tier ranking every romance book i've read 💕

hello everyone welcome Happy Valentine's Day  if you're anything like me you're going to be   spending this Valentine's Day the way that you've  spent every other Valentine's Day in your life   alone however this year I decided that I would do  something fun for you all for anyone who's like   me who might be spending this day alone and want  something entertaining to do want something to   watch so I thought it would be fun to combine  two of my favorite things romance and judging   things so today we're going to be tier ranking  every single romance book I've ever read I love   tier ranking videos I've made quite a few of them  there are many more I would like to make and this   is one I've been wanting to make for some time so  I thought today would be perfect so let's take a   look at my tears here we have my six tears I named  them myself as per usual I like getting creative   with the tier names I think it's more fun than  just writing them like s through F or whatever   so we start off with my top tier this is the  god tier and this one is when will it be my turn   these are the best romance books I've ever read  these are the ones where I wish I could live out   that romance in the book so they are my absolute  favorite ones next we have this is why I'm single   these are books that I also really really loved I  thought they were great they set the expectations   too high for Romance the standards are too high  hence why I'm single you can argue that there are   other reasons why I'm single but I would like  to argue that fictional romances are sometimes   better next we have kind of like my middle tier  of books I still enjoyed but aren't necessarily   my favorite paper ones this one is Love Actually  is all around obviously a reference to the movie   Love Actually and I think it's a tick tock sound  now I really enjoyed some of these and I would   definitely recommend them they're just not my  personal favorite books next we have expectation   versus reality these are books that I wish I liked  a little bit more there are things about them I   enjoy I can understand why some people would like  them but I personally didn't really love them and   I was expecting more than what we really got next  we have this is why I'm single 2.0 note this is   very different from the original this is why I'm  single tier hence the use of of the gridded teeth   Emoji these are books that remind me why I choose  to stay single why I stay off the apps why I don't   want to talk to anybody the romance was not my cup  of tea I wasn't into it this is why I would want   to stay single and finally we have the very last  here right to jail again a reference to a tick   tock sound this tier speaks for itself right  to jail it was so bad send it right to jail I   don't want it I'm not interested the worst of the  worst romance I've read so those are the tears but   quickly before we get into ranking everything I  do want to clarify something because I know it's   going to come up and I know people are going to  ask me where are these books why aren't they on   the list I did not include five out of the six  Colleen Hoover books I've read because I don't   consider her books romance and I'm not going to  promote them as romance books I'm not going to   talk about them like their Romance Books because  they're not Romance Books there are certain books   over others that I would definitely consider  more along the lines of romance and ones that   are absolutely not romance like it ends with  us but because I've talked about these books   already in recent videos and because I've said  multiple times that her books just Center abusive   toxic relationships and romanticize them I don't  consider the majority of her books romance books   so that's why they're not on this list I have  one Colleen Hoover book on this list because   I do consider that one to be a romance book but  I'm sure you can make a very well educated guess   where I would put every single one of the books  on this tier list I think I think you know where   they would go so I don't need to reiterate it  for you anyway I just wanted to make that clear   because I know people are going to be like where  are they I don't consider them romance they don't   go on the romance list I also do want to say I  didn't include any of Taylor Jenkins reads books   on this list I don't really consider like Daisy  Jones and Evelyn Hugo to be romance they're more   like lit thick and also I didn't include her  entire backlist either even though I've read   all of those because to be honest one I don't  remember the majority of what happens in a lot   of them and two they are also more along the  lines of litfic it's a little different I'm   kind of really mostly ranking rom-com's historical  romance and like a couple books that are a little   bit more in the lit Vicky genre but still books  that are more widely considered a part of just   the right romance genre so yeah that's why I  didn't include those and again I don't remember   the majority of what happens in most of them so  without those books I have a total of I believe   17 Romance Books I'm looking at this now and  my entire list got rearranged somehow and I'd   ordered them all properly and now I have to  go fix it okay that's a little better anyway   let's finally get into ranking all of these books  I'm really excited I have no idea where I'm gonna   put most things I'm pretty sure I only know what  will go in my very bottom tier and like one book   that will go in my top tier I don't know if there  will be another one but we'll see okay first up we   have red white and royal blue this was the first  or second true romance book I'd ever really read   up until this point I don't think I'd ever really  read much of anything that was just a True Romance   a classic rom-com anything like that so this was  my first experience kind of like diving into the   genre at all and I did not have high expectations  even though this book was so so hyped I read it   like a year or so after it came out I think but  I surprisingly really enjoyed it I really loved   this book yes it has its problems it's definitely  got some issues We're Not Gonna ignore that every   time I think about the actual politics in this  book yikes but they have so much chemistry the   characters have so much chemistry so in terms  of the actual character work done in the book   The romance between the two characters and just  the ridiculous high stakes of the book it's so   entertaining to read and I just had such a fun  time with it I think I originally probably would   have put it higher and I might change this  around because it's been a while since I've   read the book but I think I'm gonna put it in  Love Actually is all around I might move it up   we'll see depends on what else I put in the same  tier but for now this is where it's going to go   because I really did love this book and it's  just so much fun okay next we have one last   stop by Casey mcquiston this one I'm gonna put in  expectations versus reality because this did not   live up to my expectations first of all I did not  understand that this book was kind of paranormal   like there's a ghost involved I didn't realize  there'd be that element to this story which is   not a bad thing I actually like things like that  but I think because it took me kind of by surprise   I just went into the book expecting a little  something different and I was also ultimately   let down by the characters I didn't really find  them memorable I didn't really care about the   relationship between the main two characters and  I didn't care about any of the side characters   either so I was just really disappointed in  this one I understand why people would enjoy   it I don't think it's a bad book necessarily I  just don't really think it's for me okay next   up we have Josh and Hazel's guide to not dating  by Christina Lauren this is actually I think the   first romance book I ever read technically and  I remember not liking this I don't even remember   what I rated it either two or three stars but I  don't remember a thing that happened in it I just   remember them going to some like rooftop party  or something and maybe one of them is a dentist   don't ask me I have no clue I probably shouldn't  have included this book on the list at all because   like I said I don't remember what happens I think  I'm gonna put this in expectation versus reality   because again I really don't remember much of what  happened in it but I do remember it not being very   memorable so that's why it's gonna go there okay  next up we have the classic the love hypothesis   uh yeah I've said it many times I'm not a fan of  raylo fan fiction I'm also not a fan of the she is   Tiny and he's gigantic Trope that's all there is  in this book raylo fan fiction and the Tiny Giant   Trope that's it so that's why I'm single I was not  into Adam as a character I didn't care I did not   like the main girl either I don't remember what  her name is actually was his name Adam did she   literally name him after Adam Driver I'm pretty  sure she did I'm pretty sure that his name was   actually Adam oh God okay next we have get a life  Chloe Brown this one I did enjoy it just wasn't   my absolute favorite book I think I'm gonna put  this in Love Actually is all around I think this   is genuinely a very good romance book I just read  it last in my first romance video where I'd read a   ton of romance books that I didn't like at all so  then I was burnt out from romance so I feel like   I'd need to read it again to know if I really  really loved it or if it's just still more of   like a middle tier book for me but I definitely  enjoyed it and I would recommend it if you're   really into romance I think that it's well written  the characters were interesting I thought the   dialogue was funny and witty and I enjoyed that  there was representation in the book for chronic   illness as well as a fat main character and yeah  I just thought overall it was genuinely just a   fun romance so not my personal favorite favorite  but for someone who's looking to read romance I   would recommend it hang on I need to move a couple  of things around because I meant to order these   kind of based off of like genre a little bit  and author as well and so they're out of order   okay anyway now that we're back in order we  have Delilah green doesn't care this one is   another one that I feel like did not live up to  my expectations I wanted a little bit more out of   it but I unfortunately just felt a bit let down  the characters again I did not really connect   to I felt like they were a bit underdeveloped it  was just like missing a little bit of something   but it's definitely not bad either um I think I'm  gonna put this in expectation versus reality but   I'm gonna put it first actually if it lets  me okay there we go because I do think it's   better than one last stop and it's better than  Josh and Hazel's guide to not dating but it's   not quite on par with get a life Chloe brown  or red white and royal blue which honestly   now that I'm looking at this I think I have  to move red white and royal blue up to this   is why I'm single but I don't know because  like no I think I do I I think I'm gonna put   it there we're gonna put it there for now we'll  see again I might change things around I always   get really indecisive when I do these okay  next we have the Spanish love deception yay moving on I do think that that is  the worst romance book I've read   um well there there's another one  that is actually worse okay next   up we have my favorite romance book I  have ever read the charm offensive oh   oh it's so good the only book I've ever read that  has made me care about a billionaire I just love   this story this was such a refreshing rom-com it  was so entertaining it was high stakes and fun it   was romantic there was so Much Chemistry Between  the characters and it was really well written it   was funny and I cared about the side characters as  well everything about this story I felt was pure   rom-com perfection I would love to see this as a  movie but I feel like they probably destroy it but   if someone did it well if they adapted it well oh  my God I'd eat that up truly just god tier romance   in my opinion if you want something cute heartfelt  that's still emotional that also delves into more   serious topics like mental health highly recommend  this one uh just truly the best I love it chef's   kiss I would do anything for the time offensive  okay next we have kiss her once for me also by   the same authors the trauma offensive I read this  at the end of last year and I don't think I talked   about in a video really but I loved this book this  is going in this is why I'm single I thought it   was so good it wasn't on the same level as the  charm offensive for me just because some of the   tropes were not my personal favorite tropes really  the thing that sets like the second tier and the   top tier apart for me or what will make something  more of like a favorite favorite for me is if it   has more of my favorite tropes in it but obviously  like tropes are such personal things it's personal   preference in terms of romance so yeah someone  might like kiss her once for me more than the   charm offensive because you like the tropes in it  a bit more but still nonetheless it's a fantastic   book again super high stakes it was reminding me  so much of like K dramas with how intense and kind   of ridiculous the stakes of the story were and it  was so fun I had such a great time reading it it's   the perfect holiday read since it's set during  the winter and the holidays so yeah I I can't   recommend it enough either if you're looking  for a another Sapphic romance book to read   um definitely my favorite one I've read but  also just one of my favorite romances I've   read so fun highly highly recommend okay next  we have reminders of him by Colleen Hoover yeah this is truly the only Colleen Hoover book  I've read that I consider to be an actual romance   book it is the only one with a True Romance plot  and setup that is not just about trauma as like   the central theme of the story and romanticizing  that trauma not that trauma can't have a place   in a romance novel it absolutely can but when you  start to romanticize it as if it's the ideal and   if you start to exploit it which I would argue  this book kind of does to some degree as well   that's just different than including those  things in your novel depicting something is   not the same thing as endorsing it but endorsing  it is endorsing it and I would argue that a lot   of her books just endorse horrible horrible  relationship Dynamics that's why that one's   going there anyway I'm no longer in my ranting  about calling Hoover era so we're moving on from   that okay next up we have seven days in June  I wanted to put these two next to each other   so that I could compare a couple of things not  that you could ever compare reminders of him to   anything written by Tia Williams Because truly  the level of skill and writing is incomparable   but seven days in June is a romance book that has  trauma as a very central theme and central point   of the story however this book does a beautiful  job of handling that you don't leave the book   feeling like the whole thing was just using this  trauma to get these two characters together as a   plot device it genuinely felt like a part of their  characters because there's genuine character work   done there and it's just such a beautiful book  truly one of the best written romance books I   think I've ever read I loved so many of the lines  this easily goes in this is why I'm single I loved   this book so so good if you're looking for a more  intense a little bit more along the lines of lip   thick kind of romance book that's more centered  on these characters kind of healing through their   pain I think if you like Emily Henry too you would  probably also like this book as well um definitely   look up content warnings but highly highly  recommend that book was fantastic okay next we   have the historical romance books that I've read  so first up we have a lady for a Duke I loved this   this is a historical romance novel with a trans  main character that is Loosely somewhat inspired   by certain themes in Shakespeare's 12th night it  was a fantastic book there were some times where   I found the book to be like a little bit too slow  and that's the only thing that really kept me from   giving it a full five stars but it's it's just  so so good so this one absolutely has to go into   this is why I'm single easily one of my favorite  romance books I've read I would recommend it to   anyone who's into historical romance if you like  Bridgerton you will love this it's so emotional   um I was gonna say look up content warnings but  the very first page of the book has a Content   warning page so if you decide to read it make  sure to read that content warning page because   there are some heavier subjects in the story but  it's fantastic could not recommend it enough just   please more people should read it I feel like  more people need to know about this book it's   not as popular of a romance book and I think it  really should be okay next up we have another   book I read fairly recently and this is also a  historical romance novel but it's also a little   bit magical realism so kind of like one last stop  where there's just like this one element to the   story that's a little bit Fantastical a little  bit magical uh the beautiful ones is also like   that this book was great I loved the writing  but one of my favorite things about this was   the exploration of the characters because a lot of  them were very morally gray and so we really got   to kind of get inside their heads and see why they  think the way they do and I loved how no one in   the book except for maybe one character was really  painted out to be just good all of the time they   were so messy and some of them were horrible but  you could understand why they were the way they   were and I just loved the character work in this  book and I loved the writing like I said there   were certain things about the romance that I wish  had been done like maybe a little bit differently   or just wasn't my favorite tropes which is the  only thing that has kept me from giving it five   stars I've read so many books this year that have  been almost five stars but something just holds   me back from calling it an all-time favorite  and this is another one that I really thought   would be an all-time favorite favorite even as I  was reading it but there was just something like   a tiny little something missing but nonetheless  still absolutely loved it so this is going in this   is why I'm single a beautiful book as the title  says I would absolutely recommend it I think it   is so worth your time if you are into romance if  you like historical romance if you like magical   realism could not recommend it enough it was such  a good read okay then we have the last historical   romance book I've read which is Bridgeton the vi  count who loved me this is the second Bridgerton   novel uh this is going in this is why I'm single  2.0 I did not like this we all know I've said it   many times I'm a huge fan of season two of the  show I love it I've seen it so many times I   highly recommend the show over reading the book  personally I just think it's so much better and   so much more entertaining and fun if this Anthony  Bridgerton came into my life I would stay single   forever I don't want him anywhere near me show  Anthony Bridgerton however that's a different   story okay and finally we have the final three  books that I have on my list which are all of   Emily Henry's books excluding her new one that's  supposed to come out later this year happy place   but I've now read all three of them I finally read  Beach read for everybody who was telling me to   read the treat I read it in preparation for this  video specifically so I just finished it the other   day so we'll talk about all three of them but I'm  gonna go in order of how I read them not in the   order they were published so I first read people  we meet on vacation and this one I'm going to put   in Love Actually is all around I think this was  a very good book but it just personally did not   stick out to me that much there were things about  it like halfway through maybe I really thought I   was going to love it like I thought I was going  to give this minimum four stars and it could be   five if I really really liked the end but for  some reason it went a bit downhill for me and   I just felt like there was something missing and  there was a little bit more that I wanted out of   the book and we just never fully went there and  that's ultimately how I felt once I finished it   I do think it was good but it's definitely not my  favorite of her work then I read book lovers and   this one is gonna go in this is why I'm single I  really loved this I truly think this is probably   one of the best romance books I've read too but  again there was just something by the end where I   felt like something was missing or just didn't go  far enough for me and I just wanted something else   out of it a little bit more of the characters a  little bit more depth with the plot or the romance   or something but for some reason I just felt a bit  unsatisfied after I finished it similarly to how I   felt with people meet on vacation however overall  I still think it was better than people who meet   on vacation just objectively as a novel I think it  was better constructed you can tell how much she's   grown as an author I think since people would  meet on vacation but then I read Beach read and I   feel like this is gonna shock some of you and then  some of you are going to be completely unsurprised I loved Beach read I rated it similarly to how I  rated Book Lovers because I think in my head they   are kind of on par with each other but as I've  sat with it something about Beach read really   really touched me it really spoke to me for some  reason I really connected with this story I really   connected with these characters I felt like there  was just that thing that I felt was missing from   Book Lovers and people who meet on vacation I feel  like Emily Henry put it all into Beach read I feel   like her heart and soul was in Beach read and  I could feel that it was and I think that's why   it felt so much more emotional to me that's also  in part because the story itself is a little bit   more emotional the stakes are a little bit higher  so maybe that's why I enjoyed it more the stakes   just weren't high enough in the other two for  me and some people might prefer that they might   prefer something a bit more lighthearted like  Book Lovers or people meet on vacation but for   me beach read was it that is the Emily Henry book  I don't like the book as much as I like the charm   offensive I don't think it's technically on the  same level I would give it like 4.75 stars like   almost five stars almost but just not quite there  yet maybe if I were to reread it or if I were to   sit with it for longer it could be up there but  it is definitely one of my favorite romance books   I've read the thing like I said that sets the um  top tier apart from the second tier is just that   it has more of my favorite tropes or something  about it really personally spoke to me or stuck   out to me so uh that's why that one goes up there  but I loved it I was shocked by how much I loved   Beach read my true like only complaint about this  book which I feel like people are gonna fight me   on this I fully understand that this argument  is coming from a place of privilege like my   California privilege but this book doesn't take  place on a beach okay it takes place in Michigan   so the beaches we're talking about are the beaches  of Lake Michigan like a lake beach to me that's   not a real beach when I think of a beach I think  of the ocean or the sea like it needs to be a   salted body of water not an unseasoned Lake okay  that's not a real beach so I thought the book was   going to take place along the west coast somewhere  in the South somewhere or along the east coast   but no it's literally Lake Michigan they're  basically at a lake house not a real beach   house so I I was disappointed by that I  was misled okay I apologize to anybody   who lives by a lake beach or visits lake beaches  regularly but those are lake beaches to me okay   I am a saltwater Ocean Beach girly and I'm used  to those beaches so that's what I was expecting   but I still love the book it was still a lot of  fun despite the fact that it doesn't take place   on a real beach I'm sorry this is the pointless  Hill that I choose to die on but there you have   it this is my final tier ranking of every single  romance book I have read I feel like people are   going to be surprised by how many of these I  genuinely really love I feel like people assume   I don't like romance or maybe I assume that people  assume I don't like romance just because I've read   a few that I really disliked and I'm very vocal  about it but I do really love a lot of them too   I think there's so many great books in the genre  there's so many more I would love to read as well   um I just think that some of the ones that are  extremely popular that get hyped up don't deserve   of all of the attention but that's true of like  almost anything that gets hyped up in any genre   any book even outside of books movies TV brands  things like that so that's unsurprising but yeah   there are so many romance books that I really  really love those top two tiers are definitely   my personal recommendations so if you're  ever looking for a romance recommendation   and you want my recommendations just refer back  to these top two tiers those were definitely be   the books I would recommend that you read if  you're interested in Reading romance but yeah   there you all have it I hope that you enjoyed  watching this video I hope this brightened up   your Valentine's Day whether you are spending  it alone or spending it with somebody that you   love I hope it's a day full of love and joy  and I hope that this video brought a smile to   your face please let me know in the comments what  romance books are your favorite which ones would   you put in your top tier and which ones are the  worst ones you've ever read and also which ones   should I read because I want to read some more  romance books and I'm running low on my list now   if you'd like to follow me on any of my social  media to keep up with what else I'm reading and   what else I'm doing all of my links are in the  description box as always but thank you all so   much for watching this video I I hope you enjoyed  and I will see you very soon in my next video bye

Channel: A Clockwork Reader

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Length: 23min 16sec (1396 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 14 2023