Rant Review | Wings of a Butterfly is WORSE than Haunting Adeline??

[@LilBearZen]

“No, You don’t want to be here; you’re just on acid.” Felt so personal I had to reevaluate my 20s.

[@JulianGreystoke]

Not me trying to eat breakfast while this book has him "drawing a butterfly on her in their combined fluids ". Someone wrote that. Someone asked for money for this book.

[@weirdobookclub]

RIP to your breakfast

[@scream_kinh614]

I was trying to sleep while listening to this. All I could think was who was this made for. Who paid money for this book in earnest. WHO?

[@bettyunicorn6132]

I had to stop watching. I died inside.

[@sunnyandthechlo]

I was eating cerealllllll

[@lazylunarwitch]

Thanks for the warning. I’m putting down my granola bar…

[@nohintshere]

"i'm holding in my breath so hard that i can't breathe" has the same energy as "she ran like she was running from something"

[@weirdobookclub]

I'm rolling my eyes so hard that they're rolling.

[@nohintshere]

@@weirdobookclub don't forget "aro started to laugh. 'ha ha ha', he chuckled."

[@DichotomyBeing]

That had me laughing out loud so hard my laugh was out loud 😂

[@reii69420]

This made me laugh a laugh out loud 💀

[@imhalfhere]

It's giving "I let you live here for free and I don't even charge you rent"

[@Djinn_Entonic]

Con con is "constitutional convention" defined in Article V of the U.S. Constitution which allows the states to convene a convention to propose amendments to the Constitution.

[@Djinn_Entonic]

This was definitly non con

[@weirdobookclub]

I swear lol

[@cur1ouscatf1sh]

I saw that and I was like… con con? Consensual consent??? Uh yeah I sure hope your consent is consensual

[@mst3kharris]

I literally laughed out loud. I’m serious: I startled my cat.

[@SallySueSaywhatagain]

Ooh, I wonder where discussion of the Constitution comes up. TWIST!

[@BandFairy]

"stuffed vampire rabbit" Don't fucking bring Bunnicula into this nightmare!

[@weirdobookclub]

Bunnicula deserves better

[@kaityr9693]

Bunnicula would never associate with these people. He has standards.

[@CelticGuardian7]

Too real.

[@sillyd0g]

he's an innocent pure soul he doesn't deserve this

[@azul1073]

u just unlocked a memory!

[@moultingrook8091]

Also the way this author equates incest and kink with lgtbq+ is a CRIME and they should be off to jail immediately. Most disgusting part of this book even over the criminally bad sex scenes.

[@shanicek5188]

My stomach actually dropped when I heard that was the direction the book was going in

[@moultingrook8091]

@@shanicek5188 seriously me too. And the bi erasure as well! “Well I must not be queer after all if I’m enjoying the D”

[@CursedCatTruffa]

Reminds me of a Twitter post trying to equate queer history to incest, have the exact same energy and I want it purged by hellfire

[@NearsightedNarhwal]

It reminds me of when Coho made the reason a character in one of her book’s assaulted the mc was because he was gay.

[@minrui]

@@NearsightedNarhwal whaaat? Which one?

[@nicole.z.624]

“Con-con” makes me think of convicts in orange jumpsuits performing the Can-Can

[@weirdobookclub]

Alexa, play moulin rouge

[@KenjiiH]

😂, I'd love to see that

[@GreenVenus]

A little detail about the dr*g use in the beginning- Bitterness is a primary sign of fake acid, so that comment about it being bitter seems interesting. There's a phrase, "If it's bitter, it's a spitter" (like spit it out, cus it may be dangerous)

[@weirdobookclub]

Ooo good to know. Too bad it was useless in the plot and went nowhere. God this book sucks!

[@almi8151]

I was thinking like I don't remember those 50 tabs tasting bitter 😂

[@AlienKnightAsher]

Hi. I'm new here. At 59:40 I had to pause. The second you said Texas, I wanted to scream. It all makes sense now. This is Texas Chainsaw Massacre fanfic. The scarred killer, the decrepit farmhouse, the mommy issues, the weird inc*st thing... I swear if this was written after the newest movie, that's what this is. The horrible dedication feels backhanded, but given what I've read in the past in fanfic, I wouldn't be surprised if this person genuinely thought they were doing something.

[@shortinsomniac76]

Leatherface didnt deserve this :( He is a canibal murderer but at least his abuse was portrayed as wrong also. I dont remember him being a rapist, mostly as a traumaticed manchild like Jason.

[@Vashiane]

WAIT... OH NO...

[@Necrovia]

The longer the video goes on the more convinced that this self-published story is infact a a03 fan-fic of Texas Chainsaw Massacare

[@jazalvarez313]

NO BECAUSE THE MEAT HOOK making it into the book. I am ILL 😂

[@lexysue9556]

haven’t finished the video but… noooo. TCM is one of my faves and… this feels cursed 😭

[@moss8115]

I’d bet real money the cliffhanger is her meeting the ghost/hallucination brother who isn’t actually dead

[@kyameiko]

this story feels ai generated 😭😭 its like a mashup of two different stories and the author kept forgetting which one they were writing at the time 😅

[@kyameiko]

i hope you have a happy new year!!

[@weirdobookclub]

Happy new year to you too, love. Thanks for hanging out.

[@missejymo]

This story legit reads like they posted this on AO3 first and then decided to publish it. Those trigger warnings are very ao3-esque with the way they are listed and worded.

[@athena3268]

Publishers need to get better at detecting fanfiction with the serial numbers filed off.

[@missejymo]

@@athena3268 I actually laughed out loud reading this because of how true it is. Even the way they mention the editor is something also very fanfiction.

[@weirdobookclub]

Self published 👀

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

I plan on putting my spiteful romance novel on there. I'm not going to make people pay money to read, well, read _that._ The tag thing might be to try and up view count.

[@theodaxpeters4892]

That's insulting to people who post on AO3, this is definitely a self insert Wattpad fic

[@peggyluwhoreads]

Yes, I did just get exactly as far into this video as the end of all the trigger warnings, and then thinking, 'wait, didn't she just say that it's 110 pages?', I backed up to the beginning of the video to double check that you said 110 pages. All that shit in just 110 pages? Goddess save us.

[@peggyluwhoreads]

Not the Grammerly sponsorship suggestion!

[@lycianempire]

It's like a fic you find on AO3 with a thousand warning and trope tags but it's somehow under 500 words.

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

Tag: "Misery of living in the USA, but with deer mice."

[@abbypierce4196]

As someone who does not have the willpower to read these books but absolutely loves listening to the unhinged plotlines….I thank you for your service. 😌😂💕

[@BanjoJill]

The fact that this author was looking for THIS type of book brings me fear.

[@Stonedandbookish]

I edit books as a part time gig and I think I would actually die if my editing was that poor and i was shouted out by name

[@Stonedandbookish]

Also as a queer person who went back and forth on my identity (straight vs bi--settled on bi but I'm attracted to all genders). This whole thing is so baffling to me She has a normal reaction to SA and suddenly likes men?? Yes, the body does respond that way sometimes. It's a physiological response and there's still trauma.

[@weirdobookclub]

the homophobia gets so much worse so prepare yourself!

[@Stonedandbookish]

​@@weirdobookclubrewatching this lol.

[@colleen6644]

NOT BOTH HER VIRGINITIES!

[@v0n12z]

calling this "romance" is giving me the same visceral reaction to when people call killing stalking a "bl" THIS IS A THRILLER

[@arkkon2740]

Reminds me of the 50 times ive seen people say "this would be better if it was gay" for these like its normal for gay relationships to be toxic

[@sam.onella]

FUCKING YES. EXACTLY.

[@aw7145]

I know this is a tiny nitpick among all the other things wrong with the trigger warnings, but I always get a little bit irrationally annoyed when trigger warnings use shortened terms like "cnc" or "dubcon/noncon" - I know what these terms mean and I'm aware that they are fanfic/romance terms that are pretty widespread, but not everyone is familiar with them and I think it would be nicer and more accessible to everyone to just play it safer and write out "consensual non-consent" etc instead. I just generally feel like you should be able to read trigger/content warnings and understand what will be in the book without any guesswork or extra leg work on the reader's part

[@tiff2905]

Yeah it's a good point. Similarly, this is why I've moved back to non-euphemistic/non-jargon language for content notes. Yes it can be more jarring to read up front, but it's also less ambiguous.

[@athena3268]

Exactly. Not everyone is Extremely Online enough to know these niche terms. Give REAL warnings.

[@hannahbeanies8855]

I don’t think that’s tiny at all. That’s a very valid criticism. This was written like it was meant to be on archive of our own. The website itself defines a lot of these terms, but if you are reading it in a separate book, you don’t have access to that definition. I take for granted that I know these terms. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@xogarciaxomaria]

I agree! The first time that digged into this sort of videos i wasn't aware of what cnc means and i was SHOCKED

[@ettaetta439]

Even worse, there is NO cnc in this book. Cnc is a kink that involves actually getting consent, and that's impossible in a stalker/kidnapped girl story. It drives me up the wall when people use that term to refer to their entirely noncon/dubcon fantasy.

[@Rushboat]

On the topic of dark fiction - seeing queer people write stories where their invalidation of their identity is a kink is not new to me. I've been on archive of our own, I've seen the kind of things fellow transmasculine people have written - where transphobia is the kink - but they give the warning ahead of time about the content. They put in the tags, the descriptions, the chapter warnings, etc. that this is a story where a transmasculine person's identity is invalidated/they are forced to detransition and get misgendered - that they are transmasc and it's just their kink. To me, it's disturbing to say the least, and very upsetting, but like, I know not to interact with it because it's a trigger. Not giving a proper warning, dedicating the book to anyone who questions their sexuality... it's not really something that can be accepted, overlooked, forgiven like that... Thank you for sharing your story. Though my experience with coming out as queer is very different, I feel your pain. Thank you for speaking out about it.

[@weirdobookclub]

Right! If the warning actually included that this was coming, it might have upset me less. It just feels mean to not give context to the people you literally dedicated the book to.

[@Rushboat]

@@weirdobookclub Right! And there was a paid sensitivity reader too - did they actually do anything beyond making a list of triggers, or alternatively was the story somehow much worse before them? I am scared to wonder. 😥

[@sleepyhermit5758]

It sounds like a niche extension of the degradation kink. One explanation i found was that non-con has the appeal that the sub person bares no "guilt" for doing seggsual activity so the fantasy is about being wanted and also not feeling guilty for engaging in seggsual activity. Real life and fantasy couldnt be more different in this case. I dont read non-con because i dont wanna support it because i dont think leaning into that fantasy is safe or healthy, but i do get the kink. I was raised extremist religious and i really find that makes non-con appealing as in a weird way it makes one feel less guilty. Religious guilt is a hell of a drug

[@gliscorpropagandaaccount1764]

A lot of kinks stem from a place of something being taboo or harmful, but being safe within a fantasy. Similar to a lot of the appeal of horror media. Microdosing on something that would be horrible in reality in a safe and controlled environment where, more likely than not, they are into it

[@BooksandBuns]

I mean, I kinda get it. I sometimes write about transmasc characters being forced to detransition, or being shamed for being trans, or people being gross about their bodies. It helps me, as someone who has had people be weird over my transmasculine body, deal with the trauma of it in a safe way. I just... Don't see it as a kink in any way, shape, or form, & usually tend to have the creepy or bigoted character meet some sort of unfortunate end instead. Different strokes for different folks?

[@neddles33]

if i had a nickel for every time an author in book or fic had a character smell of "something uniquely them" i would have enough cash to fund my time travel back to the stone age to escape it

[@weirdobookclub]

Take me with you!

[@Advilhtsks]

Omegaverse authors are funding your trip multiple times over

[@KH-zr6pt]

This book is answering questions I don't think many people have asked about their sexuality... like "Am I attracted to people of the same gender as me?" and "Do I have an incestuous kidnapping kink?" are extremely different questions that I don't think the same book should be handling!!

[@darkcrydotmrihavetoomanyst1440]

There's a kidnapping kink?????

[@coolfish4402]

So many good points made in this video but I’d also like to add that the depiction of Alex seems incredibly ableist. The whole thing about his facial difference (scar) being treated as a freaky, dangerous trait and his whole ~oh i’m insane~ thing really read to me as a trivialization and almost fetishization of mental illness. Just a gross book in so many ways.

[@weirdobookclub]

That's true, I didn't even think of that angle. I think I was too overwhelmed and distracted by... ::gestures around:: all the other stuff lol

[@drowninginskyblue]

If the author created this book because she was looking for it and couldn't find, so she wrote it herself... she could also have just kept it to herself, y'know? Ya didn't HAVE to share it, it could've stayed in your Google Drive or computer folder and you could've shown it to your friends if they were interested. You didn't have to unleash it upon the world like this.

[@weirdobookclub]

A friend of mine said this too! Could've kept that to yourself, my boy! Didn't have to make it my problem!

[@anonme_]

But you can just not read it either, just like you most likely didn't? Or does freedom apply only when it's the kind of cringe that you like to read?

[@pleiadesviatrix5611]

Most likely she wants to make money out of this

[@yes-ny7px]

@@anonme_oh my god shut the hell up

[@rikititi1848]

The irony of this using the Oedipus complex, when Freud didn't believe in homosexuality, then his daughter was a ranging lesbian, a child psychologist, and all round badass

[@chocomelo454]

Don't forget his "niece" the trans man Egg of the century

[@gabbyabbott4965]

3:26 if I had a nickel for every time a character was named Skylena I’d have two nickels. But it’s kind of weird that it’s even happened once to begin with.

[@galileo_the_star_lion]

that is a goddamn pokemon gym leader name if ive ever heard one

[@sherithebookgnome]

I am totally going to start using ‘fictious’ when someone tells me a particularly stupid lie. Your rants are great; they really make my night.

[@weirdobookclub]

"no no, I didn't like. I just told a fictious tale."

[@nodoubtmisa]

actually laughed out loud at the "im holding in my breath so hard that i cant breathe" did an elementary kid write that shit xD

[@Misa.misato]

16:36 wait a second, she “plops down” on a public toilet????? Okay, I know this is probably the least crazy thing in this book, but I can’t get over it. Do people actually do that in public toilets? Am I the only weirdo who hovers over the seat, straining my muscles, trying not to touch anything like my life depends on it? 😂

[@weirdobookclub]

I’m also a hoverer. Absolutely not

[@gabbyabbott4965]

I prefer toilet paper nests since I have weak knees.

[@MissSeaShell]

ESPECIALLY at a music festival 🤢 no fuckin way. That thing was probably overflowing with shit. Knowing her she'd like it tho

[@scream_kinh614]

​@gabbyabbott4965 YES I DO THIS EXACT THING. make little nests to cover the toilet and then your butt is covered 👌

[@BooksandBuns]

The day I was old enough to go into a public toilet by myself, my mom taught me to ALWAYS cover the seat with as much toilet paper as I can fit on there. WHO uses their BARE ASS on a fucking PUBLIC TOILET??

[@asimpleworm]

Bruh the "con-con" content warning absolutely took me out lmaoo They should have put "no editing" on that list of triggers

[@weirdobookclub]

I understand if the editor missed one or two things, sure. It's self published, I get it. But to miss this many things at this level of incompetency?!

[@SallySueSaywhatagain]

"No beta we saunter vaguely downward" as we say in the Good Omens fandom!

[@xxDeeMmmVeexx]

The way I have a WHOLE degree in creative writing and English lit and can’t get an editor job to save my life bc I have no connections in the industry… AND YET, books like this exist. 😮‍💨

[@paIeville]

i feel for u 😭

[@snapdragona]

The dedication is a trap

[@weirdobookclub]

It sure is! And I felt like I had to chew my own arm off to escape it

[@kelsie7683]

Searching the com-coms for what con-con means 👀

[@weirdobookclub]

🤪

[@leahstewart1002]

so happy you came back in part way through to explain how harmful the ideas in this book are. cant even explain how many men i know that truthfully believe lesbians only exist because they havent found the right men and just need to be “shown” (perhaps by force) just how good it can be with a man. “if i could get my hands on her, she’d turn straight” this author may genuinely have had that sort of transformation (hopefully not this way) and felt there wasnt a lot of representation for women who felt they were lesbians…. and later discovered they werent. but i cant imagine why she would write such a disgusting love interest if the goal was to validate that experience. reading this makes me want to be a lesbian even more!

[@weirdobookclub]

I can't figure out why she would write it and then dedicate it to queer/questioning people. Write whatever you want I guess, that's your right. But dedicating it like that? That was a choice.

[@BooksandBuns]

This, all of this, + corrective rape is also super common amongst transmen & ace people of all kinds, & as someone who is both of those I just feel gross all over

[@net_has]

idk if this is what you were trying to articulate or a different observation entirely, but I feel like there's a huge difference between characters (even the main character) being homophobic/harboring homophobic ideas and the narrative itself seeming to confirm those ideas as true

[@weirdobookclub]

That’s it. That’s what I was trying to communicate. You nailed it.

[@Vashiane]

There's a point where I realized this book could have worked if it was a horror/thriller novel trying to say something about the impact abuse can have on a child and how it can set them up for further abuse. Think of it like this: Skylar is a queer teen, under the thumb of an intolerant and emotionally abusive father. She's never felt any kind of love from him. She doesn't know what love is, hence her clinging so hard to the one person she feels is giving her that love - Nicole. Just as she thinks she's finally getting that love she craves, she's kidnapped, brutalized by this strange man, and she after years of forcing herself to appease her father forces herself to fawn and appease him, playing house so she can survive and hopefully escape. And there are moments when he's tender and loving, and she's starving. Her mind gets confused as she struggles with the horrible things he does versus how her body reacts versus those few moments of kindness because feelings are complicated and realizing that she wouldn't be struggling with this if she was just loved her as she should have been loved. That her father didn't love her, that Nicole (arguably) didn't love her, and that this man does not love her. And she escapes, and tries to reconcile with her trauma by putting that energy into herself and caring for herself, loving herself the way she should be loved (or maybe Nicole comes along for the ride to help him). Like the concept is there. It's just... this is being treated like it's romantic. This is being written like it's Skylar's romantic ideal, the best thing she's ever going to get is being kidnapped, tortured, have any agency about her own sexuality and personhood ripped to shreds, and god knows what else (I'm not done with the review when I'm writing this) because he's hot and deep down inside he just really, really loves her. Like you can DO something with her feelings getting confused and trying to navigate that kind of trauma and that kind of backhanded affection from abuse but. No. We're here. In hell. Hades is looking down on us and asking if we need a hand out of there. EDIT: Literally a minute later after I published this I hit the incest reveal. Hades couldn't help us if he tried.

[@Advilhtsks]

I lot of dark romance could have nuanced and interesting takes if it wasn't yk....dark romance...

[@DrMadelineAuD]

“I’m holding in my breath so hard that I can’t breathe.” I’M GOING TO SCREAM

[@stormyanngraves]

“So she got the A… and the O. I’d like to buy a vowel” I AM DECEASED. 🤣🤣🤣 also subscribed ❤

[@weirdobookclub]

Yay thank you 😊

[@legsorcist]

at least this is a great example as to why specifying internalized homophobia/bigotry as a trigger is really important. it’s really easy to brush off some random asshole’s comments or actions, but when we’re supposed to be putting ourselves in the head of someone who believes all of these awful things about themselves (especially when the author is trying to find an audience who relates to these thoughts), it’s a lot more difficult to cope with. as someone who’s rarely “triggered” by the content of media, it’s almost always internalized hatred that gets to me, because it’s putting thoughts i worked hard to get rid of back into my head. i wish more authors were able to recognize that

[@argbarbosa]

I'm an editor who's edited at least a few truly bad books. Unfortunately, you can make all the revisions and suggestions possible, and the author will still choose to ignore them. And then there are those other books, where the sheer volume of edits is so insurmountable, that some silly things slip through the cracks. Also most times I don't get the front matter included in the manuscripts I receive. Of course, they could have just been a bad editor. I just choose to blame the author 💀💀

[@weirdobookclub]

I did consider this after I recorded everything. Editors can only do so much and offer criticism that the authors dont have to take. I have many grievances with anyone who touched this book lol

[@LittleMissLounge]

I've never done professional editing, but I've been a beta reader and... it's interesting how much some authors really do not want any CC, even if they ask for it explicitly. I agree the editor can only do so much. Y'all deserve hazard pay.

[@olivialesuer6252]

Queer woman here who is also a survivor of childhood SA 50:03 You handled this beautifully. I have experienced a lot of internalized homophobia from similar stereotypes. What happened to you is horrible. Thank you for your vulnerability.

[@NearsightedNarhwal]

That list of triggers sounded like it was plucked straight out of Wattpad

[@amandaredd3057]

As if Dan Schneider and his Nick friends didn't do enough to taint and tarnish the memories of Victorious (and the like) for so many, this flaming hot garbage story goes and pulls that last pin... KABOOM! Goodbye, innocence

[@CreatingCuteArt]

“Let me know in the com coms!” How I lol’d 😂😂😂

[@iFlutterbye]

I’m going to use the word “fictious” forever now. Can we have Fictious merch now?

[@weirdobookclub]

I will attempt to make fictious merch happen in 2024

[@athena3268]

Nooo "Wings Of A Butterfly" is my favorite HIM song, how dare they slander it with a bad story

[@weirdobookclub]

I think the author included that in the playlist I found via their website too.

[@colleen6644]

​ Noooo. I love HIM. This is horrible news!

[@athena3268]

@@weirdobookclub Horrible. BOO HISS. The lyrics are about gothic romance not this grabage.

[@zpurplex]

Same, it's a beautiful song!

[@yeehawleon6942]

​@weirdobookclub this information ruined my week

[@HaleyJeanASMR]

when you said this was worse than haunting adeline i almost didnt believe you… but what the fuck 😭😭😭😭 34:18 … my eyes are crying tears so hard that im crying at how funny that was

[@music_YT2023]

I still don't get the point of this 'fictious' story. Was the author trying to inflict trauma on the reader?

[@weirdobookclub]

yeah, id love to know the goals. I want her to explain it to me like I'm 5 years old.

[@s4bombshell]

The only conclusion I arrive at after watching the rant review is that the author did indeed intend for the book to convert questioning queer people via a “dark romance”. I can find no other possible motive. I haven’t done any research on this author (and probably won’t because I’m so disgusted) but it comes off like the author used to be questioning their sexuality and chose to repress it and live straight OR wants someone to inflict this experience on them because they foresee the queer experience in their future to be so terrible that being kidnapped, 🍇ed, SA’d, forced in to incest would be enough to repel them from a queer life and save them from the consequences of queerness.

[@colasupernova2196]

Not even from Memphis, but hearing national park and Memphis in the same sentence made my brain start to reboot.

[@mst3kharris]

The Oedipus complex is a psychological theory proposed by Sigmund Freud in, I believe, the late nineteenth century. It is supposed to explain how children end up identifying with their “proper” gender roles. Children who do not conform to their “proper” gender roles would be held by Freud to need therapy in order to resolve their Oedipal conflicts correctly. You will not be surprised to learn that this theory has been heavily criticized down the years from many quarters. I particularly hate the Oedipus complex because Freud has fundamentally twisted the meaning of the play _Oedipus Rex._ Oedipus _does not want_ to fuck his mother. He is shocked and horrified when he finds out that he has, because he _didn’t know._ The play relies heavily on the ironic interplay between Oedipus’s basic decency and his tragic fate. How Freud decided that the story of a man trying to avoid his inevitable doom explained normal childhood development, I will never ever understand.

[@CaitlinWilliams-i2j]

Your intro forced me to get up and clean lmao, I literally said “aight” and jumped out of bed. Thank you for that

[@weirdobookclub]

This is my favorite comment to get! I’m glad I could help

[@courtneypollard9140]

To answer your question at the ten minute mark, yes. Yes they do. When my dad found out I was bi, he completely and totally ignored my existence for six months.

[@weirdobookclub]

Im so sorry you experienced that. I know it is a real thing queer people go through when coming out to family. I hope you're ok now

[@moultingrook8091]

Your rant reviews have me laughing so much and yet also so outraged. I was eating when I got to that “scooping out” sentence and my gagging scared my husband. I’ve never switched videos so fast but I had to come back after I was done eating lol

[@weirdobookclub]

I'm so sorry for the jumpscare while you were eating! hahaha

[@zpurplex]

I've been dying to know what beat haunting adeline in awfulness! Perfect way to end the year 💜

[@weirdobookclub]

let me know if you agree! Haunting Adeline was so long and dumb but this one 👀

[@zpurplex]

​@@weirdobookclubI'm only at 'the hook is hooking' so I'll hold my verdict 😂

[@zpurplex]

​@@weirdobookclubokay, so I totally see why you hate it more than haunting adeline. It's harmful for sure. The sa the gay away plot was completely unnecessary, we learned nothing of her sexuality, except 10 min of pining for her bestie. I will say though, all these men and women are the same, it's the same books. All the creeps are Zade, all the girls are Adeline, whether they're called little mouse, little butterfly or little nightmare. Personally I unironically love haunting adeline, but the narrator does a lot for the character of adeline.

[@honeybeereads]

First time commenter, I just want to say I appreciated that you took such absolute care with breaking down the insidious homophobic undertones of this book Thank you for sharing your personal experiences, you are helping so many baby gays be warned and avoid a potentially harmful book 💚💚

[@weirdobookclub]

I try to do right by my weirdos! Thank you so much for taking time to come tell me this, it means a lot.

[@pshtwhoneedsaname]

caught the last few minutes of the premiere and am now excited to find out how all of the things happen in only 110 pages 😭😭

[@weirdobookclub]

110 page of unhinged ridiculousness

[@bibliophile2012]

Everything you are saying about the queer and questioning bait and switch makes perfect sense to me. And it gives me the most major ick. As someone who was legit questioning until my adult life, this book would have ramped up my internalized homophobia and convinced me that I just needed to let myself be taken by a guy again (having already survived SA previously) and let go of the questions I was asking. In the most harmful way possible.

[@soleya8185]

Oh fuck im sorry.. I hope this didnt have a bad effect on u

[@mst3kharris]

The fact that the author evidently thinks it’s better for the main character to be in an abusive, incestuous, but heterosexual relationship than a lesbian relationship breaks my brain and pisses me off. Here’s the thing that really irks me. I get they said they were looking for this book. I don’t understand why, but I don’t have to. I get that they wrote this book for themself. Again, I don’t understand why, but I don’t have to. It’s the part where the author decided to share this with others and dedicate it to people exploring their sexuality _without_ being clear about what this book entails that’s a problem, as you said. I feel like this was the author processing some heavy shit. That’s fine. Writing is a valid way to do that. But I have a major problem with an author apparently trauma dumping onto a page, running it through a spell checker, and publishing it like it’s something worth reading. There’s no care for what reading this will do to the reader, you know? It’s not that I think everything ought to be sanitized for the reader, but frankly this almost feels like an abuse of the author’s power. Like, Nabokov wrote _Lolita,_ but he wrote it in a way where you can tell Humbert’s a creep. One hopefully doesn’t read _Lolita_ and come away thinking it’s a shame they broke up. Also I suspect this is based on the fairy tale “Bluebeard,” which is about escaping awful situations. All around upsetting.

[@Losharin]

When she read the "Ripping the wings off a butterfly" line and DIDN'T clip in a section of the song Wings of a butterfly by HIM, I took intense emotional damage.

[@weirdobookclub]

I'm sorry to have hurt you in such a way. I will do better ♥️

[@Pinkbunniebabie]

Con-con took me out… could not stop thinking of they meant non-con misspelled or a baffling new term to imply… consensual consent..

[@tiffanydurden]

i don't have words to articulate how your serious cap moment made me feel, but i appreciate it so much. you absolutely handled it with care and thank you for sharing your story. you really master weaving in serious topics in between the humor. thank you for the great watch ❤

[@weirdobookclub]

I'm so glad! Ugh, this made my night. Thankful for you!

[@aksterne]

As someone also from Memphis, this is baffling.

[@weirdobookclub]

right?? Dont get me wrong, we have great parks but NOT a national park, PLEASE

[@sam.onella]

1:09:16 that evil smile is everything 😭 THIS WHOLE VIDEO is everything and i love (bad word- APPRECIATE) the serious bits. i dont know if anyone's explicitly told you this before, but you are strong. and i am able to recognize only a fraction of all that you have gone, and continue to go, through, but i do see it and i appreciate all you've conquered to get to this point. you are my favorite book lady (thats how my sweet yet boomer parents know you 😭) and i love the sass and snark, and i love the effort you put into everything. (PS THIS IS SO OFF THE CUFF BUT I WAS JUST HAVING LIL MONEY PROBLEMS, EVERYTHING IS SOLVED AND ILL BE ABLE TO BE IN YOUR MEMBERSHIP AGAIN VERY SHORTLY ❤❤❤❤)

[@lexysue9556]

this just kept getting worse and worse. as a bisexual woman & someone who tries very hard not to kink shame… this was fucking gross. not to mention, as you said, HARMFUL. like jesus christ, grouping “her love for women” in with incest just feels ripped right out of right wing homophobic talking points.

[@beefbaby9840]

I didn't know delphinium was a poisonous flower, I thought she was just allergic to it so I was like "wait did she put the flower in his vodka because she knew he might be allergic to it as well since they're RELATED?" and I was so grossed out lmao

[@aprilstyles3072]

If my dad ever spoke to me like that, I would run away forever. That’s f*cking crazy psycho weird.

[@kitty-vicious]

I literally had to pause and be like "No... They wouldn't.... It CANNOT be... FICTIOUS????"

[@weirdobookclub]

FICTIOUS

[@monyxursa]

i listened to this while washing dishes. i stopped scrubbing several times to just sit and process what i was hearing. totally taken aback 🙈

[@weirdobookclub]

I'm glad I was there with you during chores at least!

[@briimilli]

“I’m holding in my breath so hard that I can’t breathe.” I’M SORRY WHAT ☠️

[@briimilli]

Also 1:09:16 is the best part 🤣🤣

[@kellydavis3219]

I am BEGGING romance authors to stop making their male leads give the female leads small animal nicknames, we've already covered mouse, bird, pigeon and now butterfly

[@cosmicbug4]

🎶come my lady come come my lady, youre my butterfly, sugar baby🎶 😹😹😹😹 totally agree though

[@jegorrizaev9494]

Hey there your channel has become a guilty pleasure of mine , love the reviews and your input. It sucks what happened to you as a child , hope you are doing better everyday!

[@dreamer9375]

Your channel is growing and it makes me feel good because your content is good. Knew it just after watching the Haunting Adeline video. Keep growing 🙌🏻

[@willowingwhispers2612]

Ugh, it's very cringe when an author feels the need to say the book was "edited" and then puts the name of the "editor" but you find countless mistakes. It's becoming very common with indie published books.

[@w4rh34d4]

Good job on doing your best to acknowledge your biases while addressing such complicated issues. As you said, write and read what you want, but you have to be aware that other people can be hurt by these things. Also I'm laughing my ass off at all the horrible mistakes left in this book.

[@Maria-hq6dh]

I read the thumbnail as "worst book of 2025!" and I was like,"damnnn, it's only January 2nd?? how bad is it where you're already deciding it will definitely be the worst book this year" LOL

[@weirdobookclub]

Hahahaha

[@Maria-hq6dh]

​@@weirdobookclubafter watching the video... I could see someone actually deciding it would be the worst book of the year only 1 day into the year 😭😭😭😭 my god

[@haunting_bluejay]

Why do all of these Dark Romance characters read like characters that me at age 14 would have written to seem edgy and cool, and also why do they all the the sense of humour as South Park characters

[@pantrat3153]

as a lesbian that questioned their sexuality for years and was deemed "predatory" before I even came out to myself... its very easy to not consider doing incest.

[@alexisstetson9753]

Cannot even begin to describe how hilariously invested in this review I am now that I know it’s in my hometown

[@ShayBot3000]

I need you to know, fictious lives rent free in my brain. We have a word of the day calendar at work and today's word was fictitious and I damn near lost it lol

[@ihatetwinks99]

dude, i knew that tons of media-illiterate 16 year olds reading killing stalking a few years ago would come back with consequences one day, and i can’t really say id be surprised if they ended up writing stuff like this. i would be legitimately astonished if the author of this book hasn’t read killing stalking given the kidnapping and sa and mom stuff. at least ks PRETENDS not to endorse the r*pe (even if that’s debatable based on how the author conducts herself online), this book can’t even try to do that. soooo frustrating.

[@weirdobookclub]

agreed. This book very much earned the title of worst book I read last year.

[@KappaBooks]

The fact that liking women and falling for her brother are mentioned so casually in the same sentence. with like no actual inner monologue of her feelings before them Just. What a terrible fucking book. I am so sorry you read this

[@weirdobookclub]

I’m sorry I read this too 🫠

[@klane2004]

Honestly, Queen of the long book rants 👑. I always end up actually laughing out loud 😂

[@graceland2]

i just recenly found you because i listen to book reviews while studying and now I'm binge watching all your rant reviews and i love them!!! thank you for your service and keep doing these amazing videos 🫶🫶

[@vanilla_cream5198]

well, I've been permanently changed negatively. Time to go reread song of achilles and pretend none of my problems exist.

[@Vashiane]

Literally just wrote a comment, but I'm writing another because I just got to your section about how harmful this book is and the perpetuation of harm from within and thank you, so much, for saying that. I've been saying it for years as a black bisexual woman. You can be of a marginalized identity and hurt other marginalized identities, and you can be of a marginalized identity and hurt those of your own identity! I've dealt with so many people who think that because they're marginalized they're excused from any harm they could cause to anyone and it's the most maddeningly infuriating thing, especially when coupled with literature like this and a lot of the things I see parroted in attempts to defend it. I appreciate you so much for saying all of this, and I'm also so sorry about all the trauma you've endured with your own experiences being queer, that was horrific to hear, but I'm glad you're (hopefully) in a much better place away from all of that.

[@veritsas]

I can’t believe that the reviews on goodreads basically say “eh, sexuality is a spectrum” when she basically said at the beginning “yeah i’m 10000% gay i know i don’t like guys i’ve even alienated my dad over it.” and suddenly she gets sa’d by her BROTHER and suddenly knows that she likes guys. It’s not bad to question your sexuality. but this goes from “i’m gay i know it” to “oh yeah i also like boys because i’m already gay so incest is great too!!!!” and i stg if the author is genuinely using that they’re queer so they can’t be homophobic… what??? i thought i liked boys but slowly realized societal norms were literally trying to force my brain to not explore the butterflies in my stomach when I see a girl (something which has never happened with a guy). and plus… now that i think about it, the beginning even feeds into bad stereotypes that gay people are making being gay “cool” or “telling” people they’re gay, because one hundred and twenty percent. we live in a heteronormative society. there’s no secret cabal of gay people controlling society, otherwise, this world would be a much better place.

[@catnokyatto]

I'm so excited to watch this rant. 😂 I always have you and reads with rachel on in the background while I clean or play SIMS and I'm always going WTF along with you.

[@ChronicaErys]

I LOVE your editing oh my GOD khkfshk new favorite channel, I'm so happy I found you even if it was by your review of Haunting Adeline

[@kylorensbeanbagchair9713]

I need ‘get up weirdo, we’re talkin shit’ on a tshirt SO BADLY

[@jlouisa]

I was dying of laughter with the voicemail messages. I would be screaming at my friend if she recommended a trash book set anywhere in North Carolina. I know she would do something like this. Also the author should have said they were at Coachella instead of Coachella like. Everything about that passage, they were at Coachella. It’s in California, there are several stages, not a park but the Coachella Valley of Riverside county, it looks like in a park from the picture, not a national park, and is actually a music and art festival.

[@weirdobookclub]

We all need that one friend who screams at us about stuff. And for the screamers out there, we need those friends that let us holler! And yes, I cannot get over the setting. Absolutely stupid. Just a little bit of work would've helped.

[@sunnyandthechlo]

Coachella is in the middle of the desert though so I don’t think there are woods. At least I don’t recall seeing any. It is right outside of Joshua Tree national park but there aren’t trees there either besides the namesake of course but those are prickly and not lush or shady.

[@DarlingMissDarling]

Watching this again 5yrs later and somehow "SA the gay away" didn't unalive me faster than "I didn't think I'd lose _both_ my virginities today..." did. Good. Christ. 😂

[@adelinefrey]

Losing my mind over this. After your breakdown of Haunting Adeline (😭 please don't haunt me 😭) I thought nothing could possibly be worse, let alone right here right now. I was wrong. This is worse: faaaar worse. This author did not have an editor. They had a fanfic friend beta read this, and it was the kind of friend who was too scared to tell her everything that was wrong with it or didn't know enough about English or about words in general to help. (I made that up, but it rings true.) I also felt there were a lot of harmful things in here, mostly for the same reasons you did. I guess I could see someone into a kink along those lines, but you'd think you'd tag it if that were the case; it's so incredibly specific and could be harmful to others if they stumbled on it by mistake. But what do I know? I sure as hell don't read in this genre, let alone write in it. As to the end of this book: that man is Josh. He had a telepathic link to Alex. Were they twins? I'm not sure. Josh can still be the older twin, you know. Either way, they were linked, which is why she thinks she knows him and why Josh spoke to him in this story. I don't actually want to know if I'm right, but I'd be surprised if I wasn't. Also, as a flower enjoyer, a green thumb sort of person, I was LOSING IT when she "wrung out" the flowers. Not only is she curvy, she's beefy too. Love that for her. Thanks for your sacrifice in reading this terrible book, and for keeping me company this New Year's Eve. I hope you have a great New Year, and I'll be back again to watch (and hopefully comment on) more of your videos. I found you a while back, but over the last week or so I went through a few of your videos and you're probably my favorite Booktuber. Your style of video and humor both speak to me!

[@weirdobookclub]

One thing I've learned on my dark romance journey this year... It can always get worse.

[@ashleyholder2218]

Thank you for sharing some of your life experiences with us. I’m so sorry you went through that ❤

[@weirdobookclub]

Thank you so much! I'm sorry anyone has to go through things like that.♥️

[@Dez861]

Before any of this started, I was genuinely optimistic, "Slow burning bisexual love triangle," I thought, "Complicated feelings. Color me intrigued ..." And then all ... all of the everything.

[@weirdobookclub]

Yeah it could've been cool and then it simply ✨was the worser than I ever couldve imagined✨

[@bathwater2417]

if you’re into queer repressed feelings, darker fiction and some light love triangles but mostly a lot of mixed feelings complicated by grief i’d recommend summer sons by lee mandelo! definitely read the trigger warnings tho :)

[@AKhan-xi2gq]

Oh my God the joy that your misery brought me is really making me look at myself in a different light lol You are GLORIOUS in your indignant horror and I'm so here for it that it's not even fictious 😂😂😂😂 Like I can make my own review on your review each and every second meant so much to me... I know it sucked for you but you shared your misery with us and for that I am profoundly grateful 🙏 Love you sooo much and thank YOU

[@isynielsen2716]

That butterfly drawing scene made me actually nauseous what the HELL was that

[@slythytoves3996]

I love rewatching these ❤

[@roxannehuston6268]

Wow 😳 I just don't even know what to say after that. I love your rants, but I'm sorry you had to read this. Thank goodness it's FICTIOUS!!!! ❤🤣

[@weirdobookclub]

everyday, I thank the gods that this is fictious

[@elliemaguire7902]

this book is my two-sevenths life crisis

[@DarlingMissDarling]

The moment 7:09 came around along with the subsequent clip that followed...?? I knew you were my new favorite human. Subbed, bell clicked and began my binge of all your videos. I don't know what I'm in for yet but get in weirdo, we ride at dawn! 🤸‍♀️🎉