SPEAKER_01 0:08

Welcome back to Platto Squeeze, where we sip, flip, and spill the tea on books and booze. I'm Susanna. I'm Cass. And I'm Beck. And today's episode we are a little nervous for, we're not gonna lie. We're getting into overhyped, underhyped, and books we think are appropriately hyped. And I just feel like this is the kind of episode that my feelings are gonna get hurt. Or fight.

unknown 0:30

Oh, we're gonna fight.

SPEAKER_03 0:32

Or other people's feelings are gonna get hurt.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Probably. We're gonna have some haters in the comments. Our friendship will be tested.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Just know that we don't always agree. Most of the time. 50-50? 50-50. 50-50. Yeah. So it's okay if you don't agree with us. Yeah. That's kind of the point.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

Discourse is welcome.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Respectful discourse. Respectful. Yes. Yes. Don't come attacking us for our opinions. Yeah. If you think you might come off attacking, just be like not attacking. Respectfully.

SPEAKER_03 1:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Yes, end it with. Respectfully.

SPEAKER_03 1:04

Um, book talk has literally convinced us that these certain books are life-changing, soul-altering, will never be the same again after reading them. Experiences, and then you read them and you're like, wait, what was that? What was that? What was that?

SPEAKER_00 1:21

My brain.

SPEAKER_03 1:22

Did we read the same book as the people like telling us to read these books? Because we are not on the same page. Yeah, which version did you get?

unknown 1:31

Because I think mine's broken.

SPEAKER_03 1:33

It's missing pages or something. So today we're calling it out. Today we're talking about books that everyone swears are amazing that just didn't quite hit the mark for us. And the ones that deserve way more attention than they're getting.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

How we're gonna be doing this is we've each kind of brought our own lists. We each have books that we think are overhyped, books we think are underhyped, and we're gonna try and come together.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Come together. Emphasis on trying. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Yeah. Sometimes and agree on what was actually worth the hype. We agree on some. This one means 50-50. There's some that I think we definitely did not agree on. And some I think we're like, yeah. So that definitely will probably be the hardest part of this episode. Yeah. And the most fun.

SPEAKER_03 2:15

Today we're drinking my wedding wine. Wine that she got for her wedding. As Susie would call it white wine. White wine. We had, I think it's a Riesling. Yeah, it's a Riesling. We had like so many bottles of wine, literally made for my wedding.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

We should do some sangria's. I got lots. So next episode, I'll make a two boxes of picture.

SPEAKER_02 2:39

Ooh.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Fruits. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:42

I like that.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

Do we want to talk about books we were reading right now? Yes. I didn't know if I put that in here. I was thinking about it earlier. What are you reading? I'm reading Finale, which is the third book in the carnival series. Oh. And then I'm also reading Voice of the Ocean by Kelsey Impeach. Whoop. Shoot. Oh, by the way, my chair broke. So if you're wondering, Susan's on the ground. I'm on the ground.

SPEAKER_03 3:04

I'm going to take a picture and we're going to, we're going to post it. That's good. That's good.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

It snapped off this chair I bought not too long ago and it was recalled from StruckTube. So they're like, Do you want a gift card or do you want to just wait for the replacement part? And I'm like, well, I like my chair.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

So I want a new chair.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Well.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

Wait, if you got a gift card, did you have to return that one?

SPEAKER_01 3:31

Yeah. Oh. I was gonna say, like, this chair is perfect.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

I'm just I would want the same chair, but new with the right part. With the yeah, I don't want the part. Not the defect. I want to put it in the phone. Yeah, I want I want someone else to fix the chair and then deliver it to me.

SPEAKER_03 3:44

You literally just got this chair. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

So I was sitting on it and it snapped as I was sitting on it. So that was fun. And now I'm just I'm a four-seater.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

It actually would have been a killer for your self-confidence. It would have been way more funny.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

I started working out.

SPEAKER_03 3:57

She was like, I can't eat for the next 24.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

4,000 steps a day.

SPEAKER_03 4:03

Also, it would have been more funny if it happened while we were filming and the chair just broke.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

That proof would be awesome.

SPEAKER_01 4:10

I would just send them the footage to be like, this is proof that it broke. That would be so funny. I almost died.

SPEAKER_03 4:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

Anyway, so that's why I'm on the floor.

SPEAKER_00 4:19

Okay, so wait, what are you at? Oh, I want me to go? Well, I'm reading Corrupt by Penelope Douglas. Oh, is it good? So far, yes.

SPEAKER_03 4:27

I love Penelope Douglas.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

I actually, it's giving like right now, like uh very like thriller vibes. I really like her writing. So I'm quite enjoying it. And then I have my regular ones that are just in there. Clanlyon's claim on there. I checked today.

SPEAKER_01 4:44

It's on the paused for now list. I finished my book, so I had to go to best and see where she's at. Oh, but she's reading three different books right now.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

My PFN. Paused for now.

unknown 4:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:54

Rather than the DNF, I've got my PFN.

SPEAKER_03 4:57

It's gonna be permanently PFN.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Makes her feel a little bit better. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:01

My PPF. Oh, it would drive me nuts just having it sit there.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

I it does.

SPEAKER_03 5:05

I'd be like, get it out of my life.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

That's like how I feel with having two books on my to go right now, like this one and then the one on my Kindle. Because like if I'm in bed, I don't want to struggle to read this.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

So I finished, what was it? Um, Clash of Claws, which I loved. Love, love, love, love, love, love, love. I'm not allowed to read it. Because I'm originally ruined it. Oh no.

SPEAKER_03 5:27

Why would I ruin it?

SPEAKER_00 5:28

You don't think it'd be something she would be really good at it? What are you talking? No one knows. Yeah. It's the only thing in my life that you ruin books. No. So many books. Yeah, I love all the zodiacs. That's like eight books that you poop on all the time.

SPEAKER_03 5:43

Well deserved. I disagree.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

I disagree. This is where the issue lies is it has a very zodiac-esque feel. It is a a Y choose. There is only one FMC though. But like that, just the feel of it. Like they're at school, it's shifters and magic. That's fine. But yeah, is there a Faye book in there? There is no Fay book, and there's absolutely no bullying.

SPEAKER_03 6:07

Okay, see, I don't mind the bullying, but the bullying is a big thing. Well, there is five books.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

What are you reading?

SPEAKER_03 6:11

Carol. Oh, I'm reading Is it Carval? Carval, yeah. Carval. That's how you say it. I love it. I started it three days ago.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

It's like no spice, very little, I think, but the yarn. The yarn is good. There's some good yarn.

SPEAKER_03 6:24

I'll be finished by like tonight, probably, if I don't pass out while reading it. So yeah, big fan. Nice.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

Book Club of the Month. Our first book was Nora Roberts. Epic fail. Hated it. Cass also hated it. Beth is mad at us.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

I'm not mad. I'm disappointed. Like I said, it was not one of my favorites. It wasn't even close. But it did fit the cozy fantasy vibe.

SPEAKER_01 6:50

I got no cozy fantasy vibes from it. And I was like 10 chapters in. I was like, we're apart from like the random old guy following her, there's no like fantasy whimsy yet. And these random dreams.

SPEAKER_03 7:03

Oh, you'll see. Otherwise, it was just his point of view just all of a sudden just gets thrown in there in the middle of her point of view.

SPEAKER_00 7:09

I know his like the MMC, his point of view pops up. No, this was an old man's. Was it her? Gave me whiplash.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Yeah, he had like white hair. He was following her around.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Oh, the cat like one who turns into a cat?

SPEAKER_01 7:20

I have no idea. I'm pretty sure it's the one that turns into a cat. I did not get that part though. So we changed it. We weren't gonna do two books this month, but we had to. So the next one is Kess.

SPEAKER_03 7:33

Hold please. Uh Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. It's a thriller. I love a good thriller. I feel like I read those books so fast. So fast. So fast. And I just, I don't know. I like trying to guess who I am. I am excited for this one. Yeah. And we haven't done a good thriller in here since we are all guilty here.

SPEAKER_00 7:50

It also seemed like a sign considering it was there at Trackout at HomeSense. Just one. Like I didn't go looking for books. I literally like turned as I was like going for like down like the little snake of checkout in our group chat.

SPEAKER_03 8:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Saying we should read that. Yeah, and I like turned as like, oh hey, I know you.

SPEAKER_03 8:05

Yeah. Eight dollars. Oh, I paid 17 or 16. Eight dollars. What did you pay?

SPEAKER_00 8:10

The actual copy. I didn't pay for it yet. You should go check out HomeSense.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

I'll go do that. I just love my Kindle though. Kindles prices are tossing off lately. So my overhyped Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. That whole series. What? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:25

Even my first book.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

The first book, I think, back then. It was like I feel like it was appropriately hyped. It was appropriately hyped back then. But I've read some pretty good books now. And I think like the two last books have been Lackluster. Lackluster. I think the only book that's really good is the first book. Agreed.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

I will say, and like we've talked about this with Four Thing, we've talked about with Quicksilver that like the first book's so good. And then you get like the second and third book, and you're like, Yeah, no. We have read so much fantasy, and since the first books come out, we've read so much in between, and that almost like our expectations are higher. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:04

Maybe.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

Like you have high expectations from the first book. You've read so many, maybe like awesome fantasy books in the interim, and then the seconds out, and you're like, that's it.

SPEAKER_03 9:13

I read Fourth Wing, and then I read Iron Flame like right after because they were both already out at that point. Same. And I liked them both. Obviously, the first one was just like top tier.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

I think there's any sort of like world building, and you're getting introduced to all these new concepts and ideas, you're obviously gonna feel like, wow, this is great. Like I love this. But then when the second book comes out, there's not really any more world building, and there's no more like intrigue. Yeah, it's just more like, okay, let's cut right into the action, let's cut into the battles.

SPEAKER_03 9:40

Yeah, let's get to the good stuff.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

And I hate battles. I hate those battle scenes. What made me pick up this book in the first place? Book talk.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

It was really big back then. What was I expecting based on the hype? I think back then it was like I was expecting what everyone was saying. Yeah. It lived up to it.

SPEAKER_02 9:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:57

But it wouldn't live up to it now. So that's why I'm like, I think it's overhyped because we've read so many good books. Yeah. And I just think if I reread it, it wouldn't be as good as people were saying it to be. Fair. That's my first one. Okay. Second one is the Rose Hill series by Elsie Silver. Oh, is that the Flawless? And is that that one or the Wild Love? No, this is The Wild Love, right? Yeah, Wild Love. I loved Wild Card. Is that the one with the dad, like the age gap? Is it the per purple book? He's a wrestler. The the green book. No, orange book. I don't know. There's pink, orange, green, purple. It's black and white. Yeah, it's black and white. That's fair. I have the physical copies of the first, the third, and the fourth, and I've only read the first one. Oh, okay. It was so hyped up, and it was so it was so spicy, and I just wasn't expecting it to be so spicy.

SPEAKER_00 10:47

That story sucked.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

Did it?

SPEAKER_00 10:50

I think so. The other ones are better. That was probably the worst one. It was just the writing on it was very, I don't want to say sloppy, lazy. It was very lazy.

SPEAKER_01 11:00

That's what I found. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:01

Um, just yeah, the story was just very like one-dimensional. It was kind of just like, I yearn for you. I yearn for you. Now let's get it on the desk. Let's have sex. And that's that that's the story, guys. You don't have to read it. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Summed it up. So that's why I was like, this is getting blown up on TikTok right now. And this is trash. Yeah. I picked up my YouTube commentary subscribers, they're gonna come for me hard for this, but I bought all the three books. The only reason I don't have the second one is because they didn't have any in stock, but I bought the whole series.

SPEAKER_03 11:33

Because you were that excited.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

I was that excited.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

I was like, dang, I didn't, I will say like wild card, I loved of the whole series. That one was great. There's another one, trummer what it which one it was. That was enjoyable. Actually, I sent you what's his name, Hamilton. The audio Teddy Hamilton. Teddy Hamilton. That one video I sent you. He's he's reading out that book.

SPEAKER_03 11:53

Oh, really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

Oh, yeah. He does the voice for that book. Love it. Yeah, when he's like, of course, she drives a test.

SPEAKER_03 11:58

The book girlies know who Teddy Hamilton is.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

My last one, you guys will hate me for is Lights Out by Nevassa Allen. Don't do that to me.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

So disappointed. Oh wow. But like the book Riddlefinger, that's so rude. What about the like? Have you listened to the audio? Oh, the audio on TikTok, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:17

I I'm not gonna pay for the audiobook.

SPEAKER_03 12:19

Just listen to it on Spotify.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

Yeah, it's free on Spotify.

SPEAKER_03 12:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:22

For those who pay for Spotify, no, I don't think so.

SPEAKER_03 12:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

I think if you if you I mean I pay for Spotify because we have like the family account and I get free everything. Yeah, me too. But I know Zach has only so many hours because he's technically on mine, whereas mine's unlimited.

SPEAKER_03 12:38

The audiobook for Lights Out is just chef's kiss. It's yeah. I've said it 4,000 times on this podcast. If you've been listening to us for a while, you know that I like rant and rave about Lights Out and the audiobook, and I do it for a reason.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

Teddy Hamilton and Joseph Morgan for audio characters. Yes. Yeah. So they do sound very, very similar. They do sound very simil similar, yeah. Just don't look up what Teddy Hamilton listened to.

SPEAKER_03 13:02

So why do you have Teddy Lights Out, Susie?

SPEAKER_01 13:04

You and also TikTok. I think Mariana Reads by Mariana or something. She was like blowing this up too. And I was like, you know what? I'm gonna dabble into like some stark mass stalker romances. It's a rom com. And I will not be going back.

SPEAKER_03 13:20

It's a rom-com.

SPEAKER_01 13:21

You know what? It might have been, you know, marketed as a rom com. That's so funny. It should have been more of like a rom cringe. Nope. I cringed so much. Him. He him walking into the house and then automatically saying, I'm dad of this cat. Fred. Name him.

SPEAKER_03 13:37

It's like you do get it. She doesn't get it.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

I don't get the appeal. I would be automatically just like, nah, get out. You lost. No. I won't.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

I feel like you're prejudiced against against cat dads.

SPEAKER_03 13:49

Yeah. What do you have against cats?

SPEAKER_00 13:50

I'm allergic to cats. I mean, that's not their fault.

SPEAKER_03 13:53

Yes, it is.

SPEAKER_00 13:54

It's a dander that I'm allergic to. What if he was a dog? What if he was a dog dad? Would it be different? Dog dad.

SPEAKER_03 13:59

I feel like she would be okay with that. Dogs are friendly.

SPEAKER_01 14:02

So yeah, I would be okay with that.

SPEAKER_03 14:03

Fidget was friendly.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Fidget bit my nose. Well, he didn't like you. I used to come home from before and after school when I was talking and take a nap, and he'd bite my nose.

SPEAKER_03 14:13

Well, you're in his face.

SPEAKER_01 14:14

Was it a was it a love bite? Or was it like an accident? I don't know. It hurt.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

He didn't know how to be gentle. No, it was a he bit.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

He bit.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

And I wasn't in his space. I was in my room. He just didn't know.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

He was just showing you affection. Technically, it was my room, which used to be. You moved out. And then I moved out.

SPEAKER_03 14:31

But it used to be his room.

SPEAKER_00 14:32

Fair. Anyway. Well, I think we can all agree that you're wrong. Yeah. Moving on. Moving on. Debatable.

SPEAKER_03 14:40

My overhyped, one of them is Brimstone by Callie Hart. Agreed. That was all over. Like everyone was ranting and raving about how just devastating it was, how good it was. And even before it came out.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

This was the second to uh Quicksilver? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:55

Yeah. By Cat. Yeah. Agreed. Everyone was like hyping it up. And even I was like, yes. Because Quicksilver was so good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

And then it came out and I was like, I didn't remember anything that happened in the first book.

SPEAKER_03 15:04

Because it literally just was. I I literally at some points was like, I don't even, I'm skimming. There was a lot. It was very confusing. Yep. The only good part about Brimstone was like the last chapter.

SPEAKER_01 15:13

That ending.

SPEAKER_03 15:14

Yeah, the ending was so good. It made up for it all. So me too.

SPEAKER_00 15:17

Like in Quicksilver, like you get to know her life and who she is, and like and very quickly. Yeah. And then things change and you you pick up, but you're still kind of following her and sh at what she sees and what she's like adapting to. And you know, I mean like the differences between like the worlds kind of thing. But then like the second one, like you just you just jump right in.

SPEAKER_03 15:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:37

And it's all over the place, and this and that. And they're bringing in all these characters who might have been super minor in the first book, and you're like, who? Yeah, and then not to mention like the continuity errors that were ultimately errors and the the whole book sucked until like 95%.

SPEAKER_03 15:56

Yeah, and the ending I was like, oh yeah, and then my book three. Book, I hate that one too. But I'm mad about it.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

I'm only reading it for the answers.

SPEAKER_03 16:07

Yeah, I needed the answers for sure. Yeah. Yeah. My second book that's overhyped, Onyx Storm, was trash. Yeah, what is with these second books? Which would you get the third book?

SPEAKER_00 16:16

Through the whole book, you're like, this sucks. You're like, what, 70%? Something like that. And then you're like, oh, it's actually getting, but up until then, I think I read like this.

unknown 16:25

My eyes.

SPEAKER_03 16:26

But it's like you get to the island with the dragons, and you're like, yes, this is gonna be good. And then the dragons do nothing. They're like, oh, we want peace. Troll along.

SPEAKER_00 16:36

But they were like, they were so like whoity-tweety about this. I know. Hoity-tweety.

SPEAKER_03 16:40

I just wasn't a fan. What didn't live up for me was the hype around how I guess like when people read arcs. I'm stretching for my fight. Fight?

SPEAKER_01 16:50

Yeah. Go on. Oh, it's coming. Oh. You should just go right into the go right into it.

SPEAKER_03 16:58

You go on. Oh no, we can get into it. My third one would be the zodiac here. Wow, right in the kisser. K-O. Total knockout. Kaching. What I why I picked up this book is.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

Are you done? No, I'm gonna be a child about this because I'm mad.

SPEAKER_03 17:24

Was that girl reads? She says this is her God tier. Okay, that's that's a stretch. She says God tier. And I actually really like that girl reads. If like I love her book recommendations, so I was like, must be good.

SPEAKER_01 17:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:39

Must be really good. Maybe the the second half.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Go on.

SPEAKER_03 17:43

So I picked it up and I made you read it with me and you and Cheryl. Actually, Cheryl was the one who wanted to read it more than I did. Yeah, she did. Yeah. What a mistake. Those are hours of my life. Those are the best times of my life. I will never get those hours.

SPEAKER_00 18:00

I wish I could go back to those hours and relive them.

SPEAKER_03 18:02

What was I expecting based on the hype? Uh anything than what it was. Anything else. Like it was to me very juvenile. I don't know if it's classified as YA.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

Not with how spicy it is. I don't think so. No. If it is, that's concerning. Honestly, it should, there should I I think we've talked about this in a different episode. There needs to be like that in-between. Not YA, not quite adjusting.

SPEAKER_03 18:23

Well, there is, I think it's called New Adult or something. Which I'm just gonna bring it up. We had a viewer comment about us slamming Hailey Fam as an author and saying like the book should have been targeted as YA. But why aren't we addressing Surgeon and why her books were targeted as marketed, sorry, as YA originally.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

But also we didn't have this podcast when Avatar came out. Or that we read it for the first time. Right. So it wasn't really part of our discussion.

SPEAKER_03 18:53

It's not really it also wasn't the point we were trying to make, really, as a whole.

SPEAKER_00 18:57

It's like an opinion.

SPEAKER_03 18:58

Yeah. But to clarify, Sarah J. Mass's books have now been reclassified as new adult or fantasy adult.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

As they should.

SPEAKER_03 19:06

As they should. So there's no need to comment. Exactly. And that's what I'm gonna say to that.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

But also, it's kind of hard because I mean, yes, she's 19, but he's 500, so Yeah. Where's the middle guy? It's kind of the yeah, it's kind of in the middle when you look at ages. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:21

I think it was more of the spice factor. Yeah, for sure. She was upset about the fact that it was being sold as a young adult book with porn basically in it.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

I do want to say, I do think that viewer was an avid viewer of Hailey Fam. They're both Christians, so I think she just like had like an insane parasocial relationship with Hailey Fam.

SPEAKER_04 19:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

Hayley Fam's never gonna see her comment, by the way, so I don't know why you're trying so hard. But as a Christian, I can understand like why that would bother you because we're not really supposed to be reading.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

I get, but that kind of episode we're not talking, we weren't comparing her to other authors or anything like that. We were literally just talking about her, about her book. And we weren't saying it was we didn't see anything about her, bad about her. It was just and we even we said multiple times that we thought that that book should have been marketed differently, and that was on the publishing company too. Exactly. That wasn't really Hilly Family. We did have a comment saying that that's something that we should be more like focused on talking about, and I agree that that definitely maybe should be something that we discuss at some point. Um and we did talk about that. We've talked about that a couple times that we think that publishers, editors are doing some of these authors dirty.

SPEAKER_01 20:27

Yeah, yeah, 100%. Very much so. Yeah, I think people just like to argue to argue without guess what either.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

I feel I feel like they watch up until a point that makes them angry and then they stop and then they just comment because that's what I said.

SPEAKER_03 20:41

I'm like, did you even watch the entire video?

SPEAKER_00 20:43

If you don't watch the end, but even like you people could get mad at us for like, I think in our first hot takes and debates, we we said the audiobook debate audiobook. We're like, nah, but then by the second one, we're like, yeah, we're wrong. Yeah, yeah. We're not afraid to admit what we're wrong. But if you don't, if you don't continue to listen, you don't grow with us. Yeah, that's true. Also, Cass loves to argue. Like she's gonna be able to do it. I love arguing, comfortable. You won't get nowhere. I feel I feel like her love of arguing has grown.

unknown 21:09

Probably.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

I don't think I've ever argued with her more than I have in the last year.

unknown 21:14

No.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

No, ours is based in love.

SPEAKER_03 21:20

My eyelash keeps getting stuck to my bottom eyelash, and I can't open my eyes.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

I feel like that's karma for having this on your list.

SPEAKER_03 21:26

I think it was appropriately where it should be on the list.

SPEAKER_00 21:31

Well, I'm gonna start with the obvious one. Akatar, book one. No, Sarah J. Mass.

SPEAKER_03 21:36

Overhyped?

SPEAKER_00 21:37

Overhyped.

SPEAKER_03 21:38

Agreed. I do agree on that one.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

The first book? The first book is what made me obsessed with the series. I get that, but it's also it's kind of like what I was saying before that when you first read it, it's like, wow. But now I'd say this is different in the fact that as you go more into the series, it gets better. Yeah, for sure. Right? And then but going back to suffer. But going back. Now to the first book. I think it was just what's that one?

SPEAKER_03 22:05

Where it's like, so you're gonna suffer, but you're gonna be happy about it. Isn't that Harry Potter? When he's getting his his cup, his tea leaves read, it's Ron. So you're gonna suffer. You're gonna suffer, but you're gonna be happy about it. That's Avatar. You have to suffer for through book one.

SPEAKER_00 22:26

You're gonna suffer.

SPEAKER_03 22:27

And then and then as you continue, you're gonna be happy about it.

SPEAKER_00 22:30

So I know some of you may not agree with it, but Anathema. You're wrong. And I read both books. You're wrong. Did you read the second book? Yeah, of course I did.

SPEAKER_03 22:39

I read it before you did.

SPEAKER_00 22:40

I don't really particularly like Carrie Lake's books. I was gonna say, was there's another one that I think you guys only read the first book and me and Cheryl read the second book. Oh, yes, Nightshade. And that one was a pregnancy trope.

SPEAKER_03 22:52

That's what made me not interested. Zero percent interest.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

I will say, like reading the series in like the two books in its entirety was good, but I would say it's overhyped. I would not recommend either of the series to people.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

Both by Carrie Lake?

SPEAKER_00 23:07

Both by Carrie Lake.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

So this literally solidifies what I just said that I don't like her books. Were the men in those books the same as they're not?

SPEAKER_00 23:15

I don't mind the men. For me, like it's not that. I find her writing very confusing. There's almost too much world-building that needs to happen, and it doesn't feel like it happens properly in a way that you understand what's happening and the different types of species, and yeah, there's just there's just like a lot, it's just very confusing. I found it very confusing. I disagree.

SPEAKER_03 23:37

What's your third one?

SPEAKER_00 23:38

This is another one we've talked about before. Time born. And Time Born was very, very hyped up on TikTok. Both you and I kept seeing it everywhere on TikTok.

SPEAKER_01 23:46

I gotta read this, it sounds so good.

SPEAKER_03 23:47

And sounds like the same person. No, I was posting it. No, it wasn't.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

It was like all the book talk people. I was gonna say, I mean, it was yeah, like it was a lot of people.

SPEAKER_03 23:57

It was not good, even really on TikTok. No, but like Instagram reels, that's where I was seeing.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Yeah, but those are delayed, those are delayed. Instagram reels are behind the times. Yeah, TikTok is like where you get new and relevant information. Yeah, no, it gives me anxiety.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

Maybe not always relevant because they definitely hyped the spoon up too much.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

And bookstagram is like a totally different vibe than book talk. That was terrible. Bookstagram, in my opinion, is more like cozy and whimsical and like comforting vibes.

SPEAKER_03 24:23

Book talk is the wild west.

SPEAKER_01 24:25

Yeah, you can't be, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:26

I want no part in that.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

We are kind of on book talk.

SPEAKER_03 24:29

We are, but I'm just I'm you don't view the book talk. No, I'm a book. You create the book talk. Correct.

SPEAKER_00 24:35

That one sounded really good, and we've kind of said like it had good bones or good idea behind it. Execution, editing, all of it. Shit. Brutal.

SPEAKER_01 24:47

It has recently been re-edited and re-released. Yeah, but apparently the reviews are still.

SPEAKER_03 24:53

Yeah, I was gonna say, remember we looked back into it and the girl was like, Yeah, still not worth your time. Yeah. So let's talk underhyped.

SPEAKER_01 25:01

Okay. Susanna. It's my underhyped. The first one is a stage set for villains. I've seen a few videos, but not as much as this series this book warrants.

SPEAKER_00 25:10

But it's funny how many times that like you talk about it and people in the comments are like, I love this series. Yeah, well, it's just a book, right? Is it a standalone?

SPEAKER_01 25:18

It's a standalone, yeah. But I like no, it's the other one. Assistant to the villain. It's the other villain.

SPEAKER_03 25:25

You were thinking the other villain. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:26

Assistant to the villain was very much like hyped up, I think. And it was worth it. I really loved it. It was very like cutesy fantasy vibe. Male man character was great. But a stage set for villains is like so much better than that. Like, whoa. I don't I I just love the whole concept of the world better. I found it on TikTok, I will say that. And I saw one video about it. And then ever since then, like I haven't seen anything else about it.

SPEAKER_03 25:51

I bought it. It's on my Kindle.

SPEAKER_01 25:53

Yeah, you need to read it. You're you're one step closer to reading it.

SPEAKER_03 25:55

I know, it's there. So it's going, hello, Cass.

SPEAKER_01 26:03

What surprised me most about it is like how well executed the world was. And like there is nothing in this book that I would change, which is very uncommon. Like, usually I'll be like, oh, like I wouldn't have written it this way.

SPEAKER_03 26:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:15

But this book like kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I just wanted to keep reading more. And I guess that goes into like what it did really well too. Like the whole the writing, the yearn, the romance, the the quotable lines that I unhighlighted in this book. It did a lot of things well. That's all I'll say about that. Second one, the Jessad Air. Now, this is a series by Sarah Hashem, and I found this book by Marianna Reads, and actually the drama that she found herself in. So she really liked the first book. Like Mariana found herself in? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:46

Oh, really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

So she really liked the first book, uh, was hyping it up. She was like, This is true enemies to lovers. And like obviously that's my jam. So I was like, okay, I'm gonna read it. And then the second book she read, and she just like didn't like it. I liked it, but she didn't like it. And a lot of people were calling her like racist and like saying all this stuff.

SPEAKER_03 27:05

Mariana gets herself in so much shit.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

She does. Like, but like this time, I don't think it was warranted.

SPEAKER_03 27:11

Oh no, I think she's a little tough. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

Yeah, she's glad not it's not like a book, and because she liked the first one, the racist comment didn't make any sense.

SPEAKER_04 27:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:20

But um, yeah, so I read this series because of the drama that was ensuing around Mariana. What surprised me the most about it? It was very much a true enemies to lovers. There is limited spice, which you don't really find in a lot of fantasy books nowadays. Like they're very spice heavy.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

Yeah, especially enemies to lovers.

SPEAKER_01 27:37

Yeah, and it was like very slow burn. So that's what it did really well. Like it drew out the urn throughout the two, I think there's two books, the two books. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:47

Excellent.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

Third one. This one I read a long time ago, but I have been wanting you guys to read it as well. It's the Simple Wild series by KA Tucker. Takes place in Alaska, and it's just very cozy romance. Oh, do you remember you said yeah. Yeah, I found this book.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

Like Hass's jam, she's gonna love it.

SPEAKER_03 28:07

It sounds like I might pass on that one. Probably. Um, but good for you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 28:16

You would like it. You would like it. I think you yes, I actually think you would like it. I'm gonna reread it and then I'll get back to you, but I do think you would like it because the male main character is like okay. How did I find this book? When I first was doing a Bookstagram back in the good old days, I found it on there and I read it back then. What surprised me most about it? Just how much I liked it for not being a fantasy, because back then that was when like Avatar was coming out. So you were like in your fantasy era? I was in my fantasy era, and then I read this book and uh this series and was like, oh my gosh, I read them back to back because all the books are out. That's all I have to say about that. Nice, Cassandra.

SPEAKER_03 28:51

My underhyped, starting off strong. Yes, with Little Stranger by Lee R Lee Rivers. This book has been randomly blowing up on TikTok or book talk. So delayed. I know. Um where have you guys been? Where have you been? I haven't even heard of you. You've been sleeping on this book. You will not been loca. Don't ever pick that book up. I'll trust you. Don't ever even, don't even look at it. Yeah. Not even a side eye. No, it'll get you.

unknown 29:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 29:17

Um we've got a how did I find this book? I feel like I just I think it was scrolling fable.

SPEAKER_00 29:24

You, I don't, all I know is that you came to me and was it this one that we read first? I was just reading it by myself. I messaged you, I was like, Beth. No, no, but no, but you messaged me about her first. Being like, hey, I found this author. She's Scottish. She like her books are based in Scotland and they're dark romances.

SPEAKER_03 29:44

And I'm like, and we've got our FMC. Okay. She's she's strong, she's hard-headed, she's a little witty. We've got our MMC, which just so happens to be her stepbrother.

SPEAKER_00 29:58

Come on. And um, yeah. And they're like, he's trauma bonded to her. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:04

I have four stepbrothers. This is gross. They're not blood related by any means. Like her parents are mine. They're both like they're both adopted separately. Like the parents adopted the I forget her name. Anyways, they adopted her first. She was younger, and then they adopted the brother separately, and he was a little bit older than her.

SPEAKER_00 30:24

I think he was 11 when they was older and he was mute, and he created a couple issues. He had some issues. Did he consent? Who? Her? The brother. He signed. Oh, okay. Yeah, he was like, hey. You said did he consent?

SPEAKER_01 30:37

Yeah, because he's mute and can't talk.

SPEAKER_03 30:40

He consented. Yeah, he also was the perpetrator.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

Yes. Oh, the ending of book one. Screaming.

SPEAKER_03 30:48

What did it do really well? Well, what surprised me most about this book is um the ending, um, but also the stare scene. And if you've read the book. That is the ending. That's not the very end.

SPEAKER_00 31:00

It's yeah, it's not. Yeah, you don't even know if the dad lives until the second book. I'm pretty sure you do. No, you don't. Spoiler alert. Yeah, but you have to read all the way to the end to figure out what's talking about.

SPEAKER_03 31:15

Um, is it a spoiler? What did it do really well? I just really like her writing. She has a way of like captivating you even with the most like unhinged things.

SPEAKER_00 31:24

I definitely was questioning myself and my morals. Correct. Me too. Being like, Do I need to see a therapist? Both you and I mess with the thing.

SPEAKER_03 31:33

Both you and I were like, are we good? Are we okay? Are we okay? And do we read book two and when? Yeah. Now do we wait a beat or no? Or do we just dive back in? No, we're diving back in. So yeah. Yeah. And then my other underhyped is One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig.

SPEAKER_01 31:53

That's all I have to say. I was actually really surprised you like that series. Why? Because there's like, I don't know, there's no spice in it. I don't need spice. We've talked about this. Well, I just automatically assume you with spice. Like I associate you with the spicy stuff.

SPEAKER_03 32:04

I need like the the characters have to be strong, they have to be relatable, the story has to be really good, it has to flow well. I have to be like intrigued by that. And I also like some yarn.

SPEAKER_01 32:16

I will tell you what intrigued me when I was reading this book is the the voice in her head.

SPEAKER_03 32:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:21

I for sure thought that was gonna be the love interest.

SPEAKER_03 32:24

Yeah. Yeah, it was not. I was disappointed, kind of. What the book did really well was the magic system for me, because it was unique in the sense where it was used, they used tarot cards, which I thought was really cool. And there was just like I don't know, I loved the the characters in it. Even the second book, Two Twisted Crowns. The second book I loved more. Yeah. Just so good. If you haven't read those, it's a duology. If you haven't read that, and they're not very long books either, so that's nice. Yeah, they're really good. My last one is Credence by Penelope Douglas. Um, I think it's hyped appropriately, but I I still feel like it's underhyped. You've got, you know, your three cousins and your uncle, and you're stranded up on the snowy mountain top of cousins? Well, they're not blood related. Bro! Again. And then uh, yeah, we've got a why choose, but then she does choose. Spoiler alert.

SPEAKER_01 33:22

She does choose, yeah. My sister has this book at her house and she's pretended to read it for videos. I went to her house.

SPEAKER_00 33:28

I actually read it has pretended to read it.

SPEAKER_01 33:31

Yeah, but she well, she tried to read it, but she there's a video of her online of her pretending to read it for a video. I was like, mouthed it. I was like, she Yeah. Don't worry, I called her out for it. I'm calling her Mariah. Figure your life out. Yeah, read the book. If you guys don't know Mariah from Mo and Marr, the Chaos Girls, that's my sister, the blonde one. She doesn't read. She'll post videos pretending to read, but she doesn't read. Anyway, so I went to overdo her house for dinner and I see Credence just sitting on the Just casually just sitting there? The coffee table underneath coffee table, dust on it, book marks still in it, maybe like not even 50 pages. Anyway, I skim through it and every page smut. Oh, it's filthy. Smut. I was like, filthy.

SPEAKER_00 34:16

Dang, I read, she's like, read out a line. I'm like, it gets to a point where it's like 90% smut and 10% plot.

SPEAKER_03 34:24

But it's still somehow good. I'll pass. Thanks.

SPEAKER_00 34:26

That's great. It's part that is the plot.

SPEAKER_03 34:27

Cheryl liked it. Of course she would. No, she was adamant about not reading it. She doesn't like anything. And she was adamant about I'm putting it in there. She knows. She was adamant. She's like, I'm gonna hate this book. She read it on her book club trip. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 34:43

Um, I think it was after because she did not read it.

SPEAKER_03 34:45

No, she she read a bit of it. She got pissed off about the sandwich making, which was like four lines, and then she went back to read it after the book club trip and was she loves it, rants and raves. Yeah. So that says something. I'm messaging you after this. This is shameful behavior.

SPEAKER_00 35:05

Beth, you're underhyped. I once again had to fix my notes. Oh you took her out? Yeah. I can't talk about that. This is not underhyped. Did you have The Awakening in here? Yeah. You did not. Yeah, the Dragon Legacy series. Have you read it late recently? No. You'd lose credibility. You would it's still rated really high. It's like four point. I don't believe it. I there's a lot of bad reviews. So I did look. There are. I but I do think she has a really intense following. So instead, I'm going to start with Never Keep. Oh, I've heard good things by the Twisted Sisters, Caroline Peckham and Suzanne Valenti. I've heard Never Keep's good. And there is a fourth book coming out in that series as well. Is it? So that I will be reading that once I get a free spot on my list.

SPEAKER_03 35:57

Yeah, we're pretty packed.

SPEAKER_00 35:58

But yeah, that series I actually I really liked. There is like no space so far. But the I don't even know if I can call it urine. Okay, you know when you read a book and there's like the protagonist who like he is like it's it's the villain essentially, but you're like there's something about him. Oh yeah. This has like Logan. Logan doesn't well, yeah, kind of. Because like we don't know. I have uh I have what what is um this book that we recently read? We Who Will die? We Who Will Die. The one brother, yeah. Yeah, Rorick. Yes, and he doesn't do anything, and everything he does is not good, but it's not bad. Like it's not the best, but yeah, but I just I just remember like me and some of the other girls in the book club being like, Rorick. Like, what is wrong with me? Because it's like there is He's like Damon. But I feel like I feel like there has to be something that's in some of these, like these authors' writing that they're able to have the undercurrent there. Yeah, that's it. That if you were to read the books point blank, you'd be like, no, this this isn't why am I getting the vagina tingles for this man who literally has done nothing to make it tingle? He's barely even in the book. It's the intention behind the words. Yeah, you just know there's something good coming. So yeah, literally, and there's oh my gosh, guys, like yeah. So that's one. Okay, okay. So we're gonna bring it back to Lay Rivers again. Yeah, the insatiable series.

SPEAKER_03 37:27

I haven't read the insatiable series. I've heard the audiobooks are wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 37:33

That would be one I would be blushing about. I've heard that they're very good. It is very dark. Love that. It's a wild ride. Love that, but it's so good. Perfect. So if you do end up like if you end up reading Little Strangers and that's your vibe, this is your vibe. If you like anything, Lee Rivers, if you like anything that Cass likes, you will like this.

SPEAKER_03 37:56

If you want dark, unhinged that makes you question why you're even reading this, yeah, but why you're also enjoying it.

SPEAKER_00 38:03

I don't know if maybe I was broken by then. I didn't question myself as much. With Little Stranger? Yeah. Like I already read I already read Little Stranger and then I did Insatiable. Oh, you're talking about Insatia, oh yeah, yeah. But by the time I got there, like I don't know if I was just broken. Yeah, because Little Stranger, I was like, What am I reading? Yeah, and I know I brought this up earlier, but I do have to put in Clash of Clauset. The most recent read by Elizabeth Deere. I haven't seen that hyped up, I haven't seen it anywhere.

SPEAKER_01 38:28

I've only seen it on Fable.

SPEAKER_00 38:29

Yeah, I have not seen it hyped up at all.

SPEAKER_01 38:31

No, you saw it because you were reading it.

SPEAKER_00 38:33

It is so good. I'm obsessed. I gave it five stars. Fair enough. I'm gonna put it on my, I think it's on my TBR, but I'll move it up. Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Like I messaged the girls being like, I'm literally, I was literally like in bed, like giddy, yeah, squealing. And then I just wanted to talk to you guys about it, and like no one knows what I'm going through. Well, I'm not gonna know because I've been banished. I didn't say you were banished, I just said you weren't allowed to hate on it because I'm fragile right now. I was having like flashbacks of all the times that Cass hated on Zodiac. So it was like, and you just you get the Zodiac back. Like the PTSD, yeah. Yeah, so it was just like I was like, you need to read this, and I was like, please don't read this.

SPEAKER_01 39:18

Don't read it, don't ruin it for me.

SPEAKER_00 39:22

Fair enough. So, but it is, I think it's seriously underhyped. I have absolutely loved it. If you like Zodiac, read this. If you liked the idea of Zodiac but hated it, I would say read this. I liked the idea of Zodiac. I do think you'd like this. I'm just like I said, I think I just think that I have PTSD from your zodiac hate.

SPEAKER_01 39:41

Well, if it's appropriately hated on, so so we have three books that we all agree are appropriately hyped, which is Conform by Ariel Sullivan, Daggermouth by H. M. Wolf, and We Who Will Die by Stasia Stark.

SPEAKER_02 39:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

So if you want to hear more of our thoughts about those individual books, we do have full episodes about them. So make sure you check those out. They will be linked in the description of whatever you're listening to this on. Whatever platform you're on. The links will be there. Anyway, we're gonna answer some questions. Do we think we are too influenced by book talk when we rate books? When we rate them?

SPEAKER_00 40:19

When I read them, yes. When I rate them, no.

SPEAKER_03 40:23

Yeah. Yeah. Like I'll rate them how I feel while I read them. Aye. True. I'm not gonna just rate it a five star because everyone else is like, oh, it's so good.

unknown 40:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:32

Yeah, I don't think we're that kind of those kinds of people.

SPEAKER_03 40:34

I'm just gonna say we're not that kind of per people.

SPEAKER_01 40:36

No. No, but like we definitely read them if they're being blown up by book talk. We're very much influenced.

SPEAKER_00 40:41

Oh, I'm very much we're yeah, we're very easy, easily influenced. 100%. There's so many times I see like a book and they'll use like a section of that book, and I'm like, oh, yeah, that sounds so good. And then I go in and I'm like 2.5, no.

SPEAKER_01 40:57

Yeah, the worst. They always pick like the most awesome quote, yeah, and then convince you to read it.

SPEAKER_03 41:03

And then they just happens to be the only good quote in the whole time.

SPEAKER_00 41:06

And then they'll have like some super sexy guy being like reading out the line, and you're like, Yes, yes, and then no.

SPEAKER_01 41:14

Do we think hype ruins reading experiences?

SPEAKER_00 41:18

No, no, not for me. If anything, I feel like some of the books that have been hyped, it's kind of like the hype is wrong, and it's like there's so many other awesome books. I worry that the books being hyped up is fake.

SPEAKER_01 41:35

I think that's true. I think your feeling about that is true. I know it's accurate. I think for me, the hype ruins the reading experience because I go into it with such big expectations and it's such a huge letdown. Whereas if I went into it with no expectations of it, yeah, this is pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 41:51

I feel like not all of them, but there's a lot of books that are overhyped, and then you read them and you're like, why? Why was that so hyped up? And it just feels like a marketing ploy compared to I wish like when a book was like blowing up and being hyped up that much, it had the backing for it.

SPEAKER_01 42:10

Yeah. So I agree. And I don't think most of them do. No. Yeah. Have you ever liked a book less because it was overhyped?

SPEAKER_00 42:17

No, because I think, like we said, we're very easily influenced. Yeah. There. All right. What's worse? I'm pretty sure you put any book in front of us and we're like if it's got a pretty cover too, I'm like, yes. Pretty cover? Yes. Yeah. Have a hawkeye reading out some part of like the dialogue, yes. You can throw a couple of fancy words at me. Yes. Why choose? In dark romance. I'm in. You guys are alone in that. My favorite words. No, but yours would be tailored to you.

SPEAKER_01 42:46

Yeah. Yours would be yearn.

SPEAKER_00 42:47

Has a villain, check.

SPEAKER_01 42:49

Wants a yearn, check.

SPEAKER_00 42:51

Yearn only. Very strong.

SPEAKER_03 42:53

Yearn strong.

SPEAKER_01 42:55

Yearn forward. What's worse? Overhyped or underhyped? Underhyped.

SPEAKER_03 42:59

Oh, I was gonna say overhyped. No, because it's really sad when you read a book that's not getting the recognition it deserves.

SPEAKER_00 43:04

But I think it's really sad when you read a book that's overhyped and you're like, this other book could should have had that. True.

SPEAKER_01 43:10

I think they're both, they both suck in their own regards. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:13

I'd say I agree with Beth more so. Overhyped is definitely worse because I'm let down. Whereas with underhyped, I'm just so excited and I can like boast it up, you know, boost it up. Boast it? Boast it. Boast it. Boast it. I can boast about how much I like the book. So then it boosts it up.

SPEAKER_00 43:29

Boosts it up. And I do think like when you read a book that you have like zero expectations for and it just blows your mind. Yeah. And you're like, why is this not being hyped up?

SPEAKER_03 43:39

That's what I mean. Very upsetting.

SPEAKER_00 43:41

It is upsetting, but it is, but that experience is chef's kiss. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:47

Do you think we are becoming harder to impress as readers? Yes. I think so. Yeah. There's just so much good writing out there.

SPEAKER_00 43:55

There is so much good writing. Yeah. I think we have high expectations. Higher expectations. We are coming becoming a very large group of well-read women. That we are. That we are. And men. That we are. But I mean, men have always been readers. Women weren't for the longest time allowed. So circling back, circling back to when you read a first book that has been so well done and written and edited, and then their second book is shit.

SPEAKER_03 44:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:23

Right. And you're just like, well, you as an author have set my expectations for you here. But you've you're here.

SPEAKER_03 44:32

I also think with specifically fantasy, it's so oversaturated. It's really hard to be so authentic and have like a story that's like so original. Original. For readers that like us that read a lot, we're kind of like, okay, sounds oh a mate. Wow. Like that I've never seen that before. Like just like there's certain things where you're just like, it's the loud.

SPEAKER_00 44:58

I think it's the rare mates trope.

SPEAKER_01 45:01

Yeah. Or even now, like dystopian novels with the same vibe as conform and then dagger mouth, like all those kind of dystopian, like Daggermouth things I thought was done so well though. I breeze through conform way more than I did Daggermouth. I love Daggermouth. I love Conform. I think I actually like Daggermouth more than it's. I did too.

SPEAKER_03 45:19

Because the FMC was just so strong and just oh, she was good. Conform just made me, she made me really angry.

SPEAKER_01 45:26

She I really liked I would have been her. Like I probably I relate to her more because I probably would have been her. I really more to Conform is more your vibe. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 45:35

It would be more of a cozy dystopian because it's a little bit lighter. Whereas Dagger Mouth is more darker.

SPEAKER_00 45:42

I do I do prefer a more badass, darker FMC. That's fair.

SPEAKER_01 45:49

So we have some questions for you guys in the comments. What's one book you'll defend no matter what? What's one book you think that we'd fight over if we talked about it longer or even brought it up?

unknown 45:59

There's too many.

SPEAKER_01 46:00

Did any of us change your mind today? And what do you think listeners should go read immediately after this episode? Let us know in the comments. Now that leads us to Lines We Love. Lines We Love. I'm gonna do Legendary, which is the second book from Carival, Stephanie Garber. The key to a charade like this is to forget it's an act. Invite the lie to play until you become so comfortable with it that it feels like the truth. Don't tell yourself we're pretending to be engaged. Tell yourself that I love you, that I want you more than anyone.

unknown 46:30

I like that.

SPEAKER_01 46:31

Yeah, I liked it too. That's why I highlighted it.

SPEAKER_00 46:33

So I did Clash of Claws. Uh Elizabeth Dear, page 278. Ian released me, took a moment to scan my body for any stray damage, and then he waggled his blonde eyebrows. Dr. Lee came to give me a status report earlier. I think I might let Mahoney maul me if that man will be the one to put me back together. Brody sighed wistfully. He healed my broken leg once. I've been waiting for the opportunity to break the other one.

SPEAKER_01 46:55

Oh. I will say what got me was the blonde eyebrows. And waggled? And how do you that's the FMC's brother? How do you think? Oh, okay. That's okay. If it's the brother, it's the waggle.

SPEAKER_03 47:10

Perfect. Mine's just a cute little line from Carvel, page 211. Not quite sure how far she'd already fallen. She imagined loving him would feel like falling in love with darkness. Frightening and consuming, yet utterly beautiful when the stars came out. Yes. I remember that line. So good. So good. Right? See? I like it. Journey. That's all, folks. That's all she wrote, folks. And you got wine left.

SPEAKER_01 47:35

So do you. Yeah. Just a wee sip. Just a wee. We're gonna finish our wine. Cheers, Susie! You can find us on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Block Twist Pleased Pod, or also anywhere you can get your podcast. So make sure you're following or subscribed so you never miss an episode. If you love this one, hype us up a little. Leave us a comment, drop a rating or review, and tell us what you would like us to read next.

SPEAKER_02 47:54

Thank you so much for joining us on this episode.

SPEAKER_00 47:57

And as always, keep your glass, your bookshelf, and your TBR full. Cheers