy bullying academy”

[@tonig6813]

Reagan at peruseproject recommended just skipping Gild completely 😂

[@herewegoagain4033]

You are now my new favorite book review because you like basil lmao

[@SHINYreads]

pretty sneaky putting in that challenge at the end. now i’m gonna have to think long and hard about all the shitty books i’ve come across, and see if i can commission a truly rank one. who knows? maybe it will be top of the dung heap next year!

[@AureliaIsBored]

Oh no some of these are specific requirements on a yearly challenge my book group is doing. :'( Oh I hope the library has copies so I don't spend money on bad books.

[@Elise.93]

Super surprised empire of the vampire wasn't on your list!

[@ReadswithRachel]

It would’ve been! ….if I had finished it 😜

[@ziaForest]

10:33 I rip my headphones off in disgust; not at you, but at the damn books.

[@aetherialtea8894]

I second Leightoningstrike and Chris: the J.M. Buckler "time" series or The Sun and its Moon. (Edit: How could I forget Ready Player One was in the running?!)

[@ReadswithRachel]

So JM Brontosaurus was actually last year so unfortunately she won’t be on this list lol but trust me she is always #1 worst in my heart

[@aetherialtea8894]

@Reads with Rachel Definitely support your choice for No. 1 this year. I think my brain tried to block out the existence of both No. 1 and No. 2. Lol. Keep being a mean, mean reviewer and warning us away from books like that. (JM Brontosaurus, always worst in our hearts.)

[@macrograms]

U R hilarious, amazing. happy new year. please, never quit reviewing books. :)