Reading the "Best" Romance of 2022 🏆 || Kayla Reads Romance ep.5

The final of the series is here! Catch up on all the vlogs with this playlist • Romance Vlogs
join my channel membership / @booksandlala
music from thematic
Damien Sebe - north pole - thmatc.co/?l=4FE41BAF
Music by Gil Wanders - Dreams - thmatc.co/?l=7615C00D
0:00 intro
2:36 NOMINEES
3:55 planning
6:25 hook, line, and sinker
13:21 the wedding crasher
19:20 love on the brain
25:04 WINNERS
25:40 book lovers
29:48 dating dr dil
35:43 reminders of him
41:08 the bodyguard
46:20 part of your world
52:19 FINAL THOUGHTS
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[@VenLouie]

Kayla: what's a book i SHOULDN'T read? Friends: this one Kayla: okay 😊 Friends: you're not gonna read them, right? Kayla: 😊 Friends: right??? Kayla: 😊

[@shaunaisazombie]

So here's the thing about Ali Hazelwood: she wrote her first book as a fanfic. It's a fanfic with the names changed and it shows. Then - and she has fully admitted this in interviews and it was a WHOLE drama a few months ago - when she went to write her second book, she did not have the foundational knowledge on how to write characters from scratch. She said her agent or editor (can't remember) had to hold her hand and tell her what to do next. That's why it's weird. Fanfic and original fiction are different types of media and require different skills, skills which Hazelwood has admitted to not having.

[@cerrad.]

Hard agree with this. I didn't know whether LOTB was a fanfic or not, but when Kayla mentioned something missing/the writing was weird, I immediately pinged on that. Fanfic has its own writing style and you can definitely pick up on it in published original novels when you've read enough fanfiction.

[@shaunaisazombie]

@@cerrad. Yeah, LOTB wasn't originally fanfic but if her entire skillset is in writing fanfic then those weaknesses are gonna be neon signs. Actually, I believe Alexandria Bellefleur was also in fandom spaces because her characters tend to be fanfic readers and her sex scenes are reminiscent in style to what you'd read in a fic. The difference is that she didn't republish fic as something original. She has the skillset to create solid characters.

[@elizabethgordon1515]

I could have sworn her first book was a fantasy like I can see the cover in my mind it's black and white with gold etching and it has wood in the title but it's a retelling. Like the owlcrate cover made it green and gold instead????? There's also like branches and a bird cage. Am I going crazy??? Lol

[@elizabethgordon1515]

I am crazy. I'm thinking of the hazel wood by Melissa Albert. 🙈🤦‍♀️

[@adventureswithmadison]

This fact makes me so mad. So many writers deserve and work hard to get their own books published, and then there's this girl just having it handed to her

[@HaleyJeanASMR]

while i feel bad that you had to endure unenjoyable smut for this series, hearing you summarize some of the scenes has me DEAD LMAOOOO "open that thaaaaang!!! 🤪🤪"

[@lumosthestars]

KAYLA! This whole "Kayla Reads Romance" video series has been SO FUN! Thank you for giving us so much great content! Even though your faves didn't align with my faves, I had so much fun seeing what you enjoy and look for in romance!

[@chandlerainsley]

i was holding my BREATH when you read Part of Your World. so glad you liked it

[@riankoch9126]

When your favorite tv show ends 😭😭😭😭 maybe we’ll get a season 2???

[@BookishMandy]

There are whole other romance genres she can explore. 😉

[@underatbr2212]

first ep of season 2 husband picks romance 2) the naughty librarian helps me with historical romance and those are the only two I can think of 💜

[@anjalibhat14]

For me, an underrated aspect of this incredible series from you has been the conversations about power dynamics, enthusiastic consent, contraception, and sexual health testing. Yeah, you might be a mom on the internet talking about sex but it’s not cringe whatsoever. It’s great. These conversations don’t make a book less romantic and they don’t make the videos less fun either. You added thoughtfulness and honesty and awareness by talking about the way sex unfolds in these books and I WANT that. Frankly I want my romance books to be as conscientious as they are sexy! ⭐️

[@haleypham]

I’ve been LOVING this series

[@Jillybeanzxo]

I don’t know what we did so right to get this 5 episode daily instalment of Kayla content but Thank you ! 🙌🙏

[@KatieColson]

This series is top tier. It’s hilarious, informative, engaging, exploring new experiences and genres for you. I was laughing so many times during this series. Just fantastic content over all.

[@denisedarden7591]

Hi Katie

[@youngbloods_t]

I'm not the biggest romance reader but for some reason that I can't explain, this series have brought such a happy and comforting feeling to me. I've been watching it every morning and I loved having this as part of my routine, especially since my mental health was not the greatest 💗

[@katiegraham6002]

I actually think you would love "thank you for listening" there's a good amount of plot that isnt about the romance, deals with family dynamics, and details about her job as an audiobook narrator!

[@jesskathan]

Thank you for listening is the first adult romance I've really loved! The audiobook was amazing. I came to it loving the author's audiobook narrations, and it did not disappoint. It's sweet and genuinely funny.

[@aquaticraccoon1467]

People We Meet on Vacation follows different timelines for the couple, so you should definitely give that one a try! it's my favorite of Emily Henry's three romances

[@onarosebeam]

I still haven't read Beach Read or Book Lovers but I loved People We Meet on Vacation!

[@kenzienoelle124]

This has been SUCH a fun series to watch!! Thanks for all the work and secrecy you put into this, Kayla!😆

[@Cafe_Scribbles]

Not Kayla having a random box of magazines from the 80s and 90s in her closet… lol. Girl, you’re SO DEEP!

[@BooksandLala]

That's just my memory box lol, everything I've ever pulled for my childhood favourites videos is in there 🤗

[@lindsayk1014]

Hearing you want timeline jumping, you definitely need to go ahead and read People We Meet on Vacation! I was so happy to see you read Part of Your World, I was really rooting for it on goodreads. One of my favorite books this year.

[@brewwin]

omg I REALLY agree with what you said about colleen hoover. I think she's popular because she's a gateway for new readers into tougher more complex subjects, or multi-genre books. I think shes so impresive to those new readers because a lot of other storylines are innaccessible, to tough, too long etc.

[@lumosthestars]

I'm so excited to see your thoughts on these! I've been enjoying this series so much! :)

[@AmandaKrutsick]

I really think you'd enjoy The Dead Romantics! It's just quirky and funny enough to balance out the heavier topics and it combines a lot of the tropes you liked previously while also feeling fresh and new because of the paranormal aspect. Thoroughly enjoyed getting to watch you sift through this genre this week! Your commitment to this project was delightful and as always your videos impress me so much

[@jenniferr9998]

I'm people who preferred Book Lovers and Beach Read to People We Meet on Vacation. I hadn't heard that about how that preference shook down before. Beach Read was the first one I read, then Book Lovers (which is my favorite - I like the Hallmark movie reference vibe), then People.

[@gabbyreads]

Ahhhh this romance series has given me so much JOY!!!! I love watching you read romance, and I loved your rant on Love on the Brain because SAME haha that protagonist drove me nuts!! I’d also be so curious to hear your thoughts on The Dead Romantics, it’s one of my favorite romances of the year! It’s very unique 🥰

[@BRhymesss]

Part of Your World also changed my perspectives too. I gave it 5 stars. I loved it SO much!

[@elizabethgordon1515]

Kayla's reaction to reading clearly steamy/ hot mess scenes is something I'm living for lmao 🤣 😆 😂 😅

[@heiditheowl2277]

i didn't know how much i needed you to talk about the BIG HUGE DUDE/tiny weeny woman trend in Ali Hazelwood books until THIS VIDEO

[@ffiontill5924]

Just finished the dead romantics and I loved it. Not much smut just so many feels.

[@musicandloveismylive]

Honestly, we have been fed with this video series! Thank you Kayla for being a part of evening routine the past week!

[@honeylait]

Thanks for all your hard work on this series. It was so interesting and fun to watch, especially being primarily romance reader!

[@GwendolynKensinger]

Part of Your World is one of my all time favorite romances I read this year! So happy you enjoyed it.

[@gabriellea7037]

People We Meet On Vacation has allll the timeline hopping!!!

[@gabbyreads]

Ahhh yes I’m so glad you enjoyed The Body Guard and Part of Your World!! Those books were so great 🥰 I also can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Kiss Her Once For Me, that’s a new favorite of mine too! 😍

[@HJPeet]

The Venn diagram for these books would be a very complex piece of artwork. 😂

[@gabriellea7037]

Venn diagrams > tier ranking. That would be so fun. Maybe some pie charts too.

[@beaubooks7287]

I already know this is going to be my favourite video of the series 🥰

[@natasagajic1061]

This was such a fun series to watch, Kayla! I hope you had an equally fun time making it and reading the books! 😊

[@Kelsey_Layne]

I DNF'd my heart is a chainsaw because of that drastic shift of "horror to boring" in the beginning 😬.

[@morganarosana]

About the no using condoms thing. I found out that sex without confoms is kind of a kinky in m/f books, and it has me baffled. As someone who read only queer romances , the conversation about using condoms, STDs, be on PrEp, are always present in these books, one way or another. And I'm someone who is totally write what you want to write, read what you want to read supporter, listenning that the conversations are only about birth control and not STDs... just rubs me off the wrong way, guess I will keep to avoid popular m/f romances...

[@renatereist]

THANK YOU KAYLA, for doing this project! This was sooooo much fun to watch 😍

[@ohladysamantha]

So glad you loved Wedding Crasher. I feel like it was so underrated. Yes Dean is a bit of a psycho but I can let it go for the premise 😂

[@kristenumansky8855]

Bodyguard was 5 stars for me too! It’s such a fun book, I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@readem_blog]

This was ICONIC. added ur two five stars to the tbr immediately!! such a great series and we can tell u put SO MUCH effort into it!! :)

[@MsCamiJMU]

The Audiobook for The Bodyguard is actually funny! Thanks for sharing.

[@kierrajokronk5966]

When Kayla says "What do you want?" All I can think of is the Notebook

[@TamaraLooney]

casually pulling out magazines from the ‘80s! My mind is blown and also that is so cool.

[@lottiebot]

I didn't love Hook, Line and Sinker but I did enjoy It Happened One Summer. more sisters/family dynamics and a renovation plot line. However, I definitely understand being thrown off by the spice scenes 🤣 This was an awesome week. Very excited for the spoilery bits 🙌 Wishing the best for your romance era 🤞

[@darbi464]

I have looked forward to each of these videos since Monday! Truly phenomenal content!

[@bookswithbray]

Your videos brighten my day every time! I also LOVED how Rob was your google for all the “Disney trivia” lol. So excited to continue to watch your romance era continue

I love how I was able to predict how you would react to most of the books on your TBR. I feel like we've really gone on a journey with you throughout this series! Also, not me finding out that Part of Your World is Disney/fairytale-inspired?! Definitely bumpiing it up on my TBR!

[@dianabanana7394]

I had so much fun following your romance journey! I love how you format your videos and try to make conclusions at the end. It was also so interesting because your taste in romance books is almost the opposite of mine, so it was fun hearing why you liked the books I didn't.

[@wymb1e]

this series was so fun! this episode was my favorite :) and the pink sweater looks great on you!

[@Ashley-my2vu]

I think you may enjoy trying Lovelight Farms by BK Borosin! Friends to lovers, fake dating, just over 400 pages, a chunk of plot outside of the romance, Gilmore Girls small town vibes and it takes place on a Christmas tree farm!! It was a 4 star read for me and truly just really delightful. I’m excited to continue in the series as well

[@beccabooked]

This series made my whole week 💛

[@toothache6979]

this last week has been a joy thanks to your videos, have an amazing christmas xx

[@romxilda]

So exciting! I’m recovering from major surgery at the moment and these videos have been so nice to have every evening. Thank you for the great videos as always Kayla!

[@Acc8441]

I’ve loved this series so so much!

[@KeepCalmwithBooksandCoffee]

Kayla honestly this series has been incredible and I have loved every second of it Thank you so much for putting it all together and making it so fun for everyone. It has been so fun to see someone else like and hate the same trope in the different books. I do this often. 😂

[@chrisiescafe]

This was so fun! And I loved the dynamic of you asking Rob answers about Disney movies 😁

[@the_creepy_geek]

This has been the best week! Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us!! Adding The Wedding Crasher to my list! 💜💜

[@leaisstillhere]

I just absolutely loved this series! I looked forward to the videos every day. None it these books seem really interesting to me but I just love experiencing books through your eyes. Thank you. :)

[@tayrocks22]

This was so good! I loved this finale, honestly, and I'm very interested to see what else you pick up in the romance genre from here on out! I'm also eager to see what you have to say in the members only video... even if it spoils all the romances (literally ALL) I haven't read.

[@TheeKookyWildflower]

I loved the hell out of this series. Good job, Kayla!

[@ItsVidaK]

This has been such a fun series! Curious to see what you thought of Hook, Line and Sinker - I preferred It Happened One Summer (technically the first in the series although I guess they are standalones?) but that one was cute too!

[@annawilson2406]

these romance vlogs have been so fun!! also love the new hair 😍

[@JojoJojo-bd6dz]

Girl I won't be touching any of these books but your presence on KZbin is helping my mental health

[@daryanreads]

love rob's disney fact checking

[@ashleymorlan2777]

Kayla and Romance! These are a few of my favorite things!

[@MakerFishmeal]

This series was SO FUN!!! Thank you for a great gift during the holidays 😅

[@taylorh1998]

Iconic!!! Such a fun week, thank you!!! ❤

[@kristenumansky8855]

This was such a fun series you did, and gave me something to look forward to everyday this week while taking care of my family sick with Covid. Thanks for doing this!

[@RoseHat713]

this was great. thank you so much for such great content this December so far :)

[@SallySimply]

What a fun journey this has been! I love how many faves you found throughout the series. Honey & Spice was one of my favorite romances this year, so that was particularly delightful. (I look forward to seeing what you think of Love in Color -- a couple of those stories are A++ for me.)

[@ffiontill5924]

So excited. I look forward to each day for a new upload 🤩💗

[@sarybeth7063]

Omg I loved this series and I’m glad to see you found some winners. ❤

[@RobertaMargo]

@11:35 i lost it 🤣i hope you don't stop reading romance, this is absolutely brilliant

[@FourPawsandaBook]

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!!

[@moonbook12]

Same

[@jacsYT]

loved seeing you grow into a romance reader. i’m curious to see if you’ll include more romance books in the future

[@anaos1004]

Oh yay I loved this series so much!!

[@AbiofPellinor]

This has been a RIDE and I'm loving it!

[@rosierumsey]

Im living for this series. I also just started my romance era last year. 🥰

[@ohwildesoul]

So ready for this one! 🙌

[@TheNovelSanctuary]

Dating Dr.Dil I read also because of the lack of diversity in what I had been reading in my romance books buuuttt 😬 the "Charlie" nickname absolutely killed it

[@booksandtehpeng]

added the wedding crasher to my tbr once I saw it being compared to dial a for aunties. love your romance series kayla!!🥰

[@therestricktedsection]

this series has been SO fun! if/when you ever feel like trying romance again, i think you might enjoy arden powell’s work! they’re a queer non-binary author who writes fantasy, horror, and romance. everything they write is queer and everything i’ve read of theirs has been extremely atmospheric and and evocative, no matter the setting, and even though they usually contain elements of magic they still feel very much grounded in the real world. if you ever want to give romance in the speculative genre a try, i think they would be your speed! 🥰

[@AnnieIsNotADragon]

Thank you for the Bodyguard audiobook recommendation-- I never would have listened to it that way on my own, but it was great!

[@svanboskerck]

Omg I love watching your videos even though I only primarily read romance. This is like Christmas morning for me!!

[@joana8568]

Congratulations Kayla, great series!

[@julesnar1175]

WHAT THERE IS EVEN MORE? You are blessing us with those videos Kayla

[@aanya2232]

I loved this series so much! I'm a romance reader so I enjoyed this series ❤️

[@allisonurban7544]

Have you ever thought about (or done this, maybe I've just missed it) reading nominees/winners for other awards? Bram Stoker Award, Shirley Jackson Award, Booker Prize, etc.

[@lilypickett2386]

im studying for exams so saving these videos for when im done but i had to break my ban to see your opinion on the bodyguard because it was the only 5 star i gave this year (yes im over selective with my 5 stars) and im so glad you liked it too! also your hair looks soo good right now!

[@okaywhatev4]

So glad you mentioned the condom thing in Love on the Brain! I haven’t read that but she did the exact same thing in The Love Hypothesis and it made me so mad. But I saw basically no one mention it in reviews which was baffling!

[@crashedherparty]

I'M HERE AND SO EXCITED

[@MrRorosuri]

This was a fun week. Thank you 😊

[@Rachell.Elizabeth]

Really enjoying your videos! Yes, you can absolutely rock the pink! It’s your color!!!

[@aprilbowden1404]

I LOVE that you are asking Rob about the Disney movies in the "Part of Your World" Section!!! 😂

[@449nimmer]

I loved The Wedding Crasher too!!! We don't usually have the same taste in books! 😁

[@Mermaidfolk]

Based on Chandler's enjoyment of it, you should read "thank you for listening" by Julia Whelan. It's about an audiobook narrator and I think you'd enjoy it!

[@piae106]

I really enjoy watching your videos even though we have different preferences, even in this genre, but you never fail to put me in a mood to read. I’ve taken a long ass break from contemporary romance after finding a lot of recent popular releases really disappointing (ahem, Love Hypothesis, ahem). But because of your series I am excited to give contemporary romance a chance again 😆

[@stephaniecook9212]

YES! If Kayla gives a book 5 stars I know I'll hate it , but do I love watching her videos because they motivate me to read. And she makes books sound great

[@mirandacollins808]

not a big romance girlie but been considering on trying it and this series is helping❤loved it!!

[@curiouslykaylee]

You asking Rob all the Disney questions 😂

[@louise5493]

My partner has been visiting family in a different country for the last few days and I was looking for something to fill my time with while alone and this romance series has been IT!!❤️ I am not a romance reader but recently have wanted to explore the genre so it really felt like we were doing this together🥺 The way you have this series planned out & the work that went into it shows! Excited to start some romance reads! Doing God's work, thank you💜!!

[@zara6472]

I appreciate you reconsidering your previous opinions and being willing to test them and possibly alter them :)