Guessing Books From ONE STAR REVIEWS

Summary

Episode Summary: "Guessing Books From ONE STAR REVIEWS"

In this engaging episode of "I'll Read What She's Reading," hosts Kennedy, Mikayla, and Reggie dive into a listener-favorite segment where they guess books based solely on their one-star reviews. Balancing humor with insightful book discussions, the trio creates an entertaining atmosphere for both casual readers and dedicated book enthusiasts.

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1. Episode Introduction and Setting the Tone

Kennedy opens the episode warmly, inviting listeners into a "cuddly" session centered around the guessing game inspired by one-star reviews.

• Kennedy (00:45): "Today we are doing a listener favorite episode which is guessing books based on their one star reviews. This is always really fun for us to do and I feel like we have to preface this episode by saying these are books, honestly, we like."

The hosts emphasize that this segment is all in good fun, acknowledging that while the reviews are negative, they enjoy the books themselves.

• Mikayla (01:13): "All in jest."

---

2. Book Club Updates

Before delving into the game, the hosts update each other and listeners on their current readings, sharing personal experiences and challenges.

• Reggie (02:00) shares her journey of re-reading "Throne of Glass" to support her sister-in-law, expressing excitement about rediscovering the series.

  • Reggie (02:00): "I'm just rereading Throne of Glass... I think that reading it the second time I'm going to enjoy a lot more than the first time around."

• Kennedy (04:16) and Mikayla (05:25) discuss a collective reading slump, with Mikayla mentioning her enjoyment of the "Murderbot Diaries."

  • Mikayla (05:28): "I read literally so many books, and I decided to start reading the Murderbot Diaries, and I actually really enjoyed them."

• The conversation also touches on "Ghosted" and "Pestilence" by Mikayla, highlighting both her appreciation and critical thoughts on the narratives and themes.

  • Mikayla (08:26): "I have like this love hate relationship with it. I ate it up. Like, I was excited to read it, but it was just very interesting."

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3. The Guessing Game: One-Star Reviews Edition

The core of the episode revolves around the hosts' attempts to identify books based on their hilariously negative one-star reviews. This segment showcases their camaraderie and deep familiarity with various literary works.

First Round:

• Reggie (17:15) presents the first review: "She swallowed an AirPod." The group debates and finally identifies the book as "Irony of 'Say You'll Remember Me'".

  • Reggie (17:15): "She swallowed an airpod."

• Notable Quote:

  • Kennedy (17:35): "I don't remember what happened."

Second Round:

• The review "A menstrual cup would be a game changer for her" leads to the identification of "Heartless Hunter."

  • Kennedy (19:17): "All of mine are pretty easy. Honestly, a menstrual cup would be a game changer for her."

• Notable Quote:

  • Mikayla (25:49): "Please do not believe the reviews when it is listed as a bully romance. There is literally not a shred of romance in this book."

Third Round:

• The cryptic review "This word pretend was used 50 times..." points to "Red Rising."

  • Reggie (27:07): "The word pretend was used 50 times."

• Notable Quote:

  • Kennedy (28:57): "He smelt like wormwood."

Fourth Round:

• A humorous take on scent descriptions leads the hosts to "Crescent City."

  • Kennedy (32:07): "She smells like wormwood."

• Notable Quote:

  • Reggie (32:17): "He smells like sweet... like basil."

Fifth Round:

• The review mentioning chemistry with "fallen hairs behind the couch" is deciphered as "Onyx Storm."

  • Kennedy (33:00): "Okay. Reggie, you have two more."

• Notable Quote:

  • Mikayla (33:10): "He frosted under heavy guard. That's right. A character frosts a cake under heavy guard. He's a dangerous cake froster."

Final Round:

• The review "A ten-year-old girl who manipulated every adult..." is linked to a specific title, wrapping up the game with laughter and shared amusement.

  • Reggie (39:18): "A ten year old girl who manipulated every adult in this book just wanted to take ballet classes."

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4. Reflections on One-Star Reviews

Post-game, the hosts reflect on the nature of one-star reviews, discussing their validity and the impact of negative feedback on beloved books.

• Kennedy (40:47): "Do you know, even though I love certain books, some people hate them. And do you guys ever actually go back and read some of the one star reviews of your favorite books and you're like, you know what? It's kind of valid."

• Reggie (41:23): "There can be things I don't like about a book, but it must really bother some people if they feel passionate about these tiny little things."

This segment underscores the diverse perspectives within the reading community, acknowledging that while the hosts cherish their favorite books, others may have valid reasons for their criticisms.

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5. Episode Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, the hosts encourage listeners to share their own funny one-star reviews and promote their social media channels for more content.

• Mikayla (40:38): "If you find any one star reviews that are just kind of funny, send them. Send them our way, please."

• Kennedy (41:37): "It's all right. It's okay. It's all good. It's all fun. I could never be an author. Let's just be honest."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Kennedy (00:45): "Today we are doing a listener favorite episode which is guessing books based on their one star reviews."
• Mikayla (05:28): "I decided to start reading the Murderbot Diaries, and I actually really enjoyed them."
• Reggie (17:15): "She swallowed an airpod."
• Mikayla (25:49): "Please do not believe the reviews when it is listed as a bully romance."
• Reggie (32:17): "He smells like sweet... like basil."

---

This episode masterfully blends humor with literature, offering listeners both laughter and insightful discussions. By turning negative reviews into a game, Kennedy, Mikayla, and Reggie create a relatable and entertaining experience that celebrates the diverse opinions within the book-loving community.

Transcript

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[Kennedy]

Hello friends. Welcome back to I'll read what she's reading. I'm Kennedy.

[Mikayla]

I'm Mikayla.

[Reggie]

And I'm Reggie. Do I need to scoot in closer?

[Kennedy]

Oh, yeah. Come on in guys. We're getting cuddly today. Today we are doing a listener favorite episode which is guessing books based on their one star reviews. This is always really fun for us to do and I feel like we have to preface this episode by saying these are books, honestly, we like. Yeah. And it's all in fun. All in jest. As Michaela would say.

[Mikayla]

All in jest.

[Kennedy]

I could never be an author because reading these would probably hurt my soul. But we didn't write these reviews. Yeah, we don't agree with the reviews.

[Mikayla]

No.

[Kennedy]

Well, most of them, so there.

[Mikayla]

Some of them I feel like have some truth in them. But they, they chose to like make that the reason they hated the book where I'm like, oh, that's, that's true. But I chose to ignore it. Slash, it didn't bug me as much. Yeah. You know, yeah. So.

[Kennedy]

So this is all just in fun and games. If these are your favorite books of all time, it's okay. You can still love the book. There's a reason you loved it. Right. But before we get into the game, we're going to update you guys on what we have been currently reading. Reggie, you want to go first? Yeah.

[Reggie]

I feel like this is just going to be my personality trait for the next like two months. I'm just rereading Throne of Glass. I don't know if this was like the right time for me to like reread it, but my sister in law was wanting to start it and she was already asking me so many questions and I was like, just start it with you. I'll just read along and it's been great. I really am loving it. I think that reading it the second time I'm going to enjoy a lot more than the first time around, which I'm really happy about. So it's made me happy to be rereading it for that purpose. I just know what I'm getting myself into? So, like, that's what's really hard, is that I'm just like, ooh, do I really want to be, like, feeling this emotional during the summer? I don't know. But here we are. So I read that, and I've forgotten what I've read. I know there's been, like, other things. Hold on.

[Kennedy]

You want to know what's funny? Since Reggie's talking about Throne of Glass. Back when we were reading Throne of Glass, there, it was a book talk book, but there wasn't a lot of discourse, I feel like, on Throne of Glass as much as there is now. Do you know how many people actually skipped Tower of Dawn? You're not the only person that has done that.

[Reggie]

A lot of people have. And I. The thing is, is I. I. A lot of people say they skip it because of us character, but for me, it really wasn't even, like, I skipped it because of the character. I just was like, I know. So many people have already skipped it, and I just needed to get through. Like, I was worried that, like, if I started reading Tower of Dawn, I was going to hate the series even more than I did. Not that I hated it, but, like, I was worried it was gonna, like, ruin my reading experience further. It might not have. And I, looking back, I should have just read it, taking my time, but I didn't know any better at the time. I was new to fantasy series and stuff anyways, but matured, literally. It was like, the only reason I didn't read it is because I just wanted to start Kingdom Ash, and I just want to be done.

[Kennedy]

You know what?

[Reggie]

That's a feeling a lot of people have.

[Kennedy]

A lot of people have that feeling about it. I wasn't doing that to call you out.

[Reggie]

I was just saying, no, you're good.

[Kennedy]

You are not alone. Others have done it. But if you're listening and you haven't read Throne of Glass, please don't skip Tower.

[Reggie]

Yeah, don't. Don't do it.

[Mikayla]

Please don't.

[Reggie]

As someone who said it, don't do it. Anyways, that's pretty much all I really been reading, other than, like, I finished the Blighted Stars. I'm currently reading the second one, and I'm in, like, a little bit of a reading slump. It's not that I dislike the second book, but I've just kind of been in a weird. I've had a weird relationship with books recently, and I just. I don't know. I just. I don't even know what I'm wanting to read next, so that's why it's kind of actually been nice to be reading Throne Glass, because it just feels safe.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

You know, Anyways, that's me.

[Kennedy]

I feel the same. I've been feeling. Me and reading aren't jiving at the moment. I don't know. You feeling that? Yeah. We're on a slump. We're in a collective slump.

[Mikayla]

We're in a little slumpy poo.

[Kennedy]

Help. You want to.

[Reggie]

You want to go? Yeah, you go.

[Mikayla]

I don't. I don't know if you were going to talk about this.

[Reggie]

Maybe you were.

[Kennedy]

I.

[Mikayla]

Oh, actually, okay. To be fair, I read so many books in May because I did a lot of driving. I drove probably 15 hours every single week.

[Kennedy]

That's crazy. So.

[Mikayla]

I read literally so many books, and I decided to start reading the Murderbot Diaries, and I actually really enjoyed them. I thought they were really fun. And I kind of saw that there was a TV show that was coming out. I didn't know it was coming out as soon as it did. So I read the first three, and they were really fun. I just kind of needed to take a little bit of a break because the next ones kind of get slowly, like, progressively. A little bit longer.

[Kennedy]

Isn't it like seven hours?

[Mikayla]

I think the next one is four, and then the next one after that is five, and then I think the next one after that is seven. So they just kind of like progressively get longer. But the first three are like three hours. Maybe that. Some of them are like two hours and 40 minutes, which on two times speed is like, I don't know, an hour and a half, an hour, 20.

[Kennedy]

If you need to hit your reading goal.

[Mikayla]

So that really helps with my reading goal. I really did. They're really fun, kind of like unserious, but I don't know.

[Kennedy]

But serious also.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, I don't. I don't know how to, like, describe it. I was telling the story to my husband and he's like, wait, that actually sounds kind of fun. I was like, you should read it.

[Reggie]

You should read it.

[Kennedy]

Watch the TV show.

[Mikayla]

Watch the TV show. That was before I, like, knew it was coming out soon, so. And then I read ghosted.

[Reggie]

Oh, you did?

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

You guys.

[Mikayla]

You guys didn't see that? I did. Oh.

[Reggie]

Oh, I didn't.

[Mikayla]

I. I did. I did. There were some things I didn't love about it, but I did like it. It was.

[Kennedy]

Tell. Tell everyone. I would love to hear.

[Mikayla]

Ah. I'm trying to, like, it's like the.

[Reggie]

Superhero Roman, it's not about a superhero.

[Kennedy]

He's like the actor.

[Mikayla]

I'm trying to remember, like, what it was. There were some parts that like, you know, melted my heart, you know, melted it. I just don't think it's like anything super revolutionary. Yeah. But I think I had a hard time with the end, with choices that characters make, so. Or like, I don't know. I don't know. I. The thing is, I will never ever be in that situation. So like, maybe my outside perspective was like that choice or like those feelings are not valid, but I'm like, they probably are, but I would never be in that situation.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

So. Yeah, and it was good. I was really. It was cute. It really was. So. Yeah, it was cute. Yeah.

[Reggie]

Nice.

[Mikayla]

Ya. I listened to that one. So yeah, it was that. Those are kind of like the ones that I've read a lot, but. Oh, actually I do want to talk about Pestilence.

[Kennedy]

Oh, yeah. Go for it. Go for it. Sorry guys.

[Mikayla]

I posted a TikTok trying to see if there was anyone who has, like, read it. Two people commented and I'm like, thanks, guys. Thank you. It was wild. I don't know. I have like this love hate relationship with it. I ate it up. Like, I was excited to read it, but it was just. It was just very interesting. There is some like, religious themes in it that I don't necessarily, like, agree with, but I kind of just had to like, put it aside and be like, okay, whatever. I don't really. This is not like, I'm just gonna put that aside, you know? But I don't know. I'm really excited about the second book.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

I don't know. It's so interesting.

[Kennedy]

What's it about?

[Mikayla]

It's like apocalyptic. How do you say that? Apocalyptic.

[Reggie]

Apocalyptic.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, yeah. But like, but it's about these. This is like the very. This is like the prologue. These three brothers that just like descendants from the sky. They're on horses. There's Pestilence, War, Famine and Death.

[Kennedy]

Yes. Okay, okay, okay.

[Mikayla]

And they just like all ran north west, south east. And like, as they were running, everything they like, passed. Like people got sick and the power went down. People died and there was war. And then they just like disappeared. And then so they're living in this like, post kind of like. I don't know, I thought of it as like. What's it called? The video game, like Zombie.

[Reggie]

Oh, the like, Last of Us.

[Mikayla]

The Last of Us, where like, sometimes electricity works. Like sometimes things work. It depends on the area you're in depending on the route that someone ran, if that makes sense. So it was. It's so interesting. And then all of a sudden, Pestilence comes down and starts running around.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Interesting.

[Kennedy]

Wild.

[Mikayla]

There's a graphic audio that's coming out, and I cannot imagine what the graphic audio is like.

[Kennedy]

So I should wait for the graphic audio.

[Mikayla]

I, I. It's quite graphic.

[Kennedy]

All right, I'm gonna do the graphic.

[Mikayla]

So I'm curious to know, like, what it will be like. I don't know.

[Reggie]

Interesting.

[Mikayla]

I don't know. It was unlike anything I've ever read.

[Reggie]

Love.

[Mikayla]

So I'm assuming the next book, it's called War.

[Kennedy]

What did you rate it?

[Mikayla]

I think I read it at 3.5.

[Kennedy]

Okay. Okay.

[Mikayla]

So.

[Kennedy]

All right.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. I won't say that there. There are some things that might be a little triggering or maybe won't make sense to some people, but some people, I just kind of got it.

[Kennedy]

I got it with some things. Okay.

[Mikayla]

I don't know.

[Reggie]

I'm intrigued.

[Mikayla]

I don't know. I don't know. So I don't know.

[Kennedy]

I'm, I'll, I'll listen to that.

[Mikayla]

I'm not saying it's great, but it somehow kind of just worked for me. I don't know.

[Kennedy]

Well, when it's something new that you. I haven't heard of a fantasy book sounding like that, so. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

For anything unique.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

I'm just gonna add a little bit to Murder Rock because I also am re listening to them. I listened to the first two, and I'm re listening to them again because the TV show is out. So if you're listening to this and we're one, you need to catch up.

[Mikayla]

On your reading goal.

[Kennedy]

Check out Murderbot. Or if you're like, you know what? I don't really want to listen to a murderbot. A sassy murderbot who loves to watch trash. Reality trash TV shows.

[Reggie]

I've had no idea what this is about, so. Okay, cool.

[Kennedy]

It's about this security unit robot who hacks his system and he now has autonomy, basically. And his inner thoughts are just. He hates humans.

[Mikayla]

They're so unhinged. Yeah.

[Kennedy]

I don't even know how to describe it.

[Reggie]

It's a lot of fun.

[Kennedy]

But it is a TV show on Apple tv. So if that doesn't really sound like a book you want to read or listen. Me and my husband watched the first two episodes on Apple tv, and honestly, it was pretty good. It's very unserious. It's sarcastic. There's a Lot of awkward silences. Because. Picture a security robot who has human skin interacting with humans, but he's not a human. He doesn't like to make eye contact.

[Mikayla]

It makes sense with, like, the. The awkward silences because he then watches himself through, like, a different feed to make sure his facial reactions are what they're supposed to be because he.

[Kennedy]

Nobody knows that he's hacked his system.

[Reggie]

Also, are they all supposed to be, like, really short books?

[Kennedy]

Yeah. Yeah, they're really short.

[Reggie]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

Super short.

[Reggie]

Okay, then I'm gonna have to read them so I can watch the show.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I mean, they're so short. They're very. They're literally three hours.

[Reggie]

It's like, I might as well listen to them.

[Kennedy]

So, anyways, I thought the show was pretty good. It stars a scarzard, so the Scar. Zard that plays it and Nosferatu. Yeah, his brother, I think. I would assume they're brothers. A weird last name to not be a brother. Anyways, Kyle really liked it. He thought it was funny. He laughed a few times, so just had to talk about that again really quick. And then I did read Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by Victoria Schwab. I haven't rated it on Goodreads because I honestly don't know exactly how I feel about it. And I still don't know what I would rate it because the best way I can, you know, I. I feel like Vic V E. Schwab's writing is just very atmospheric. That's the best way I can describe her writing. It's about toxic lesbian vampires. That's how she pitched it to us when we met her. And that's quite literally all it is. It's just toxic lesbian vampires. But there's also not a lot of plot.

[Mikayla]

It's more vibes.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, it's more vibes. And it bounces back and forth in time a lot because there's. We have three different characters, and I. I really liked it, but at the same time, I was bored. So I'm feeling a lot of different feelings about it. I think if you loved Secret Life of Addie Larue, you're going to love this book. It has very similar vibes. You know how Secret Life of Addie Larue was kind of slow until the last little bit, and then the ending was like you kind of. The end. The ending. You just kind of stared at a wall. It's very similar to how this book is not my favorite by her, but still really enjoyed it. And then I'm just going to mention one more really quick. I finished the Poppy War second book was my favorite. I can't even. The second book, the ending was insane. It was. It was so good. It was so good. Third book, the ending. I. I think it's a book where people either love the ending or hate the ending. And I do think. I don't know if Mikayla agrees with me. Reggie doesn't know if she's going to continue on reading the series. I fear I really enjoyed the series. Don't get me wrong. Love it. Would rate the series as a whole probably like four stars. But I do feel like it was a little overhyped for me. Just a tiny bit.

[Mikayla]

I did feel like there was going to be more that happened.

[Reggie]

Same which like there was potential reading it. I mean, I'm very curious about the second one, but it's really hard to want to read the third one.

[Kennedy]

The thing is, is I think the reason why I didn't love the third one as much is because the way it ended, like, I get how it ended, but it was so abrupt and I needed more. And the way the series ends it, I wasn't satisfied. But I feel like that's the point.

[Reggie]

Maybe.

[Kennedy]

Like it kind of ends on a cliffhanger and you don't have a lot of answers and that's just how it's supposed to end. Yeah. I don't know. I think if you ever feel inspired to continue, you can. I don't know.

[Reggie]

See, the thing is, my curiosity is like, I just want to know.

[Mikayla]

The thing is, is if we tell you what happens, it will not hit the same.

[Reggie]

Yeah, exactly.

[Mikayla]

And you'll be like, that's it.

[Kennedy]

But yeah, I don't know. I will say I am getting a lot of tick tocks about the series and it's making me like it a lot more.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. You know how that happens when you.

[Kennedy]

Finish a book and then you start getting the fan edits. Yeah. And all the stuff. And you're like, wait. Anyways, so, yeah, I finished Poppy War Buck that. I honestly just love RF Kuang.

[Mikayla]

So.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. Should we get into the game?

[Mikayla]

Yes, let's do it.

[Kennedy]

All right, who wants to go first?

[Reggie]

I'll go first.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

Oh, boy.

[Reggie]

Okay. Guessing the. As a reminder, we're guessing the book from the one star review.

[Kennedy]

Okay. Okay.

[Reggie]

She swallowed an airpod.

[Kennedy]

Oh, say you'll remember me. Oh, I actually died when that happened.

[Reggie]

The emoji after it is also great. It's like that little, like, sad nose dripping one.

[Mikayla]

I just.

[Kennedy]

Whatever happened with that, I don't Remember what happened?

[Mikayla]

She pooped it out. I thought.

[Kennedy]

I don't remember.

[Reggie]

I don't know. There's a lot of talk about butts and poop in that book.

[Mikayla]

Oh, I think she did. And then he bought her a new pair.

[Kennedy]

I can't remember.

[Mikayla]

Actually. I don't have AirPods, so I don't know.

[Kennedy]

I'm also trying to remember how she swallowed her AirPod.

[Mikayla]

She thought it was a pill.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Oh, yeah.

[Reggie]

I can't imagine swallowing my AirPod. That's huge. Like, it's so small.

[Mikayla]

No, is when I can't say anything. Oh, it will spoil things. Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. Very interesting.

[Reggie]

There was another one star review. I knew you guys would guess it, but it says the irony of say youy'll Remember Me is that I'm doing my best to forget it.

[Kennedy]

I think I actually might have that one screenshotted. So great.

[Reggie]

Anyways, I just love that that was the one star. Like, that was the review. One star. She swallowed an AirPod.

[Charlotte]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

We were talking about this while we were trying to find one star reviews. I really think people just try. I'm guilty of this. Okay. Don't get me wrong. Sometimes I think people rate things the way that they do on Goodreads just to try and get a viral review, you know?

[Reggie]

Yeah. Anyway, people love to be haters, too.

[Kennedy]

They do. They truly do.

[Reggie]

Sometimes I think people read literally just to, like, hate on books sometimes.

[Kennedy]

The thing.

[Reggie]

The thing, and it's just the thing.

[Kennedy]

That doesn't make sense to me is the only time I rate a book one star is if I DNF it. You know, I think I may. I may have actually rated another book one star when I finished it. But if you hate it that much, why'd you finish it? Yeah, I mean, it makes for good content for us for the podcast.

[Mikayla]

Because I can't complain. It's true.

[Kennedy]

Okay, Am I going next?

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

This is. All of mine are pretty easy. Honestly, a menstrual cup would be a game changer for her.

[Reggie]

Heartless Hunter.

[Kennedy]

Yep.

[Mikayla]

Oh, that makes sense. Yeah. And they put that as a one star.

[Kennedy]

One star.

[Reggie]

Interesting.

[Mikayla]

Interesting here.

[Reggie]

But, you know, they're not wrong.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

I'm not saying their rating is. Oh, do you. Sorry.

[Kennedy]

I need you to convince me to.

[Mikayla]

Read the next one.

[Reggie]

I liked it way better than the first one. All right.

[Mikayla]

Oh, I'm so excited to read it.

[Kennedy]

I should have put that on.

[Reggie]

But I feel like you didn't really like Heartless Hunter as much as me and Michaela did. Mikayla liked it the most out of the three of us, I'm pretty sure. Is that right?

[Mikayla]

I think I rated it 4.5 or 4.

[Reggie]

I. I really liked Heartless Hunter. Here's the thing with Rebel Witch.

[Mikayla]

I like witchy books.

[Reggie]

I don't want to say. I don't want to say what I'm saying.

[Kennedy]

I'll read it. I'll read it. I'll read it.

[Reggie]

I liked it better, but I can't really tell you why I liked it better. I'm not saying it's a better book than Heartless Hunter, but there's a reason why I liked it better.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Reggie]

Does that make sense?

[Mikayla]

Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

[Kennedy]

I'll get to it. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

DNF couldn't get past the milk scandal.

[Kennedy]

Oh, that's. Oh, my gosh.

[Reggie]

Chestnut. Fearless.

[Kennedy]

What's his name? No, no, no. Yeah, it is. Paulus.

[Mikayla]

Flawless.

[Kennedy]

Okay. I actually loved the milk. Okay.

[Mikayla]

I screenshotted four.

[Reggie]

Yeah, so did I. Flawless.

[Mikayla]

Yeah. This title of this. The title of this is Lying to you guys. Yeehaw. But make it horrific.

[Kennedy]

Oh, my gosh.

[Mikayla]

Rhett needs to be in federal prison. I'm so scared of him.

[Reggie]

Mine was the ones Ice Cream Shot at Work or. Sorry, was that all of them?

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Christian Autumn girl wearing heeled loafers meets cowboy and it's terrible. Or DNA. Oh, that was the one you said couldn't get past the milk scandal.

[Kennedy]

This outfit slays.

[Reggie]

This book did not. Because it. That's a quote from the book. This outfit slays. Oh, wait, there's one more. This is kind of a longer one. Time of death at 46%. Thank you, Wanker Cowboy. You're dismissed. To everyone who said it was great, I hope you will forgive me, but I found this book cringey and boring. I couldn't care less about the supposedly sexy cowboy with a ponytail in 2023. And maybe a mustache.

[Mikayla]

Maybe a mustache.

[Reggie]

I didn't. I don't remember him being said that. He has a ponytail.

[Mikayla]

He has longer hair.

[Reggie]

But that's funny.

[Kennedy]

I do remember the milk thing very vividly because I.

[Mikayla]

One of my Goodreads updates was like.

[Kennedy]

It's okay, Rhett. I hate milk too. Oh, man, that one looks kind of funny. Yeah, that's pretty funny.

[Reggie]

That is funny. All right, is it my turn? Oh, sorry. I just read all those. Okay. Po is rolling in his grave.

[Kennedy]

Oh, it's got to be Poppy War.

[Reggie]

No, Po.

[Kennedy]

Po. It's like the tongue Po can. Kung Fu Panda's picturing.

[Reggie]

I can. Let me rephrase. Let me say Add something to it. Edgar Allan Poe is rolling in his grave.

[Mikayla]

Po. Enter Edgar.

[Reggie]

Edgar Allan Poe, the poet.

[Kennedy]

Something about.

[Mikayla]

It's gonna be a Jessa Hastings book.

[Kennedy]

No, no. Okay. I swear, there's a book where there's so much like. Yeah.

[Reggie]

One you recently read. Both of you.

[Kennedy]

What is it?

[Mikayla]

Well, there's a lot of poetry.

[Kennedy]

Don't. Hold on.

[Mikayla]

I have no freaking clue.

[Kennedy]

I recently read it because I. I now am remembering Edward Edwards. Lots of poetry.

[Mikayla]

I don't remember. Yeah.

[Reggie]

Well, another one star review said something along the lines. I forgot to screenshot. Something along the lines of too many poems.

[Kennedy]

Sunrise on the Reaping.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Yes. Yes, that's right. She does have a lot of poems in there.

[Reggie]

Yeah, she does. And they're all about like. It's like a girl. And. Yeah, it was very interesting. But yeah. Yep.

[Kennedy]

Sunrise on the.

[Reggie]

Someone also said DNF at 54%. Not my haymage.

[Kennedy]

Wow.

[Reggie]

Well, yeah, because this is set like 25 years prior to the Hunger Games, so I think that he is a different. Whatever. It's fine.

[Mikayla]

Reggie's about to get up in the air.

[Reggie]

I'm like, yeah, obviously he's a different person because I think a lot of people change a lot within a 25 year span.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, they sure do.

[Reggie]

Any who.

[Kennedy]

Okay this one, I mean, it's not a very funny review, but. And it's going to be really hard to guess, but this is one of.

[Mikayla]

The few reviews I've picked.

[Kennedy]

FOMO is a disease.

[Reggie]

I agree with that.

[Kennedy]

It's a disease. And the only reason I read this book is because I had fomo. None of us really liked it. It's our only personality trait because we don't like this quicksilver. You know, we got called wenches because we don't like Kingfisher.

[Mikayla]

I will be a wench.

[Kennedy]

I'd gladly be a winch.

[Mikayla]

I will. Here's the thing. Kingfisher. I'm sure he's beautiful.

[Kennedy]

He's scary.

[Mikayla]

Don't like his personality.

[Kennedy]

He is scary.

[Mikayla]

Don't like him as a person. Would not vibe with him.

[Reggie]

Yeah, same.

[Mikayla]

Is that so hard?

[Reggie]

I'm just like, over.

[Mikayla]

I've turned off by him.

[Reggie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kennedy]

He's too intense.

[Reggie]

There were just some things that he specifically said in that book that I was just like, immediately no.

[Mikayla]

Like, immediately no.

[Reggie]

Immediately no. But I think people also, like, love his. The spiciness of him in the book. And I'm like, what's her name? Sarah.

[Kennedy]

Sarah. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

I love that for her. I really do. They're like two peas in a pod.

[Kennedy]

But you want to know what? When I said this, when we did this as our book club book, I do think I'm gonna like the second book better. Yeah. Yeah.

[Reggie]

I do think I would like the second book.

[Kennedy]

It's just a. It's a. It's a personality trait that we.

[Mikayla]

The second book will make me change my mind. It will take a lot.

[Reggie]

Give me more of a certain side character reason. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kennedy]

Give me more of that.

[Reggie]

Give me him.

[Kennedy]

Is it my turn?

[Reggie]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mikayla]

Please do not believe the reviews when it is listed as a bully romance. There is literally not a shred of romance in this book.

[Reggie]

A bully, bully romance.

[Kennedy]

And we've both read a shred of.

[Reggie]

No, there's not a shred of romance.

[Kennedy]

We've both read it. No, I've read it.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Fudge. Can you give me a hint?

[Reggie]

I can't think of any book that's.

[Kennedy]

Been a bully romance. What does the COVID look like?

[Mikayla]

It's literally the entire school treating the.

[Kennedy]

Oh. Binding 13.

[Reggie]

No.

[Mikayla]

Main character is like crap, and the main character is just copying it.

[Kennedy]

What book is this?

[Mikayla]

Just tell me, what is it? There is no advancement in the plot. The entire story. And no advancement in the girl's powers.

[Kennedy]

What?

[Mikayla]

Zodiac Academy.

[Kennedy]

Oh, it is a bully romance.

[Mikayla]

Oh, my gosh. But it's not in the first one.

[Kennedy]

I mean, it's not romance, but it's bullying.

[Mikayla]

It's bullying.

[Kennedy]

It's straight up painting. Yeah.

[Mikayla]

Sorry, I thought that was kind of funny.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, that is funny. That is funny. Okay, but that's another series I need to be convinced to continue. You know how you just kind of. You just kind of leave books and then you forget about them and then.

[Mikayla]

Honestly, we probably should make, like, YouTube videos of us finishing series we have started.

[Kennedy]

We should. Series I forgot about. There's a lot. Or an episode.

[Mikayla]

Making our listeners keep us accountable.

[Reggie]

Yeah. Please do that for us.

[Kennedy]

Oh, it's your turn.

[Reggie]

Yeah, it is my turn. The word pretend was used 50 times. Shambles, 10, inevitable, 100 times. Like bestie. We get it. I'm sorry. It was so repetitive and barely had any substance to it. I'm. I was bored to death.

[Mikayla]

Inevitable.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

I am inevitable.

[Reggie]

Inevitable. A hundred times. That's actually crazy.

[Mikayla]

Is this a Jessa Hastings book?

[Reggie]

No, no, it's not just a Hastings book. Sorry. I was seeing if, like, they were guessing. If that's the number count. I'm wondering if they're guessing now. I want.

[Kennedy]

What genre is it?

[Reggie]

Romantic.

[Kennedy]

Oh.

[Reggie]

I'm surprised you guys didn't get it.

[Kennedy]

By the way, I am your inevitable. Reckless, flawless, reckless, powerless, fearless.

[Reggie]

She is my inevitable.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Reggie]

A hundred times. I want to fact check that.

[Mikayla]

Ah, that makes inevitable 100.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

And then it says, say you and me, brother, always. One more time and see what happens.

[Mikayla]

You and me, brother, always.

[Kennedy]

It's giving Damon and Stefan Salvatore. Oh, love that. Yeah. Love that series. Yeah. Oh, you probably just saw what this. No, you did.

[Mikayla]

So I won't guess. I won't guess.

[Reggie]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

You're gonna get it pretty fast, though.

[Reggie]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

When you write a book just so you can use the last Great American Dynasty in the future movie trailer, it's time to put the pen down.

[Reggie]

The favorites.

[Kennedy]

Nope. That's a good one. That would be a good one for it too.

[Reggie]

Great big beautiful life.

[Mikayla]

Yep.

[Kennedy]

Should I play the song.

[Mikayla]

Beautifully?

[Kennedy]

Saying there goes beautifully.

[Mikayla]

Stuff like that. Because I don't get it.

[Kennedy]

What do you mean?

[Reggie]

Oh, that's great.

[Kennedy]

Have you never heard that?

[Reggie]

Okay, yeah, I'm seeing it.

[Kennedy]

Taylor Swift.

[Reggie]

Who knows if he is? Something showed up.

[Mikayla]

I don't know. I don't know. Oh, it's me. The MC spends the entire book complaining about how she built her entire life around her ex fiance and then proceeds to build her entire life around another man.

[Kennedy]

Funny story.

[Reggie]

Yep.

[Kennedy]

Oh, that was good.

[Mikayla]

And there's another one. If you created a drinking game out of every time she mentions a man smelling like ginger, your liver would leap out of your throat.

[Reggie]

Oh, my God.

[Kennedy]

Okay, but I will say she does have a thing for that, because the amount of times she mentioned almond in the Great Big Beautiful Life is so many times. And as someone who can't smell, I don't give a rip.

[Mikayla]

I actually kind of hate the smell of almond. Like, almond extract does not smell very good.

[Reggie]

Why do characters like in books never just actually smell like a cologne? You know what I mean?

[Kennedy]

Like, I mean, I think Jessa Hastings is probably the only one that actually.

[Reggie]

Name drops a cologne, but it's just, like, funny because it's always like, he smells. Smelled of honey and almonds and rain. And I'm like, my husband smells really good. But, like, I couldn't tell you. Like. Oh, yeah. Like, I couldn't. I couldn't tell you.

[Mikayla]

He smells like he wet grass.

[Kennedy]

Oh, that's actually. No, no, no.

[Reggie]

I just. I don't know.

[Mikayla]

Sorry.

[Kennedy]

I know.

[Reggie]

It's like, maybe a fur tree.

[Mikayla]

A fur.

[Reggie]

Like, you know what I mean? Like, I just, like, I. Every time, like, I'm like, Snuggling my husband. I'm like, oh, he smells so good. I literally am thinking, how would I describe what my husband smells if I were like writing a fantasy book? I don't know, like, he smells really great, but maybe I just am not that creative. But I'm like, he smells like the name of his clone. I don't know. So I love the create. I don't know. I just want to smell what some of these smell. Some of these men in these.

[Kennedy]

I just want someone to troll us hardcore one time and give the most out of pocket scent and just let it be.

[Mikayla]

Like, please.

[Kennedy]

I don't know.

[Mikayla]

Yeah, they're. They're a little. I don't know. Maybe if you can smell things like that, let me know.

[Kennedy]

How can I bloodhound?

[Mikayla]

How can. Well, the thing is, is like I. I can smell things, but like, if there's a label on it, then I can say, yeah, that smells like honey. But if it's like, what does that smell like?

[Reggie]

My husband's cologne.

[Mikayla]

Like what? I have no idea what my husband smells.

[Reggie]

This is my favorite one of his. Now I'm just curious if it tells you what it smells like.

[Kennedy]

I'm sure it does.

[Reggie]

Warm, spicy.

[Mikayla]

Ooh, Warm spicy.

[Reggie]

Wormwood and basil.

[Mikayla]

There you go.

[Reggie]

Middle notes are paprika and patcheluni. Pat. Pat. Patchouli, Paprika. But that doesn't smell like that to me.

[Kennedy]

It.

[Reggie]

To me it smells like sweet.

[Kennedy]

Ish.

[Reggie]

Like a basil.

[Mikayla]

I can't get out.

[Reggie]

It doesn't smell like basil.

[Kennedy]

Wormwood.

[Reggie]

How am I supposed to know what wormwood smells like? He smelled.

[Kennedy]

Maybe that's why authors give us pine and almond, because we know exactly what that smells like. Yeah, I need.

[Mikayla]

I need an author to use a paprika. Now balsamic smells like paprika. Maybe he's a cook.

[Reggie]

Now I smell like. That's so interesting because that does not. That's not what I would say. My. Okay, sorry. I'm sorry.

[Kennedy]

We just went off on a tangent on smells.

[Reggie]

I'm gonna tell my husband he smells like basil when he gets home from work.

[Kennedy]

See what he says.

[Mikayla]

You smell like basil.

[Kennedy]

What's a hint of.

[Reggie]

I mean, I like the smell of basil.

[Mikayla]

Sorry, I can't get rid of pepper. I didn't see it.

[Kennedy]

Wormwood.

[Reggie]

You smell like wormwood.

[Kennedy]

Are you guys ready for the next one? My Hoover has more chemistry with fallen hairs behind the couch than blank and blank.

[Mikayla]

Is this from Crescent City?

[Reggie]

My. Wait, say that again. My what?

[Kennedy]

My Hoover. It's a Vacuum.

[Mikayla]

Vacuum.

[Reggie]

Well, for a second, I was thinking, like, Colleen Hoover. So I was like, is it a Colleen Hoover book?

[Kennedy]

No, but that would be funny. Hoover?

[Reggie]

Who?

[Kennedy]

I.

[Mikayla]

Is it a contemporary romance or is it fantasy?

[Kennedy]

Fantasy.

[Mikayla]

Huh? Oh, is it when the Moon Hatched Flip? I have no idea.

[Kennedy]

Onyx Storm.

[Mikayla]

Oh. Oh, that surprises me.

[Kennedy]

Their Hoover has more chemistry. Oh, wow. With hair. I kind of imagine Violet and Zaden.

[Mikayla]

Love that one. Star review. I disagree with it, but I think it's kind of funny. I would have not guessed that either.

[Kennedy]

I would say they have chemistry.

[Reggie]

Oh, yeah. That's why I eat it up.

[Mikayla]

That's the way I eat it up. All right, you ready? A narcissist author who creates a narcissist's main character.

[Kennedy]

I don't even want to say it because I already know who it is. Keep going.

[Mikayla]

This guy is smarter, dumber, faster, and can do no wrong.

[Kennedy]

Wait, maybe it's not. Who?

[Mikayla]

He eases through every situation without a sweat and continually pats himself on the back.

[Kennedy]

I'm assuming it's romance. No, no, no.

[Mikayla]

The writing style is so pretentious, it makes me cringe. Classics like classic lines. Like, he expects to win against me. He doesn't. And most wouldn't have reflex. Reflexes fast enough. I do.

[Kennedy]

We've all read it.

[Mikayla]

Huh. It's not much of a storyline when it's obvious the main character is a God reincarnated. Let me predict the rest of the series.

[Kennedy]

I'm assuming it's Poppy War. No.

[Mikayla]

Accomplishes all his goals and then some. His. I'm.

[Kennedy]

Shut up. I'm gonna leave. I'm leaving. I am leaving. It's red Rising.

[Mikayla]

Is red Rising?

[Kennedy]

How rude. I'm digging fence that so hardcore.

[Reggie]

I don't. I was thinking romance. Then when you said fantasy, I was like, wait.

[Kennedy]

You know what, though?

[Mikayla]

He didn't say anything wrong in my review.

[Kennedy]

You're all wrong.

[Reggie]

But Kennedy's offended, and I am too.

[Mikayla]

Oh, that's funny. I'm so sorry, you guys.

[Reggie]

Kennedy, do you want to tell us about your interaction with yourself?

[Kennedy]

No, because I told them that my husband said he had nice forearms. Okay.

[Mikayla]

It was awkward.

[Reggie]

Oh, he's probably still thinking about that. It's probably like, hey, somebody told me he probably put that on his Tinder profile. I'm just kidding.

[Mikayla]

Oh, I'm sorry, you guys. I thought it was hilarious.

[Kennedy]

Here's the thing. When I will give him credit. Like, give him credit because he sat and signed books for, like, four hours straight. Yeah. He talked to every single Person that was there. He signed every single person's book.

[Mikayla]

Like, he was so nice. So.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, he was really cool. All right, do you have a one star review?

[Reggie]

I do to follow up that one. I would have given this book two stars, but the word soul friend was used and I believe that that is simply unforgivable.

[Kennedy]

Soul friend.

[Reggie]

Like the main character calls somebody her soul friend.

[Kennedy]

Huh. Genre.

[Reggie]

Fantasy.

[Kennedy]

Soul friend. No, I'm just gonna start ripping off fantasy books. Soul friend. Who would have a soul friend?

[Mikayla]

I don't know.

[Kennedy]

Is it Crescent City?

[Reggie]

No. Think of somebody. Who.

[Mikayla]

Is it when the moon hatched? Nope, I have no idea. We've all read it.

[Reggie]

Yep.

[Mikayla]

Soul.

[Kennedy]

Like who has?

[Reggie]

Me and Mikayla have read it twice.

[Kennedy]

Oh. Thrown a glass.

[Reggie]

No.

[Kennedy]

Arrow. Fire.

[Reggie]

Crown of Midnight.

[Kennedy]

Oh, yeah.

[Mikayla]

I don't want to drop names, but.

[Kennedy]

Oh. Oh, I don't have any more left, so. Michaela.

[Mikayla]

Oh, you want me to go?

[Kennedy]

Do you have. Yeah. You have one, right?

[Mikayla]

Yeah. We'll see if you guys can guess it. This is the dumbest thing I've ever read. I am pissed about the high rating. There wasn't a single thing that made even a tiny bit of sense. And it just kept getting dumber and dumber when you didn't think it was possible. I will say this has 1200 likes.

[Kennedy]

Hey, give us the genre.

[Mikayla]

A thriller.

[Reggie]

Oh, it's gotta be a Frida, huh? The housemaid.

[Mikayla]

Yep. I love that review.

[Kennedy]

Funny, right? It's funny, but like, give me a little more. Yeah. You know, give me a reason why you hated it.

[Mikayla]

It's just dumber. I don't know, I just feel like sometimes with thriller books especially, you kind of have to suspend.

[Reggie]

Oh, yeah.

[Kennedy]

Oh, for sure.

[Mikayla]

Everything.

[Kennedy]

Mm.

[Mikayla]

Because I feel like when I've overanalyzed things, I'm like, just stop. Just stop analyzing it and just enjoy it.

[Kennedy]

It's like a fantasy world.

[Mikayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Mikayla]

We live in a fantasy.

[Kennedy]

You do.

[Reggie]

Okay, I'm gonna omit a word from this review.

[Mikayla]

Okay.

[Reggie]

And if you guys can't guess it, which I think you will.

[Mikayla]

Okay.

[Reggie]

I'll add in the word 459 pages of nonsense. Because a 10 year old girl who manipulated every adult in this book just wanted to blank.

[Kennedy]

A ten year old girl romance.

[Mikayla]

When has there been a ten year old regretting you?

[Reggie]

No, just because a ten year old girl who manipulated every adult in this book just wanted to take ballet classes.

[Kennedy]

Variation.

[Mikayla]

Oh, I kind of forgot about that book.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Okay. Reggie, you have two more.

[Reggie]

Yeah, I do have two more. You'll guess them from the review.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Mikayla]

All right.

[Reggie]

This was, in fact, not wonderful and just a crime.

[Mikayla]

Most wonderful crime of the year.

[Reggie]

And then this one was so funny to me because, like, I just. He. This is a quote from the book. He frosted under heavy guard. That's right. A character frosts a cake under heavy guard. He's a dangerous cake froster.

[Kennedy]

What?

[Reggie]

We've read this. Yeah. It's probably been a long time. Think of somebody in a book who frosts cakes. Works. Is it a bakery?

[Kennedy]

Oh, my gosh. Is it. Is it like a Hunger Games book? Yeah. Mockingjay.

[Reggie]

He frosts under a heavy guard. That's actually hilarious.

[Kennedy]

Peeta.

[Reggie]

Sweet baby PETA.

[Kennedy]

Sweet baby Peeta.

[Mikayla]

I'm shook right now.

[Kennedy]

He's a tamer's cake froster.

[Reggie]

It took me out when I heard that.

[Kennedy]

I was like, you're joking. Oh, that's wild.

[Mikayla]

Wow, these are really fun. If you find any one star reviews that are just kind of funny, send them. Send them our way, please.

[Reggie]

Well, we can share some of them.

[Kennedy]

We can.

[Reggie]

As long as they're not spoilery.

[Mikayla]

We can laugh at things. We. We love it.

[Kennedy]

Do you know, even though I love certain books, some people hate them. And do you guys ever actually go back and read some of the one star reviews of your favorite books and you're like, you know what? It's kind of valid.

[Mikayla]

No, because I don't like validating.

[Kennedy]

Like, wait, you were kind of right.

[Mikayla]

No, I do sometimes.

[Kennedy]

That's kind of entertaining.

[Reggie]

It is kind of. I just have to look at the book as a whole. You know, there can be things I don't like about a book, but it must. It must really bother some people if they feel passionate about these tiny little things. That of the things we talked about to write a one star review off of that one thing.

[Kennedy]

You know, there's a lot of books that I really liked that things really grind my gears, but I didn't rate it one star, you know?

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Hey. It's all right. It's okay. It's all good. It's all. It's all fun. I could never be an author. Let's just be honest. Yeah.

[Reggie]

I just can't. I can't. Can't.

[Kennedy]

Couldn't do it.

[Reggie]

Imagine.

[Kennedy]

Well, guys, that's the end of the episode. Thanks so much for listening this week. Spending your Wednesday or whenever you're listening to this episode. We appreciate you guys a lot. If you want more content from us, you can find us on TikTok and Instagram at what She's Reading Pod. And we also have a YouTube channel. If you are not watching this on YouTube, it's. I'll read what she's reading. We put out weekly vlogs and we think they're kind of fun.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

So if you want more from us, check those out. Okay. That's all we've got for you. Bye.

[Caitlyn]

Welcome to Sky Talkers. I'm your host, Charlotte.

[Charlotte]

Hey, everyone. I'm your other host, Caitlyn. From interviews with the cast of the latest show on Disney, to in depth discussions about themes in Star wars, to deep dives into the behind the scenes of Lucasfilm, we hope that when you tune into Skytalkers, you feel like you're a part of the conversation.

[Caitlyn]

Our goal from the beginning of Skytalkers was to create a space where we could talk about Star wars in the way we wanted to. Caitlyn and I are lifelong best friends who love Star wars and have been podcasting about the galaxy far, far away since 2017.

[Charlotte]

Join us when weekly in laughing, obsessing, and exploring all the parts of our favorite galaxy. Whether you've been a fan for over 40 years or just a few months.

[Caitlyn]

Listen to new episodes of Sky Talkers every Thursday. Wherever you get your podcasts.