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Tier Ranking: Friends to Lovers Books | S3Ep14
588 Plays6 months ago
This week we tackle tier-ranking popular Friends to Lovers books that our listeners submitted!
Follow us on Instagram @BringYourOwnPod
Follow Brandi @Brandos.Books
Follow Kendra @Kendra.Readz
Follow Kayla @Kaylas.Bookshelf
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Transcript
Introduction & Focus on Book Tropes
00:00:06
Speaker
Hey guys! Is that a good Brandy? Is that a good? Dale makes fun of me because you can hear me through the room. Hey guys! Welcome to Bring Your Own A Catch All Bookish Knows the Time podcast. I'm Brandy. I'm Kendra. And I'm Kayla. And today we are going to be tier ranking another trope, one of our faves, but weirdly not like a romance genre fave. No. Which is friends to lovers. Like I feel like the trope gets hated on all the time.
00:00:36
Speaker
It does. It's a bad rap. Just sad. Yeah. Yeah. But we're going to be talking about a bunch
Current Reads & Drinks
00:00:43
Speaker
of them. We got 22 romance books that we're going to be ranking. But before we do, what are we reading? What are we drinking? I'll go. I'm drinking and Elani knew.
00:00:54
Speaker
Juicy Peach, they sell mini cans now, which I think are just like so cute. You can get like a 12 pack at Walmart. I was trying to zoom in on that picture you sent in our group chat the other day when you were outside reading. I was like, what is that? Yeah, it's a, it's an Alani Nu. Have you not heard of Alani Nu? It's like, um, it's like Celsius.
00:01:11
Speaker
Yeah, they're like it's been around for a few they've like grown into like such a massive brand But they used to be specifically in like fitness spaces and now they're like everywhere Like life, let's go lifestyle more. But yeah, it's a caffeinated caffeinated beverage So cute. This is a mini can they have larger cans and they have protein powder and protein shakes and
00:01:35
Speaker
No, I just like I feel like I've been like a fan of theirs for so long like and they do they did the collaboration with Kim Kardashian last year Kim made You hear about that?
Music Preferences: Billie Eilish
00:01:45
Speaker
Oh Cuz you guys just aren't in the know So I'm drinking that and then I am reading what am I reading?
00:01:54
Speaker
The other day, Kayla made fun of me for liking Billie Eilish. I didn't make fun. Oh my god. I was like, yeah, no, no, no. I was like, oh, I ran Billie Eilish. She was like first album into the ground. Her third album just came out. And Kayla was like, yeah, a lot of people your age did do that.
00:02:12
Speaker
I said, Oh my God. You said, I ran it into the ground in college and I was like, yeah, I think if I was in college during that time, I'm no, you didn't start it like that. Yeah. I think a lot of people your age did too. And then you went into, yeah, when I was in college, well, if I was in college at the time, anyways.
Book Discussions: 'Lady Midnight' & 'Carry On'
00:02:30
Speaker
sorry to derail what am i reading i am reading uh lady midnight which is book one in the dark artifices series by Cassandra claire it's the last shadow hunters like main series i have to read i have some like other stuff i'll have to read but it's so good so far you guys it's like crazy good i'm like
00:02:48
Speaker
so invested. The girl Emma is so like Jude Duarte coded. It's actually like Mad Ming. She's so cool. And then I'm I just finished Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren last night, which was it was cute, like a solid CeeLo book, nothing crazy, nothing life changing. Yeah.
00:03:05
Speaker
Nice. I'm currently drinking an iced caramel latte, as always. And I am currently listening to Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, which is the first book in the science in a series. That's crazy. That's crazy. I'm having a lot of fun so far. I just like kind of got to where it's like, things are really happening, you know, like we've been where you at, you haven't said anything.
00:03:35
Speaker
I haven't had a ton of listening time to be completely serious, just because work has been so insane. I know I've mentioned it on here before, but I'm a teacher and it's May, so I'm just holding on with two hands, getting dragged through the end of the school year. But I just got to the part where Baz isn't there, and Simon's freaking out, trying to figure out where he is, and we're getting some flashbacks of them in the catacombs in year five and stuff like that.
00:03:59
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm like pretty invested at this point now. Like at the beginning, like I have a really hard time talking about this before, but like I have a really hard time in the first like 10% of any book. I feel like I just like, um, that's a sign of a really great book to me if I'm engaged in the first 10%. You know what I mean? Anyways, listening to that, having fun, physically reading the arc of the new version of the co-op by Tara DeWitt.
00:04:23
Speaker
Yeah. And I'm enjoying it so far. So I'm I'm lucky. It's fun to like look at the changes that have been made. And I think for for the better, for sure. So I am excited to read that one just because I feel like it'll be like a whole new experience for me. Ken and I have said before that we personally didn't love the co-op as much as I think most people did. We were kind of in the minority, but
Taste Test: Ollie Pop Flavors
00:04:46
Speaker
I am genuinely very excited for this. I feel like it'll just be like a brand new thing. I don't know.
00:04:52
Speaker
Yeah. OK, I don't have anything exciting to drink today. I'm going to continue my Ollie Pop journey because I do have one more Ollie Pop in my fridge that I haven't tried yet. So it's banana cream. You have to try it, please. It's so good. No, both of you just asked this question. What flavor? Is it banana cream?
00:05:12
Speaker
No. No, listen, I got this one because a friend of mine recommended it. They said it was good because they are also kind of on an Ollie pop journey. And that is Cherry Cola. Lomi said that she liked Cherry Cola. So I'll try it. I'm willing to try, but I need to go to the store and get some new ones. So the ones that I still have to get that everybody's yelling at me to try is tropical punch ginger ale. Somebody Oh, that one's that one's ginger ale or ginger lime or
00:05:41
Speaker
Ginger lemon. Ginger lemon. OK, got it. Ginger something. And then if I see banana cream, I'll take a look. Kayla, you're I don't know. Listen, listen, you're picturing one thing, but you're going to experience something else like it tastes so good. I think it's like just such a nice drink. It's I've never think so. I'm like trying to think, are there any banana flavored drinks that I have ever tried in my life?
00:06:10
Speaker
Yeah, do you like banana smoothies? Oh, I don't know. Do you even like
Debate: Banana Flavored Drinks
00:06:14
Speaker
bananas? Yeah, I like bananas. Oh, OK. I think banana strawberry smoothie. I like strawberries. I like strawberries. What about like have you ever had like a Sunday? Yeah, but that's not a drink. It's a Sunday. OK, this is why you have to go to Whole Foods because we're going to find banana cream. Go to Whole Foods. Give the man cream. Just try it. That they are only in Whole Foods. Well, Whole Foods like them enough.
00:06:39
Speaker
No, they do. Whole Foods just has the most flavors. Like, you know, you go to Target and they only have, like, two or three flavors sometimes. Like, Whole Foods has the most. Anyway. Don't disrespect banana cream like that. That's crazy. You're the only one that I have ever heard, like, rave on about banana cream. No, every time I talk to people, they're like, oh, this is a good flavor. It's a good flavor. They keep making it, so obviously it's selling. Okay, so like I said, I need to try
00:07:07
Speaker
tropical punch, ginger, lime, or lemon, banana cream and cream soda was the other one that I was going to say. Oh, and you know, they just came out with a new one. Yeah. The cream so one's not my favorite, but banana cream is really good. I think what I have discovered though, is that like, there is not one singular Ollie pop flavor where every single person has said that it is good or just poppy too. It doesn't apply to just Ollie pop, but like everybody's divided on like everything. So.
00:07:35
Speaker
I don't know. But anyway, what I'm reading, I am listening to The Summer I Destroyed You by Elizabeth O'Rourke, which is the fourth book in her summer series. And I'm not physically reading anything. I haven't been really wanting to physically read anything. And the ones that I have tried to force myself to read haven't been that great recently. So I don't know what I'm going to do. Read The Gram Effect with me. No.
00:08:05
Speaker
I read the prologue last night. I was like, okay, I'll play along. I have heard that they're pretty good. I probably will, but I don't know. I will someday for sure. Well, let me not say that, but I don't know. Nothing is speaking to me. Well, you're going to do paradise problem, right? I'll take that on vacation with Mia. Are you the first of us to read caution to the wind?
00:08:37
Speaker
Why'd you just make handsome Squidward face? No. Okay. Should we jump in? Yes. Let's do it. Okay.
Exploring 'Friends to Lovers' Trope
00:08:52
Speaker
Before we start spinning our favorite wheel, again, wheel of names, DM us, let us know if you'd like to sponsor us. We're huge fans. We love wheel of names. But before we do.
00:09:06
Speaker
what do you guys love about the friends to lovers trope as three friends to lovers truthers here i think apart i mean this isn't the only thing
00:09:16
Speaker
that I like about the friends to lovers trope because it certainly can be a trope that is not done well but I think a part that I like about the friends to lovers trope is that there is already an established relationship between the two people like they already know so much about each other at least I would hope if they're friends sometimes in a friends to lovers book they don't always start as friends maybe they start as strangers they grow into friends and then they grow into lovers so that is the case too but
00:09:40
Speaker
I think the majority of the time when you're getting a friends to lovers book or if it's marketed as a friends to lovers book, there's usually an established relationship already. I don't know. I just like that piece of it that they already know a lot about each other. Usually it's not always the case, but yeah, it's like you can throw sex out the window and they would still want to hang out with each other. And I think that is like the nicest part of it. Yeah, they already have like that emotional connection. Yeah.
00:10:09
Speaker
Yeah, I love seeing like different forms of love that you can have for a person because I think that's so realistic like it's not always just like lust and like physical attraction like they love each other in a way that has nothing like you just said Kendra like they love each other in a way that has nothing to do with sex. So yeah, I love seeing like those different forms of love between two people.
00:10:32
Speaker
Yeah. Sometimes three in the case of one of the books on here. Okay. Why do you think some people hate it? And do you think that they are justified? I really don't know why people hate friend slivers. I've never like done a deep dive onto that. Like I just hear them say they hate it. It's not like pregnancy where the people are like, I just don't want a baby involved or like I personally don't want a baby. So I don't want to read about people having babies. So yeah, I don't know. I think it's because people sometimes find it unrealistic.
00:11:03
Speaker
I guess that's fair. The older I get, the more unrealistic it becomes. When I was a teenager and I was actually friends with a lot of the people I was attracted to, then it made sense. But now I'm not friends with anyone that I have a crush on.
00:11:19
Speaker
Yeah, like one of the things I hear the most especially with like childhood friends to lovers is that like, what do you mean you guys have gone your whole lives without like thinking about each other in that way? I'm like, what books are you reading where they're not? Because almost every single friends to lovers book I've read, they do have those feelings for each other or like think about it. But then they're like, valuing other things more or like life gets in the way and that's part of the angst of it all.
00:11:45
Speaker
Bro, that's literally, that's literally dark artifices right now. Like, it's friend celebrities, but it's so... Kayla's face! Bro, cause I fucking ran through it all the time. Yeah, so I feel like people who hate, I just like, I feel like probably people could say this about any trope, and people probably say it about me when I'm talking mad shit about unrequited love, that like, you just haven't read it done right, you know what I mean? But,
00:12:15
Speaker
Whatever. We're going to be ranking 22 friends lovers books. Kendra, do you want to walk us through the rankings again?
Ranking 'Addicted to You' Series
00:12:24
Speaker
Yes, I've been watching so we mentioned a few podcasts ago. Kayla and I are obsessed with this YouTuber called Swiftologist and he tier ranks all of Taylor Swift's albums. And I've been watching like all of them. And it's so fun. I feel like I'm in like a very tier ranking.
00:12:41
Speaker
Gorgina you got to break out Gorgina. Yeah, what else do you have to say? Well on his tier ranking ones. He's like on my list on my list is like you're not the best of a song and it's so funny. Okay, anyways Our categories are God's here, which is like the best of the best. Oh my god amazing like 10 out of 10. No flaws No flaws to us If there are flaws, we're gonna overlook them. Yeah, we can I can justify them
00:13:08
Speaker
Laced with Drugs, this was just a pretty great book. Not probably the best. No, I mean, like, it's just a really good book. Not a god tier. Like, you know what a god tier is. Like, people that can tell you, like, what's the difference between a 4.75 and a five? It's just a feeling. Ooh, close try again. You know, the name says it all. You were so close to being good. You weren't great. It might be good. It's just not great, you know? Yeah.
00:13:36
Speaker
It's like imagine the pyramid, Abby Lee Miller. You're not last on the pyramid, but you're not at the top. I was reading for you. We were all rooting for you. You're on the bottom of the pyramid. You're not the last spot, but you're in the in the bottom row. Checking the Barnes and Noble return policy. Why did we even waste our time reading this stupid book? I we hate it.
00:14:04
Speaker
i'm looking i'm looking at these books and i and i feel like i know which one kinder is gonna say that about yeah i do too i have a whole video on it actually um and then we'll believe it when we see it are just the books that we personally have not read but have heard a lot about um and it's so interesting because we were like crafting this list and like there are books that like i think all of us throughout a book that like the other two haven't read and it's like that's another requirement that all these books at least two of us had to have read
00:14:30
Speaker
So we did what we did last time when we were tier ranking. We asked y'all for some suggestions on our Instagram page at bringing your own pod over on Instagram. Join us there if you're not already there. And then we also just came up with some ones that popped into our heads. So I put them all in the wheel of names. Let's see which one comes first. Okay. Our first.
00:14:55
Speaker
book is probably the one that was most requested, addicted to you. Moreover, like the addicted series, specifically low and low. Wait, so like we're not just talking about the first book, it's the series as a whole, but for their arc as a whole.
00:15:11
Speaker
I guess that's a decision we have to make because like when we put it on Instagram people were swiping up saying Lily and Lo, the addicted series. Nobody specifically said addicted to you because that's going to change my answer. The first book versus their arc. Where where Rike and Daisy friends lovers to
00:15:34
Speaker
Uncle time lovers. My first immediate. My my first immediate reaction is to say laced with drugs. Because there are their book for that book. I would say they're like their friends, because I don't know, I feel like with them, like they like my mind is laced with drugs. I think their relationship as a whole is great, but like the friends lovers part, like they go to lovers so
00:16:04
Speaker
Yeah. This is a similar conversation that we had last time. Like, are we doing it on the trope? Are we doing it on vibes? Are we doing it on the book? I want to say God tier. Just because I love them so much. But if we're talking about the trope, then yeah. If we're talking about the trope in the book, then I say laced with drugs as well. Yeah. But them, just them, just know them as a whole. They're God tier. God tier. Yeah. Them as them. If we're talking about just the book itself,
00:16:31
Speaker
then yeah, because I feel like we're going to do that for a lot of the other ones. So let's start there. OK, so yeah, because of the fact that like they're not really friends to lovers outside of the first book, like they're they're lovers for the rest of the series that never wavers, which is something I love about. Yeah, that was good. But I loved like the fact that they still made it in place with drugs just by that first book. I feel like it's really good because I loved what we got. Like that was such a fun, angsty time. Yeah.
00:16:58
Speaker
Yeah, okay. Okay, I'll take it. Alright, next one. Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez. I would also put this in Lace With Drugs. Okay, I thought you were gonna say God tier. But no, I Lace With Drugs. Yeah, Lace With Drugs. Yeah, that one feels easy. We already had a whole episode on Abby books. So yeah, also just because I feel like the friends lovers in this is so good. But it's not like when I think of that book, that's not the first thing that I think of.
00:17:27
Speaker
about. Like I don't know if that makes sense. It's like, like I would never, if someone was like, Oh, like, give me a friend's lover's book to read, like that would be on the list, but it wouldn't be the first thing on that list. Like there are so many, I think more about like the guardian trope, the single guardian trope, their neighbors. Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:46
Speaker
Is it right to call that like a secondary trope in the book then? Because it's not like the driving force, right? I think so. Yeah, because that's not like the defining dynamic of their relationship. There's so much more that goes into it. Yeah, I would agree. That's a secondary trope.
00:18:00
Speaker
Obviously, we've said this a couple of times already. We're huge fans of this trope. So I have a feeling we're going to have a lot in Laced with Drugs. Yeah. OK, next is The Spell's Love, which I have not read. So I will leave that up to you guys to discuss. I also say Laced with Drugs. I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was so sinking cute and the friends lovers in it is so good to me. Yeah, I think Kendra liked this book a little bit more than I did. However, crazy.
00:18:31
Speaker
Uh, because I personally, I thought it was a little predictable, but that was okay. It was based on a movie. Oh, it was. Okay. It's meant to be like 13 going on 30S. Like that's the driving force behind it. So like, but I just meant, anyway, whatever. It doesn't matter. I think that the friends to lovers aspect of this book though is really great. Like they're very cute. I like they're, they're a cute couple. So I think place of drugs is fine.
00:18:59
Speaker
like you you learn like how they became friends as adults too which i think is like i love when that happens like they weren't childhood friends and they like meet at a bar the same night that she meets her i think he quickly becomes her ex-boyfriend but like that she meets her
00:19:14
Speaker
long-term partner that you can hear about in the book and then he just like becomes friends with her and they say friends for years and then like this time thing happens she gets sent to an alternate universe and then she has to like become friends with him again to help get her back and it's so sweet and he just cares about her so much. Oh they're so cute. So Lisa Jones. I think if you want like an easy audiobook and the narrator is pretty good. Okay.
00:19:45
Speaker
next hook line and sinker by Tessa Bailey. I don't remember a lot of this book ever being honest.
00:19:52
Speaker
Yes, this book was actually quite disappointing to me because I really loved, it happened on summer. And I was really looking forward to this one. And it just fell quite flat for me. I thought both the characters were really, really one dimensional. And I had way less bite. And this was my second Tessa Bailey book after reading it happened on summer. So I had quite high expectations because
00:20:19
Speaker
I think I liked it. I didn't love it as much as I happened one summer, but I did really like I think I just like the guy a lot. The girl I don't think I cared that much for. But I like the epilogue, but like, you know, I
Book Critiques: Tessa Bailey & Sophie Lark
00:20:29
Speaker
liked it better. Yeah, I like the epilogue too. But like, I also liked it because we have to see Brennan and what's her name. Yeah, I'm I'm not like upset if we don't put it in lease with drugs. Yeah, I'm OK. Try again. Yeah, I would definitely say close. Try again. OK, that's fine with me. OK.
00:20:48
Speaker
I think there was something about it that I think did annoy me a little bit, but I can't remember. If I can't remember, then I think that's also a telltale sign. Dragged. You know what really bothered me about this book, and we've talked about this before, about our niches getting represented in books. She was working on a film doing music, and she kept saying that she was working on the score. She was not. She was working on the soundtrack. The soundtrack? Oh. Very different things. Yeah, wasn't she a music supervisor?
00:21:16
Speaker
she was like working for the music supervisor, but like they kept talking about the score, the score, the score. I'm like, you are not working on the score. I just like, it, I don't know. I feel like one person beta reading that could have caught that. Anyways. Did you see Tessa Bailey just did a video with Benny Blanco? Yes. So odd. He's such an ugly man. Like I don't like that he's outside. Have you seen that podcast interview where he's like, I'm so ugly that I came out the other side hot. And the person who's doing the podcast with him goes, I disagree.
00:21:46
Speaker
or the one where they're like, do you want to have kids or do you want to get married? And he's like, I'm actually more concerned about starting a family than getting married. Selena Gomez, you will answer for your crimes. Like, why are these men outside? He's a music producer. Why is he famous? Get inside and loud. Yeah. Oh, okay. Next one is the air by Sophie Lark. This is my least favorite in the book. Whoa. Okay. Wait, least favorite Sophie Lark book. All of all of them.
00:22:16
Speaker
Well, I've only ever read her mafia, so... True, true, true. You didn't read The Savage, did you? No, I didn't read The Savage.
00:22:24
Speaker
This is not my least favorite of hers, but it is one of them. I thought it was a good introduction to Kingmakers, but like the actual romance was not very gripping to me. Yeah. Yeah. Same. I would put this one probably and I was ready for you. That's what I would think of, too. But I will say, like you said, it's a good introduction to the rest of the series and the rest of the series, I think is is just such a better
00:22:54
Speaker
Yeah, there are so many good books in that series. Yeah. Yeah. OK. So it was like disappointing, too, because coming off of what's the book that comes before it in King Makers? Oh, Heavy Crown. Like Heavy Crown was so good. And then you get to this and you're like, oh, OK. Yeah. Also, it's no longer called The Air, right? It's called like she changed all the titles. Yeah, it's just called King Makers Book One.
00:23:19
Speaker
which I don't like. I think we could have kept the titles and just called Kingmakers, the air, cold and air, but you know, to each their own. I'm not on Bloom's marketing, I should be. Yeah. But me with zero qualifications, let me in there. No, I would change Bloom's life. Yeah. I would. I'm gonna have you guys sell it out. No. You holding your drink, I would change Bloom's life. I would change your life. Sorry, it's just.
00:23:49
Speaker
The visual is funny. Because what happens when all these authors that they keep picking up retire, they have yet to publish a debut author. Why not? You have so many big names on your roster. Like you could you could easily. Oh, they frustrate me so much. But a lot of my things are on their roster. Yep. I will be writing their book. I love Bloom. I never said anything bad about Bloom. Hey, Bloom, thank you so much for the book mail I got a couple of days ago. Love you so much. Actually, they've never sent me anything. So I have said a few bad things about Bloom. They've never said anything either.
00:24:18
Speaker
Uh, there's only a few things, but I just got the most fucking random thing from them the other day. I opened up my mail. It's like a cardboard letter, but it's small. I open it. It's just an art print of Rosie and Ford from wild love. The same one that Elsie sent us. Yeah. But like this came from bloom, but
00:24:41
Speaker
No writing, nothing. If I didn't already know that that was them, I wouldn't know who those characters are. It just says Bloom on the back. Zero context. I was like, who is doing this? Listen, Bloom, the Bloom intern listening to this podcast will help you, will free you because that has to be the most mindless work ever. That's so pointless to me. It was very silly goofy.
Disappointment in 'Powerless'
00:25:06
Speaker
Speaking of Rosie and Ford,
00:25:10
Speaker
Next one is Powerless by L.C. Silver. I was reading for you. We were all reading. Yeah, I mean, if not checking the more, the longer I sit with this one, the more it pisses me off. I'm not going to put it in checking the bars. No more return policy because this book is on my shelf. Yeah, I wouldn't. I'm not returning it simply for the fact that I don't want an incomplete series on my shelf. So yeah. I liked this book more than I liked. I did love. Oh.
00:25:37
Speaker
Wild Love is like my least favorite LC book I've ever read in my entire life. Ever? I took that one off a year because it was like some people suggested it, but it's enemies to friends to lovers. Yeah, so I took it off. But you know what I was noticing? Somebody also just like suggested Hopeless. Maybe Friends to Lovers is just not LC's bag. You know what I mean? Hopeless?
00:26:02
Speaker
Yeah, like hopeless, powerless and wild love. Like I think those are her three worst books. Hopeless is friends to lovers.
00:26:11
Speaker
I don't know. Fake dating is always like a level of friends to lovers, I think, unless it's like enemies to lovers because they have to like enter this agreement. Right. I don't know. I think that bonding on the bank before they decide to get engaged is why somebody suggested it. I didn't put it on here because I also was like, stretch. I have those conversations with people I meet like in line at a store. Like they talk about your, your, but like, you know what I mean? It's like, that doesn't mean like we're friends and like shitty. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:26:39
Speaker
Going back to Powerless, I'm fine with that too. I was rooting for you. We were all rooting for you. It's like tied for my least favorite LC book with Hopeless. I liked Hopeless. I liked Hopeless less than Wild Love. I know, Kendra, you said that Wild Love is your least favorite. I think Hopeless is a little bit more. I think Bailey was just a much more enjoyable character. That's true. I do like Bailey.
00:27:05
Speaker
Yeah, I just don't love Sloane. Yeah, I think Sloane is maybe the cringiest character she's ever written. Yeah, she's like the things she does. I'm like, girl. No, this book was like wildly disappointing to me. So yeah, we were rooting for you. We were all rooting for you. But good news is we talked about this when Kendra finished Wild Love and didn't like it. We know she can bounce back because you know what came after Powerless? Reckless. So yeah, I am a little nervous. I'm nervous. Yeah.
00:27:34
Speaker
Um, but I'm interested in Rosie's brother. I think he was such, he, to me, he was the best part of that book. Fingers crossed for the next one. Next one is every summer after by Carly fortune, which I again have not read. Wait, you haven't read that one. What? No. Cause everybody was describing it as a worst version of love and other words. I was like, why would I want to read that? That's, I just don't think that's true. I think that does that book a district. Like, yeah.
00:28:02
Speaker
Books are allowed to have the same tropes in the same formatting that does not make them the same. And these are just two wildly different books to me. I think that was just around like the release of it and the hype of it all. And that's like what people were saying. Now, if we remove the last page of that book, to me, it's a God tier book. Oh, wow. Did you rate it five stars?
00:28:28
Speaker
I don't think I know because she gets on her knee, one knee and no. But I think strictly even from like the friends to lovers aspect of it, like watching them fall for each other over years and then like get together, I thought it was just so good. And like everything in the present, like when they fucking the truck and he's like, what did he say? He's like, you broke my heart or something. And she's like, I know it's something like that. I was like, damn, that's good.
00:28:55
Speaker
I don't know, I don't know. It's not, I mean, it's not a God tier book for
Reflections on 'Every Summer After'
00:29:00
Speaker
me. It's Lace With Drugs. I'm okay with Lace With Drugs. Okay. But I think trope wise for me, it would be God tier. Book as a whole, I'm okay with Lace With Drugs. Okay. Kayla, you're the one that was begging me to read it. I know. I mean, it was, it's a good book. Like it is, it's an addicting book. I really enjoyed it. It was angsty, but there's just a couple of things that like,
00:29:24
Speaker
Grind my gears, but that's okay. It's a good book. It's a great book. Yeah. Beautiful cover. Yes. Yes. The next one is ready or not. Oh, listeners. Guess where we're going to put it. God's here, which is so crazy. Cause like it is friends, lovers, but it's kind of like what we were saying with, well, the secondary trope. Yeah. But like, I feel like how well the friends, the lovers have done.
00:29:53
Speaker
Yeah, like even though it is a secondary trope like it's so good and it's technically childhood friends lovers too But like you it doesn't rely on that past present narrative But you just know that like you get glimpses of their childhood and it's so good and chef has been in like love with her forever, too
00:30:11
Speaker
Yeah, but not in like a, not in like a desperate way. It was like in a natural, like fun way. Like you're just always going to carry a little torch. Like if the timing works out, of course you're going to shoot your shot. Like that feels so much more realistic than, Oh, like love on the brain. Fucking Ali Hazelwood second book where he like isn't dating, is obsessed with her, talking about her on the internet for six years. I'm like, yeah, no, that's pathetic. And not in a hot way. Yeah. Borderline creepy.
00:30:38
Speaker
No, Shep is just like, yeah, he had like another girlfriend in a whole life. He was like, not going to not be around her and stuff, but he was just like, I love them. Okay. The next one is Archer's voice. Never read it. Haven't read it. That's going to be our one that goes down. We'll believe it when we see it. I've heard such mixed things. Right. I was just about to say that. Like some people love it. And then some people say it's the worst book they've ever read. So.
00:31:05
Speaker
Go to our Instagram and tell us where you fall, or where you think each of us will fall. I think that'll be interesting, because what if we were split? Next one is Next to You by Hannah Bodham Young. I will put this one at least with drugs, personally.
00:31:22
Speaker
yes especially the second half of this book like i know that's when i think of the first half ooh close try again when i think of the second half laced with drugs so like that bumped it up like probably half a star for me like when we hit like the 50 mark and like yeah also something that i love about friends to lovers is seeing parts of their friendship dynamic continue into their relationship and i think that like
00:31:47
Speaker
Matt does such a great job of that. He's still taking care of her and caring for her in the same way that he did as a friend once they started having a physical relationship. I love the little sprinkle of friends with benefits that's in this book as well. Yeah, laced with drugs. Okay. I agree.
00:32:03
Speaker
We're going to have so many in that category. I don't know. I'm looking at the rest and like I, I feel like I'm what we have left. There are definitely some God tier books here. And I think there are some that we're going to be fighting over a little bit. Fighting over? We'll see. Next up is Play With Me by Becca Mack. God tier. For real? Really? You guys.
00:32:30
Speaker
I've talked about this a lot. My reading experience with that book was so fun. I'm okay with laser drugs, but for me, friends, lovers in that book, God tier. Cause I talked about this during our Smutty episode. The fact that she paced their relationship equally on both parts with them becoming better friends and then them doing more stuff in the bedroom. So good. Like so, so, so good. I have not reread this book. So I'm holding on to that first reading. Yeah. Oh, I have reread. Yeah.
00:33:00
Speaker
For that one scene alone, God's here. I'm okay with laser drugs, but I think as a friend to lovers, especially if I'm judging it based off of the jump that it took from consider me, holy shit. So good. But I mean, that's not totally fair, but for me personally, I would say it God's here, but yeah. Hmm. I don't know. I'm struggling because I was the same. Like I had a really great time. Like it was so much fun reading that book.
00:33:28
Speaker
What if we put it like in the middle, like half and half? He's writing the line. Yeah. Like, Ginny wrote that dildo. This thing is a better Friends to Lovers book than Addicted to You, though, like does hurt my soul. Well, I think I think Play With Me is a slightly better book than Addicted to You. Addicted to You is not that great of a
00:33:54
Speaker
like if we're standing it on its own. Cause we just had that earlier, like Lilo as a whole, yes. Oh my gosh. But like Lilo in that first one, it's still good, but it's not like. Yeah. I mean, I guess if I'm, I guess if I'm thinking about it, I rated play with me higher technically than I did addicted to you on my like first read. Yeah. Okay. If we're like, you know, like straight up saying like we're doing addicted to you because that's really their only friends to lovers. Okay. So then yeah. Okay. Um, God, tears. God, tears kind of crazy.
00:34:24
Speaker
Can we put it halfway? No, we don't have to. I'm okay with Lace With Drugs, but I want everyone to know that I think Play With Music got to your friends' lovers book. It's so fun. And like it's sports romance too, which I feel like I don't think I've read a lot of sports friends' lovers. It's usually some sort of like adversary type deal. For this drug specific fact of them doing more stuff in the bedroom, the closer they got as friends,
00:34:52
Speaker
I could be persuaded for God's tears. Bro, right? It's trope only, not necessarily the quality of the entire book. Yeah. We're not talking about the writing. We have been talking about that with the other books, like you've been saying, like the friends here.
00:35:06
Speaker
I think front, I personally think that, but I'm okay with leaving it where it is. Like, fine. I'm not going to, I'm not like upset about putting it. It just seems a little insane, but it's okay. Yeah. I can do this with drugs. Okay. Okay. Okay. Like that's not like a, that's not a book I feel like.
00:35:25
Speaker
It's not like last time when we were fighting to the ground. Yeah, you're like, I'm going to stand my ground for this one. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, no. I'm nervous for the next one. OK. Mix Signals by BK Borsen. Kayla, stand with me right now. This is our time. Well, there's 2v1 laced with drugs. Sorry. Next. Laced with drugs? Yes. Yes.
00:35:48
Speaker
I love that book, Kendra. I gave that book four. I love that. What drugs? What drugs can you like? Oh, my God. Heroin, cocaine. Yeah, I love that. I also love like the friends to lovers dynamic in that book, too. I love that it was Sunshine, Sunshine friends. Like, yes. Oh, you guys, you want drugs anyway. Yeah, that's crazy. I personally would put it in a close try again.
00:36:15
Speaker
I bet you would. Because I liked that more than I liked the first two books in the series. I think that's from what I've read so far, because I'm not going to read the last one. That sucks. Because if I read it and I don't like it, then it's a fight.
00:36:30
Speaker
So it's like- No, no, no, no. Because I just like, I wanna know so bad. I just wanna know. Like the not knowing if you would actually like this one hurts. Like I hope to get good narrators so that I could just ask you to just listen to the audio book.
Rating 'Slow Dance' & 'Bad Rep Duet'
00:36:49
Speaker
Because it wouldn't be a fight. Because I already think you wouldn't like it. Speaking of fight, next one, Slow Dance by Rainbow Row.
00:36:58
Speaker
Oh God tier, bye. I already went into this knowing that I'm not going to fight with you guys over this one. Let's do it though. Let's have fun. No, I don't want to. Oh my God. Okay. Let me, let, can I talk for a second? No, no, just, no, just the preferences book is not out yet. It comes out in July. So we all read an arc of this book. It is Brandi's and I's favorite book of the year. It is Kayla's. I don't know. Now you can talk.
00:37:26
Speaker
Oh my God. She was about to say Lee's favorite, which is insane. No, I said, I don't know. Let me, let me finish. Okay. So I rated this book 4.25 stars. However, let me, which they think means I hated it, which is categorically, objectively false. But I will say if I'm talking about the trope, the trope is extremely well done in this book. But I personally, yeah, would I put this in God tier?
00:37:54
Speaker
No, whoa, not, but I respect democracy and I'm not going to fight with these two. So where would you, where would you put it? Where would you put it? I would put it probably in lace with drugs. Okay. I'll take it's going to stay in God's here. I just didn't want you to, if you said you close, try again.
00:38:14
Speaker
Oh, we were going to. Yeah. OK. It's not going to be, unfortunately, in my top 10 of the year, probably, but I understand why Brandy and Kinder love it so much. I just don't feel the exact same way. That's all. Next book.
00:38:35
Speaker
Next one is Bad Rep Duet by Christa M. Becca Ricci. Bro, that's a god tier friend slovers. That's a really great friend slovers book. I personally would not put it in god tier, but I'm not kind of like, I don't feel strongly enough about that to fight you guys on it. I just love them so much. And I think like, like their arc is friend slovers.
00:39:01
Speaker
It's like the opposite of Lila where you get that long stretch and we get to see it like in real time. Whereas like with Lila, a lot of it was just like us being told of them being friends and then we saw them be lovers really quickly. So that's why I think I would put Bad Riff in God's tear. Garrison was just such a great, great, great man. And there's, and I love seeing them bond over weird shit, those nerds, like, I don't know.
00:39:25
Speaker
I'm OK with laser drugs, but I would put that in God's ear. I love them. I'm going to leave it up to Kayla because, like, I really like I enjoyed this book, these books, and I know that a lot of people love them a lot more than me. So I and I. I don't fault anybody for that. So I'll leave it up to you, too. Like I rank I rank them over Razi. I mean, yeah, I do, too. I think and over every like us couple. Yes. No, because I do love Jane and Thatcher.
00:39:55
Speaker
But right after Gilo for me, I don't know where I would put this. That's hard because like if I think about it, if I think about the Addicted series, if I'm being honest, I don't know. I know this is technically separate. Like I just like don't think about them until I'm reminded. I'm like, oh, my God. Yeah. Really? I really love them so much. Yeah. So. But I do really. I like I had this was a great. OK, let's do that here.
00:40:24
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. For the trope. Yeah. Okay. Next one. Gifting me to his best friend by Katie Robbert, which I put on here mostly for shits and gigs. I didn't read this one. For the trope? Like, ooh clothes, try again. It's so funny because like, I read this book all the time. I read it all.
00:40:53
Speaker
So when I saw that it was on this list, I was like, wait, friends to lovers. What? But it is. Yeah. Explain this to me. Explain. OK, so it's about a married couple. And like the guy is the guy's best friend who they've become like best friends of three of them since like the couple got married. And every year around the holidays, they take a vacation together.
00:41:17
Speaker
This is a novella, by the way, just so everybody knows. It's very short. It's like 170 pages. But she's always had fantasies about hooking up with the best friend. And the husband is like, that's hot. You should do it just for this weekend. You guys should. Wow. Yeah, but then they start hooking up. They're both openly by, both the husband and the,
00:41:43
Speaker
best friend yeah and like they the timing just never worked out for them like one of them always had a partner but they've always had like kind of a crush on each other too so then they just all start hooking up and then they decide that they should be together forever wow smut 10 out of 10 trope maybe yeah we close try again i don't know like
00:42:07
Speaker
Like I don't know I don't like I don't have strong. I don't have strong feelings about Yeah, either way Yeah, I feel like it just feels odd putting it next to all those other yeah I think it was trying and it's fine Especially cuz like for the trope like I don't think she was doing anything groundbreaking with the friend right first trope
00:42:31
Speaker
So I think putting it in got tears, or excuse me, who close try get is. Kayla, if you want some good smut, it's a great, like that whole series is so hot. Kayla, that should be what you read on your Kindle right now, like for real. Is it a holiday book? Is it a holiday novella? Yeah, but it's not like crazy. No, I'm just asking like if- Yeah, I mean it's set over Christmas, like they're on vacation together. There's this like hot tub scene, like it's really hot.
00:43:01
Speaker
It's so hot. It's so hot. That sounds nice. I love that. It's a lot of fun. It is a lot of fun. All right. Next one though. You again by Kate Goldbeck. God tier. I love this book. For me, it's God tier. Especially for the friends lovers aspect of it. God tier.
00:43:22
Speaker
Yeah, they don't start out friends. It's like this one is like strangers to enemies to friends for most of the book to lovers. So yeah. But I think like when I think about them, I think way more about their friendship than like their rivalry that they had. It was very short lived. It wasn't that long of a rivalry. It was so creative, too. Like I think that. Yeah. Yeah, I got to one of my favorites of last year. OK, next one, Cultie by Marianas of Hana.
00:43:51
Speaker
I was waiting for this one.
Criticism of 'Cultie'
00:43:53
Speaker
Checking the Barnes and Noble return policy. I literally, I got, yeah, I got rid of it in my move. I donated it. I hate that book with every fiber in my soul being, it's one of the worst books I've ever read. And I've enjoyed a lot of Mariana Zapata. Yeah. One of the worst books I've ever read and to make it worse. I mean, characters from San Antonio. So you're just making this all look bad. Like. That's why you hate it so much.
00:44:17
Speaker
No, I also hate it because he was just such a stupid guy and their relationship was so stupid. That whole book is just stupid. Like, why was this? And what makes me angrier is that before, because I was like a little more on as a part of journey. I was like, oh, my God, can you get the call to your love? Culti, culti, culti, culti. Girl, that was me telling you that wolf.
00:44:38
Speaker
That's crazy. No, no, no, no. Sorry. Let me explain. Let me explain. Let me explain. This is a book that like I read all of Marianna Zapata's backlist, except for like the two books of hers that I haven't read back to back to back to back. And I rated like all of them really, really high. So you read Lukav. I remember. And then like, I wanted you to read all the other ones because I wanted you to read all of them because I just read all of them, you know? And then I saw your video on this. I'm like, she has so many great points. Like I no longer ride for this book after sitting with it for a while.
00:45:09
Speaker
Yeah, I probably would have put it in we're rooting for you or already, but I respect how much you hate this book. I will put it. I hate that book. I will put it in the checking the bars and I will return policy. Thank you. Are you OK with that? What? Yeah, I was going to say, why don't I get a say? But I just said, are you OK? That's fine. Yeah, I was going to put it in. I was rooting for you, too, but I'm.
00:45:30
Speaker
Like, yeah, like you said, I respect Kendra's hatred. So I've revisited almost all of Mariana Zapata's books, like, not for a full reread, but for like to listen to parts of it, except for Kulti. Like, I love Luna and the Lie more than Kulti. And nobody talks about Luna and the Lie. Because what is he what's his nickname for her? It's like some type of fucking food. And it's like they both do it. They were like, I remember it.
00:45:54
Speaker
Yeah, I was like it was because it's based off the fact that she's Mexican. So I'm like, oh, so what would he call me? Fucking fried chicken? Like, are you stupid? And same to her being like, oh, he's German. So I'm going to call him like whatever in German. So this is not cute. It's not cute. What are we doing? Yeah, like so. And then he has a drinking problem.
00:46:17
Speaker
never let's talk about oh piss me off so and there's smut neither of you read the best thing right i haven't i would like to like that book honestly like if i if i reread it i don't know how i'd feel about it now like genuinely because i don't remember that much but i remember really really liking that book and like nobody ever
00:46:41
Speaker
Yeah. Nobody talks about hands down either, which I did not like, which is also a friends to lovers, like childhood friends to lovers. Did not like that. Is that the one where he's like holding the football? Yeah. Yeah. That's the one that's like, do you remember Aiden's roommate? The one who's like, Oh, yeah. Yep. Yep. Yep. It's about him. I haven't read that one either. It's you don't need to. Next one is Butcher and Blackbird. God's here for me.
00:47:08
Speaker
I'm open to Lace of Drugs. Not really open to lower than that, personally, unfortunately. Oh yeah, no, I wouldn't put it lower than that. Me either. It's so interesting, because when I read this book for the first time, I was like, oh my god, amazing. And then I thought about it for a while, but it's just not a book that I'm constantly thinking of. Yeah, I've read that book three times since I read it the first time in October of last year.
00:47:32
Speaker
for the, I can like, I feel like I can argue for the friends to lovers trope here too, because like, I think it's done really well. Yeah. And like, I, I love that like slowness. So like cagey and hesitant and scared. And he's just like takes it so slow, like literally like a year and a half of knowing her to like start to like, yeah, that was moves, you know, and he waited for her to make the first move because he knew how cagey she was, but he was also like still waiting for her again in a non creepy way, not like,
00:48:00
Speaker
being weird or anything, but like he reserved the booth for her and everything. And like the minute she showed any, like a little tiny bit of interest of like showing up in Boston, he was like, Oh, we are, we're in, I'm going like moving this out of the friendship zone, which I love them. I personally would put it in God's ear. I would love to see it in God's ear. I'm okay with it. Honestly, like I would put it in my spirit. Thanks guys.
00:48:26
Speaker
We're being so much nicer this go round. But you notice kind of how I respect democracy in slow dance. That's crazy. I just wanted to point that out. That's all. Kayla, do we need to run back the tapes? You were not really standing your ground. No, I said because of democracy. Anyway, I want to fight. That's all.
Praise for 'People We Meet on Vacation' & 'Love and Other Words'
00:48:49
Speaker
All right. Next one is People We Mean On Vacation by Emily Henry. This one feels easy.
00:48:55
Speaker
God tier. God tier. God tier for the friends to lovers. God tier for the book. I know people have strong feelings about this one, but we all love this book. Yeah, I know. That's a great book. It's so fun. I love them. I love them. Next one is Inkton Lies by Gianna Darling. I was rooting for them. Yeah.
00:49:22
Speaker
I'm torn between that or a close try again. Yeah, I would do a close try again, I guess, because like I just had such high expectations for this one because everybody fucking loves this book. It was more so nobody I had expectations for. Like I think he was a let down. But I guess like the friend like they were good friends. I will acknowledge that. And like once they were I think of that scene of them sitting outside her parents house and like the field all the time. Yeah. When everybody in the house knew that they were fucking. Yeah. I would say you close try again.
00:49:51
Speaker
Okay. I'm done with that. Yeah. And our last one is an easy one, right? Yeah. Best for last. Just kidding. One of the best for last. Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren. Let's all say it on three. Ready? One, two, three. God's here. Why was that timing so bad? I was going to ask, should we rank God's here? That's what cryptologists say. No. Ooh. Yeah, rearrange that.
00:50:20
Speaker
Yeah, I don't think we I don't think we'd agree. We would not agree. I think what we could agree on, I think what we could agree on is that bad rep Michael last. Um, yeah, I could see I could see that either either bad rep or. But you're. Or you again. Yeah, you I would personally for me put Butcher Blackboard before you again. But yeah, but bad rep would be last for me.
00:50:50
Speaker
What would be first? I would say love in other words probably. For the trope, love in other words. For a book? I don't know. I don't know. I'm so riding the high of like that's being my like current year top book. It's so weird because like I think I love slow dance and ready or not like the same amount like the two of my favorite books of the year like I don't know.
00:51:15
Speaker
Why put two bad bitches against each other, you know? Yeah. And like people and love and other words. Those four, ready or not, slow dance, people and love and other words. I don't think I can confidently rank them one through four. Yeah. I think my top three from this list is love and other words, ready or not. And then it's between you again and people. I don't know. That's hard. Probably people, I guess.
00:51:45
Speaker
What about Lace with Drugs? You think we could rank that one? Well, you haven't read all. You like you again. That's crazy that you again was like battling people for you, though. I love that book. I think you again is like excellent. I like that book, too. I like that book. And there's five stars. I'm just saying like I people easily beat stuff for me.
00:52:03
Speaker
And they're both based off of the same movie. So that's interesting as well. You again, more so. But no, we wouldn't agree on this with drugs either, though. So because mixed signals is in there. Oh, yeah. And our last. No, not for me. Yeah, no, this is we can't we. Yeah, this is.
00:52:24
Speaker
Listen, we should just be happy with the fact that we got through this without really any big fights. We're making progress, you guys. Okay, pick the heir or powerless? If I had to pick one, the heir. I don't remember much from either of those. Besides my dislike, you know? You know what's crazy? Both of the girls and those are dancers.
00:52:47
Speaker
You're so right. They both dance for their man. We hate dancers, apparently. Yeah, we hate dancing. I hate when they get up there with no music and dance for their man. That's so rude. Also, Dean in the air. I hate that. Yeah, he was actually very, very icky. He was horrible. Which I get is purposefully done, but all right. Having to sit through that, even like in the second book, he's awful. Yeah. And you get to the third book and you're like,
00:53:14
Speaker
okay my poor boy daddy issues like come home like it's okay i don't know i haven't read the errands so long i don't remember like i feel like it's not fair for me to say it's just been so long since i read that book i know i gave them both 3.75 stars at my initial read but i probably would lower powerless down if i read it again brandy what did you rate wild love
00:53:39
Speaker
I initially rated it four and then I lowered it to 3.75. I gave it 3.5. I was so excited to get that audio arc and then it took me like two weeks to listen to it which is not like me. And I think that's how you know like the book isn't that great when you have Zachary Weber and Vanessa Edwin and you're still like oh. Well good job guys. We did it. Go team. We did it. So happy. Wow.
00:54:09
Speaker
So you guys, we can get along. We can do hard things. We get along all the time. We do. We love each other so much that we can fight. So much. Yeah. Like sisters. Yeah. Aww. Identical.
00:54:30
Speaker
Okay, that was fun. If you enjoyed this, please rate and review our podcast and also follow us on Instagram. Bring your own pod. See you there. We'll have this posted probably the day after if something comes out. Make sure you tell us if you agree or if you agree. Love you. Bye.