i read viral tiktok romance novels for a week 🍎

[@adelect447]

enemies to lovers in contemporary romance is just a misunderstanding in a trenchcoat

[@captainwoongcat]

Wow I'm going to say that from now on bc that is so true

[@linnofferlind-ljunggren5407]

Wow, that is.. that is just so true!😅

[@katgreer6113]

i kept saying that forever. Unless you have someone at your workplace trying to sabotage you then....enemies to lovers rarely works well in non-fantasy romance. There are some cases where it works well though.

[@vvitch-mist20]

and I hate that. It needs to be actual loathing, and hate. I firmly believe you can do a contemporary enemies to lovers.

[@sirehong7088]

I wish they call it haters to lovers 😩😩😩 make more sense lol

[@BlahLab]

"It's not a slow burn if one of your character is just fucking stupid" sums up my problem with so many romance books lol

[@nicole.escapes.reality5608]

Truest words have never been spoken

[@inwatercolours]

This is the pull quote for me. So true.

[@brennahall9925]

quote of the century

[@Daisypatel-xx4qb]

So true. I hate this book so much. The FMC is so fucking stupid and stubborn. I mean are you really 28 yrs old!!!!!!!!

[@SleepySheriff]

Thank you. Most of the protagonists/love interest men are just asses. Complete asses. Not cute.

[@isthiscameraon_]

Somtimes i look at booktok novels and think, "wow the wattpad girlies grew up and decided to publish their works"

[@banrions]

TRULY THIS!

[@abricacervantes8685]

I was at a library the other day and approached the Y/A stand (which i often stay away from although I'm 24 but I've seen enough) and around 30% of the books had the wattpad symbol and I thought to myself "damn anyone can publish now"

[@banrions]

@@abricacervantes8685 omg, serisouly?

[@julia.carr1129]

This is 100% what I think it is 👌👌

[@Maria-zc4nn]

@@abricacervantes8685 i think atp ya became the new teen books

[@Mira-yo6fw]

So many authors base their books around tropes (enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, ect) instead of them naturally occurring in the story (does this makes sense??? lol)

[@newlynova]

yes this is how the spanish love deception felt, it's just a bunch of tropes in a trench coat

[@aizuni]

Yeah lately I’ve noticed that a lot of new books are like this. Authors just want to get their books on Tiktok I guess lol… which is understandable because it’s a good form of advertising. But most of the time it just makes the book bad…

[@Evelyn_Okay]

It makes sense to advertise books by trope on TikTok bc the average user base is pretty young. The youngest demographic of all social media platforms. And for these "kids," it can be the first time they're experiencing a trope checklist to it feels fresh to them lol I feel like within the next 5 years, BookTock is going to hit its BookTube phase and ppl are going to start critically reviewing these types of books and demand better.

[@frankie9373]

Yeah, it feels like the tropes control the characters rather than the characters having a good and realistic reason to depict these tropes

[@ashthebibliophage]

If I ever hear the words “milk me” come out of a person’s mouth unironically, I will scream in their face and then probably throw up.

[@DianaMalloy]

the pacing around the room after the "i want to feel you milking me" line 😭😭😭

[@drpepperfanatic44]

Jesus Christ how is that an actual line a real human woman wrote 😭😭

[@Procrastination21345]

@@drpepperfanatic44I wasn’t even there but even I had to pause the video 😭😭😭😭

[@elliemayride760]

The sheer timing 😂 look at this tender moment, mere moments later 😂😂

[@PoopHobbit]

And then Jordan Peterson posted about it on Twitter 😢 raising awareness for the milking epidemic

[@clovermaid7099]

I gagged

[@snailrat]

"The bar is in hell and I am in hell with the bar" LMFAOOO

[@carlysyt]

the fact that you read 2 books who both mentioned “milking” back to back is hilarious

[@PaperLoser-gv4wb]

Feels like dairy propaganda

[@RAIJINMARU670]

big milk is at it again

[@Lunaa2209]

“This book were written for people with dementia” im cryinggggg😭

[@snarkyeloquence]

“big boy” and the ick was immediate

[@honey.blossom456]

“TWO CANNOLIS! And he folds” had me dead😭😭😭😭

[@rendexvousy]

i would also fold if a pretty woman fed me two cannolis

[@honey.blossom456]

@@rendexvousy reall😭

[@huh3526]

@@rendexvousy i'd fold if a woman gave me as much as a chewing gum tbh

[@Pokenerd04]

There is nothing wrong with folding for two cannolis. I’d even saw it is reasonable.

[@wetrathours]

he's just like me actually

[@meowlo-the-mood-reader]

"it's not a slow burn if one of your characters is just stupid" PREACH. THANK YOU

[@teaganb215]

If I see another book mention “ Milking” during a smut scene is the moment I know we’ve lost the original plot

[@rachelrogers4275]

when I saw you pick up The Spanish Love Deception, I GASPED. Hours of my life I’ll never get back

[@venezia7969]

and the worst part is that i ate it up when i first read it and then i realized that i needed to stand tf up 😔

[@kashfiii990]

Exactly. I felt bad for the money I wasted.

[@idk6019]

@@venezia7969no fr I read it when I got back into reading, I think I’m the person with dementia 😞

[@eemmanemss]

It took me a year to finish this book, it was terrible, I will never forgive myself.

[@Aiy___-or1mk]

@@venezia7969Samee 😢

[@Camryn715]

“Deep down, I feel like I’m no better than a goblin” me too girl, me too.

[@keri7154]

Girl as soon as you said “Emilia is so stupid”, I yelled 😭 I suffered through ALL THREE of them and she never gets better!! Also no, the series isn’t worth it to me, the last is just smut wrapped in a veil of plot, but the veil is moth-eaten and about to fall apart. I will say that Wrath gets explained tho, he is the only saving grace 😂

[@crissyjayfae]

Book 2 started to get interesting because we see more world and characters and I felt like we were getting answers but then it just randomly turns to smut. And not really answers. Completely agree with you, I actually got annoyed in book 3 saying something along the lines of “can we have more plot and less sex, We GET IT” 😂 I think us having to read EVERY SEXY TIME they have is excessive. And the plot got so confusing, I actually stopped reading the last book for a few months. I’m trying to finish the book now just so I can be done with it.

[@helenzaikina478]

Pleeeease pleeease make a video about fanfiction!!!!! i really wanna know your fanfiction history! Gosh how i love it when booktubers read fanfics, i wanna know EVERYTHING

[@newlynova]

i actually would rather die than expose myself like that HAHAHA which is maybe how you know i actually was in the ao3 trenches but maybe one day

[@yoshi9046]

Thats like asking someone for their Bank id

[@TheGarlicBread0]

@@newlynova fair fair but alternative proposal, can you find the Credence of AO3 and take one for the team? lmao (btw i love your vids!!)

[@corypond9511]

An important moment in the story of my mother realizing she wanted to marry my father was him, after a couple of months of dating, visiting her while her grandfather was dying and helping to shave him while the family was out to lunch. There is soooo much potential for sweet and serious romance within sickness & loss that it’s deeply disappointing the Spanish Love Hypothesis decided to not do anything with that

[@Vivi-hh5ob]

love that you mixed up spanish love deception and love hypothesis, at this point boktok romance books are just a blur lol

[@ladyminor]

i am so stealing 'i was in hell, with the bar', absolutely magnificent

[@ayantikasen3490]

The only iteration of enemies-to-lovers I will handle in contemporary romance is "rivals-to-lovers" between two students in high school or first few years of college because that is the only time anyone takes anything that seriously. Vying for the same internship? Sold. Give me a book with hormonal human beings for me to believe they actually consider each other "enemies".

[@newlynova]

oh yeah facts i love rivals to lovers but that's because they have an actual reason to compete

[@meghanhaug3257]

no genuinely the kingdom of the wicked had SO much potential and it lets you down every single time

[@Ida2170]

your videos incentivise me to do the dishes, like i see a 30 min video posted by lexi and i’m like i will be productive AND experience unfailing entertainment

[@Vivi-hh5ob]

same lol

[@audrey_the_professor]

the only enemies to lovers in contemporary romance that i've been able to genuinely be like "okay, I get it" is in ali hazelwood's books because its women in stem losing job opportunities to men. Also kerri maniscalo's other books pop off so hard

[@RetroNoIX]

"Sometimes we lose. That's what we get for playing an honest game." Casually dropping one of the hardest quotes out of the blue?!?!

[@sonnyaguilar5593]

As a Peruvian, I am glad to see that our food has managed to trap another victim in our clutches. Just wait until you get pollo a la brasa and inca cola

[@skidilybapbapbadabap9]

The moment I saw the lomo saltado my heart jumped man

[@haydenbeatty633]

fully off topic but my cat passed a few days ago and she was, among countless other things, my favorite reading buddy. seeing onix join you too brought up such major grief for me but it also made me feel deep gratitude for having had such an amazing love in my life. thank you for unintentionally helping me process, and give onix an extra cuddle for me

[@Ana-ld9js]

I'm so sorry to hear about that. I'm sending you a tight hug 🤍

[@newlynova]

[@evelynr5327]

Same. My cat was a huge cuddle buddy and sat in my lap to sleep everytime I sat down, esp to read. It was bittersweet to see onyx but he seems like a sweet cat. I'm sorry for your loss ❤

[@pepper6528]

Emily Henry said during an interview she doesn't really enjoy writing enemies to lovers, it doesn't seem natural. She really holds back on the enemies aspect of the relationship so the coupling will be believable in the end

[@frankie9373]

The only enemies to lovers set in real live Ive ever seen (usually from 80s to early 2000s romcom settings for middleaged people) was always along the lines of 'hes misogynistic and ESPECIALLY misogynistic towards her because he wants to cover up how hes actually into her' and 'shes bitter and wants to prove that women are just as good as men so she hates the fact that shes falling for a man instead of being independent' and yeah... always made me feel very icky

[@teteunicorn1238]

You ´re such a comfort youtuber, so funny and I really enjoy watching your content, so thank u

[@Sage-p2s]

That's so real

[@Melonmilk]

FR !! Every time she uploads a video I get so excited 🥺💗

[@newlynova]

🫶🫶🫶

[@reagan7460]

CAT

[@lindsey9214]

“Reading this book I was in hell with the bar!” 😂😂

[@emilymazz5787]

The graphic design of the blue eyes made me cackle! I loved the camp of Butcher and Blackbird but I could have done without the smut scenes honestly. I literally finished reading it only hours before you posted this video. Side note: I would kill for your earring collection! So good!!

[@lindslovely]

Girly is out here in the trenches giving us content 😭 You deserve more subs!!!

[@dobetterwithchristian4472]

When you mentioned milking in the Spanish Love Deception, I laughed cause i knew what was coming in B&B lol

[@brookem3889]

the fact hes wrath not LUST or even like gluttony which at least implies an insaitable appetite is pretty wild ngl

[@madelinedupon]

GIRL TRUST ME I was so confused at kingdom of the wicked and the sheer curiosity that as a reader I get, I read the next few books and I was SHOOK 💀 Is Amelia being a DUMBIE any better? Not really. BUT THE DRAMA, THE DRAMA... Also it answers a lot of things about Wrath

[@sliceofgarlicbread]

CACKLING at the tone shift between “brightest things I’ve ever seen” and “milking”, that caught me off guard 😭😭

[@sillyangels6521]

Omg I missed you. I can confidently say that the audiobook for Butcher and Blackbird is so much better! The jokes hit a bit more solidly and the actors really take the time to actually ACT OUT the banter. Even though the book itself can be a little much at time I totally recommend anyone looking into it to get the audiobook. ❤

[@newlynova]

yeah i have heard nothing but great things. the only reason i didn't do the audiobook was bc i couldn't find it on spotify and i am the laziest girl in the world

[@Hillary429]

That final frame of you and onyx needs to be framed in your wall, could not be any cuter 🥰

[@sparklymufinbuny270]

babe wake up new newlynova video just dropped🗣️

[@lozxcam]

I agree with you about Kingdom of the Wicked but I would actually recommend continuing it. I don’t remember specifics in the book but overall I really did enjoy the story and I remember enjoying it more, the more I read 👍🏼

[@tori2885]

I agree, and based on her critiques of Wrath, I think a lot of his behavior in this book will make more sense later in the series

[@gwenny9872]

Personally the series completely lost me with the second book. It was 90% smut (smut without them ever actually having sex+one scene that felt like sexual assault to me) and Emilia did not get anything done. It felt like everything she found out about her sisters death was handed to her and the rest of the plot startet to develop in the last 50 pages or so and felt so random and uncalled for

[@tori2885]

@@gwenny9872I can see that. I feel like the two characters should’ve been in different books tbh. Wrath was trying to bring Emilia back to herself, and Emilia was trying to find her sister. I was also annoyed with Emilia’s constant back and forth with her feelings for Wrath. Overall, I really only like the series because I found him to be a halfway decent male character for once lol.

[@GoOseGuTZz]

Enemies to lovers isn’t good enemies to lovers if they stop bantering after their together.

[@kate.b97]

SHES BACK FOLKS!!! Missed u Lexi ❤ Also I am so here for the blood and ash shadeeee I need your hot take on it haha

[@newlynova]

pure unadulterated hate i plan on doing a video eventually but reliving all 800 pages is not something i am looking forward to

[@kate.b97]

@@newlynova the sacrifices you make for us don’t go unnoticed 🫡 might be good to wait till you can follow it up with Oathbound as a palette cleanser lol

[@literatureliz91]

1) I am head over heels with your ironic vibe 😝 2) YES! Let's bring back true enemies-to-lovers. Enemies don't fall in love with each other quickly. They just don't. 3) "I need him to be evil" - morally grey characters or characters described as evil, cruel whatever - they need to actually be that!

[@aiyanac6265]

I’m so happy someone else didn’t really like Butcher & Blackbird I was so excited to read it and ended up DNF it because it wasn’t nearly as fun and exciting as I thought it would be tiktok constantly disappoints me 😭

[@georgiac.5352]

Insta love will make me dnf a book. I was so excited for a book I bought recently and he was lusting after her by page 2 and I was like I can’t do this. The author was also trying to make literally every single character too wholesome which is nice to read but not everyone is this cute, perfect person who has never done anything wrong in their life.

[@_kenn]

bro Elena’s other book, The American Roommate Experiment is also fake dating and a studio apartment however I think Lucas Martín is too too perfect - “it’s not a slow burn if your characters are just fucking stupid” best line I’ve ever heard

[@melizes83]

Honestly, what you said about enemies to lovers in contemporary romance is so ON POINT. 🤟

[@mmvrphy]

i would fold for 2 cannolis ngl😔

[@meghinmagliano9905]

Oh, I was so excited for your thoughts on Butcher and Blackbird! Your review is hella fair though, I’m also typically a slow burn, pining girl. I listened to the book so I imagine reading the words would definitely hit different at times. So glad you’re back! I’ve just been rewatching your videos.

[@joellem625]

Yess I sooo agree I think the Spanish Love Deception tried to be the new “Hating Game” because that book was super popular around same time but unfortunately in my personal opinion “The Hating Game” did a way better job at work place enemies/rivals to lovers. I think if the Spanish love deception didn’t try sooo hard to recreate similar vibes and have almost exact same tropes to the hating game maybe it wouldn’t get as much hate. It’s like reading same book but in different and way worse font. Ps: Love your videos!

[@AbbyUhl-q8r]

Butcher and blackbird was one of my favorite books of 2023 but that’s what I love so much about reading. We can have so many opinions of a book but come together as a community and discuss our feelings about books!

[@OrwellianFunk]

Onix hugging/holding onto your knee was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

[@thebookishangel]

I love how her cat wants to be held but still looks so reluctant when being held 19:27

[@cantduckinbelieveit7426]

The clip of mr. blue eyes was slowly starting to morph into that Jeff the killer pic and I can't get it out of my head now.

[@yearningforpetrichor]

“as a yearner” me too seriously 😂

[@clairekiefer]

"I feel like the descriptions in this book were written for people with dementia." LMAOOOOOO The excerpts you read are a solid confirmation for me that I will never be reading this. How is "eyes as blue as the ocean" getting past any editor in this day and age . . . ugh

[@uselessutensils1754]

Sorry, but for the third book I don’t know why, but I kept imagining “Wrath” as like this tiny, fairy-sized man that was kept in a little bird cage and it made me laugh really hard

[@starrystudy00]

onyx is so sweet, i love how their fur looks like a loved teddy bear 🥺

[@colleenwalsh4081]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SAYING IT OUT LOUD. I felt like I was the only person who feels like enemies to lovers is impossible in contemporary romance. It's really rivals to lovers at most.

[@snowheartlock]

“I want to feel you milking me” gave me whiplash, why is that book so unhinged aidufgkug

[@Hppjohg]

Watched this while making Velveeta, you're speaking the truth bestie

[@hollismcc96]

omg this is one of my favourite genre of your videos!! can’t wait to hear about the trash and the good also 7:26 I swear grey cats have zero thoughts, my cat has never had a thought in her LIFE

[@emma.dessureau]

The joy in my soul when lexi posts. Profound.

[@holly.a]

your vids make my day ten million percent better, thank you for all the uploads recently! also your style is just *chef's kiss*, pure fashion inspo

[@katelynnvens1974]

This has made my day sm better, I need some more romance recommendations sooo maybe I’ll find one in this video!!

[@newlynova]

LMAO i am so sorry, this was not a successful adventure

[@katelynnvens1974]

@@newlynova it’s okay I should have guessed, booktok is kinda wild sometimes 😔 at least they weren’t as bad as credence 💀

[@ghadeernasser2921]

Your rant about the first book was so validating to my hateful heart

[@s.maelstrom]

Modern enemies to lovers is almost always just rivals to lovers at best

[@deannascorner8112]

The audiobook for Butcher & Blackbird really pushed it into a five stars read for me. I loved the narration and fell in love with Rowan. I also read it during a buddy read so that made it even more enjoyable

[@7Marisa77]

I just finished the kingdom of the wicked trilogy and I am a silly little fool for it 😩 the second book is actually the best, the third one’s nice if you really like flirting, banter and smut :)

[@cheyennen99]

I agree the second book had me

[@carolineemenaker4823]

The third book was so bad 😭 like the gondola scene?? I’m sorry ??

[@7Marisa77]

@@carolineemenaker4823 I forgot about that 😳 asdfhahzhsj

[@holliemaidment913]

The second book is soooo good!!

[@emmalynn877]

Noooo but the second book just has SA disguised as smut, it made me feel so icky

[@arianaraad1417]

when i read the spanish love deception i could only remember that the love interest had BLUE EYES bc they mentioned it sm

[@kirstiedavies8095]

omg Onyx is the sweetest

[@LessTheWorld]

the editing on this video was so fun and kept it interesting without being overstimulating or anything, i always enjoy ur videos, but this one really was a nice work companion

[@cz5981]

had such a bad day yesterday, thank you for a new video lexi!

[@newlynova]

🫶 i hope today is better

[@cz5981]

@@newlynova thank you!! your video helped a ton

[@heybuddy2009]

Onyx is a very pretty cat! Such a beautiful colouring!

[@crossswords848]

this is unequivocally the best and most entertaining book vlog video or even book related video I have ever seen. I loved every second of this😂

[@bojacksspirit]

im not sure why but just listening to you talk in the background makes my day better

[@qwerty_uiop3585]

Now,THIS is the humour and the content I pay my internet bills for.

[@evetheseventh]

Yessss promoting a romance book as enemies to lovers when it’s just misunderstanding is crime 🤚 I didn’t read the first book but I read the second “ the American roommate “ and oh boy it’s worse 😂

[@Mad.E]

I always assume when dumb sounding stories get popular they must at least be written jucily, so it's downright shocking when not even that's the case

[@seekerxr]

1. you have the chillest cat ever pls give him all the forehead kisses 2. you served LOOKS this whole vid im OBSESSED with your snake earrings!!! 3. brynne weaver co-wrote another serial killer/serial killer romance called Marrow that i read recently and gave 5 stars!! its got a darker, more serious tone that you might like!! they do work together but there's actually a legitimate reason for them to be enemies-to-lovers other than just a bland workplace rivalry. i thought i'd drop the title in case you wanted to check it out after B&B!!

[@ak-gm5zx]

putting an enemies to lovers in a contemporary world should be a federal crime, like "oh, no he knocked over my pencils, I HATE HIM"

[@partyhardy6276]

the 9:33 “why live” is SO REAL to the spanish love deception, truly one of the only times i almost dnf a book

[@charmtaduran]

7:21 “it’s not a slow burn if one of ur characters is stupid” 😭😭😭😭😭

[@crissyjayfae]

Literally was about to leave this exact comment cause 😂 she’s so right

[@mkismet]

Thanks so much for your take on The Spanish Love Deception. The hours I'll never get back!!! My main prob with it, besides Lina's inner monologue, was the way the relationship with her professor was handled. It made me so, so icky, felt very predatory and no one ever said anything about that, focusing on the bullying she suffered from classmates - which ofc, but also, can we talk about that man dating a student that is also so much younger than he is?!?! Anyways ty for your video♥️♥️♥️

[@wannie4474]

i was waiting for this video religiously after u posted your good reads review

[@615yeo]

new lexi vid after my exams just ended.. WE ALL CHEERED

[@allisonmyers5874]

Oh girl I just read kingdom of the wicked and holyyyyyy shit I was jaw dropping flabbergasted with how stupid Amelia was. No thoughts, just confusion.

[@catarinanunes3676]

i think no booktuber was able to ilustrate my suffer reading the spanish love deception as you did and i am extremely grateful for that

[@user-qu8zs7vs1x]

I also loved a clockwork reader's vlog on the Spanish love deception. She HATED it ahah

[@ardentlyyearning]

i admit i enjoyed reading spanish deception when it came out but i remembered cringing very much at the "milking" part. i had to pretend and censor that word in my mind to salvage my reading experience lmfao. 💀😭

[@Miss.Rosy.]

I think one of the most hilarious things is that i did enjoy The Spanish Love Deception(probably cause i didn't read the milking thing since it was in portugue) but i couldn't agree with you more on everything you said

[@luizarafaeli204]

YEEEES MY FAVORITE GIRL FINALLY POSTED ❤️

[@isabellawoods4127]

THE PACING AROUND THE ROOM KILLED ME OMFG

[@mekaylageary4759]

Sidenote, the Taylor Swift flower posters are so beautiful!

[@moreofvera]

the speed in which you're talking is perfect

[@daisymae6]

Damn I’m early for once 😂 the first booktok viral book I ever heard of was Gothikana and it was certainly interesting

[@newlynova]

yea i'm scared of that one

[@pleasemyplants3447]

You. Never. Miss. Also, I would never trust a book that "James Patterson Presents" so I feel validated about Kingdom of the Wicked

[@RedLovelyRed]

Look at you, beautiful human getting 10s of thousands of views in hours!! You're rocking it! Also the first "milking" I thought 'wait till she find out about Morning Glory Milking Farm 💀'. Onix having no thoughts is perfect, my dog Onix is also smooth brain. All jokes aside what a great kitty 🥰

[@Griffinater3]

Returning to this video after listening to the entirety of Butcher and Blackbird in a day. I can totally see it not being to all tastes, but this one was a blast for me. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

[@Lumi_core]

When I watch your videos in front of people they can’t understand what you’re saying because you talk pretty fast but I can understand you perfectly (probably ‘cause I’m the same way😂)

[@Noann100]

A voice of reason in the booktok community! Also I love your cat 😍

[@raqueltome7385]

that one liner is everything i needed to know to never even look in that books direction