so today we discovered that i have an incredibly ugly crying face

“I hope nothing bad happens to Willem.” Me: *deep sigh*

The more people say "This is a masterpiece but i dont recommend this book to everyone" the more they will read it lmao.

use this as a "Jack looks fine when he cries" button. We stan man crying, thanks for not cutting it out. love you

reading a little life is like sitting next to your best friend and watching them fall apart and struggle and not being able to reach out to them, touch their shoulder and tell them that it's going to be okay - jack's face while reading the ending for the first time says it all 🥲

Me watching you read the ending: "He's doing the bottom lip thing, it's not going well" Next clip: Jack's in tears

The phrase "everything happens for a reason" can be comforting, but I don’t really agree with the phrase… this book is a perfect example of why. Some people’s lives are riddled with tragedy and I can’t be convinced all of it is for some beautiful poetic reason. Sometimes things really are just awful.

"I will not recommend this book to anyone, ever" SOLD!

Reading this book as someone who has gone through sexual abuse as a teenager, physical and mental abuse from a parent, and over 10 years of self harm addiction and suicide attempts, I have never read something that I've been able to connect with a character on this level. This book is not trauma porn, it is a beautifully accurate representation of how trauma erodes your mental state, and leaves lasting scares that makes every single relationship you have in your life a challenge. this book will stay with me forever x

Harold's character was so pitiful and well written. He was always there supporting without knowing anything, he witnessed the love and hardships and become part of it.

This is the only book that made me cry on public transport. It's strangely one of my favourite novels but I'm not sure I'd read it again unless I'm in a very happy place :')

I read this book over a year ago and I still find myself thinking about Jude from time to time. It rarely ever happens that I care so deeply about a character but damn. And it's weird that when the book ended I didn't end up crying, instead I ended up numb and completely stopped reading books for months. I just couldn't get over it so definitely look up trigger warnings before reading this one!

The author said she wanted to write about a character who doesn't get better and she's done a stellar job.

I read this just over a year ago after a friend recommended it to me with NO trigger warnings. When I tell you I sobbed for an hour after finishing it! Like the proper take your breath away, body shaking sobs that were so bad my mum thought something terrible had happened when she saw me lol. But I'm the type of person that listens to sad music when I'm sad so it's no wonder that this is my fav book ever - I even did a piece on it for a uni assignment lol.

i read this whole book on a 10 hour flight and had 4 emotional breakdowns, three crying sessions, and a half hour long span of just staring at the seat in front of me pondering life. this DESTROYED me so badly

This whole video was absolutely a countdown to Jack’s tears 😭

Day 2 of asking Jack to read books recommended by Hozier!!

Harold and Andy are so underrated. I love them both. They are the Yin and Yang.

The Happy Years, for me, is the years where Willem is there to be with Jude in a deeper sense. While Jude have his challenges, he may not realized it, but Willem made those years happy for Jude.

hearing jack say "i would never recommend this book to ANYONE because of its amount of triggering content" and remembering that i read this book because my mom recommended it to me while i was in 8th grade has been really eye opening

i aM LAUGHING SO HARD "NOT MY FINAL MOMENTS GEEZ" JACK REALLY TELLING US A LITTLE LIFE ENDED HIM 😭

When I look at my bookshelf, I often find myself reading the last chapter of this book again and again. I just loved reading the chapters that were from Harold's POV. And I loved this book. It will always have a place in my heart.

Jack can you please do a video on how to analyze literature? You pick up such great things in this book that I never noticed and would love to learn how to do the same!

The part towards the end where Jude is devastated and angry and Harold and Julia just bear with him and let him. He waits for them to lose it but they dont and Julia makes him a 2nd sandwich. That i think is my favourite part. I remember putting away the book and running to my mom to hug her. Really hit me

This title is the understatement of the century

"Guys, the years were not happy" omg your voice made me almost cry bc i remember how i felt after finishing that section

*minor spoiler* 05:21 Jack: "I hope that nothing bad happens to Willem." Me: "Oh honey, you got a big storm coming"

the fact that just watching Jack cry is making me cry is a major red flag. But good thing I don't love myself and am gonna read the book anyway

I never cry with books. It’s not because I don’t want to, I’d cry if it came to me, but most books don’t make me cry. That being said, A Little Life made me cry for two hours non stop after I finished it. I’d go to wash my face and right after washing it, I’d start crying again. A few months have passed and I still have not recovered

SO many people complain that there are no historical events or technological and argue it makes them unrealistic. but i completely agree with you that by excluding it it makes it so relatable and modern

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain Don't carry the world upon your shoulders ❤️

Ok but finding a community that has read this book is amazing. I read it all alone and it destroyed me, I had no one to talk to about it so I just stared at the wall for four days. Nothing ever did that to me, and oh god, please dont read it without reading the trigger warnings. TRIGGER WARNINGS: sexual abuse, verbal abuse, child abuse, neglect, violence, self harm (in every way), torture, grooming, ptsd, rape, heavy trauma, anxiety, eating disorder, forced prostitution, human trafficking.

This book gave me the pleasure of discovering one of the best books I've ever read ... I know it's really haunting, but I can't explain the kind of pure fulfillment I got from it as well. There are things in there that I suppose many would think of as triggers for me, but I found it an amazing experience to relate my stuff against someone else's stuff, written in such a beautiful and honest way. I definitely think people calling it "torture porn" are not engaging with the book in the way it's meant to be engaged with, and I personally would ignore such characterisations about it. It's meaningful and teaches so much about mental health and empathy. Those are tears more than worth shedding.

I thought I was so cool reading this chunky book at 13 just to be traumatised for the next 6 months 🙂

I finished this a week ago and it has to be one of my favorite reads ever. The way it tackles the reality of how abuse and trauma follows you, how it prevents you from making the decisions that will improve your life because of how much it haunts you, how it can make relationships and friendships with other people difficult. No other read was less afraid to show that and I thank the book for it. And honestly anyone who says they gave up on the book because of how difficult it was to read is the greatest example of why people like Jude have had difficulties opening up about their struggles.

This is my favourite book of all time and I think it always will be. No matter how good your life has been, I think a part of everybody can relate to Jude, he represents the part of yourself you often try to suppress, the scared part, the damaged part.

I’m watching this next to my 2 year old sister, and the bit where you were crying she started to watch. She was like “oh no, he’s crying, don’t cry. It’s ok” 🥺😂 But also will be adding this to the list of books I want to get. Thanks for your videos Jack, they always make me happy x

I started reading A Little Life last September, had to stop in late November because the content was a bit triggering and have just picked it up again as I’m luckily feeling a lot better mentally. I’m halfway through and can’t wait to finish it even though I know that it will probably hurt me a few more times before then.

i finished A Little Life a few months ago, and i can honestly say that the very erratic highs and lows expressed throughout Jude's life truly fully encompasses how erratic recovery can be for someone with extreme trauma. At some point while reading A Little LIfe i felt as if Jude had went through quite a lot more than the average person. I can truly relate to a lot that Jude and Willem have struggled with, and I think the vast amount of issues the characters find themselves in provides a outlet for many different readers to find themselves in the characters. This book was exquisitely written and truly tore my heart apart. Jude was a character with so much depth and i admire Hanya's detailed approach to each character's life. I will not be reading this book again any time soon, but i loved the experience, even though it became unbearable to read at some times.

I read this on my phone and never realized how long it was untill I saw the book you are holding. Damn. I finished it without getting bored or anything. It is truly an incredibly written book.

Whenever I hear the title my mind immediately thinks of “what a sad little life Jane”

watching this video right after a clockwork reader's vlog about this was really interesting. Hearing two very different perspectives on the same book is really interesting.

Awww! It was so hard watching Jack become progressively distressed at the ending! *virtual hug and head pats*

Yeah, THAT part devastated me too. If you can get through A Little Life, you can survive any sad or emotional book now. I found it completely immersive. It just wouldn't leave me, even when I wasn't reading it, it felt like the characters were with me, I even was dreaming about them.

Just being your friendly reminder that you don't have to read this. If you feel like you can't handle it, don't! I haven't read it either. There are so many amazing books. This one is a favourite of many but if you feel like you can't handle this it's okay - you're not missing out. Give it a pass, it's okay! Stay safe lovelies^^

I'm so happy that I read the last 50 pages of this book alone. Nobody deserves to see me unleash a pterodactyl scream while chanelling a waterfall

The graphic description of trauma must help us develop deep empathy with the character, this is equivalent to therapy sessions. I agree with Jack, it's not unnecessary....

People told me this was a roller coaster of emotions. But no one told me how after few Parts, the roller coaster is just down. It’s just one feeling. ABSOLUTE SADNESS.

There are so many things I dislike about this book and I do agree with the torture porn description, but my main problem is that it sets it self up to be the story of these four young men finding their way in the world, but then abandons that narrative to draw them into the orbit of Jude's suffering and ceases all development of them. I just feel like it was sold as something it wasn't, and when what we were served instead is some of the most horrific abuse I've seen on paper, it's a huge issue to me.

I love books that make me feel intense emotion and this book definitely did that. Afterwards you just gotta admire the art that it is and wonder how words on a page can take you to that kind of place. Took me a few days to shake this book after reading it though.

the fact that you read this book just saying: “but i feel it will end bad” 😂 that’s a mood.

When this book talks about the importance of friendships, true friendships, I feel like it speaks to my soul like very few pieces of media have ever done. It was like I could finally see what I wasn't able to describe before. I was one of those people who read it when it came out and knew nothing about it, literally bought it at the airport for a holiday read! it was one of the stupidest things I've ever done. I talk about this book to my friends because of what I said before, but I do inform them about how hard it is so if they are ever inclined to reading it they know what's up.

Who else is excited to see Jack's vlogs make a comeback

"guys the years were not happy" MY HEART JUST MELTED AWWWW

We need more of these, it's so wholesome to see your reactions whilst you are reading.

Could you do a tier list of the classics? Or like the penguin essentials? I think that would be cool

After hearing everyone's review, I am scared to read 'A Little Life'. I can't even recover from 'The Song of Achilles'😶

I cried much while reading this book that the pages got soaked and are all wavy now like from water damage. It put me in a really really bad place and I got triggered immensely. I will definitely never recommend this book to anyone although it has become my favourite book of all time but I'm not sure if I could read this ever again

i got this notification just as i was finishing up my current read. it’s like a reward at this point.

"guys the years were not happy" me about my teenage years, that were supposed to be the best ones.

Jack, i am very happy that you a) filmed yourself reading the end of A Little Life and b) left it in the vlog. It is mind-boggling that we still aren't in a place where everyone can just show their raw emotions whenever they want to. It makes these 20-30 seconds even more powerful than they already are and I thank you not only for your amazing videos but also for sharing these moments with us. Lot's of love from Germany 🇩🇪 💛

*PLEASE DO TIMOTHEE CHALAMET NEXTTTT* 🤩🔥🥺 THAT BOY'S READING LIST SCREAMS INTELECTUALLLL

the pure impact of your words jack is just… incredible. i’ve heard of this book a few times but watching this vlog, oh boy, i’ve never felt so moved by a story that i haven’t read and don’t know of the plot. a little life has been moved to the very top of my tbr thanks to you.

I really wish people would post about this book with spoilers! Everybody agrees it's not something you should recommend to friends, so it's very unlikely you know someone else who read it and can talk to about it. 🥺

I read this book a few years ago, and it was heart breaking.This book made me well up, and I am not a cryer. You grow to like these characters to the point they are your friends as well, and the things they go through braked my heart so many times. Because you want to console your friends and tell them it’s going to be alright, but unable to and that is also what makes this book so heartbreaking.

This book is a lot!! I needed several breaks in between reading to process everything that I've read so far and oh dear, the ending crushed me...seeing you cry at the end brings back a lot of emotions I've felt when I read it for the first time! Huge respect for Hanya Yanagihara ❤️ This is one of the book I probably will never read again, because of its intensity, but at the same time its one of the few books that left me with emotions I still feel after years of finishing it!

me literally googling a little life spoilers and reading an entire wikipedia page to know what everyone’s raving about: 🤪😗✌️👍 it was worse than I could imagine… I am now content with my decision to not read this book however this vid will def be watched 😗✌️

"I'm gonna vlog my final moments" had me laughing 😂

Don’t get me wrong, this is an amazing book. I couldn’t put it down. But I couldn’t help but feel it was a little too emotionally overwhelming on purpose..

I cried as I watched you read the ending, not only because of Jude's finale, but how you reacted to it, ahhhhh I was immediately taken back to when I first read A Little Life and was wrecked all over again

Currently reading this book. Im a little past the half mark. So far I had to fight tears in the part we get to read Harolds perspective and you learn more about his past. That was tough for me. I’ve experience anger and frustration at times for many different reasons. Can’t wait to finish it.

I just think it's really awesome that you decided to share your reaction to the final pages, I don't think a lot of people would have the courage to capture and share that vulnerable moment on camera. So thanks for that :)

The book doesn't need to focus on plot so heavily because it makes you genuinely care about the characters, you continue to just see them reach happiness and growth.

Can't get over with A Little Life. Thank you for the honest review. One of the best reaction videos I've ever watched.

seeing you do a reading vlog like this is so entertaining and i love it, hoping we can see something like this in the future again

I agree completely with your thoughts on this book. I also thought it was a masterpiece; a symphony in suffering, you could say. The writing was certainly elegant like music. I found the book devastating and transformative, often deeply upsetting, but with a stubborn compassion and beauty throughout - and that was honestly what moved me the most.

The greatest struggle of reading, other than attention span, is really finding a comfortable position to read the book in

this was my favourite book ever, read it in 3 days, its been a year since I read it and I haven't found anything that compares to this book

5:22 “I hope nothing bad happens to Willem” oh man Jack :(

read it 3 months ago and still think about the characters daily, became my all time favorite book also, i can’t understand how people go through the axiom of equality without sobbing, that part broke me

Jack on bed with warm light, cozy blanket and sobbing over the book at 13:06 makes my heart melted

A Little Life is my favorite book and I've now read it twice. The second time it made me cry far earlier and way more than the first time around (which is saying something, the first time I sobbed through the last 100 pages and then clutched the book to my chest when I finished and sobbed for another 30 minutes), but I absolutely standby the fact that it is an absolute masterclass in writing and Jude and Willem are maybe the only two characters in literature that I actively miss all the time.

Jaaaack! 🧡 Your response at the end of the book was exactly mine! I read it a week ago & I still, & will, think about it often. Hanya’s writing is so good & makes you F E E L for these characters so much that many, many times, I had to stop & remind myself that it wasn’t real so I could cope with the story & all the emotions it was bringing out in me. I could go on, this book will forever be one of the best books I will have ever read in my life. I gave the book a little hug before I dropped it off at my library. Thank you for warning your viewers to proceed with caution. Keep it up! Much love.

I am so glad you uploaded this! When I saw the video on your main channel, I was so concerned when I noticed it only contained a small section of your reaction. And I am so glad with this more in depth reaction and that you made it through and are okay. I needed that closure.

For me, reading that last section you vlogged was just reading blurry words. I couldn't stop crying. And for the first time since I was a little child, I sobbed loudly

popular opinion: jack's sleepy/tired voice IS REAAAAALLLLLYYY BEAUTIFUL, LIKE OMG I NEED TO HEAR THAT EVERY NIGHT SO I CAN SLEEP PEACEFULLY

I also loved how there was really no references to specific events in time. I loved that there was no reference to social media etc. either. It’s really timeless.

I finished this book 2 days back and I’m going to cherish it forver❤ everyone talks about how sad this book is (and it definitely is) but to me this book was all about love and hope! Inspite of what happens to Jude throughout his childhood, he still ends up with people who love him so purely and so genuinely. Who give up their time so freely for him. Who always want to help him even though he doesn’t want them to. Getting adopted at 30? finding love? Having a doc who genuinely cares for you? These were the things that stood out to me in the book. How there is always hope in the darkest of places. For me the ending of the book was extremely satisfying because it would have been so cruel to let Jude keep suffering. And it makes me so mad when people say that showing so many details in unnecessary or Jude is exhausting. It clearly shows their privilege and it clearly shows how unaware they are of some very real realities of life.

when you closed the book and just cried, chills went down my body. I think that is exactly what I did when I finished the novel and it is definitely a shared experience for many.

I read this book back in Dec/Jan. I still think about it to this day. As someone who doesn't cry while reading, this book made me sob uncontrollably. Someday, I would love to read it again and see if I have the same reaction.

Just from watching the first two minutes Jack seems like such a genuine person. Love the vid!

I have no words to describe the physical anxiety and distress this book causes me, and worst part is I haven't even read it yet (except for the first chapter last year, and that put me in a mental crisis for a week, so I had to stop), but just the thought of reading it and then watching reading vlogs like this and seeing the emotional impact it has had on every single person, is enough to both tempt me to pick it up right away and also stay as far away from it as I possibly can. Because, while I do enjoy being emotionally destroyed by a book, I usually recover within a day or two, but I know, I just know the emotional tidal wave I'm gonna get from reading A Little Life is going to wreck me for years to come. So, for now I am happy to just "read" and experience it vicariously through other people until I am emotionally prepared (and stable enough) to read it myself. Thank you for the vlog, though, Jack. I hope it didn't wreck you too much.

I read this book 2 years ago and was dying to know what you thought about it but now your crying at the end of the book has made me cry again too

I can't believe you've never done a reading vlog before oh my lord we need more of those!!

I remember when I started reading this in March 2020 and finishing it at the beginning of 2021 (mid-January). It broke me into a million pieces way too many times and that's why I try not to recommend the book to my friends unless they're really sure and ready for the triggers. I have so much respect for those who, like Jack, have read and finished it in just under a week. You, guys, are built different!

I literally finished this book today(I cried so much and have been bothering everyone about this book today) I love sad and emotional books and this is by far one of most deeply emotional and hard books I’ve ever read. I have been explaining this book to my to friends and family that this is a book about: relationships and friendships and how they change, that has such great descriptions of events that are so familiar, feelings that we all feel but trapped inside events and a lot of other feelings that many of us have and haven’t personally had(but also sadly a lot that people have had those experiences). Which is what keeps you captivated and wanting to read more but heartbroken because you can just sense how it would break you with that amount realism. truly such beautiful writing and worth the read if you are in the right headspace to read something with this amount of triggers and emotions.

10:29 - Omg, I'm probably the only one obsessing over this, but the fact that my favorite booktuber is wearing a t-shirt of my favorite singer is making me so incredibly excited!!! 🤍🤍

such a powerful book, i always 'enjoy' seeing how people respond to it, i hope you're ok Jack :-D

I cried with you as you read those final pages. I’ve read the book twice now and it was even more harrowing the second time. It’s been 3 months and I’m not over it.

Your face when you read the final pages….. might as well have been me!!! Totally devastating but what a marvellous book! Wow!