Unpopular Bookish Opinions || Time To Spill the Tea

Posted June 11, 2019 by Sammie in chat with me, discussions, top ten tuesdays / 82 Comments

I hope you’ve got some tea, lovelies, because it’s just about time to spill it.*

* No actual tea will be spilled during this post, because ain’t nobody got time for that mess. Unless you’ve got cats. And then … well, there’s a 50/50 chance. I’ll pray for you and your tea.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is unpopular bookish opinions.

Just like books, we’ve all got opinions, and probably too many of them. Odds are, some of them are unpopular ones. That’s okay. You can’t help it that the majority of the population is clearly wrong. And if you ever come across someone who shares your same unpopular opinions, then you’re obviously destined to be BFFs.

These are my personal opinions, and you aren’t required to agree with any of them. In fact, that’s what makes them unpopular. I’m okay with that.

Dragon Divider

✦ No one should be made to feel less than for reading/not reading something. ✦

Reading is reading. Sometimes it’s listening. But regardless, if you’re reading, in whatever format that happens, you’re winning. You deserve a cookie and a star sticker.

I know there are definitely camps that will judge you based on what you read.

Oh, you haven’t read the classics? Pfft. Do you even read?
Smut doesn’t count as reading.
Audiobooks don’t count as reading.
You read Fifty Shades/Twilight/After/much-hated-book-here? Don’t you know how bad it is?

Listen, the average adult reads between 4 and 12 books a year, depending who you ask. Whatever you read, you’re one book closer to crushing that statistic like a nasty bug under your boot. So way to go, you.

Dragon Divider

✦ Books shouldn’t get praise just for being diverse. They need to be good, too. Refuse to settle. ✦

It’s true: diverse books are necessary and wonderful. But books shouldn’t be praised just because they’re diverse. If that’s the only thing setting them apart from all other literature in the genre, that’s weak. If you take standard YA themes and throw a black cast or an Asian cast or an LGBTQ romance at them, well, people shouldn’t be afraid to call you out on it. If a book stinks like a fish, it’s okay to say so, even if it’s diverse.

I want a book that’s diverse and unique, otherwise what’s the point? I’d also like to have my cake and eat it too, if someone could solve that for me, please and thank you.

Dragon Divider

✦ No one should need to apologize for not liking a diverse book. ✦

I’ve seen this come up a lot in chats and reviews about all sorts of books with various degrees of diversity. There’s almost this pervasive attitude that if you don’t like a diverse book, you’re dissing the minority population it’s representing, and that’s just … well, absurd. It’s okay to dislike books, and it says nothing about your feelings toward that group. Stop apologizing for it. Own your opinions.

Dragon Divider

✦ You’re never too old for YA or MG. ✦

I know that books technically come with age groups, but in the wise words of Captain Jack Sparrow, it’s more guidelines than actual rules. I know some people look down on adults who read young adult books, but … why? I never understood it. The tropes in YA are different than most adult genres, and they tend to be cleaner, for those who want less gore, violence, cursing, sex, etc. Not to mention that the arcs and subjects it deals with are relatable regardless of age, but they also differ drastically from what a lot of adult books are.

Plus, middle grade? They basically have a monopoly on fun, whimsical books, and I’m not exactly sure why. Are adults not fun and whimsical?! Okay … maybe I see your point. But still. If you want more of that in your life, you’re pretty much required to reach down into mid-grade and YA, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. There’s still plenty to be learned from reading books at those age levels and plenty to be enjoyed, and at the end of the day, isn’t that the point?

Dragon Divider

✦ There’s too much sex in YA. ✦

There, I’ve said it. It needed to be said. I’ve discussed this previously when I talked about YA becoming more mature, but I’ll say it here again. I don’t like sex scenes in books. That’s just my personal preference, because I find them boring and I’m not interested. It’s part of the reason I read YA. But when I pick up a book meant for ages 13 – 19 and find several explicit sex scenes, it’s a little off-putting. I don’t expect it to be there.

Also, it’s weird, okay? I’m pushing 30 by now, and I don’t want to read about teens having sex. I don’t even want to read about adults having sex, but it’s super extra awkward when you remember these characters are 16 or 17. That’s gonna be a big nope for me, thanks.

Dragon Divider

✦ Abusive/unhealthy relationships in fiction are fine. ✦

I know some people get mad at any representation of unhealthy relationship in fiction, but … I’m sort of fine with it? It’s realistic. It happens. Actually, being the huge fan of the hate-to-love trope that I am, a lot of the literary romances I just love are on the unhealthy side. Potentially abusive. I mean, I suppose. Technically. Although, who hasn’t threatened to kill their significant other at least once or twice?

The only time I have a problem is when it’s presented in a positive light and then handed to young adults as if this is what romance should look like. I know too many people who have fallen into that trap because they had no healthy role models in their lives and, surprise, they went from one abusive relationship to another because they took their cues from fiction. Not the author’s fault, per se. Just reality.

The caveat is, of course, that this is referring to young or new adult books. Once you’re an adult, read whatever the heck your little literary heart desires. If your thing is abusive relationships … hey, go for it! I generally believe that if you write it, there’s probably a niche of writers that are looking for it.

Dragon Divider

✦ The book is not always better than the movie. ✦

Oh no, I’ve said it! Well, there you have it. Sometimes, they’re just both freaking awesome in their own right. Yeah, Lord of the Rings, I’m looking at you. Sometimes, the movie just brings the book to life in a way that the book couldn’t or didn’t. Sure, books usually have more in them, obviously, but more doesn’t mean better.

Dragon Divider

✦ The author should be seen as separate from their work. ✦

Sometimes. This is a double-edged sword. But sometimes, crappy people write really amazing work. Their lack of character doesn’t make the work any less amazing. And sometimes awesome people write really less-than-stellar books. But that doesn’t diminish them as a person. As someone who reviews a lot, it can sometimes be hard to separate the two, because if you’ve come to love an author, you want to love their work, and sometimes, you just … well, don’t. That’s life.

Dragon Divider

✦ Nobody should be banned from writing fanfiction about any book they read. * ✦

* I’m putting a caveat here with the understanding that fanfiction is, of course, a non-commercial endeavor meant for entertainment and not any sort of monetary gains.

I just don’t understand authors who try to ban fanfiction of their work. So many authors I know started in fanfiction, way back even before it was publicly shared, necessarily. So many people I know now enjoy writing fanfiction from time to time, and goodness knows, I do, as well, when I want to focus on my writing technique without necessarily building a whole world around it and just have a bit of fun.

Fanfiction can be flattering, but it can also be frustrating, when you’re so entrenched with these characters that they feel real to you. I feel that. As a writer, I feel like my characters are real, too, and my friends have brought up possible fanfiction couplings that make my soul die a little. But you know what? Once I release something out in the world, if someone wants to play with my characters like a set of well-worn dolls (as long as it’s not violating copyright), then have at it.

In the end, fanfiction offers real opportunities for community around a work you love and the chance for you to play with characters you love. Author’s aren’t required to (and probably shouldn’t) read fanfiction of their work. So in the end, who does it really hurt?

Dragon Divider

✦ Books everyone loved that I wasn’t fond of.✦

What is an unpopular opinion post without unpopular opinions regarding super popular books? I didn’t want to make my whole post this, because I tend to go, “Oh, nope, not a fan of this,” and move on rather than harping on it. I mean, obviously a lot of other people love it, so what do I know? So here are some really popular books that I clearly enjoyed a lot less than most people.

Children of Blood and Bone     Stalking Jack the Ripper     Aru Shah and the End of Time     Shelter in Place     Romanov


Chat With Me

What are some of your unpopular bookish opinions? Do we have any in common?

82 responses to “Unpopular Bookish Opinions || Time To Spill the Tea

  1. All of these posts have been absolutely fascinating. It isn’t even about whether I or we all agree or not (hence the topic lol). They are just great discussion pieces and I love your list!

  2. I agree with you on a lot of this. I can’t stand pushing diversity for the sake of diversity. If the book is good then it’s good. I read for fun, for pleasure. And that means I read topics I’m interested in, age ranges I’m interested in, and don’t others. I’m not going to apologize for it. Me not enjoying LGBT is no different than me not enjoying time travel. It doesn’t mean I hate the LGBT community. It just means that isn’t what I read for fun. I also agree that YA has way too much sex in it. I feel the culture has really tried to create a feeling of “just go ahead and have sex, it’s no big deal”. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve read where the main female character just wanted to “get it over with”. How sad is that? And no matter what culture may tell us, sex is a big deal. And I also agree about the abusive relationships. It is realistic. There’s more people I know that I feel are in unhealthy relationships–or at least they handle conflict in their relationships in an unhealthy way–than I think people realize. Either way, sometimes they’re fun to read. And that’s okay because it’s fiction! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your unpopular bookish opinions.

    Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know

    • Exactly! I do try to read diverse books, and I love stories about different cultures or with diverse characters, but just because I don’t like space stories doesn’t mean I hate astronauts, either. 😛 Yet, no one accuses you of that, but it’s just as much of a leap.

      I think sex isn’t something you should be ashamed of, but like you said, it’s a pretty big deal, especially at that age. But also, people are ready for reading about sex at different times, and I feel like books specifically geared for them should at least come with warnings that there’s explicit sexual content.

      Yes! The big difference is being of an age to realize that it’s fiction. I know several people who love books with unhealthy relationships, but they came from unhealthy relationships in their own life, so that’s just what they know. So the book not only delivers familiarity in that sense, but then also wish fulfillment in certain ways plus a happy ending (which of course they never got in real life), and I can totally see how that’s appealing!

  3. Lots to agree with here, but the abusive relationships… nope, I can’t agree, unless they’re a path towards a coming-of-age plot that helps them get away from the abusive person.

    • It sounds like you’re talking about in YA (hence the coming of age), but I wouldn’t want abusive relationships in YA, necessarily. More adult literature. Because there’s an audience for it, and who am I to tell other adults that their choice of fiction is wrong and they can’t read it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I did say they were unpopular opinions lol!

  4. Shaunna McLaren

    I hate it when people shame people’s reading tastes. I studied English Literature at university, but I always much preferred romance and fantasy — especially YA/NA — over the classics. However, I was always too embarrassed to admit this to the people on my course, or even people outside of it, as I felt that I was supposed to be reading books of ‘literary merit,’ and nothing else. I missed out on meeting a lot of people with similar reading tastes to me because of it. Now I talk proudly about what I read and, if anyone wants to make horrible comments about it, then that’s their problem, not mine!

    I also really love the hate-to-love trope. I tend to feel a bit iffy about it now, especially now that I’m older and a bit more informed when it comes to abuse, etc., but I think as long as authors deal with these sort of relationships in a responsible and respectful manner, then it can be okay, as long as readers are able to separate themselves from fiction and reality when reading!

    Shaunna x

    • I had the same feeling when I was younger! I’ve read a lot of classics because I felt like that’s what you were “supposed” to do. Some I enjoyed, some I didn’t. I think it’s so freeing and refreshing to just read what you like. Plus, think of how much more people actually would read if it were socially acceptable to just go on and do your thing and not be judged for it.

      I love well written hate-to-loves because it usually involves people realizing that, hey, their enemy is a person just like them and they have things in common. Imagine that! Crown of Wishes is a great example of that, and I just love the romance in it!

  5. I totally agree with you on the Book is always better than the movie one. I just recently tried to read the first LOTR book and I really struggled. The movie is so much better! Same with The Notebook by Nicolas Sparks. I adore the movie and thought the book was ok.

    • I know a lot of people who struggle reading LotR. I enjoyed the books, but watching the movies was definitely a different experience. I have a confession: I’ve never actually seen or read The Notebook. xD

  6. So much I love here! I love that you included a list of books that are popular that you didn’t enjoy (AGREED on Stalking Jack the Ripper WHY IS THIS SERIES SO LOVED!?) I also agree that while we need more diverse books, we do need to hold them to an actual standard. I didn’t care for A Blade So Black or Pride much, and I had major anxiety when I posted about how I didn’t care for them much.

    • I actually ended up DNFing that one. I don’t know. I feel like I’m clearly missing something, because everyone I know seems to like it, and I WANTED to like it (it sounds like I should like it), but I just didn’t.

      I haven’t read either of those yet, but that’s a shame. And it happens. You won’t like every book, in general, so of course it happens that you won’t like every diverse book.

  7. I agree with these opinions, especially too much sex in YA. Going along with that, it’s scary when bookish teenagers decide that they’ve found the one for them when they’ve only known this person for maybe a year or less and all they know is that they’re physically attracted to each other. They have their whole lives ahead of them.

    • I am totally on both sides of that. xD Like, I think you should know the person you’re getting involved with before deciding to spend the rest of your life with them. At the same time, I got married at 18, soooo … yup. Though, to be fair, I’d known the guy since we were four, and we’d been living together for almost a year and dating for a year and a half lol. But still. I’m just a teensy biased in that regard.

    • Young adult, as a genre, is 13 – 19. I’m totally fine with sex in 16+ books, because at that point, they’re old enough to make informed decisions about what they want to read, I feel. But books marketed as YA are specifically for 13 – 19 range. Sometimes, places do mark 16+ (my library does this), and I think that’s awesome. But I think we’ll have to agree to disagree, because even in 16+ books, I don’t think there needs to be graphic sex scenes. There are plenty of other places teens can find that if that’s what they’re looking for.

    • Thanks! It definitely can. And as an author, I think it’s hard not to take a low-star review of your book personally, since I know how much work goes into it.

  8. “But books shouldn’t be praised just because they’re diverse.” THIS is exactly what I think! You phrased it perfectly! Yes! Sometimes a book that is diverse is not done well, and that doesn’t mean that it should be praised just for including diverse characters, especially if it’s just looked at as a check in the box.

    Oh gosh I am totally like you where I do not want to read about sex in a novel, and also why I like to go towards YA more than adult books. I don’t like when sex is the theme (why I don’t do adult books very often) but I also get a little weirded out, like I’m watching in a private moment? It’s weird, I know. It’s probably just me. But thanks so much for including that!

    And your point that authors should be separated from their works was such a good one! Sometimes it seems like once an author writes something that someone doesn’t like, then they just stop liking the author as a person, rather than just their work. Totally two different things! Thanks so much for that point!

    I love this post! I’m so glad you linked me to it and I agree with so much of this!

    • Ha, I’m so glad that you agree! Especially now that there’s a push for them, and there are SO MANY diverse books out there. It’s great, and we can afford to be choosy. If this one doesn’t work for you, that’s cool. Another might.

      It’s definitely not just you. xD I’ve actually seen that on quite a few lists today! So maybe it’s not as unpopular an opinion as I thought?

      So glad you liked the post. Thank you! I had more fun with it than I thought haha. Who knew talking about controversial subjects would be so fun? 😛

  9. Yes on so much of this- especially the abusive relationships- I don’t mind the WRONG kind of relationship being highlighted but when you get that unhealthy stalker pressurising controlling guy being promoted as God’s greatest gift without irony as if THIS is love then I have a problem as much as the trope that if you haven’t found your soul mate by 17 you automatically become the sad lonely hag in the corner to be pitied and probably killed off at some point so more pity can be piled on or so embittered by their loneliness they do something to get the beautiful young lovers split apart out of spite to their youth and love.

    • Ahhh, the lonely old hag trope. xD It isn’t the same with men, though, is it? Which is interesting. It’s perfectly cool to have a single middle-age man. Just means he’s still looking for his true love. But if a female character is past 20, that’s it. She’s done. Not that all characters have to be paired off, either, but that’s just what I’ve been noticing lol.

      • Oh yes, a man is ‘biding his time’, ‘building himself’ or (eww) ‘sowing his wild oats’…. woman is desperate, lonely, bitter, ugly, problematic, crazy, or ‘career driven’ (euphemism for all previous) UNLESS she’s in a ‘chick-lit’ (I just threw up a little) about starting over and finding love with the next door neighbour/ neighbour’s brother/son who is humorously rich yet doesn’t seem to work, and is sensitive and funny and endlessly understanding yet is somehow single. Then and only then it’s ok to be single and over 20!!

        • Ugh, I’ve always hated the phrase “sowing his wild oats.” It’s so gross. We definitely need more happily single characters, particularly women, in literature.

  10. Thank you for saying- you are never old to read YA and MG. I am an adult and I love both the genres.
    Also yes, books are not always better than movies. Sometimes adaptations are at different levels.

    • Me, too! I’ll never outgrow them. I also write those genres, and if adults aren’t “supposed” to read them, then how the heck do they expect the books to get written and authors to be informed about what’s out there? 😛

  11. I agree with so much of this post! I am however about to start reading Children of Blood and Bone, so I’m hoping to say that I like it….We’ll see. LOL!

  12. Maybe I’m unpopular too because I agree with almost all of this!
    We all just need to read what we want to read and stop shaming others for having their own opinions.
    JUST LET US LIVEEE!!!

  13. Totally agree with many of your points. I also prefer to separate the author from their work if I can (The Woman in the Window, for example). I also totally agree that unhealthy relationships should exist in books because I think it is more realistic. Just like I don’t really get why people always complain about all the “girl on girl hate” in books — have they been to a public high school? Teenage girls can be really mean to each other!

    • I had to Google about The Woman in the Window. I hadn’t seen that. 😮 Where have I been?!

      Girl on girl hate in settings where it makes sense is fine to me. Something like the show Mean Girls works well because you’d expect it. It’s problematic for me when it comes out of nowhere for no reason, just to highlight how “different” the protagonist is. But that doesn’t seem to often be the case, in my experience. I’ve seen people complain about “girl on girl hate” in settings like harems (in a world with a historical Middle East setting). I mean, that’s accurate. I’d be suspicious if everyone in the harem were all buddy-buddy with each other lol.

      • I completely agree about the girl hating needing to be in context. It often seems to come up in a context of jealousy (ie. the guy she likes happens to be dating someone else, so of course that other girl must be the worst person ever), but it is pretty realistic to me. I think the issue most people have is that they’d rather see positive female friendships instead of all that negativity, but it seems very strange to me if all female characters (or all male characters) in a book magically liked each other automatically.

        • I so agree! If they want positivity, I can totally understand that, but maybe they should try another book. How boring would it be if all female characters that came across each other were instantly BFF? Also, unrealistic. Then everyone would be complaining about that, and rightly so. xD

  14. I totally agree with not praising books simply because they are labeled as diverse. I feel like that’s a really big buzzword lately, and sometimes it feels like diverse characters or storylines are shoe-horned in just to be able to say so.

    • It definitely does feel like “the” buzzword of 2019. Which drives me crazy, because I’ve seen people shoving in “diverse” characters places where it doesn’t make sense to have them, like historical fiction with diversity in ways that just don’t make sense for the time period.

  15. Lillian @ Mom With a Reading Problem

    I agree with you on all of this! That first one….I get it all the time. I read mostly YA and I’m a 33 year old mom so 😅
    I also love what you said about diverse books. We need more, but they have to stand up and be good stories. Not just good for the diversity. I read a book last year (maybe even two years ago…it’s been a while) that I won’t name. The MC was mixed race but really it had no bearing on the plot. Yet every time it came up it didn’t flow with the story. It felt forced or like an afterthought.
    And yes to the not liking popular books! I have one in mind now 😉

    • You’re just a few years older than me, ha! And I am still firmly entrenched in the world of YA.

      Yes! I’ve noticed that, too. There are some beautiful diverse books with biracial characters that really are a major part of their personality (The Astonishing Color of After comes to mind), but I’ve noticed several books where they just throw in a diverse character for he sake of it. Even though that character’s ethnicity never comes up again and has no bearing on anything and they might as well be a three-foot-tall green space alien for all the difference it makes to the story.

  16. I pretty much agree with everything you’ve said! I don’t think we should same people for their reading tastes. That could make them feel bad or like they don’t want to read anymore or discuss books anymore. And there are some movies I thought were better than the book! I can’t think of one offhand now, but sometimes they streamline the plot and really focus on the major themes, making it more fast-paced and coherent. (Also, Ella Enchanted is nothing like the book, but I love both works!)

    I wasn’t impressed by Children of Blood and Bone, and I think Aru Shah was solid, but not markedly better than a lot of MG being published. But I’m increasingly afraid of saying stuff like this because people tend to go into attack mode over it.

    • Of course you do, because great minds think alike. 😉 I actually know people who have stopped discussing books solely for that reason, and they just keep it to themselves now because they really enjoy erotica, and that’s such a shame. Everyone should be able to discuss their passion … when it comes to books. I should totally qualify that one haha.

      I wanted to love Aru Shah, but I just hated the main character. Maybe the story itself was great, but I just could not deal with Aru. She drove me bonkers lol. And I’ve heard that from quite a few people, too, where they’re afraid to speak out against popular books that were pushed as diverse for fear of the backlash (and likewise, I’ve seen quite a bit of ridiculous backlash). Everyone should be allowed to not like books. I mean, no book is going to be loved by everyone. I thought we all could at least agree on that. xD

  17. Lori

    Fully agree that we need actual *good* diverse books. We shouldn’t have to settle for bad diverse books just because they are diverse. Diverse books can also be good and we should hold them to higher standards than just existing! Agreed the LoTR movies are better than the books! I couldn’t even get through the first book but I love the movies and have seen them multiple times. I still feel guilty for not finishing the books, though. Also, I DNF’d Romanov. Great list.

    • Yes! Diverse books can be both diverse AND great. I enjoyed the LotR books, but they were hard to get through, and I doubt I’ll ever re-read them. So don’t feel too bad. xD

  18. This is a great list of unpopular opinions that I agree with! Especially about the book-shaming and YA/MG books. For so long I feel like I’ve always made ‘excuses’ for reading the books that I enjoy because it’s not classic or non-fiction and doesn’t “teach you anything”, and people would laugh a little and say “oh, I thought you read serious books”. It would make me so angry! This is why when people say things like “name your guilty pleasure” I say that I don’t have any guilt pleasures because why do I need to feel guilty for liking it? 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’ve stopped trying to justify why I read the books I do, but it still annoys me when I feel their judgement (if you couldn’t tell haha)!

    Also, yes, it’s so good to hear someone else say that they weren’t that impressed with Children of Blood and Bone. I was really excited for it and it just fell flat for me… Haven’t read the others yet, although they’re all pretty hyped!

    • Ugh, I would get so annoyed if someone was said I didn’t read “serious” books. What does that even mean? xD I love your response to the guilty pleasure thing!

      It seems like there’s a small niche in the blogging community that feel that way about CoBaB. So, I mean, at least we’re not alone? xD We can all be unpopular together. Of course, that being said, I very much enjoy following Tomi Adeyemi and I look forward to some of her future work, just maybe not this series.

  19. I agree we should remove authors from their work. Just because someone is a horrible person doesn’t mean their stories arent good and vise versa – just become someone is absolutely sweet doesn’t mean they have good stories. Unfortunately, sometimes it is hard to buy someone’s work (supporting their income) when you know they are horrible people.

    • That’s true, but I’m of the opinion that even horrible people deserve to be able to feed their families or eat. That’s just a basic right. Not to mention they *did* put the work in, and what a lot of work it takes. But I can see how some people would object to supporting them financially.

  20. Jaime

    You have a lot of “unpopular opinions” that I wholeheartedly agree with! It bothers me a lot when people praise a book because it’s diverse even if the story isn’t as well written or the characters aren’t as developed. AND YES, there is often too much sex in YA and it’s super awkward to read. I get that teens need to read realistic stories, but it’s excessive.

    And I could keep going, but yes, I agree. 🙂

    • We can be unpopular together. We’ve already decided we should start a club. 😉 I think someone else brought up it being good for older teens being exposed to sex, and I’m not opposed to the idea of sex being in books, etc. I just don’t feel like it needs to be as graphic as some YA is getting now. I’m actually surprised at how many people seem to agree with my unpopular opinions. xD

      • Jaime

        I agree. It’s often too graphic and also one-sided. Every new YA book I’ve read recently depicts it as a positive experience, but that’s not always the case. I rarely find books that show how it might be awkward or overwhelming or something other than “perfect.”

        And yes, we should start a club. XD

  21. Okay, I definitely agree with most of these opinions (including the sex in YA one). The only one I don’t really agree about is unhealthy relationships. I often can’t get on the hate to love train because I think it DOES give teenage girls the unhealthy view that if they just love that jerk of a guy enough he’ll turn into a prince. In real life, he’s probably just a jerk. But that’s just my opinion. 🙂

    • That’s a pretty fair opinion. I really need hate-to-love to be done well, though, for me to like it. Like have you read A Crown of Wishes? Gauri and Vikram don’t know anything about each other except rumors, and they come from opposing kingdoms, so they very much hate each other in the beginning. They’re both super strong characters who know what they want. The problem is neither of them is a bad person to start with, and they grow together as they realize that and face hardships together, so it’s a natural bond. Neither of them is changing for the other. *That’s* the sort of hate-to-love I’m talking about.

    • I’ve actually heard that a surprising amount of times. xD I enjoyed the books, but I enjoyed the movies, too, for different reasons. It seems like a pretty popular opinion that the books were hard to get through, though.

  22. I agree with most of these opinions! No one should be made to feel bad about what books they read. The important thing is that they are reading!

    Like you, I’m an adult who loves YA! There’s got to be a reason why it’s so popular, right? 🙂

    Also, the hate-to-love trope is one my favourites!

    • I like to think it’s because we’re all old, stuffy adults who recognize that adults are no fun, so YA is the natural way to go.

      Yay for hate-to-love! Do you have a favorite pairing?

    • Oooh, that’s a good one! Choosing favorites is so hard. D: I think I’d have to go with Gauri and Vikram from A Crown of Wishes.

      • Ah I haven’t read The Star-Touched Queen yet, but if the series has enemies to lovers then it’s going on my TBR!

        • Yes! Well, sort of. The Star-Touched Queen is more … soulmates? I guess. There’s mistrust, but it’s not really HTL. A Crown of Wishes definitely was, though. And the banter between Vikram and Gauri is the best. They’re both sarcastic and witty.

  23. Mary K Reads

    I am with you on the diversity part and I think it’s great that we have so many options to chose from we can afford to be picky, bad books are bad regardless of representation. I also support reading whatever you want without shame. I’m not a fan of romance but lots of others are and there’s nothing wrong with that, different strokes for different folks. I love these unpopular opinion posts bc I actually think you find a lot of people share those feelings and then you find yourself not feeling so ostracized (at least I feel less anxiety for having certain opinions)

    • I loved reading these posts! I think it’s nice to find others that share your opinions, but even when you find people who don’t, it’s important to be able to have these dialogues without, like, throwing things at people. I mean, unless it’s cake. Who doesn’t like some free cake? 😉

      • Mary K Reads

        I love hearing other people’s opinions and I agree there’s no need to throw things. And yes on the cake, I was actually going to make some cake tonight lol there was a sale on baking items at the food store hahaha and I need to practice before my kids birthdays

        • Aaaaand you’re inviting me, because there will be plenty of cake, right?! 😀 I don’t think the local store here has ever had a sale on baking items. I’m pretty sure that counts as a conspiracy.

          • Mary K Reads

            That’s crazy you poor thing!! Of course you can have some, sharing is caring they say and I have too many desserts lying around, I made the boyfriend a reese’s peanut butter pie for father’s day and now I’m like oh hey let’s make a cake hahaha

          • My husband does the dessert-making in my family, because I do the everyday sort of cooking. He makes a really mean peanut butter pie, too! Mm-mm. That’s one of my favorites (though, I’m technically not supposed to eat it now because I’m gluten intolerant, which sucks haha).

            I mean, cake > pie anyway, but if you can have your pie and eat cake, too, why not? 😛

          • Mary K Reads

            Oh no gluten-intolerance is the worst! My guy likes to bake bread but I’ve kind of making cooking and baking into a bit of hobby so he uses that time to hang with the kiddos while I’m in the kitchen dancing to Disney tunes lol

          • Ha, that sounds perfect to me! xD My daughter likes to listen to either Frozen or Hamilton while cooking with me. Because those are apparently her two modes now that she’s a little older.

          • Mary K Reads

            I’m 31 does that make me too old to have also gone through those obsessions lol

          • Pffft no. I’m just a couple years younger than you, and how the heck do you think she heard both of those in the first place? 😉

          • Mary K Reads

            Hahaha you’re such a good mama! I can’t wait til mine are a bit older and can appreciate the music as opposed to just laughing at my bad dance moves lol

          • Unfortunately, the laughing at your bad dance moves never changes. xD But at least it’s better when they appreciate the music, too. 😉

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