the WORST books i read in 2022 (i want a refund... and therapy)

[@miss_piggyy]

seeing someone who is super nice the vast majority of the time go absolutely in IS the entertainment I needed today

[@josie-o6e]

Unrelated buy I love ur pfp

[@MeryKeit]

that’s an October libra for you 😂

[@bunchoflemons]

I won't say who because that's just rude, but one of these books was by my creative writing lecturer in my undergrad, who refused to write me a letter of recommendation for my masters, so seeing them in this list was so satisfying.

[@eh_maybe]

begginggg you to share, even a hint!!

[@sweetestaphrodite]

@@eh_maybe it’s Leone Ross

[@bookishmillennial5297]

@@eh_maybe start googling authors and see which is a professor 😌

[@eh_maybe]

@@sweetestaphrodite ty!!!

[@riley2243]

@@eh_maybe did you end up finding out?

[@stephaniecrossman2864]

jack being a hater has got to be one of my favorite genres

[@khalilahd.]

No cause same 😂❤

[@katielewis9215]

omg same

[@honeytalkies6864]

agreeddd 😂

[@calina4544]

His humour makes it even better😂

[@avni8277]

Yesss😭

[@annavanelst8788]

Jack really went from “no offense to the authors.. it’s all about taste.. 😌” to “your words ruined my life”

[@mushroomhehe370]

it's so hard to stay respectful when the publishing industry accepts books that are this bad 😭

[@mannatlongwani03]

I read the Spanish love deception right after the love hypothesis which means the bar was already on the ground,and yet somehow the former sinked right under it.

[@khalilahd.]

Lmfaoo rip cause same

[@doloresofcourse]

Samesies. I am so mad that I spent all that time reading the Love Hypothesis and Spanish Love Deception. Workplace sexual assault not doing it for me. WHY does anyone think this is okay?

[@mumzi07]

Please tell me that you read them for free and that you didn’t pay for it

[@user43314]

i hate that, as a spaniard, i know some people who the only contact they ever had with spanish culture which is immense was this book😭 pls dont

[@codedcarla]

both were so bad omg

[@stacey__withanE]

I just read The Spanish Love Deception for my book club, and the woman who picked it apologized before we even started to talk about it. 🤣🤣 it was sooooo bad.

[@itschesta]

finally some booktok slander 🙏🏻 wasted so much money on them when i could've just read the same story on wattpad

[@justfreetea2037]

no because one of my friends literally bought A PHYSICAL WATTPAD BOOK 😭

[@khalilahd.]

THIS!! Oh my god I’m embarrassed to say how much money I spent on terrible recommendations 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@daniellec9695]

Jack edwards reads the After series next

[@MiMiDiction]

I have leave the hard way; never trust booktok

[@chelsey8737]

@@justfreetea2037 I did for My Life With The Walter Boys and its sitting on my reread shelf rn bc 🎆 nostalgia 🎆. I have no idea if it's actually a good book. Also there's at least 2 wattpad stories I would ABSOLUTELY buy in physical form right this second if they came out bc I genuinely still love them to pieces even 6 years later.

[@glacierblue456]

The intensity of "you hated him five minutes ago sweetheart" made *ME* sit up straighter.

[@thatgirlwhoreadsalot]

"To my core I'm a hater"- this is so me because I legit read authors I don't like cause I love to hate them on Goodreads. And I hate myself.

[@nina1872]

same💀💀

[@amartyasingh6295]

🤝

[@darlakook890]

The end of the text explains it all

[@katiewodaege2247]

😂 savage

[@sammy6499]

Sounds like a waste of your precious time doesn't it?

[@emilyagain2002]

The love hypothesis was originally a Reylo fanfiction on AO3 and I feel like that explains SO MUCH

[@hollyturner4186]

At the time when it came out, I was in a community of Sherlolly shippers, who were mostly also into Reylo. They were getting kind of wild about the book, and I just thought the plot sounded ridiculous.

[@charmedgirl90]

That makes so much sense!

[@ONEDIRECTIONLOVE1730]

I’ve been thinking that it reads like a fan fiction and now everything makes sense

[@bubblybridget56]

my roommate and I were just talking about this, AO3 is just such a different format and platform that it makes total sense for the love hypothesis to not translate well. (also reylo....)

[@ssi-ruuk9396]

even before i knew it was fanfiction i was like. Huh the guy on the cover looks a little bit like kylo

[@vero2192]

"Realistically, has fake dating ever been done well?" -The Hunger Games has entered the chat

[@anavargas2837]

SO true

[@giorgia.m]

Totally!!! I also feel like maybe cruel prince, I enjoy it when it’s like for survival and they actually kind of dislike/hate each other. If its just let pretend to date, for no real reason, its just so weird lol

[@luiiiandmovieee]

the german book die Lügendiebin (translated: the lie-thief) by Saskia Louis does fake dating pretty good as well

[@js66613]

Nope, that was lame. There was a weakass motive for it, but it was still bad.

[@kunpunko]

@@js66613how tf was it a weak ass motive?

[@mikellyartisan1384]

My greatest fear as an aspiring author is to end up on Jack Edwards’ shit list 😂😂

[@lachdownproductionsyt]

I had a similar fear myself.

[@ionaskualexander1255]

the bitter truth critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than their criticism

[@mickeythelovelyfairy]

OH MY GOSH, SAME!!

[@sylviagodsmith6957]

If you are passionate about writing, dont fear it. Instead, start confronting it and listen to it as a third person. Believe me, once you take up these criticism (by any one), you will realize how much you can improve.👍

[@bored_potato]

@@ionaskualexander1255 RATATOUILLE

[@babysp1c3666]

I feel like booktube is very anti book slander most of the time so I’m SO here for this

[@lachdownproductionsyt]

I totally agree! Sometimes a book is just trash and should be addressed as such.

[@19Rena96]

@@lachdownproductionsyt Wrong. Just because you hate something doesn't mean it's trash. Like i dislike The song of achilles and forced myself to finish it because it was so boring and the characters had no chemistry. Do i say it's trash? No. It's just not for me.

[@lachdownproductionsyt]

@@19Rena96 I respect that, though I think what I was really trying to convey is an overall concept of honesty. I feel like when reviewers don't like something they still play nice so as not to offend anyone. I say if you didn't like something be frank about it. Of course that doesn't mean the whole world should or will agree with you, but at least you were honest with your thoughts about it...

[@theaizere]

@@19Rena96 there are books that is just shitty fanfiction published. How is it that you should treat them the same way as for example 100 years of solitude is treated. Be real

[@19Rena96]

@@theaizere So what? It's still not trash because you hate it and we don't shame people for what they're reading like so many do in this comment section. I really thought we moved past this ..

[@losj3020]

I feel like the core premise of The Love Hypothesis itself is already so absurd that I can't find a genuine reason to be upset at its hilarity. I read the first few pages and immediately went "oh so it's THAT kind of book" and just turn my brain off for the remainder of the story. It truly feels like a fanfic (I know it used to be one) in the way that it scratch a particular itch in your brain that needs a certain kind of wackiness that you can't really find in books that takes itself seriously. It's 100% a matter of taste though

[@tanneisarker9624]

Yea i love that book but only because i recognise its really bad, and it manages to be good bad not bad bad yk

[@isilmonika]

The book is only readable once you can imagine the guy as adam driver

[@jo2bob1]

@@isilmonika I found it readable for many reasons, including that one. Adam Driver, I mean Carlsen, is so hot.

[@onabalcony]

every time i see the spanish love deception on a recommended table/shelf at a book shop i genuinely want to take it down to save everyone the pain i endured

[@bibiooh118]

I'd put it down and dnf right after just 10 pages into this book, your comment made me believe I'd made the right decision

[@Ana-ld9js]

Now I'm so mad that I bought it because I know it's trash....

[@booksandwine6245]

You'd be doing everyone a favor!

[@onabalcony]

@@bibiooh118 i wish i had! i was just intrigued to see if it got any good cause it was sooo highly recommended! i was tricked by the hype

[@loriwald9532]

I started a “NOT” TBR list and this one is on it! I’d probably love typical TikTok book recs if I was 14 years old. 😅

[@nationssunshinefelix4482]

Ali Hazelwood is the physical manifestation of everything wrong with the publishing industry because like girlie literally admitted that she doesn't even come up with the plots of her books herself

[@madelonpater1148]

I really hope books with the love interest having one singular characteristic 'being long and big ' will stop getting hype. That is my wish for 2023, the next eyelash I lose is going to that purpose

[@spongebobonmolly]

imo size differences always feel so forced in anything other than a fantasy setting, like why is this man who works in an office 6’5 with an eight pack and a 12 inch pp and why does he growl during sex. stop being a coward and just write monster smut

[@neetujaiswal2927]

the fact that the love hypothesis was featured as a botm selection and it's mentioned in your worst books video which was sponsored by botm

[@xnng]

Omg😂😂

[@reemthememe]

☕️ 😂

[@tahsina9399]

the Spanish love deception gave me trauma, the so called "smut" was horrendous and I wished multiple times whilst reading that I was suddenly crushed with something very heavy so my misery would end

[@SneakyNinjaGurl77]

“I’m a Libra… to my core, I am a hater” I’ve never felt more aptly represented 😅

[@bibliophile_528]

The fact that even seeing the love hypothesis in thumbnail make me feel the embarrassment all over again. That book is the epitome of Cringe and cliche plotline.

[@khalilahd.]

Yup I completely agree 😭 I just finished it

[@bibiooh118]

So true

[@marshm3llow467]

I was on goodreads trying to find someone else who hated the book to no avail, and I think I realised what tiktok girls see in it. Its only redeeming qualities are its fanfiction-ness, as in, it’s tropeish and a bit unrealistic, which in fanfic are more forgiveable since it’s just a different reading experience. I don’t go into fanfic wanting a literary experience, you know? I enjoy the fics for how tropey and simple they are. I mean, you do need good writing which this book did not have, but the fun of it is reading the tags and knowing the entire plot ahead of time so you can just switch your brain off and enjoy reading about your favourite characters. This tells me that the tiktok girls would really love fanfic, but they don’t read it, (or they only read like Wattpad and the like) so they appreciate the scraps of that kind of culture they get from this book rather than going to the source and reading genuinely good fanfic. At least, that’s my theory.

[@Becks-and-books]

@@marshm3llow467 I read it on my 29th birthday last year and enjoyed it throughly. Like... it was inoffensively sweet and I don't always want my books to be serious. Many of those "tiktok girls" (that sounds like you're being condescending, don't do that) read and write fanfiction. The snobbery of "but I want a LITERARY experience" is making me roll my eyes into the back of my head. Okay, you want that, not everyone does. Sometimes people just want to crack open a book and enjoy the ride. Don't make it any deeper. Say you didn't like it, and why, instead of going into a spiel. You're not the target audience, you live and you learn

[@akaashikeijiluvr]

okay? and sometimes we want a cliche plotline. not everything needs to be a literary masterpiece, books can be silly and stupid and still be a great time.

[@marionc.4685]

it's the fact that I never read The love Hypothesis but I already know that I HATE it 😂someone sitting on someone's lap during a lecture? Wtf? Kill me now 😂💀

[@alyssacascos8665]

Exactly. There is a reason why I refuse to pick it up because I know that I will hate it 😂😂😂💀

[@teddiespicker]

NO WAIT WHY DID I MISS THAT BEFORE I BOUGHT IT EWWWWW

[@mysticdragoon5789]

Same. Plus it was based on reylo (its not even fucking hiding that shit) which is already a red flag to me.

[@areebajaved8145]

Sameeeee

[@valeflower2.084]

SAME

[@magicalmacca765]

“I wasn’t looking for Bono, I was looking for the end” I’m sobbing

[@lachdownproductionsyt]

Great line, like so many others in this book!

[@YW2324]

Lol good one 😊

[@MadisonC]

“The bar was so low, it was in HELL.” I’m gonna start using this line

[@lachdownproductionsyt]

I got a lot of solid lines out of this one!

[@nicoleneedschocolate]

My fav quote like this “The Bar Was So Low It Was A Tripping Hazard In Hell, Yet Here You Are, Limbo Dancing With The Devil” 😂 (and sorry idk who the original poster was, but kudos to them!)

[@TaffyLaffy91]

One thing abt me.. I’m a hater lol. If I read a book and I hate it?? I’m gonna dnf then head over to Goodreads and read the 3 star and bellow reviews for the books. They give me validation and satisfaction lol. This video is everything to me lol

[@lachdownproductionsyt]

There's certainly satisfaction in knowing you aren't alone in your opinions of something.

[@bibliophile_528]

If i get a penny every time the "blue gaze" Is mentioned in the Spanish love deception.. I swear i will be a billionaire.

[@Whatissuchgayness]

Nah fr the first time I read the synopsis at the back and it was pure beige prose

[@laraalston8161]

I think i loved the love hypothesis so much because I knew going into it that it was going to be a silly, light-hearted, tropey, reylo-coded book so I didn't have expectations of it being a literary masterpiece. Sometimes we just need an unrealistic escape and pretend that's what our lives are like so I have no problems with love hypothesis but I can see how it's not a lot of people's cup of tea.

[@cytuxx]

yea i was the same. i mean, it's cliché and all but it's nice on its own 🥹

[@khalilahd.]

I definitely wish I saw this video before I bought so many books this year because I’m embarrassed to say how many books I read that were on this list that I wish I didn’t read 😭😭

[@ejmonika]

Girl, try libraries. You can read all those terrible books for free 😂

[@squidwardtentacles7144]

I'm telling you see we watch the same people cuz I've been seeing you for MONTHS, not day not weeks MONTHS!😂

[@summi225]

@@ejmonika physical ones dont exist here where i live

[@margaretthatcherisdead.5793]

'It has all the subtlety of a reversing dump truck, if it were painted neon and on fire.' That's a great line and if I ever write a book I'd use that.

[@marianamauricio]

YES THANK YOU!!!! Omg everyone ignores the unconsentual kiss in The Love Hypothesis, but it made me so angry! It's not funny, but everybody seems to think it is.... truly appaling

[@patrickonaleash1979]

the guy looking back at the girl after the kiss with the swollen lips : 👁️👄👁️

[@francescakyanda9182]

It’s why I gave it one star 😂

[@jessicabaltierra4431]

also in The Love Hypothesis, the mc says (almost verbatim) “i think i must be asexual, there’s something broken/wrong about me” which would be sorta fine if it was shown as part of her journey to understanding and accepting her asexuality, but instead it becomes that trope of “i thought i was ace but it turns out i just hadn’t met the right guy yet!” as if he “fixed” her or something, which is demeaning and invalidating to our community. and it’s never mentioned again after the main sex scene. i wish the author had just left asexuality out of it because her intentions for including it don’t seem genuine and i don’t think she understands it much at all

[@peebee8119]

Like damn she could've just figured out she's demisexual but no anything on the asexual spectrum is too weird and broken to write about 🙄🙄🙄

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Quote of the Day: “You hated him 5 minutes ago, SWEETHEART!”

[@Showtunediva]

That should be on a t shirt.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@@Showtunediva Thank you for the suggestion

[@daenerystargaryen]

Kristen Stewart had a wonderful interview with Channel here on YT about books she loves, maybe you could do a video about it? Unlike most other celebs recommending books, she actually seems like she has read them (and it's not something her PR wrote for her) and she talks about them and analyses them so intelligently and articulately.

[@Myms365]

The jokes on this video are just a 10/10 so much hate, so much sarcasm… I love it

[@rorireads]

For the poetry recs, literally anything by Elizabeth Acevedo. I’m not a poetry girlie, but her books were so easy to read and told really powerful stories

[@screamingbegins4688]

yes omg poet x is fucking incredible

[@elliotli4286]

I’m so ready for Babel to save you from these horrible books- I just read Babel and it’s honestly one of my all time favourites!!

[@St3in]

I was in the book store today and bought another book for my book club and then I saw Babel and I can't afford to buy more books before christmas but my heart was literally bleeding to leave this book in this shelf... One day my friend I will come back!

[@IoIita]

i want this book as a christmas gift so much. i just hope the hype around it is worth it

[@elliotli4286]

@@IoIita I think it is!! R. F. Kuang writes so beautifully and I absolutely fell in love with this book

[@yumira.92]

yes! i just finished it yesterday, and i was so amazed by everything. first of all, the book wasn’t a type that i would read, but since i gave myself a reading challenge (read dark academia books), i had to. i think the only thing i didn’t like was how the book doesn’t really trust its audience. there’s a little too much explanations about a certain phenomenon even when a character is making an important decision. however, i can live with it. 4/5 for me.

[@elliotli4286]

@@yumira.92 yeah, i get what you mean! i felt like that sometimes as well, but i also thought it was helpful to have the explanations too (i might just be a little bit dull jisdfsk)

[@Shaku89]

I feel that most contemporary Japanese novels are formulaic as Jack said - the fascination with rehashing the same plot in different settings is absolutely alien to me as a means of entertainment. And this is visible in the majority of J-dramas too. Im a Japanese major but literature killed the passion for me.

[@shannonvillalobos3292]

Poetry recommendation: Ocean Voung’s Time is a Mother is haunting and beautiful! We read it in my writing class, and I loved it!

[@vedikapaliwal2758]

Reading it currently. What's your favourite poem from the collection?

[@alyssacascos8665]

Oh I loved this poetry collection so much 💜💜💜

[@gravyall0va]

I wish I was smart enough to understand his poetry. I didn’t get most of the poems in the book 😭 but I absolutely loved On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

[@littleinfinities]

Oh no!! I absolutely adored She and Her Cat. That being said, I’m very much a cat person, and was going through a hard time when I read it, so it was perfect, very gentle and sweet. Not exciting but a lovely comfort read.

[@Katieemmaw]

Me too!

[@faenights]

there is a manga adaptation of the book as well, illustrated by tsubasa yamaguchi (mangaka of blue period), and the art is truly beautiful.

[@littleinfinities]

@@faenights this is amazing news, thank you I will check it out!

[@Katieemmaw]

@@faenights ooh thanku!!

[@renatevoll7101]

It's so refreshing to have you talk about the books you hated, because after every other video where you recommend books I'll always have to add 5 - 10 by oks to my tbr and I NEVER will get a around to read them all, so thank you for not adding to the list today 😂

[@lizaltamirano6660]

Your review of The Spanish Love Deception made me laugh so hard!!. I am Mexican and I lived in Denmark for a while, the Danes really believe that "Hola amigos" is the perfect pickup line 🤣🤣 Love Mean Jack.. 😅

[@lunavigilia]

If the Love Hypothesis is bad, you don't even wanna look at Love on the Brain😬

[@Old_Soul_]

Yes!! Atleast Love Hypothesis was like a fanfic but Love on the Brain was soooooo unbearable. I'm not good at predicting the plot but even saw everything coming from miles away. The author just wrote the same Book twice.

[@_SincerelyEden]

I hated it. Hahahaha i didnt even finish it

[@kirubhashankar7511]

@@Old_Soul_ okay good thing I haven't bought it. Love Hypothesis was a romance novel I read after ages so I kinda liked it? Then after reading more (better) books in the genre I kinda realised I was only deprived of my share of romance novels 🥲

[@Anabnormalelf]

Wait is it?😳 the reviews were good so I bought it oops

[@teddiespicker]

I feel like I got cheated with ali hazelwood, all I wanted to do was to get back into reading 😭

[@noemiethibault139]

I love the love hypothesis. Ali Hazelwood filling a niche for us stem girlies. The key is not taking it seriously and enjoying the camp

[@samanthadiaz2318]

But it is bad STEM rep!! I'm a stem girlie and i swear to god if my grad school experience starts to resemble anything that happened in that book, im dropping out

[@samiraansari5686]

It‘s nice that you enjoyed it, but please don‘t bring „us stem girlies“ into it. It certainly is not filling a niche for me. And there’s much better fanfic out there.

[@ccg9623]

'' All this book did was take. There was no glory here. '' a cracking title for a shelf on goodreads. ICONIC. both the title and also how jack spent a whole MINUTE and a half to elaborate on how much he hates all these books. *chefs kiss*

[@aruxani]

My biggest mistake this year was getting "The love hypothesis" as a beach read... It ruined my vacation. Luckily they had a bookstore there and I was able to get "The night Olivia fell" by Christina McDonald. It fixed everything.

[@bludingtonnbb]

i absolutely love and live for how entertainingly mean jack can get

[@badobsession28]

Me too, it was so much fun to watch this

[@lachdownproductionsyt]

Right? It was unexpectedly entertaining, and now I need more!

[@northlakeghost]

Poetry not to miss: Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong / Scary, No Scary by Zachary Schomburg / Twelve Moons by Mary Oliver

[@joycewible8816]

So disappointing reading a book that wasn't enjoyable, but I love the entertaining way you present them 😄

[@Sayna.S]

I also read "the love hypothesis", "the Spanish love deception" and "the ugly love" only because there were so many people on insta promoting this book. It was such a bad decision.

[@vincent_2232]

Ocean Vuong single handedly got me into poetry! I love all of his works!!!!

[@lilacgardening]

his writing is sooo gorgeous!!!

[@alyssacascos8665]

Yes! When I found his books, my life changed. That sounds dramatic but his writing is that beautiful ❤️❤️❤️

[@paperbackfern]

He keeps me motivated to keep writing poetry

[@jill5676]

I think Ocean Vuong was featured on this channel a while ago, but yes very good rec

[@niamh_6509]

I'm sorry that you were disappointed by the poetry you bought! In case you're looking for other ideas, here are some of my favourite poetry collections: "Averno" by Louise Glück, "Time is a mother" by Ocean Vuong, "Cien sonetos de amor" by Pablo Neruda, "Devotions" by Mary Oliver, "Songs of innocence and of experience" by William Blake, "Crush" by Richard Siken, "Bright Dead Things" by Ada Limon, "Méditations poétiques" by Lamartine.

[@siiri8902]

I read crush by richard siken this year and I loved it too!

[@paperbackfern]

I would add The Surrender Theory by Caitlin Conlon, Plums and Apreggio by Seneca Basoalto, and Sometimes I Fall Asleep Thinking of You by Catarine Hancock. I am a little biased as they're my friends but...

[@jadasifuentes381]

I also read "The love hypothesis" and my God it felt like a chore reading it. I was about to give up and DNF it and I have NEVER done that before. The book put me in a reading slump 😭😭 I did finish it and I will never pick it up again.

[@19Rena96]

The Song of Achilles did that for me lol

[@vanitymarks8798]

I only read it recently and skimmed through most of it. When you can skim through a book and not miss any plot points, you know it's bad. I didn't know it was Reylo fanfic until after 😅

[@Maddel97]

"good idea, bad execution.. and you know what execution is a good word for when it comes to reading these books" damn bro, you weren't holding back 💀💀💀

[@user-ee7yj5lz9v]

I can’t believe you hated Isaac and the Egg 😭😭 Reading it after having recently lost a loved one tore me apart and somehow pieced me back together. While clearly a mental help book, the hopefulness of it was exactly what I needed at that time

[@sotiria_lazaridou]

I couldn't have agreed more with the points you made about The Love Hypothesis... like... the people who enjoy it... have probably never attended a proper university class..... because everything that happened in that book was outrageously ridiculous!!

[@harryssweets8010]

Jack is so real , wouldn't know what to do without your book videos ! We love you from Germany ✌️❤️

[@Mmoehi76]

Imagine how bad the books must’ve been that jack is this salty about them 😂

[@lachdownproductionsyt]

You know they had to e a special kind of bad lol.

[@archersworldofliterature]

The poems of Emily Brontë are incredible. The best poetry I have ever read.

[@aidavanginkel8347]

It's funny when you say that the TikTok girlies must have been bribed because I thought the same about everyone recommending Beautiful World Where are You. I HATED that book!! I know it is a book from 2021, but I still have rage inside me hahaha

[@emmahiggins900]

I'd recommend the manga version of She and Her Cat ~ it follows just one storyline, is a pretty quick read, and the illustrations help to draw you in emotionally. I'd love to see Jack's opinion after reading both :)

[@HushIAmTalking]

You having No Such Thing As An Easy Job in your worst books of the year when it was definitely one of my favourites and something that helped get me OUT of a massive slump… Jack you wound me 😅

[@quirilei7568]

Hahahahaha same!!!! 😂

[@whitechs1225]

I thought it was just me. But I do understand when people tell me it’s repetitive. Personally, I enjoyed reading it because I paced myself and only read it during my commute back after a long hectic day at work and this book always gave me a sense of comfort. 😅

[@percyseas]

i know the love hypothesis is absolutely horrible but i gave it 5 stars and read it in like a day, no regrets 😭😭😭

[@sablethompson1212]

Was it high quality? No. Did I have a very fun day reading it in one go? Yes.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

“S**t de la S**t” has to be part of my lexicon now.

[@laurenanna2537]

My favourite poetry collections are “Crush” and “War of the Foxes” by Richard Siken. “Crush” especially, well, crushed me.

[@poorva.s]

The fact that 'the love hypothesis' is there makes me happy!

[@dreamingofthemoon]

11:42 your duolingo mention literally saved my streak, thank u sm!!

[@BeautifullyTragicxx]

Poetry recommendation - Space Struck by Paige Lewis! A great collection about space, anxiety, and coping with religious trauma. One of my favorite quotes from the collection (and apologies, I'm working from memory here) "“I feel as if I'm on the moon listening to the air hiss out of my spacesuit, and I can't find the hole. I'm the vice president of panic, and the president is missing.”

[@katedidier6083]

Wait omg, I think if this is the same Paige Lewis I’m thinking of, they’re actually my current creative writing professor! One of my favorite professors I’ve ever had, saved me and helped beta read my novel!

[@Dani__Happy]

I went through way too many poetry books that were mediocre at best (or milk and honey-esque), so here's some of my favourite collections so that you don't have to: Sweetdark by Savannah Brown, Our Numbered Days by Neil Hilborn, Some Say the Lark by Jennifer Chang, Calling a Wolf a Wold by Kaveh Akbar, Newspaper Blackout by Austin Kleon, all collections of Maggie Nelson (author of Bluets), Don't Call us Dead by Danez Smith, The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta (technically not poetry but a novel written in verse), Stag's Leap: Poems by Sharon Olds, Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong, The Perseverance by Raymond Antrobus, Prelude to Bruise by Saeed Jones, Heliopause by Heather Christle, Soft Science, Floating, Brilliant, Gone, and The World Keeps Ending and the World Goes on by Franny Choi, and When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities by Chen Chen. Hope u give some of these a shot, they are all great.

[@radiosilenve]

we love 'the spanish love deception' on the thumbnail👏👏👏

[@letmedream111]

Love hypothesis slander!!!! I really disliked it and felt so guilty because it seemed like everyone on booktok hailed it as one of the best fake date trope

[@sleepyash00]

catalina didn't like him just because he spoke in spanish, she fell for him because he was genuinely nice to her and respected her like does no one want respectful nice men in books anymore 😭

[@andromedaespejo7986]

For poetry I would go for: • Alejandra Pizarnik, her poems and imagery may seem minimalist-like but there’s so much depth in them, especially in the connection between nature and quotidian life. • Rosario Castellanos!!! she’s so smart and ironic in her poetry, especially regarding her identity as a female writer, a mother, and a Mexican woman during the 50’s. My favourite collection is “La tierra de en medio” • Neruda is also a great option, I don’t particularly like all his poems and his way of portraying women, but there are some incredible poems about his self-awareness that also use nature’s imagery. I know in spanish are called “Residencia en la tierra” • and finally Alfonsina Stormi and José Juan Tablada, I haven’t read a whole collection from neither of them, but they have great poems that resemble haikus and modernist tradition

[@anyaflaherty73]

I have not been able to find much of Rosario Castellanos' poetry translated into english, do you have any recommendations on where i could find it? (perhaps you have read it in spanish, in which case don't worry)

[@andromedaespejo7986]

@@anyaflaherty73 hi, I did read them in spanish, so I don’t know a specific translator or edition in english :c I know there are bilingual versions, and the closest collection in english that I could find is called “The Selected Poems of Rosario Castellanos”

[@flowersforyouu]

‘I am yet to read a good fake dating book’ I might be very biased but I loved ‘Hani and ishus guide to fake dating’ it’s really cute and shows a lot of Bengali culture and can identify toxic friendships and living up to pressure.

[@screamingbegins4688]

YES it's so cute

[@sumankumari5004]

Well the hunger games was good fake dating

[@audreychen4130]

Hi Jack! Poetry recommendation- Sarah Kay’s “No Matter the Wreckage”, and Sierra DeMulder’s “New Shoes on a Dead Horse”. Two of my absolute favorite poets! Sierra has a podcast too it’s so funny and full of heart, called “Just Break Up”

[@gre9246]

a good poetry book in my opinion is Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, especially if you like poems about nature! I read it this past summer during my afternoons by the lake and it was a beautiful experience, it was probably the best thing I've read this year :D

[@caitlink83]

Yesss! Babel is so good! I don’t like fantasy that much but I’m over 13 hours into the audiobook and loving it!

[@carlixalfonzo]

"Blackmail must be involved if you promote this book" I never thought of it like that xD

[@silvertokki]

The best thing about The Spanish Love Deception is the end of the synopsis, typical Spanish grandma phrase: que Dios nos pille confesados, let God catch us confessed. And as a Spanish person, nobody would call her Lina💀 it would be Cata🤣

[@j.m3850]

I actually liked the love hypothesis. A few pages in, I already knew exactly what type of book it was so I just turned off my brain and read it.

[@isabellarobinson7166]

Same! I bought it for a holiday; I knew what I was getting into, some fun nonsense to occupy me while I relaxed! :)

[@katharina9165]

this is now my new comfort video. seriously. i did not think i could love a video about hate THIS MUCH

[@lakshana2461]

the Spanish love deception being on there eases my soul 🫡🫶🏼

[@happinesss2]

Came here to say the same. That was the book I hated on the most this year out of all that I read lol complete nonsense. Felt like it was supposed to be Henry Cavill fanfiction but the way she described him only made me envision a giant towering blob with dark hair and ✨BLuE✨ eyes

[@busbop8318]

I was pissed after reading that book and realizing I wasted $15 😭

[@LivesInHerBooks]

I genuinely want to buy it, not because its good, but because I want to torture myself.

[@mariaradu2644]

THANK YOU! With so many of the usual good reviews it's sometimes quite hard to find honest negative reviews that could save you time and money

[@lachdownproductionsyt]

They certainly do seem to focus on positivity.

[@Chessie-TaylorsVersion]

When I'm looking for poetry I usually go to the poetry library in London and walk around aimlessly and read the ones with the vibey titles. This system hasn't failed me yet.

[@cloebrest3743]

For poetry I recommend Brown Girl Dreaming one of the best books I have ever read. It is about this brown girl’s childhood and it is written in poems. Amazing.

[@alyssacascos8665]

I read this book this year and I am obsessed❤❤❤❤loved it!

[@miecaf]

I'm pleased the Love Hypothesis is on the thumbnail, it was probably one of the driest books I've ever read

[@ginat.8064]

Jack, your hatred for the love hypothesis and the spanish love deception makes me so happy. I was so bewildered with all the anazing reviews they got on goodreads. Kinda felt robbed but hating these books has brought me some joy, too, thanks to you 😅

[@iceflower1349]

As someone who read the Love Hypothesis, I enjoyed until the whole hotel scene. I'm usually fine with spicy scenes but idk it just maybe uncomfortable. And from there I just had felt numb about it.

[@andromeda2503]

as a newfound book lover and avid reader, i am so glad i never went through the booktok/ya phase.

[@danielacruz1881]

For poetry maybe go for classics? Maya Angelou has a beautiful poetry collection.

[@456creeper]

I went through a phase of reading Nobel Prize winning authors, and still keep an eye out for books by obscure (ie, most) laureates. One thing this has taught me is that winning the Nobel Prize is not an indicator of quality. I'm still not sure what it DOES indicate.

[@alix6398]

The fake dating trope was so well done in Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall! I usually don't like this trop but this book is perfect 😊😊

[@kelly-annmaddox]

This One Sky and Tokyo Ueno Station both sound like they're right up my alley tbh. When someone says that a book is random as hell, weirdly paced, full of strange stuff that happens for no reason and 'ends up going nowhere', I'm like, 'This ticks all my boxes.' 😅 Heyyy, at least I know myself.

[@LiesAreCreativeTruth]

A poetry recommendation: one of my favorite collections is Pilgrim Bell by Kaveh Akbar! Pilgrim Bell deals with themes of religion, language, addiction recovery, and being an immigrant in America, among so many other topics. Every time I read it, I discover new meanings hidden in his poems, and his use of language and imagery is striking and emotional. You can see if his poetry style is for you by reading his poem "The Palace" published online by the New Yorker. My favorite line from The Palace: "Art is where what we survive survives."

[@MollyKaren]

Hello from a Love Hypothesis fan!! Honestly read it earlier this year so don't fully remember it, and maybe I'm comparing it to some really awful romance (I've read like 80 romance books this year) but I loved it so want to play devils advocate slightly. I think there are lots of points to talk about why you might dislike it, but the points you make here aren't totally accurate - Olive isn't really 'a student' in the way you imply, she's a PhD researcher, and Adam is a professor in the department. He isn't her lecturer. The lecture they attend also isn't like a regular uni lecture, it's a special talk in a very busy lecture theatre. Whilst I agree that the sitting on the knee plot was weird (surely there's floor space at the very least!) it's slightly less weird when you consider it's not like a normal lecture. On another point, The only other Ali Hazelwood book I've read absolutely sucks. It's basically the same idea but worse, so if you want another book to hate, try that one too!!! It was so disappointing and apparently all her novellas are the same. It's a shame she appears to have been a bit of a one hit wonder.

[@MollyKaren]

Oh my god apologies that this was so long!

[@seaess2507]

Really needed this since my indecisive self can't tell if the book i'm reading is horrible or is that just me. Sometimes i do need that different perspective to rate a book. Thank you so much for saving my time, honestly was trying to get away with reading 48 laws of power!

[@ashilovesmarvel]

I personally liked the love hypothesis. I'm a sucker for cliché and trope based romances, it probably comes from my love for 2000s rom-coms 😭

[@womblemonkey]

If you want some good poetry I highly recommend anything by Nikita Gill. My favourite is wild embers but also where hope comes from is great. There’s also inward by yung pueblo which is great. And the white book by Han kang who also wrote the vegetarian! ☺️

[@lilyjones9826]

The World's Wife by Carol Ann Duffy and Poukahungatus by Tayi Tibble are my two favourite poetry collections - would be interested to see what you make of them!

[@ering2467]

I’m not big on poetry, but I love Mary Karr’s poems. Her memoirs are amazing, too.

[@warishaali5045]

thank you for adding "the love hypothesis" in the list fr i told my friends how bad the book was how it made no sense and they literally cancelled me for it- Gotta show them dis vid