@@BookswithEmilyFox we all know "most disappointing" is just Salty Emily warming up, stretching, preparing to roast in "worst book". gotta ease into the high sodium levels! ;)
Sofiya Tolstaya was a great lady and suffered a lot of crap from her weirdo husband, she had a lot to say about him but sadly her works were only postmortem (some like 100 years after she wrote them).
Standard joke about Anna Karenina in Russian is that she was the inventor of ‘platform shoes’. Pretty much nobody read it when I was in school, just a summary.
Oh, I did😄 I’ve read everything in full, including War and Peace (which I surprisingly liked). I just didn’t trust the shortened retellings. I remember being really annoyed with Anna, though, and I’ve probably skimmed more than a few pages of Levin’s bs😅
The response to Happy Place on booktube has been so weird to me because most of my real life friends who read her books think it’s her best and while Book Lovers is still my favorite, Happy Place is such a close second. But across the board on booktube people seem to think it’s her worst. Totally agree about People We Meet on Vacation though, that one didn’t work for me.
I loved Happy Place so much, almost the same as Book Lovers, but I loved so much that I bought almost all the books that Emily Henry published, because if I liked even the one that everyone was "meh", at least I'll have a good time with the others. I'm planning on reading one Emily Henry every year.
Hi Emily, I too struggle with mystery and thrillers. I think it's because a lot of the actions and decisions made by characters are so convoluted. I expect a logical plot going in, I want a good mystery to solve. It's not like a fantasy where going in, I know things will be outlandish.
This! Sometimes it’s like the authors are trying to always one-up each other on how “twisty” and unpredictable they can be, and it gets ridiculous at some point
The Push is one of my fave books of all time... but the whispers was sooo lack luster. I was so bored. It felt so long and drawn out for that random ass ending.
Just to balance the scale a bit, Anna Karenina is one of my favourites that I have re-read a couple of times. Sorry you were disappointed in such a great book.
I kept scratching my head confused about the hype for Notes on an Execution. I read it before the hype with no expectations and was seriously disappointed. That first chapter was good but it was downhill from thereafter.
If you are looking for more books about knowing how you die, there are two great short story collections on that concept. The first is called Machine of Death and the sequel is This is How You Die. Each story is based on a writing prompt that humans have invented a machine that tells people how they die. Each author did their own take with that. I highly recommend it.
Omg yes I've also had to accept this year that mystery thrillers might just not be for me. I've read like 20 of them this year and only a few have stuck with me. I'm hoping next year to read less of them and focus more on fantasy and literary fiction since those are the two genres I often end up liking the most
I also hated "The Last Party" but I put it down in Chapter 3 instead of suffering through like you. 😂 I didn't find the main character's love life issues very believable, so I'm not surprised the ending wasn't believable.
I really liked Notes on an Execution but would also say it’s not thrilling - I wouldn’t come at it with expectations of it being mystery/thriller. More literary fiction. I liked how it quietly posed the question of how much killers are born vs made in particular, and alittle exploration on the death penalty.
Yeah, the murder series set in small towns…this is how ghost towns happen. 😆 Half the town is murdered, half the town moves to more fortunate climes. Sometimes I keep reading a bad book just to see how bad it can get. It’s like a slow motion car wreck…
I feel like our taste is similar with the thrillers you dont like. So I am a bit sad about the Thursday Murders Club because it sounds so fun! I am a bit stuborn too so I will get it from my library to see if I like them or not. 🤞Also still need to try the thrillers you did like to see if we really have the same taste. We do like the same cozy witchy books apparently because In the Company of Witches and Nettle and Bones were so fun to read!😍
I definitely agree with you about Lone Women! It started off so well, then it was like reading a train crash. I should've dnf'd it, I'm still trying to get better about that, but I, too, finished it out of stubbornness 😅
I really liked The Golem and the Jinni because of the philosophical questions it raises about free-will, ethics, and what it means to be human through the characters’ unique circumstances.
I am realizing that I am extremely picky about mystery/thrillers and romance. I really really really want to like thrillers but I always find them threeish stars. I will probably still try a couple each year, but I recently took down all my holds on mystery thrillers on libby. I just had to be honest with myself. I kept a few romances for palate cleansers ❤
I think the main reason Richard Osman is popular is because he's a TV celebrity in the UK. He already had a fan base that would read his books; making them instantly bestsellers. I wonder if they would have been as popular if he wasn't famous.
I think i enjoyed The Golem and the Djinni, but also I remember almost nothing about it so who knows! My most disappointing book of the year was Frankenstein in Baghdad, it just didn't work for me at all. Also, I think you meant the border between England and Wales - they are both part of the UK ❤
I really liked the Golem and the Jinni but was kind of disappointed in the end, however sequel is better in every sense IMO. This series holds very special in my heart. But I get why you don’t like it.
i feel like notes on an execution was so uncomfortable to read. Ansel's point of view helps put the book into perspective, how he thinks of himself as somehow "smarter" or more "intellectual" than most people, but is, in reality, PAINFULLY average and just angsty. his pov honestly made me laugh, and i loved to see the dichotomy of how the women thought of him and how he thought of himself, so interesting. the sole reason i gave the book a five stars for sure
Well at least you try mistery thriller as you think you might find ones you like. I in the other hand know that l can't stand romance and still went to read Book lovers and ofc didn't like it as l don't like romance and few months later l don't remember anything from that book. But why the hell did l buy into hype😂😂😂. Have to trust my nature more in future.
Haha I can’t wait to see the stats of the books you read. You should split them up so you can see the genres/authors specifically for the books you DNFed or rated lowly. Maybe it will reveal a pattern of what not to read 😅
If you're looking for murder in space books, The Moon Is Not Haunted is a kind of futuristic psychological mystery/suspense that takes place on a moon base. I haven't finished it yet, but have enjoyed it so far.
My gripe with The Measure was ****SPOILERS**** that they said anyone who had a birthday and turned 22 would receive a box on their birthday. Then it was also said that people tried to see where the boxes came from on the first night they came, but security cameras didn't work, etc. What I don't get is why no one turning 22 decided to just spy on their own front porch all night on their birthday to see who brought the box. I was way more interested in the mystery of where the boxes came from than the character-driven stuff that ended up happening. I'm also in agreement with you on mystery/thrillers. Most of them are 3 stars for me. It's been forever since one actually impressed me.
I was also very disappointed in Lone Women. I don't normally read a lot of horror, but I wanted to branch out and the premise sounded really interesting - but I just found it really underwhelming. An actually good (and legitimately creepy) horror that I read that year is Red X by David Demchuk. I actually didn't even realize it was a horror when I started reading it - so I wasn't expecting the horror, but it was really good.
I’ve found that I don’t like thrillers, I like mysteries. Thrillers often feel so convoluted in order to keep the twists secret. Books that are marketed as mystery before thriller don’t have as many of the things that annoy me about thrillers
The most disappointing book for me was Babel. It started really strong but then went in a way that wasn't interesting at all. Another one is The twisted one by T. Kingfisher. The worst heroine in the world, annoying, doing stupid things, always whining.
Notes on an Execution and The Whispers should not have been marketed as thrillers. they’re more literary suspense in my opinion. i loved Notes but DNF’d The Whispers despite loving The Push. i also DNF’d The Measure. it was so boring for such a great concept.
I mentioned it before but if you’re not into mystery/thrillers but liked Company of Witches, you might like cozy mysteries. The older books in that genre can be a bit conservative but there are some great new series by people who are deliberately more progressive. (Vinyl Resting Place, Smile Beach Murder, and Pride Prejudice and Peril are good modern books/series) Cozy mysteries are great for reading about characters in their 30s and older. I was glad to read Notes on an Execution but also glad it was a library book. My opinion of a book is affected by whether I spent money on it. 🤷♀️ Lone Women is just a preachy book by a man who’s telling us a bunch of stuff we already know.
I DNF'd The Man Who Died Twice. The first book wasn't bad, and usually books improve in series, but I just could not get interested in the second book.
As soon as you mentioned notes on a execution I knew you would not like it😂 I think the book was mismarketed and the main female character being indian and her name is saffron…. Get the fuck out of here Ms Kukafka🤣🤣
I read Anna Karenina 2 years ago. My main complain was where the hell is Anna? My expectations were really high so I felt personally ofended to the point I thought I will never give Tolstoi a chance. Then I read Ivan Illich's death or wherever it's translated into English. My favorite Tolstoi is White Nights. I have some of his work on my shelves I'd like to try. But, again, It was supposed to be about Anna!! 😧
That sounds??? Salty Emily is rising....she is coming...worst book? Beware, Salty Emily is revving up🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
We need Salty Emily. ❤
Kinda mild in this one! Learning to put books down is helping me but not these videos 😂
@@BookswithEmilyFox we all know "most disappointing" is just Salty Emily warming up, stretching, preparing to roast in "worst book". gotta ease into the high sodium levels! ;)
literally after learning of Sophia Tolstoy i wanted her to spill the TEA
Sofiya Tolstaya was a great lady and suffered a lot of crap from her weirdo husband, she had a lot to say about him but sadly her works were only postmortem (some like 100 years after she wrote them).
Your honesty is the reason I’m here, Emily. ❤ It’s so appreciated! Happy holidays!
Standard joke about Anna Karenina in Russian is that she was the inventor of ‘platform shoes’. Pretty much nobody read it when I was in school, just a summary.
Oh, I did😄 I’ve read everything in full, including War and Peace (which I surprisingly liked). I just didn’t trust the shortened retellings. I remember being really annoyed with Anna, though, and I’ve probably skimmed more than a few pages of Levin’s bs😅
The response to Happy Place on booktube has been so weird to me because most of my real life friends who read her books think it’s her best and while Book Lovers is still my favorite, Happy Place is such a close second. But across the board on booktube people seem to think it’s her worst.
Totally agree about People We Meet on Vacation though, that one didn’t work for me.
I loved Happy Place so much, almost the same as Book Lovers, but I loved so much that I bought almost all the books that Emily Henry published, because if I liked even the one that everyone was "meh", at least I'll have a good time with the others. I'm planning on reading one Emily Henry every year.
I thought most of Happy Place was meh and the ending was just plain bad
Hi Emily, I too struggle with mystery and thrillers. I think it's because a lot of the actions and decisions made by characters are so convoluted. I expect a logical plot going in, I want a good mystery to solve. It's not like a fantasy where going in, I know things will be outlandish.
This! Sometimes it’s like the authors are trying to always one-up each other on how “twisty” and unpredictable they can be, and it gets ridiculous at some point
Highly disagree with Anna Karenina, but we all have our tastes.
Yesss, I love your yearly wrap-up videos! They're always such a treat ❤❤
The Push is one of my fave books of all time... but the whispers was sooo lack luster. I was so bored. It felt so long and drawn out for that random ass ending.
I kept hoping there would be a supernatural twist somewhere 😂
Just to balance the scale a bit, Anna Karenina is one of my favourites that I have re-read a couple of times. Sorry you were disappointed in such a great book.
I kept scratching my head confused about the hype for Notes on an Execution. I read it before the hype with no expectations and was seriously disappointed. That first chapter was good but it was downhill from thereafter.
Anna Karenina is a masterpiece!!
If you are looking for more books about knowing how you die, there are two great short story collections on that concept. The first is called Machine of Death and the sequel is This is How You Die. Each story is based on a writing prompt that humans have invented a machine that tells people how they die. Each author did their own take with that. I highly recommend it.
I have read Anna Karenina three times!!
Good for you . Karenina's long-suffering story is not for everybody .
Omg yes I've also had to accept this year that mystery thrillers might just not be for me. I've read like 20 of them this year and only a few have stuck with me. I'm hoping next year to read less of them and focus more on fantasy and literary fiction since those are the two genres I often end up liking the most
I also hated "The Last Party" but I put it down in Chapter 3 instead of suffering through like you. 😂 I didn't find the main character's love life issues very believable, so I'm not surprised the ending wasn't believable.
I was interested in reading The Push and The Whispers. Probably won't bother with the latter now, haha. Thanks for saving me some time! ☺
Happy Place was one of my favorite books this year 😂 second favorite Emily Henry book
I really liked Notes on an Execution but would also say it’s not thrilling - I wouldn’t come at it with expectations of it being mystery/thriller. More literary fiction. I liked how it quietly posed the question of how much killers are born vs made in particular, and alittle exploration on the death penalty.
Yeah, the murder series set in small towns…this is how ghost towns happen. 😆 Half the town is murdered, half the town moves to more fortunate climes.
Sometimes I keep reading a bad book just to see how bad it can get. It’s like a slow motion car wreck…
That's how Survive the Night by Riley Sager feels... so bad, it's kinda shocking!
I feel like our taste is similar with the thrillers you dont like. So I am a bit sad about the Thursday Murders Club because it sounds so fun! I am a bit stuborn too so I will get it from my library to see if I like them or not. 🤞Also still need to try the thrillers you did like to see if we really have the same taste. We do like the same cozy witchy books apparently because In the Company of Witches and Nettle and Bones were so fun to read!😍
The Thursday Murder Club is wonderful. Definitely give it a try
I definitely agree with you about Lone Women! It started off so well, then it was like reading a train crash. I should've dnf'd it, I'm still trying to get better about that, but I, too, finished it out of stubbornness 😅
Anna Karenina definitely made it into my top 10 this year & Happy Place is probably my #1 😂
I really liked The Golem and the Jinni because of the philosophical questions it raises about free-will, ethics, and what it means to be human through the characters’ unique circumstances.
I felt the same about Notes on an Execution...
I am realizing that I am extremely picky about mystery/thrillers and romance. I really really really want to like thrillers but I always find them threeish stars. I will probably still try a couple each year, but I recently took down all my holds on mystery thrillers on libby. I just had to be honest with myself. I kept a few romances for palate cleansers ❤
Not the chapter for The Golem and the Jinni being called 'Gollum and the Genie' 😂
I think the main reason Richard Osman is popular is because he's a TV celebrity in the UK. He already had a fan base that would read his books; making them instantly bestsellers. I wonder if they would have been as popular if he wasn't famous.
I disagree. I'm not from the UK, not a native English speaker, im not really familiar with his others works and still LOVE the series
I think i enjoyed The Golem and the Djinni, but also I remember almost nothing about it so who knows! My most disappointing book of the year was Frankenstein in Baghdad, it just didn't work for me at all. Also, I think you meant the border between England and Wales - they are both part of the UK ❤
I really liked the Golem and the Jinni but was kind of disappointed in the end, however sequel is better in every sense IMO. This series holds very special in my heart. But I get why you don’t like it.
I wish it had worked for me… :/
Happy Place is on my TBR list and the reviews aren't helping. But I am looking forward to her next release, Funny Story, next year..
I am also someone who always picks up mysteries and thrillers and always am disappointed
i feel like notes on an execution was so uncomfortable to read. Ansel's point of view helps put the book into perspective, how he thinks of himself as somehow "smarter" or more "intellectual" than most people, but is, in reality, PAINFULLY average and just angsty. his pov honestly made me laugh, and i loved to see the dichotomy of how the women thought of him and how he thought of himself, so interesting. the sole reason i gave the book a five stars for sure
I like mystery thrillers but even I didn't like the ones you mentioned 🙃
Well at least you try mistery thriller as you think you might find ones you like. I in the other hand know that l can't stand romance and still went to read Book lovers and ofc didn't like it as l don't like romance and few months later l don't remember anything from that book. But why the hell did l buy into hype😂😂😂. Have to trust my nature more in future.
Haha I can’t wait to see the stats of the books you read. You should split them up so you can see the genres/authors specifically for the books you DNFed or rated lowly. Maybe it will reveal a pattern of what not to read 😅
Thank goodness I have not read or purchased any of these books. So I won't!! Thanks for the heads up!! Should I read ANY of Emily Henry's books?
PLEASE REVIEW THE WILL OF THE MANY it reminds me so much of like fifth season meets hunger games
If you're looking for murder in space books, The Moon Is Not Haunted is a kind of futuristic psychological mystery/suspense that takes place on a moon base. I haven't finished it yet, but have enjoyed it so far.
I really enjoyed The Apollo Murders, but I also listened to the audio version, narrated by Ray Porter.
I was so disappointed by The Handmaid (Freida McFadden). So much hype for it online, but I found it extremely average. 3 stars at best, in my opinion.
I loved The Golem and the Jinni. I’m sad😢
You are not on your with Lone Women. I was really enjoying it first and it totally lost it's way. So disappointing
My gripe with The Measure was ****SPOILERS**** that they said anyone who had a birthday and turned 22 would receive a box on their birthday. Then it was also said that people tried to see where the boxes came from on the first night they came, but security cameras didn't work, etc. What I don't get is why no one turning 22 decided to just spy on their own front porch all night on their birthday to see who brought the box. I was way more interested in the mystery of where the boxes came from than the character-driven stuff that ended up happening.
I'm also in agreement with you on mystery/thrillers. Most of them are 3 stars for me. It's been forever since one actually impressed me.
1000% I wanted answers about the sci fi elements and we got nothing 🙄
I was also very disappointed in Lone Women. I don't normally read a lot of horror, but I wanted to branch out and the premise sounded really interesting - but I just found it really underwhelming.
An actually good (and legitimately creepy) horror that I read that year is Red X by David Demchuk. I actually didn't even realize it was a horror when I started reading it - so I wasn't expecting the horror, but it was really good.
I’ve found that I don’t like thrillers, I like mysteries. Thrillers often feel so convoluted in order to keep the twists secret. Books that are marketed as mystery before thriller don’t have as many of the things that annoy me about thrillers
So disappointed there were no cats in the Christmas tree this time.
There’s only so much my tree can take lol
Felt similar to Happy Place and the ending was not good
Didn’t care about the characters
Hopefully next book will be good 🤞🤞
Emily what is the name of the book you liked (murder in Space) I’m struggling to find any good ones
Six wakes! It wasn’t a 5 star but the concept was so fun!
@@BookswithEmilyFox thank you 😊
The most disappointing book for me was Babel. It started really strong but then went in a way that wasn't interesting at all. Another one is The twisted one by T. Kingfisher. The worst heroine in the world, annoying, doing stupid things, always whining.
Someone else Who doesn't like Babel. Finally! The writing for me was horrible.
Notes on an Execution and The Whispers should not have been marketed as thrillers. they’re more literary suspense in my opinion. i loved Notes but DNF’d The Whispers despite loving The Push.
i also DNF’d The Measure. it was so boring for such a great concept.
I mentioned it before but if you’re not into mystery/thrillers but liked Company of Witches, you might like cozy mysteries. The older books in that genre can be a bit conservative but there are some great new series by people who are deliberately more progressive. (Vinyl Resting Place, Smile Beach Murder, and Pride Prejudice and Peril are good modern books/series) Cozy mysteries are great for reading about characters in their 30s and older.
I was glad to read Notes on an Execution but also glad it was a library book. My opinion of a book is affected by whether I spent money on it. 🤷♀️
Lone Women is just a preachy book by a man who’s telling us a bunch of stuff we already know.
Please oh please tell us what that lipstick is!
Maybelline liquid lipstick in shot caller!
I was so disappointed in The Measure. Started of strong, but so dull
Love you're lip color what is it 😍
the apollo murders is really us vs russian??? welp gess is out of the tbr. I thought it was something similar to like Six Wakes
I did too 😭
I'm literally on minute 3 but SUCH a hard agree for Happy Place, I anticipated it like crazy and I got sooo disappointed
Hopefully the 2024 release will be good 🤞🤞
I liked Chief Inspector Gamache series till the end of book 8 then its been pretty Mid to me, so yeah cute your loses lol.
I Agree with The Apollo Murders. It was a DNF for me.
Omg what?? No Louise Penny? I read just one very recent one and it was great. Omg lol I thought the town was adorable.
I DNF'd The Man Who Died Twice. The first book wasn't bad, and usually books improve in series, but I just could not get interested in the second book.
As soon as you mentioned notes on a execution I knew you would not like it😂 I think the book was mismarketed and the main female character being indian and her name is saffron…. Get the fuck out of here Ms Kukafka🤣🤣
Not having expectations is an expectation in and of itself.
📚❤️
I read Anna Karenina 2 years ago. My main complain was where the hell is Anna? My expectations were really high so I felt personally ofended to the point I thought I will never give Tolstoi a chance. Then I read Ivan Illich's death or wherever it's translated into English. My favorite Tolstoi is White Nights. I have some of his work on my shelves I'd like to try. But, again, It was supposed to be about Anna!! 😧
white nights is dostoevsky but i loved anna karenina i thought anna was definitely a part of the story and the whole book was beautifully written
Notes on an execution is a fantastic book
To each their own, I found it boring
What is that lipstick?! So gorgeous ❤ please let us know @BookswithEmilyFox
Luckily I have not read a single one of these 🥹