TikTok Chooses my Books | Reading Vlog

[@mckaylak7933]

Honestly Kayla… I’m DYING to see you force this “romance era” into existence😂 I feel like you need to just do something unhinged like challenging yourself to read romance and you can’t end the video until you give a romance book 5 stars👀⭐️

[@venusv8268]

Yikes lol. Some people just don’t like certain genres 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@powerpuff4ever]

@@venusv8268 it’s just a joke lol. No one *needs* Kayla to get into Romance but she jokes about it enough to make it a thing. It would honestly be beautiful and hilarious to see her compile a bunch of failed attempts at liking romance - even better if she really does find one she’d rate over 3 stars. Also 39:58 - sounds like she’s already working on this 😂

[@whoamegan10]

Well this aged nicely

[@thefriesofLockeLamora]

​@@whoamegan10very nicely. She's given up on romance 😂

[@Bookedandbaked]

Starting with the book unhinged pls

[@suzy8109]

I love how committed Kayla is to the preparation and creation of her reading vlogs … this one seems to have been worked upon since February.👍

[@hannahblackwellbooks]

Yes! So well edited with clear graphics and just awesome!

[@moonbook12]

They were some she made year long but I'm happy for her that this year she read more five stars than last year

[@TheNovelSanctuary]

I could only dream of being so organized lol

[@RileyMarie_]

Kayla tell me you didn't pick up a dark romance book 😅 My jaw dropped as soon as you pulled up K webster

[@BooksandLala]

Riley, I *am* embarrassed

[@bethmetcalf3447]

@@BooksandLala 😂😂😂

[@crystalsbookishlife]

Literally my same reaction 😂

[@ferventfei]

anytime kayla does an experiment tbr video thats around an hour long, i feel like i got a present for my bday

[@tayrocks22]

"Or if I start sobbing, I'll turn the camera on for the views." An iconic Kayla one-liner. If I didn't love books, I guarantee you I'd still be here just for you as a person/your sense of humor. I started Reckless Girls and didn't get too far into it, but I do wanna complete it, for sure, especially after your review of it. I also love that you started this video in February. The dedication is incredible, as per usual. (I also got The Hacienda as my BOTM and I'm VERY intrigued by your reaction to the first few chapters alone, honestly.)

[@MelpoReads]

I just LOVE seeing you explain how you pick you book choices! ♥️ Your creative mind is incredible Kayla!

[@anjalibhat14]

I LOVE when that you say “vlog coming soon!” on your Instagram, you really do mean coming soon!!!! 😍

[@Paris_Lavender]

Oh dear. The thing with K. Webster is that she (and dark romance in general) is an acquired taste AMONG the romance community, much less to someone who hasn't been in the genre in a while. I'm so sorry you were not adequately warned. I hope your next romance venture fares better!😄

[@bawling]

I just finished reading Dorian Gray for the first time and as I was reading it I was like I need to DM Kayla and tell her this is the toxic friendship book she’s looking for. 10/10 a new favorite classic for me

[@awpageofabook]

I LOVE The Picture of Dorian Gray! So so good

[@elsbethhh]

Kim Jiyoung Born 1982 is so good I think you’ll really like it! Before the Coffee Gets Cold was good and cosy but I think it was missing a little subtlety but that could be down to the translation.

[@mikailahiltz-folster9653]

one day i NEED a video about your fave & least fave plot twists!! i know it would be hard to do without spoiling some books, but every time you say this book has your fave/least fave i am so intrigued to pick the book up just because I'm curious haha!

[@bookswithlee]

As a Booktoker, I’m ready for this! 😂 Curious of your thoughts on Before the Coffee Gets Cold! Can’t wait!

[@TheMintw]

When you mentioned that all the Alice Feeney's books have a main character whose name starts with an A it reminded me about a work problem I often run into. I'm a tv screenwriter in Finland and I mostly work in writers rooms. In my past projects we have always had to make a conscious effort not to name our female characters with names that start with an A because that's where our mind always goes first. So it could be that Alice Feeney has this big thing for the letter A or she could just be an author who struggles to name characters like the rest of us haha :D

[@kate-ne]

That is so interesting! I was thinking maybe because her own name starts with A. But also I kind of like the irony of a thriller writer having to be incredibly creative with plot but not names 😂😂

[@wormdoodles]

That reminds me of the rule I heard where you can't use the same first inital more than once when naming characters. So if your main character is named, like, Amelia you can't name her love interest Alex or something else that starts with an A. I've always ignored that rule personally lol.

[@laurap9573]

Just a heads up since I saw it in your screenshots, Exquisite Corpse is an EXTREME horror book. It’s a splatterpunk so it’s super gross/disturbing and has every TW known to man. I remembered you saying you didn’t like splatterpunk in a previous video so I just wanted to let you know! Great video btw, I always get my book recs from TikTok so I was super excited when I saw this upload☺️

[@11lindsey111]

If you get into your romance era you mightttt like The Brown Sisters books. They hit a lot of your top tropes. Get a life Chloe Brown: grumpy/sunshine. Take a Hint Dani Brown: fake dating. Act your age Eve Brown: enemies to lovers. & you might like It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (grumpy/sunshine) but I have a feeling you might hate that Piper is a social media star. So a different Tessa Bailey book I would recommend is Window Shopping (grumpy/sunshine) !!

[@vataidalma6855]

i think she might like the Brown Sisters books too!! Esp how much those books deal with real world issues alongside/within the romance. But i feel like she wouldn't like Tessa Bailey because her writing & characters are v heteronormative, esp It Happened One Summer and the way in which it keeps being emphasized that Brendan is a "real man" because he doesn't shave and is hairy and gruff and doesn't really care abt his looks like 'LA men' 😖😖 i hated it happened one summer for these reasons 😅 I think she might like Beach Read and/or Book Lovers? but idk tbf

[@baylaurels]

I came to the comments to see if anyone else was suggesting the Brown Sisters books! Definitely in line with the tropes, and I am only just now dipping my toe into romance books and enjoyed them A similar vibe/style and similar tropes are also in the Well Met series by Jen DeLuca - the first is enemies to lovers/forced proximity and the third is fake dating All books in both series are also super quick reads!

[@kayleehall1969]

The fact that you rated romance tropes had me dying of laughter . And then going into your "ideal romance" you would need to explore sometime in the future had me on the floor

[@whitneyhendrix8075]

From an esthetician: pore size is generic and determines how naturally dry or oily you are (which you can balance out) you can cover up pores and unclog them but not make them smaller. That is just one of the things the industry made up for you to be self conscious of.

[@Thehennies]

Love this!!! ❤

[@wormdoodles]

I was not expecting Brideshead Revisited to be in that lmao. It's my all-time favorite book but I feel like you would absolutely hate it. On one hand, it's beautifully written and one of the main inspirations for The Secret History, on the other it gets very... Catholic. BTW, if you want to continue your sad girl journey I highly recommend The Quick and the Dead by Joy Williams. I feel like you would absolutely love it.

[@28bruch]

Brideshead Revisited is one of my favourite books as well, and the miniseries was really good, too. I didn't know it was an inspiration for The Secret History, that is very interesting! Makes me want to re-read both books.

[@wormdoodles]

@@28bruch I love the miniseries! Probably my favorite adaptation ever produced. I read Brideshead a couple of months before THS and you can definitely feel the influence. Richard's initial attraction to the group feels a lot like Charles' fascination with Sebastian and his family, and their subsequent disillusionment with both, not to mention the obsession with aestheticism and love both novels have.

[@laurenstobb7453]

I was binging your old content, rewatching a lot of vlogs when I saw this. Perfect timing!

[@beccabooked]

The bodyguard by Katherine Center would match your trope preferences :) loved this vlog as usual!

[@books-on-a-wire]

When she pulls up K. Webster book, "wtf is she thinking, she's gonna hate it." Thanks for not disappointing me lol. It's been years since I read it but remember loving it at the time. Dark Romance is not for you, I don't think you would enjoy any of it. Its definitely an acquired taste.

[@catreadsabunch]

Ughhhh yes!!! I needed another one of your vlogs! I'm addicted!

[@Romcommunist]

The love hypothesis hits all those tropes you said you liked 🙈. (Fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and maybe not enemies to lovers but bad first impression maybe 🤔) To be clear I’m not sure you’d like it but it hits most of the tropes 🙈

[@vteodora3544]

I think she's gonna hate that tbh😅 coming from someone that really liked it

[@fallonpawley8568]

I agree.. I think she’d dnf it 1/4 of the way thought 🫠

[@joyface]

I put Whispers and the Roars on my Goodreads when you played the Tiktok and immediately took it off when you started reading 💀

[@Sundaymagpie]

Wait…. I read Rebecca because I thought you LOVED IT! I’m having a tear in the timeline. It made me then read Mexican Gothic and others and helped me discover my love of Gothic Fiction!

[@BooksandLala]

Haha well I'm glad I could help you get into gothic books!! I thought it was good, but not what I was expecting genre-wise. I thought it would lean much more into the horror and spooky vibes, since I had read so many books *before* it that were solidly in the horror genre and said to be "inspired by Rebecca." Overall I probably said I would still recommend it, so I'm glad it worked out! 🤗💕

[@SorryBookedSolid]

I LOVE when I love a book that everyone else hates and then Layla reads it and validates me 🏝💛

[@saradjaroud971]

I think you should read Emily Henry’s romance books. Step away from the smut Kayla haha 😂

[@picklejuice2]

kayla listen I NEED you to make a video about how you organize all of these different videos and the footage from each and like - it seems so overwhelming and you seem to do it with ease. please please share your secrets!

[@gabbyreads]

This vlog was so fun! I love how you included popular Tiktok trends throughout the video too! Now I'm extra excited to pick up The Hacienda!

[@caveswater]

It’s so weird for me to even see Lala acknowledge Crescent City!! Lmfao! Idk why, but I just associate your BookTube with an entirely different dimension than the fantasy BookTube. Also, you’d hate C.C. So good call.

[@AbiofPellinor]

I am SO GLAD that Before the Coffee Gets Cold hit you in the feels!

[@laurafinocchiarostudios]

I recently read the traveling cat chronicles and SOBBED in the absolute best way. Before the coffee gets cold was wonderful but I don’t remember crying

[@dareisayit]

I feel ya with the audiobooks. With audiobooks and mysteries, I can’t go back and reread passages that eventually make me figure out the twist way before the end😂

[@daijahsbookworld]

them booktok synopsis are built different 😭 i always want to pick up all of the books people talk about

[@kattm2319]

I was very much in the "I hate romance" club and only read horrors, thrillers/suspense and mysteries for years because romance books made me cringe so badly. However, since my own life is so shit currently, I've found an escape in romance books... I feel like they have changed from years ago... Emily Henry writes more relatable romance and I loved the brown sister books.

[@magicalkittens]

Emily Henry made me a romance convert too

[@vataidalma6855]

@@magicalkittens omg same!!!!!

[@novelsandashley]

It's cute seeing your old video screenshots. It brings back memories because I swear I found you originally because I was looking up cloth diaper videos.

[@aveyclub]

I’m so bad at consistently commenting since I watch all my KZbin on my tv but your vlogs always turn me around when I’m in a poor mood and seem to come at the perfect time! Loved this one too!

[@spiral32]

I’ve read 150 books this year and I have not cried 💅 (Cuts to Kayla having a breakdown) Gold.

[@swoonscapades]

Ooh the Brittany C Cherry book you had for "your sad reads from tiktok" list would've been a good romance to start off with

[@oliviareadsalatte]

i'm such a booktok stan; i can't wait to see what they got you to read👀

[@cescalove]

Omg I love your video ideas and your videos always make me feel so comfy cozy🤍 I’m excited to watch this!

[@MoJordanReads]

Oh gosh romance is sooo tricky. I know fantasy isn't your #1 genre but I always recommend Radiance by Grace Draven, it's relatively short and is actually really wholesome but still fun and angsty. And I recently read A Strange and Stubborn Endurance and it was absolutely incredible (also one that maaaay make you cry, I teared up!) and it's fairly light on the fantasy elements. I don't know how you are with historical romance but I am reading A Lady's Formula for Love and it features a bodyguard, slightly older characters, a tiny age gap, kind of a grumpy/sunshine situation, and a Scottish hero. I'm only halfway through but I am LOVING it and highly recommend the audio book. And obviously, the Veronica Speedwell series romance gets better and better with each book!

[@jaimeerindy4573]

I love your commitment to the bit!! This was a video that was long in the making, and I loved every moment of it!

[@halimamuslimah]

This was a fun video Kayla. BTW, I absolutely loved the results of your hair after the chopsticks & socks curlers - LOVED!

[@lightscamerasashley.]

the dedication.. the quality 🤌🏼 my book videos will never be at this level of production 😅💞

[@BookishMandy]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these kinds of videos. You put in the work and it shows. So good!!

[@molliee5183]

Omg Kayla if you’re going to give romance a shot it needs to be the unhoneymooners! It’s: enemies to lovers, fake dating, close proximity, a bit grumpy/sunshine (not true g/s but a I think it’s still a bit applicable), and set on an island! I am not much of a romance reader, but I really like that one! Especially while eating fruit or drinking a smoothie.. I just had fun with the island vibes 😂

[@graceannsvlog]

Kayla you cant start your romance era with a dark romance 😭😭

[@arryn1993]

i love these types of videos this was so fun! love the preparation and the way you chose the books you were going to read.

[@moriahparr5650]

I'm so excited to see The Hunger behind you on your shelf. That one was a good time 😁

[@vivalabee]

not even 5 minutes in and I’m already so excited by the first two selections eee

[@LocDBooktician]

Every time I get ready for bed… here comes KAYLA!

[@LocDBooktician]

Didn’t even know you had a tiktok

[@LocDBooktician]

Queeeeenie will forever beeeeeee a gem had luster meh

[@kelley.s]

I love when you do these types of videos, they're always so much fun!

[@Kindlelover88]

This was an excellent video I love all the effort you put in explaining TikTok book choices as well as food. Excellent job!

[@EllieKerReads]

Lease on Love by Falon Ballard hits 3 of your 4 top romance tropes - enemies to lovers, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine. I read it in one day. A long one that is a slow burn that also has the same 3/4 is All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata. It also includes hiking :)

[@meganngeorge]

I remember that BB Cream with the beads in it! It was from NYC, I think? I loved it!😅

[@heatherandclover]

A Tale For The Time Being is AMAZING, one of my favorite books of all time, I hope you get to it someday!

[@sknight2810]

The second story of before the coffee gets cold got me crying fr😭 like uglee crying

[@moodyfloral6234]

I personally did not like Before the Coffee Gets Cold due to the messaging around sacrifice that you mentioned as well (especially the last story was really awful to me). I read it translated to German, and disliked the writing style a lot, but I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt that something might have gotten scrambled there in translation. Regarding your romance era: It is kind of hilarious to me that you “started” it with a dark romance. XD

[@angelinac2618]

The plot twist/reveal in His & Hers I DEFINITELY didn't see coming and I was mind blown.

[@lickafuzzyduckie]

The minute Crescent City popped up i said “YES!!!” 😂 i would love to see a Sarah J Maas vlog where you rip those books to shreds 💀

[@bookswithamymarie]

I love how you explain and show your methodology!

[@samanthajones7773]

i love how causally you mention scrolling through TWO THOUSAND videos for one of these concepts🤣😭

[@darrynm608]

yes! I finally guessed one of these secret vlogs right! Can't wait to see your thoughts on all of these...

[@spookyyjazz]

okay - I didn’t think I liked the bodyguard trope but as soon as you said it my mind went to joe & queen Clarissa for some reason?? and now I wanna watch the princess diaries 🥲

[@samuelcappi5205]

I highly recommend Chef's Kiss by TJ Alexander for the grumpy sunshine trope, also they work together so there's a bit of forced proximity. The love interest is non binary and as a trans guy I thought the way specific details of their transition were handled was awesome and something I've never seen in a book before. And as a bonus the descriptions of food and cooking were amazing.

[@ani_ngu]

53:25 HAHA when you were talking about the book’s message being, “living in the moment”, all i could think about was the einstein book

[@georgia_mccx]

You mentioning Calia Read reminded me that I found your channel after you reviewed 'Unravel' about 6 years ago 🤯 I completely forgot about that book, yet my Goodreads said it was a 5 star 😂

[@samantharose1001]

This was such a fun video, Kayla! I really enjoyed this take on a TikTok inspired video

[@Pernille842]

Great video. So good. So interesting and i loved you mixet so much other tik gik stuff into it. Im gonna go download tiktok now

[@ABookLikeYou]

You always have the best video concepts! 🤩

[@carahamelie]

I got the twist in whispers and the roars super early... but I actually still really liked the book. I thought the romance felt really misplaced in it honestly... like tone deaf sort of.. I almost feel like this book would have been better if it wasn't a "romance" book. but other than that, I did like the book and for some reason couldn't put it down. I personally think she did a pretty good job with the subject matter... and I really wish I could hear what someone that experiences this thinks of how she handled it.

[@Abookandacup]

Never thought I’d see you read dark romance 😂I swear I read romances now (which still surprises me) and I laughed so hard at the part you read of whispers and roars 🤣🤣please don’t let it stop you from romances lol there are some good ones out there 🤣

[@MichiruEll]

Regarding the overdescribing mundane things and underdescribing important things... this immediately reminded me of the French Classis Mme Bovary

[@ChandaElise]

For romance I really wish you could try historical romances! Super bingeable! I’d probably say start with Tessa Dares “the duchess deal” a hilarious marriage of convenience, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine, wounded hero. She keeps calling him pet names and he hates it trope. Lol

[@enolagay2323]

As a dark romance reader, I was cackling when you picked that K. Webster book😂

[@dgs788]

There are healthy body positive makeup gurus, like Angelica Nyqvist, Heather Austin, Beautbean, Annette's Makeup Corner, Jen Phelps, Emily Noel and a bunch of others. We are beautiful with and without makeup--but makeup is just fun!

[@sofiastj]

I feel like you would like My Dearest Darkest! Dark, sapphic, and weird. I loved it.

[@moonbook12]

Why I remember when Kayla said she loves TikTok because it's the only place she doesn't have a bookish account And she feels free. Well I guess Time change

[@stuffthings3481]

Morning from the UK. I just watched ur old video on daily word app picks books loved that

[@megwithbooks]

ok listen Reckless Girls isn't groundbreaking and was just a 4 star for me BUT it is such a fun book and is probably the fastest i've ever read a book of that length!! so excited to read The Hacienda!

[@vataidalma6855]

A decolonial feminism by Françoise Vergès is so excellent! I read it for my gender course and in fact wrote one of my exam essays on it haha! highly highly recommend 🙌

[@rubyredmonroe560]

Your favorite tropes sound like you read a lot of fanfiction on the side 😂! Love your blogs and always consult you on my book choices. Reading My Heart is a Chainsaw right now ♥

[@BooksandLala]

I have never read fan fiction in my life, but I've considered putting myself through it for a video!! haha I feel like I've always read a lot of fantasy and speculative stories in my life with romance as a sideplot-and those are the things I *think* I gravitate towards within those stories. Once I actually pick up some popular romance soon, who knows how it'll actually go down 🤭

[@zara6472]

Kayla convincing me to join booktok as a consumer as well as a content creator... amazing content planning and execution as always 👌 🧡

[@kissmeniley1]

I think you’d enjoy From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata which is an enemies to lovers, slow burn, sports romance. It’s also a good one for beginner romance readers.

[@CheyeW13]

I think you might like The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas - not exactly a tearjerker, but an at-times heartwarming time travel story w interesting/unique rules and a murder mystery. I think you've just got to find your romance niche. Romance truly casts such a wide net. Based on those tropes, maybe The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann (fake dating, close proximity(ish), grumpy/sunshine); The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun (fake dating (kinda), close proximity, grumpy/sunshine); Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert (enemies/rivals to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, close proximity (but it’s a roadtrip))

[@AFrolicInTheTomesxx]

haha I actually really like the floral wallpaper covers rachel Hawkins has for her books.

[@elara16]

😦😳😂 Me watching you hold up that K. Webster dark romance! Must finish watching this unfold

[@elizabethwilliams6329]

"Before the coffee gets cold" really disappointed me but it was ok and i agree with you about the message on parenthood... i am going to read the other 2 books so i must of liked it a bit lol... i thought the order of the stories for that one made sense....

[@everythinglit9099]

I love figuring out the rules of the world too! When a book has magical elements or time travel or ghosts I need to know the ghost rules!

[@kartik3719]

I'd love to see a video about your favorite romances in books!

[@ashleyholder2218]

A little unrelated, but I love how your hair looked in the July 2022 clip!

[@TheeKookyWildflower]

Let's see the twists and turns this vlog takes. 💗

[@marymik7372]

A forced proximity, grumpy sunshine romance I've read recently and loved is A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske! It's also a male male romance with an interesting magic system

[@suzy8109]

Kayla, you need to read the “Stillhouse Lake” thriller series by Rachel Caine. I loved the first one and picked up the 2nd one straight away. Loving that too. There are 6 books in the series and I can’t wait to read them all (because the story telling and characters are so addictive) which is astonishing because I never read series and hate fantasy mostly because the books are mostly part of a series.

[@kimberlya7267]

I read the first book this year and loved it. Can't wait to get to the rest. I know Lala doesn't tend to read series but she should give the first one a whirl.

[@suzy8109]

@@kimberlya7267 Yes, definitely! Rachel Caine is an awesome writer ... so sad she passed away in 2020. RiP.💕

[@kikiikonomopoulos7323]

ROMANCE RECS: Spanish love deception- Elena armas , the worst best man- Mia Sosa , the unhoneymooners- Christina Lauren

[@KristinKravesBooks]

I swear by the Rare Beauty blush! It's pretty much all I use now.

[@LeeLeeOneThree]

Yasss I needed this right now 🙌🏼💖

[@candyhyojung1860]

you will for sure love dorian gray 😌 I'm not going to claim it will be like a new fave but i think you will really enjoy reading about dorian and the twists are great, I feel like I can confidently say it will be at least a 4 for you

[@alexandrasstudio5308]

I read The Hacienda and loved it! I know what you mean about Before the Coffee gets Cold, it feels like each story is meant for a difference type of audience. the story I really liked was The Sisters and I also got emotional 🥹 with Husband and Wife! Great video!