Reading Booktubers Favorite Books of 2023! 📚

[@MelsShelves]

I’m so with you on recent books being too heavy handed with spice. It feels like a selling point these days. If I want that, I’ll head over to erotica not roms. I’m glad you feel the same way and said so!

[@RileyMarie_]

Glad I’m not alone in that. It’s just too much sometimes

[@Charmingbookworm]

Agreed! I feel like they are going for shock value rather than it being part of the story, not the whole story.

[@MelsShelves]

@@Charmingbookworm that’s a great way to articulate it, yes!!!

[@sharreadsallday]

What an absolute honor to be included in this video 💛. I’m so happy you liked the seven year slip. Iwan had my whole heart while reading it. And you’re so right! Seeing him in the past as the sunshine character and in the present as the “grump” character worked so well.

[@emileet.401]

yes riley!!!!! call out the double standards of romance readers when it comes to messy heroines!!!!!! give us more messy girlies

[@RileyMarie_]

We want messy girls!!!!!

[@gabbyreads]

I’m so honored to be included in this video!! 🥹💗 I love that you make this video every year it’s so fun! I’m so glad you enjoyed Seven Year Slip, and ahhh yes Kim JiYoung is so good, I rarely see anyone talk about that one! 😍👏 it’s such a powerful story!

[@MelsShelves]

You killed the editing on this video!

[@RileyMarie_]

Thank you!!

[@MelsShelves]

Acts of service in the form of cooking is the reason I married my chef; going to have to check this out!

[@bookswithellen]

the seven year slip was on my faves of the year list too!! i ADORED it, one of my fave books to ever exist🤭 love all your videos riley!!

[@RileyMarie_]

Yesss it was so good 😭😭

[@bookishcami]

I’m obsessed with these videos! I look Forward to them every year.

[@bookishcami]

Also your style? Yes. Yes. yes. Taking notes.

[@murakamireads]

i had a jump scare seeing my review of kim jiyoung pop up haha

[@RileyMarie_]

😂

[@hannahblackwellbooks]

I always love this video concept!!

[@anikamercier2651]

This was so fun to watch!! So many good reads!!

[@JanaMorgen]

😢thanks for including me bestie 🫶

[@RileyMarie_]

💖💖

[@passporttoeden]

(not me casually watching this video and falling out of my chair when I heard Riley say my name) Thank you so much for including me in this video Riley! I'm so glad you liked Kim Ji-young 😊And you've convinced me to start reading chef romances.

[@RileyMarie_]

I’m so glad I was able to read this amazing book cause of you!!

[@woodlandbunny]

I just love these ‘best books' videos and it being a Riley one makes it even more amazing

[@lizreadsandwrites]

Great video! I’m so glad I haven’t picked up Monstrilio yet. I really do not like sexual stuff in my horror/thrillers and this one sounds especially… icky. I am excited to read You, Again. Some of my favorite romance books are the ones that occur naturally over years. This one sounds right up my alley. ❤😊

[@cRazYhYPerPenGuin]

i loooooooooooved watching this!! the way you talk about books always has me glued to me my seat listening to everything you have to say

[@firewhiskeyreader8257]

I really need to read You Again!! And Seven Year Slip, actually. But I'm glad you had a largely great time!

[@maddyvogel4525]

I’m lolling about making you again a movie, because it 10000% is just as inspired by when harry met sally as it is by reylo. But let’s revive when harry met sally

[@amberlimbaugh]

I gave Monstrilio 2 stars. And I was being generous because it was a debut. It was literally my worst book of last year. FINALLY...someone else agrees with me! I don't get what other people are seeing in it! 😩

[@RileyMarie_]

Thank god. I felt like the only one

[@bookswithlexie]

Okay SAME about Monstrilio, I really liked the first part but didn't love the rest. The only other one I kind of liked was M at the end. I wish the whole thing would have been from the mom's perspective. I think I gave it 3.5 initially but the more I think about it, the less I liked it

[@heatherbocks]

Fully agree! I also thought it was something that I’d think about a lot afterwards, but I really haven’t beyond thinking about the choices that the author made that I didn’t like.

[@beckylovesbooks]

Just as an fyi: it's become much more favorable to say that someone "died by suicide" rather than "committed." The word committed implies guilt (someone commits a crime, etc.) Whereas suicidality is not something a person chooses. No shade, just want to spread the awareness ❤️

[@lenaertsjelke]

When you said that you love chef romances while reading The Seven Year Slip, I wanted to recommend You, Again to you but then you read it in this vlog and loved it so ... There goes my book rec, but I guess I was right.

[@POSSIBLYDYL]

If you like chef romances the Hallmark movie Notes of Autumn is sooo cute and gay 😭😭❤️

[@leannj.3706]

i loved kim jiyoung born 1982, i've wanted to check out the movie adaptation as well but i'm nervous that i won't like it as much

[@Sarah.reads.sometimes]

Me joining the Patreon to see what the 1 star is while hoping I don’t get my feelings hurt about Red Rising 🤣🤣🤣 honestly though, I don’t typically join people’s Patreon just because I simply don’t have that $$$ but I’ve always been interested in yours!

[@Sarah.reads.sometimes]

#Dead 🤣🤡

[@RileyMarie_]

LOL I’m so sorry. I was sitting here like….uh oh 🫢

[@Sarah.reads.sometimes]

@@RileyMarie_ lmao no worries! I honestly was like “ok valid” after watching 😆

[@bellehoffmann]

Speaking of romances with a chef, you should read Going bicoastal by Dahlia Adler! And it has two timelines where you follow what happens in the main character's life after she takes a decision. Another plus is that she's bi! I think you would love it!

[@RileyMarie_]

I will add that to my tbr! Thanks!

[@bellehoffmann]

@@RileyMarie_ If you hate it, it wasn't me 🫣🤣

[@Ms.SpookyNerd]

Great vlog 📚☕

[@JanAgaton]

You, Again has one of the best first kiss scenes I've ever read!

[@theglitterybookworm9423]

love you !!!!!

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I’ve heard nothing but good things about the seven year slip

[@liezllovesbooks]

what a fun video

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

Clicked so fast!

[@camryncraig5489]

I’ve been wanting to read Kim Jiyoung for a while now bc Namjoon from BTS highly recommended it. Definitely gonna try to prioritize it this year!

[@ohladysamantha]

All your thoughts on You, Again and the double standard about "unlikeable" female main character.... I completely agree! Let women be messy! It is 2024!

[@christinelagueux8155]

OMG!! I felt the same way about Monstrillo. I was shocked that some people loved its writing. The sex scenes and they thought it was beautiful written. It is a horror. I gave it 2 stars too.

[@StoriesForCoffee]

Cursed Bread gang rise UP!!!!

[@RileyMarie_]

Yesss it was so good!!

[@morganarosana]

THIS COMMENT MAY CONTAIN MILD SPOILERS FOR MONSTRILIO I feel the same way about Monstrilio, but although I loved the first perspective, I think the mom was very self-centered and egoist. I feel very uncomfortable with the second perspective and felt the same about how her desires and sexual were described. I felt meh about the father, I thought he was very passive about everything, and didn't feel he liked his fiance... But I like the last perspective, although uncomfortable, it felt like it was right because we're reading about a perspective of a monster with animalistic instincts forced into a human life. Overall a 3.5 for me.

[@MelsShelves]

I clicked sooo fast!! Ahhhhh! ♥️

[@literatelyalees]

I didn’t like Monstrilio either 😬

[@cyn_marie_reads]

Raise your hand if you were one of the people that didn't LOVE You, Again because of Ari... 🙋hahaha It's not that I can't love a messy female character, I just didn't like her. Her neuroses just didn't gel with my neuroses 🤣 Also, I immediately reserved In the Dreamhouse from my library and can't wait to read it.

[@paperbacksgalore]

THANK YOU FOR SAYING LTOTFB ISNT FANTASY lol

[@JessicaRoseReads]

💛🩵✨

[@ChanelChapters]

Monstrilio wasnt for me either ~ the uncomfortable way they showed sexual kinks and excess POVs of not good people killed it for me (gay woman literally sexually assaults sex worker, like great)

[@joeysbooked]

While I can't speak on the queer woman I found the horrors shown from a gay man's perspective to be accurate. I think a lot of the commentary was missed because not only does it speak so much on how people grieve, but also on the gay experience (at least from the male side). I think a lot of the sex stuff was meant to be about monstrous views of the fetishism in the gay community (with a horror twist of course) and how so may gays are seen as monsters to outside groups or even among each other. I think most of the negative reviews I have heard on it are mostly from people who listen to audio. This isn't me trying to change peoples minds, just a different perspective.

[@CoverswithCassidy]

legit you're the first person I've seen not love monstrillo and the way you talk about it feels like a no from me

[@RileyMarie_]

I feel like I’m the only person who didn’t like it

[@holabooks]

I am so happy you enjoyed Seven Year Slip! Thank you for including me🫶🏻 This was so fun to watch. I also really love books that feature chefs or just food in general, so I’m obviously picking up You, Again asap.

[@RileyMarie_]

You again was so good! I hope you like it

[@stephaniebookish]

Thanks so much for including meee, even if it didn’t go the best 🥲💖💖

[@jaimee-kate]

I'm so glad I'm not the only person that didn't love Monstrilio. Unhauled my copy 🫣

[@daijahsbookworld]

i’m really glad you love the seven year slip even tho you didn’t like monstrilio 🥲 thanks for including me 💗🫶🏽