Trying Popular Thriller Mystery Books || One Week, One Shelf Reading Vlog

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Did you try these books? How did you feel about them?

[@megandcochrane]

I DNF’d No Exit almost immediately after the MC discovered the child. Her decision making abilities were too immature for my brain and I gave up.

[@EddaPascher]

I read No Exit and maybe would have liked it more if I knew beforehand how over the top it would be.

[@zachreads]

I have read John Dies at the End, I think you probably won't like it but there is a chance it could work in a Library at Mount Char kind of way.

[@veronique5199]

I've read the Bat by Jo Nesbo and gave it 2 stars. The snowman however I gave 5 stars when I read it. Can't remember much of the content though

[@kellymanfredini3835]

Yes, I ended up hate reading the two housemaid books. Hope you are doing well!

[@ravent3016]

Don't forget to declutter the other Nesbo book. :) I don't blame you for DNFing anything that offends you, even if it is a reflection of reality. One doesn't have to suffer unpleasant reality when reading fiction. That's what real life is for - why wallow in misery voluntarily?

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Character in a fantasy world murdering people: Heck yeah! Racist police officer kicking dog: No thanks.

[@sirgnome]

Claudia freezing after getting caught in the act is peak cat behavior.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I've tried to record her stealing bookmarks so many times but she stops the second I try XD

[@martinelanglois3158]

Those kitties of yours are real chatterboxes! I love how we can hear them in the back. 😻

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

99% of the time it's Chunky haha Charlie is more of a "strong silent type" and Clawdia only screams in the morning to wake me up 💀

[@shaylaatiles]

Frieda McFadden is the Colleen Hoover of the thriller genre.

[@shaylaatiles]

I’ve read 4 of her books (I should’ve stopped after the first one…) and none of them were good lol.

[@a.r.e.j.1693]

There's another Nesbo in there, just get rid of it too and make it four! ;)

[@greymyers4087]

I read one of McFadden’s other books, Do Not Disturb. It was also terrible. My review on goodreads had people saying I was mean because I said something like “I can’t believe this has over a 4 star average rating. You all need to start reading better books” 😂

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

"You all need to start reading better books" is so real haha

[@harrietj5866]

The kitty noises are too cute!

[@FashionChaletNET]

The Housemaid was so good I ordered the second book before I even finished it! 😅 Book 2 was even better. Can't wait for the third one coming out this June!!

[@kartik3719]

I've just spent the past hour doomscrolling about the situation in Rafah so this video is a welcome reprieve ❤

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Seeing the posts about the Met Gala next to the ones about Rafah reminds me so much of "Hunger Games" it's appalling.

[@deendrew36]

@@BookswithEmilyFoxoh yikes…you are so right. I hadn’t thought of that but it is spot on.

[@heyitsdee8092]

The housemaid was poopoo and clawdia wanted to bury it❤

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

"Let me handle this..."

[@KYX1994]

Unhauled 3 books? Sounds like a win🎉

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Absolutely!

[@kartik3719]

The Housemaid genuinely felt like what an AI would produce if you fed a bunch of the most popular domestic thrillers of the past 10 years, so bland and flavorless 😂

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

The dialogues were so painful. Especially between the housemaid and the husband… I thought it was fake convos in her head 😂

[@haileyscrochet]

I feel like all of her female characters (that I’ve read. To be fair, I haven’t read all of them) don’t have any agency. Their entire personality is based on how the author wants them to react instead of feeling like a real person - if that makes any sense at all. They’re a cardboard cutout of a person to fill what needs to be filled in the plot.

[@jennmeyers9]

Tana French is my favorite mystery author. Although her mysteries aren't really thrillers or that engaging, her character development and scene-setting capabilities suck me in every time!

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

Not the slow mo 😂😂

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Why does it keep happening to me?? 😂

[@riankoch9126]

I thought it was a very strange cat meow 😸

[@JungleOfMeat]

I noticed insomnia on your bottom shelf. I love that book. Helped thst i suffered from insomnia myself but it branches out from that. Its great. The main character is so good.

[@Liriodelagua]

With the hungry elephant seal noise and 19:45 this video made my day

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Clawdia said "Let me take care of this, this is shit. Literally."

[@lydscl]

I'm so glad there are more female written and female centered crime/police thrillers coming out especially for UK authors. This year and last year I've really enjoyed the Kat and Lock books (In The Blink of an Eye and Leave No Trace) and the first in the Martin and Stern series - Shot in the Dark.

[@christinacampbellbooks]

Such a shame that you didn't enjoy any of these. But great to get all that dead weight off your shelves! 😂 I tried reading a Jo Nesbo years ago and I didn't like it. He was such a popular author that I wondered if it was just me missing something back then. So pleased to see you didn't enjoy it either!

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

It's always reassuring when others hate the same books as you lol

[@christinacampbellbooks]

@@BookswithEmilyFoxHaha, always! ☺

[@erikkasea]

No but you’re so right about the frazzled woman/put together man thing! I never read the housemaid but I get what you’re saying

[@rimskywaterloo2747]

Frieda McFadden’s writing reminds me of someone telling me about a bad movie they saw.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

LOL or like a person retelling a really long dream

[@amym6573]

I read The Last Mrs. Parish by Liv Constantine which came out a few years before The Housemaid I believe and the plot is soooo similar. I think there's been some controversy around how similar and unoriginal The Housemaid is

[@haileyscrochet]

There’s been some controversies about Frieda McFadden and similarities to other books with a lot of her books 😬

[@muskaan3711]

Check out Lit with Leigh's video on Frida McFadden. She says how the author has allegedly copied plots of many popular thrillers, such as The Last Mrs. Parrish (which is an amazing book).

[@mathildesophie1735]

I love how vocal the kitties are 😆 so cute 💗

[@sunduzamin]

I wonder if you’ve read any Agatha Christie?! I’ve been hooked on her books for a couple of months now and some of them were keep-you-up-reading and I loved them. You should really try some of her mysteries if you haven’t!

[@deendrew36]

I have never read one either….i really should. They must have been popular for a reason. My mom loved them!

[@sunduzamin]

@@deendrew36oh you really should they’re amazing! My favorites so far are Death on the Nile (I just finished it!), And then there were None, Murder on the Orient Express and the Unexpected Guest. I also read three more but these were the best of em🥰

[@cynthiafialka]

Chunky is so cute, love his little chirps. Frieda McFadden is eh, her books are fast reads anyway. My daughter loves them lol. My favorite mystery thriller of recent memory is We Begin at the End. I finished Blood Over Bright Haven which I found out about from you! Enjoyed it a lot so thanks!

[@Ash_Lo]

Reading Freida is like watching trashy reality TV for me. The Housemaid series resparked my love for reading and I had a good time reading them. If I were to read them now that I've read so many more thrillers then they probably would fall a bit flat.

[@claudiafaraudo9032]

Finally! Been in the mood for a dark thriller but because of spring no one is uploading those recs. Perfect timing ❤

[@Rainbopagn]

My hold for I Who Have Never Known Men came in… I resent you Ms. Fox. 😂😂😂

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

You're gonna love it! (hopefully lol)

[@Rainbopagn]

@@BookswithEmilyFoxoh I did. But I also hated it 😂 that damn ending!

[@courtjunk7]

I just read this and when I was done I stared at the wall for like 20 minutes 😅

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I totally stared at the wall when I first finished it too!

[@kayliv793]

I had a hard time deciding what my next book should be... then I saw this comment. I guess let's try "I who have never known men"

[@jojoochs]

Baby/toddler cabinet locks were a lifesaver for my cabinet opening cat, highly recommend

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I almost did but then he started opening the drawer at the bottom of the oven so I gave up 💀

[@kimberlyvlach1830]

Your face around the 19:40 mark sums it up perfectly 😂 I also gave The Housemaid 2 stars. It was poorly written and cringey! I don't know why people love it.

[@emryborge7027]

My favorite moment when you unhaul books is that loud satisfying bang noise at the end when you shove them onto the bottom shelf, and this video didn’t have that😭

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

25:35 not loud enough? lol The shelf is getting full!

[@kirstencurtiss9470]

I love when you live react while reading the books! 📚

[@PaigesToRead]

I felt the exact same way about Taylor Adams' The Last Word. I wanted to like it. I wanted there to be a twist. Didn't happen for me with that one.

[@laurenschenck5355]

The kitten sounds are so cute 💙🪷🩵💚🩵🪷🪷🩵💕📙📚📚🪻❣️🫶🏻💖❣️💓🧡💞🤎🤎🌸🌸🌸💜💙💕🪻📙🪻🫶🏻🌺💓❣️🤍🧡🩷📖📙📙📚📚📚📚📚📚🫶🏻🪻🪻💖🌺🧡🫶🏻

[@marceywest]

I read First Lie Wins recently and was pleasantly surprised! One of the few thrillers that’s actually worth the hype in my opinion

[@DragonHeart29]

Yey for decluttering 🎉

[@zachreads]

I read and really liked The Seven Year Slip! The dude is a chef and reminded me of Mac from Other Birds. And there is a time travel element. I also read The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett and didn't like it much, but one of the women was French Canadian but more Montreal than Quebec, and I'm pretty sure the author is Canadian.

[@isenhobbitz]

“Better the Blood” by Michael Bennett was really good. It’s a new series from New Zealand that focuses on a Maori female cop on the hunt for a serial killer while also reckoning with how the police treat indigenous communities. One of my favorites from last year and think you would like it.

[@sydrichey6600]

thats why I read on pure vibes alone because it works with me

[@kay1133]

I have been meaning to read No Exit for YEARS and just can't bring myself to do it and now I feel a little more validated haha. Also, so not the point of your video, but your lip combo at the start of the video is perfection. What is it? I really hope you read Ella Enchanted soon! It's such a quick and easy read and it's just wholesome.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I was wearing 3CE pinkalicious earlier that day. So it was basically the leftover stain with a clear gloss on top!

[@muskaan3711]

Malice is SO GOOD one of the best mysteries ever, dare I say comparable with Agatha Christie's classics. Keigo Higashino has become my favorite author.

[@stef8771]

My cat Levi makes that same whining noise! We call it the mrrp lol

[@Novaturient_Liv]

I think you should try a Daniel Suarez book! He's pretty underrated online, but his thrillers are smart and fast paced. I read Delta V and have not stopped thinking about it three years later.

[@elskabee]

I actually really enjoyed No Exit and read it in one sitting, but I like survival thrillers more than mystery thrillers

[@izabelllovegood9832]

mystery books is one of my favorite type of books😍

[@monicapalande8830]

one of the babies was so chatty in the back I kept looking over to see if it was my cat until i realized mine was fast asleep and it was your cats LOL

[@barbaralemon4170]

I enjoyed No Exit. I did find it a page turner. But, you are correct in that the writing wasn't that good.

[@anaborges1192]

The only Jo Nesbo book I read was the snowman, and I really enjoyed but I read so many years ago that I actually don't know if I would enjoy it now

[@jojoochs]

OH! And for the light fixture, dab some vinegar or lemon juice on it, cats hate the smell and he might stop touching it

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

They don’t care 😭 I tried with the Xmas tree and they were still eating jt

[@SolitudeDayys]

John D*es at The End is one of my favorite book series of all time! Now saying this, you’ll probably not enjoy it because whenever I recommended a favorite book and you read it you ended up hating it lmao. The book is so unserious and reads like what an acid trip should feel like lol. I really hope you do enjoy it keeping in mind that it is written to be silly and unhinged.

[@sailingqueen678]

IT SCARED ME!! I thought we went into the fathoms of the deep!😂😅

[@accidentalspaceexplorer]

I'm a little late on this one but I recently read Lavender House, a mystery that digs into the queer subculture of the 1950s in San Francisco and I really enjoyed it! It might be one to check out?

[@onfaerystories]

I so feel you, my husband and I recently watched The Labours of Hercules (with David Suchet as Poirot) - which is my favorite collection of short stories by Agatha Christie - and they just made it so cringy, the dialogues made no sense and they clearly wanted us to believe that every single characters were unhinged, which just made it extremely cheap and underwhelming by the end. We watched two other episodes as well that were much better, but for now I still prefer the books.

[@sarahgraham4557]

If you like sci-fi thrillers I'd recommend Mur Lafferty, they are sci-fi murder mysteries set in space.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I’ve read six wakes a few years ago and thought the concept was super fun!

[@kellymanfredini3835]

Yes, second this. I enjoyed her latest series. It is almost cozy.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

That's good to know! I wanted to try her newest work but had heard it was underwhelming. I'll have to check it out!

[@miiisssssyyyy]

I love Freida’s book purely for entertainment because they feel like those thriller movies that are so unrealistic that it’s a joke and it entertains me lol

[@laurenschenck5355]

I love the house maid hope you like it 💖🫶🏻🪻🪻🌺💖💖💖🩵💕💕💞🤍🧡🧡🪻🌺💖🩷🩷🫶🏻💜💜💕💕🧡❣️❣️❣️🥀💓💓💚💛🩵🩷🩷💖🪻🌺🫶🏻💕💕💕📙📖📖🪷📚📚🪷📙🪷🪷🪷🩵🩵💙💛💙🩵💚💚💚

[@MoJordanReads]

I don't like to read thrillers but I sometimes like watching them so I want to check out the No Exit movie! Maybe the movie is better than the book? haha

[@viridis7076]

I really like Nesbo but I totally get why you don't, I've recently tried Lazarus by Lars Kepler and that one didn't sit right with me. It's like a more brutal Nesbo and I hated it throughout the whole book. Also tried Violin Conspiracy and couldn't bring myself to care about that stolen violin, just bored me to death.. Great video 😄 Vasps are not fun 😕

[@ranielledocha]

me too, Claudia, me too

[@heyitslori]

I had a random wasp in my house this week too! Still have no idea how it got inside. Freaked me out!

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Idk if that's what Clawdia saw at the window and it freaks me out that it might have come in somehow from there!

[@jenniferbngo]

You’re back!!! 🎉

[@SloanePaoPow]

OMG! Clawdia's mittens! 😻

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Her paws are so big!! She has two claws on her thumbs too!

[@carissa1446]

I Googles the Italian phrase to. I couldn’t wait to find out 😂.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Why didn't she?? I would instantly do it haha

[@candybear2230]

I only made it to page 25 in the bat. Soooo ya…not just you! Haha

[@shellkay]

I have the same vibe with popular books…maybe it’s a personality thing?! Blame being INFJ but also embrace that. 😂

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I love that it’s apparently the rarest personality (it’s mine too!) but it’s the only one I ever hear people mention 😂

[@panikiczcock2891]

INTP here and feel the same about popular books

[@mylifekiki1804]

What good thrillers do you recommend

[@riankoch9126]

My mom and k both read No Exit at the same time and finished it in a day or two. And we both agree that if it had been edited down to 30-70 pages less it would have been a winner. But it had just enough slow spots to make me realize I didn’t love it.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

That's fun that you both read it at the same time! I felt like it had a lot going on... while steal feeling slow. Apparently there's a movie!

[@sofie1109sofie2]

Even if you hated it I was happy when you tried an norwegian author haha. So many norwegian authors seem to be real life police officers writing crime books and it's really boring. And the most popular genre, especially during easter??🙃🤣

[@SuperStrangSshadow]

Jo Nesbø has never been a police man.

[@hernandezfamilyfarm]

Lady cop in Too close to Breathe 😊

[@circa1890]

Have you read "And Then She Vanished" by Nick Jones.. it's time travel cotton candy.

[@Kronkgirl]

I'm terrified of wasps. I hate them

[@laurenschenck5355]

Hope you are doing well Emily happy weekend YOU’RE AWESOME 📚📚🪻🌺🌺🪻💖📙📙📖📖💙🩵💓💓🪷🪷💛🌸🩵🩵💖🩷🌺🧡🧡🫶🏻📚📚📚📚📚🪻📙💙💙💙🤎🤎💓

[@mhazelim]

please read susanna clarke’s strange & norrell. i think you’ll love it..

[@violet8274]

I genuinely believe I have no ability to critique books because I ate up the Housemaid and thought it was one of the better thrillers loll. I find it REALLY hard to dislike a book

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Honestly that sounds fun lol

[@DrLampshade]

Oh man, my mom’s dog and my 2 cats are ADDICTED to freeze dried chicken hearts. The cats will try to swallow them whole (and end up choking 🤦‍♀️) so they need to be broken up a little for them first

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

LOL not the choking! Chunky didn't care for them at first until I cut them up... not necessary now but he has to hurry or Charlie will steal them XD

[@therealcosmos]

So excited for this!

[@courtjunk7]

I tried reading the other Freida McFadden book, never lie, and it was absolute trash.

[@lenani9143]

For crime that isn‘t verywhere (or maybe that‘s just me…) I recommend Penance by Eliza Clark - but maybe it’s too True Crime-ish

[@lenani9143]

*everywhere

[@marystuart83]

I was watching this video while eating my lunch peacefully and just at minute 10:00 a freaking WASP came out of nowhere and into my house! Going to stare at the wall for a few hours now

[@encyclopediaofelizabeth]

Please spoil The Housemaid.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

SPOILERS The wife hired her to murder her abusive husband. She knew her past, and why she went in prison (killed a man’s who was SAing another girl). The ending is her going to work for another family that was recommended by the wife… to murder another man?? It wasn’t great.

[@sheldonmack9977]

I’ve read 3 Frieda McFadden books and they’re all just poorly written popcorn reads. She gets so much hype and they’re all so predictable and bland. I think she’s just popular because they are fairly easy reads. I won’t be reading anything else from her.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Yeah, I'll probably give a shot to the other one I own but won't read more after that. I wasn't impressed either!

[@bookandmakeuplover4263]

If you didn't like No Exit I would recommend staying away from The Last Word by Taylor Adams. No Exit has mostly positive reviews and The Last Word is more mixed. You have to read from the point of view of an incel in The Last Word and it was not good.

[@rachellemanning6631]

I have been 50% of the way through John Dies at the End for over a year now because it’s very gross and very bro-y, but I want to finish it because my husband loves it. 🙃

[@YarnGeek]

I read No Exit because so many booktubers hyped it up and I was disappointed. Read the Last Word last week and I also didn’t like it. :/

[@AshleyRebecca]

I read both of those books and I thought the writing was TERRIBLE. And the Housemaid is essentially the same plot as The Last Mrs Parish but at least that book was readable. I have not read Nesbo and will not be picking it up. Frieda McFadden is an author I refuse to read now due to poor writing and incorrect vocabulary usage. John Dies in the End is an experience…. I personally did not like it but it’s very different than anything else I’ve read.

[@Beaureads24]

Malice was really good

[@ashezbookz8726]

my one cat ate bees, wasps, flies, moths he had no shame lol

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Clawdia ate a boxelder bug the other day… apparently they taste awful but she didn’t care 💀

[@cupcake9483]

Salut de l'Amérique, Emily ! J'espere que tu vas très très bien ☺️ J'adore ta chaîne 💖 J'apprends le français et je veux aller au Québec parce que c'est vraiment beau !!! Le prononciation est super difficile mais je crois que je peux le faire 💪 Please give me motivation to keep going 🙏 I really hope you're doing amazing 💗 Please, please don't worry too much or overwork yourself. I hope you feel so much happiness and joy and I think it's so cool how into books you are 😊 Thank you for your honest opinions regarding them. Not to mention that you're absolutely gorgeous! 😍😍Have the loveliest and most beautiful day, queen 💖💖💖💖💖

[@arya0553]

Hey Emily! Have you read Funny Story?

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

I did! I filmed my April wrap up but haven’t had the time to edit it yet, it will be my next video!

[@randomstuffwithvicky]

I listened to The Bat some years ago and found it really boring so you definitely haven’t missed anything. I love this genre, and have enjoyed plenty by Scandinavian authors, so it’s not me, it’s definitely this book/author ☺️ I have avoided this author ever since.

[@KristinKravesBooks]

Taylor Adams also isn't for me! I'm on a journey with thrillers. Not quite sure what works for me and what doesn't!

[@Ladydi1780]

22:01 The character’s name is… Harry Hole?

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Apparently it’s pronounce “Holy”

[@hua_tetsu_cat]

11:57 There's a motor boat in the house

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Chunky the purring machine 🐈‍⬛

[@andrewf7732]

Not only is The Housemaid terrible, the author plagiarized the entire plot from The Last Mrs. Parish.

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

Why is there so much marketing $ behind her??

[@jessicamorales1556]

❤

[@zachreads]

The last good thriller I read wS The Lost Village by Camilla Sten. I read the first two Harry Hole books way back when you hauled The Snowman, they were terrible and book 2 had even more sh*tty male behavior.

[@kristen7623]

I hated No Exit, that was my only 2 star last year. Is this petty? They are stuck in a snow storm running around outside in the snow..and I don’t ever remember anyone getting cold. 😂

[@arobinreads]

It's so hard to find good thrillers these days!

[@BookswithEmilyFox]

It really is!!

[@MadoCar-n4s]

📚📚📚

[@KayleenLavan]

Prediction: You are going to hate The Snowman. I read it and I didn't mind the story but sexist comments in books don't really bother me, however, I think it will bother you a lot the way that the male characters talk about the female cop especially.