Okay does this make me a negative person because I really enjoyed this 😂 seriously though, these reviews were so thoughtful and I think even though you did pull from your emotions or more subjective considerations (which we all do!) it was clear which parts were more objective and which parts were more subjective which I personally think is the important thing! Also definitely glad I wasn’t planning to read any of these books haha. Though Samantha Shannon is an author I’d be interested in trying so I hope she comes out with a book that appeals to me more than her current ones. And I agree with your feelings about the blurriness of “semi autobiographical” books! I also sometimes just get very petty and resent the fact that a random person thought “you know what the most important story to tell is? ME as the main character!” and then they win a bunch of awards for it lol. Also your realization at the end was so funny! I actually had something similar happen with a recent review/discussion where I was like “this isn’t going to be a normal structured review that’s me summing up how I feel about this book” and then it totally was lol. Also similar in that I was SUPER subjective with some of my criticisms (way more than usual I think) to the point where I’m like, should I even post this? 😅 Anyway, really enjoyed this video experiment!

I literally gasped out loud when I saw you uploaded! 🙈🙌 Your eloquence is soo missed and needed on booktube! Funny, I'm actually planning to reread Priory very very soon, and while I enjoyed it the first time (kinda agree with your point though; that you can kind of 'feel' the author's hand in the storyline, and so the story doesn't feel as organic as it could), I wonder if I'm gonna agree more with your opinion the second time around. 😁

Ooh, interesting review of Priory. I loved it, but I do think it was her first work that wasn't YA. I think the point that sometimes you're not ready for your own ideas is super valid; I feel like I've had this half formed idea that could be great for research in my field for the past year or two, but I don't think it's something that I'd be ready for or could fully flesh out right now.

Fabulous video! You did a very good job in trying to do as objective reviews as possible. In my opinion there are not enough critical reviews on booktube. I would love to see more like this from you!

I don't mind seeing negative reviews + have been known to purchase books based on them in the past. I didn't plan on reading any of these books beforehand. In terms of Priory of the Orange Tree, I know what you mean about not having the skill to write a piece yet (Imma use myself as an example, because I'm a regular narcissist.) I was in the lucky position a few years ago to recognise I didn't have the necessary skill to write a book I had an idea for. However, I've noticed that other younger writers don't have this insight into themselves. I might read the book one day (it isn't likely) but I might. In terms of Motherhood, you raise an interesting point with regards to writing for a specific audience. I often think that every writer is writing for every reader, but maybe this isn't the case. I can see how basing a novel on our experiences will ultimately always colour the prose in some way because the writer will want you to empathise with them as a person, which in turn might mean that like attracts to like and only those who've had similar experiences can become emotionally invested. I don't know. I haven't read the book. I just felt like having some half past nine hypothesising.

I tried to read Motherhood when all the hype for it was around and I think you pinpointed why I dnf'd it! There were a few sentences about motherhood that felt insightful but mostly it seemed like an excuse for the author to ramble on about herself but because it was "fiction" it was presented as artistic as opposed to self involved. And I'm the target audience as well!

Thanks for the Priory of the Orange Tree review. This is currently sitting on my shelf and I’m aiming to get to it this year. I do keep looking at it and wondering why the publisher let it be so long. Is it really good or is it impossible to edit down? Anyway you had some interesting thoughts which I will bear in mind when I finally start it... 🤞

WHO IS SHE?! One thing for sure: we love herrrrr😄 Jokes on me for having 2 out of 3 books on my TBR/wishlist 😂 You know that I‘m not the biggest fan of reviewing books I didnt like either but I do believe that as you said it can be a good exercise! And I love how you tied your reading experience to lessons you learnt! That‘s why I don‘t DNF, because even the worst reading experience teaches me something in the end! One of my WIP is sitting there until I have the skills to write it and I‘m fine with that! ...most of the time 😂 You know that I‘m all for the potential of an universal appeal (I agree not all art needs to be universal, but I feel like it needs to have the potential to be)... so I am especially hesitant about Motherhood now...

Great to see your reviews again. I don't have a more insightful comment to add because I haven't read any of these books. 😂

I enjoyed your reviews, but I particularly want to respond to what you said at the end about trying to keep your emotions out of the review. The whole point of books (or works of fiction at least) is to evoke emotions; in my opinion not discussing those emotions in a review is leaving out a huge chunk of the reading experience. I know there is a general trend, especially on the internet, where everything should be as objective and rational as possible, but I think that’s really missing the point. ‘This book is good because the average sentence length was less than 20 words and. the physical book weighed less than 300 grammes’ is an entirely objective review, but also completely uninteresting. ‘This book had beautiful writing’ is inherently subjective, but far more interesting as a review.

Omg! MATTHEW IN MY NOTIFICATIONS!! Ok, off to watch! ❤

Cool reviews