the caught the vibe vs could never be me tag (or the in or out book tag)

it’s been so long since i’ve done any post that isn’t a review and i really wanted to write something today to distract myself from actual work, SO a book tag seemed appropriate.

The In or Out book tag was created by Rick MacDonnell of Booktube fame, and it’s basically just discussing a bunch of book tropes/features etc. and discussing whether you like them or not. BASICALLY it’s just giving your esteemed opinion on book stuff and I love having an opinion on everything. Let’s get into it!

reading the last page first

You do you, but this could never be me. I live in constant fear that once I check the page count I will inadvertently spoil the ending and then my life would be ruined. 

Verdict: OUT (otherwise known as COULD NEVER BE ME)

enemies to lovers

This is my favorite trope of all time, since I am ultimately a deeply problematic person. I just really enjoy the tension of this trope and I think that what this trope brings is the slow burn aspect to the romance, which is why I probably like it so much.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

dream sequences

This is such a hated plot device (or at least it is amongst SOME people) but I genuinely do not have a strong opinion on this. I think it’s because the only dream sequences that come to my mind are the ones in The Raven Cycle and I love those SO that means that all dream sequences are good, right? Perfect reasoning.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

love triangles

Genuinely cannot stand love triangles and I get so very bored by them. Polyamory is RIGHT there so can we just not do this trite love triangle stuff anymore. It’s like it’s always obvious who the person will pick, but more importantly, it’s always obvious who I am rooting for so what’s even the point. NO THANK YOU.

Verdict: OUT (otherwise known as COULD NEVER BE ME)

cracked spines

I am really not very precious about my books, and cracked spines are fine. I don’t go in to break the spine intentionaly, but it almost always happens when I read and I could not care less.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

back to my small town

I quite like this trope. Small town stories are in general a favorite for me, I think there’s a lot of room in them to explore complex interpersonal dynamics (which is basically the one thing I look in all the books I read) so I love them. The return of the prodigal small town son is a specific subset of the small town trope that I don’t have strong feelings on, but like I said, I love a small town story so this is also a thing that works for me.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

monsters are regular people

This is a thing that I might have enjoyed in the past but I am very much past it, I think. I just feel like there are more interesting things to do with monsters than showing us they’re just like us.

Verdict: OUT (otherwise known as COULD NEVER BE ME)

no paragraph breaks

this is just a crime against the human brain.

Verdict: OUT (otherwise known as COULD NEVER BE ME)

multigenerational sagas

This very much depends on the book for me. My main issue with this is that one part of these stories needs to be historical fiction and I cannot stand historical fiction. But these stories also explore stuff that I love like family dynamics and intergenerational differences and trauma, so this very much depends on the execution for me.

Verdict: i refuse to make a decision

re-reading

I absolutely love re-reading. Part of it is probably because my memory of books is pretty shitty, but it’s also a thing that I find super comforting. It’s just hard for me to do it without the guilt of so many unread books of my TBR screaming at me, so I don’t do it as often as I would actually like.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

artificial intelligence

I quite like AI stories, even do SciFi in general is something I struggle with. But AI exploring the human condition is something I do find interesting most times. It’s just that I rarely read those stories.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

drop caps

these are great, what’s not to like?

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

happy endings

I do like a happy ending in general (i read romance so naturally i enjoy a happy ending), but I do not think that every story needs it nor do I like it in all the stories I read. But yeah, in general, I do enjoy them from time to time, I LIKE TO FEEL HAPPINESS AMIDST THE DUMPSTER FIRE THAT IS THE EXISTENCE IN MY HUMAN SHELL.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

plot points that only converged at the end

ABSOLUTELY LOVE, one of my fave literary devices. I think it’s super rewarding having seemingly unreleated plot points finally come together at the very end of the novel. I think it’s super impactful once it’s done right.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

detailed magic system

I live and breathe for these to be completely honest. This is my number one thing I look for in fantasy (and fantasy is my favorite genre), so I am naturally all the way in with this. The more detailed the better honestly, and If I am confused for the most of the book, that’s even better.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

classic fantasy races

I generally like all the classic fantasy beats, including the classic fantasy races. There’s a bit of nostalgia mixed in there for sure, but I do genuinely enjoy them, albeit it’s been a while since I’ve read a book with them. But I love that in my video games and movies, so naturally that spills over into books.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

unreliable narrators

Give me an unreliable narrator any day! I love it. It’s one of my favorite things in books. And preferably she is an unhinged, depressed woman just trying to live in this awful world. I LOVE IT.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

evil protagonists

Yes. Good stuff. I generally HATE the good, holier than thou, super honorable characters. There’s no flavor there. OH you’re a good person WHO CARES. So I love a morally grey, or even full on evil protagonist. Keeps me young.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

the chosen one

This does depend on the execution (i think there’s room to do interesting stuff with the chosen one character), but if it follows the usual chosen one beats, I find this boring. I never like the chosen one characters, they’re just whiny and boring LET’S BE HONEST.

Verdict: OUT (otherwise known as COULD NEVER BE ME)

when the protagonist dies

I am not opposed to this, I think it makes sense for the story sometimes, and there are books that I love where this happens. But I would not say this is my favorite thing in the world. Sometimes it’s just lazy, emotionally manipulative literary device. SO ONCE AGAIN, WHO KNOWS.

Verdict: i refuse to make a decision

really long chapters

Not for me. The shorter the chapter, the higher the chance that I will actually finish the book.

Verdict: OUT (otherwise known as COULD NEVER BE ME)

french flaps

LOVE.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

deckled edges

These are genuinely useless and ugly (i mean, relatable, but still), and anyone who says they like them are just lying.

Verdict: OUT (otherwise known as COULD NEVER BE ME)

signed copies by the author

I just do not care about this. I think the thing I’d like is the experience to go to a signing and get the book signed and say hi to the author, but other than that, I just don’t see the appeal.

Verdict: OUT (otherwise known as COULD NEVER BE ME)

dog-earing pages

I said I wasn’t precious about my books, but this I find annoying, so I don’t ever do it.

Verdict: OUT (otherwise known as COULD NEVER BE ME)

chapter titles instead of numbers

I LOVE THIS. I wish more books did it, but they sadly don’t because life is unfair.

Verdict: IN (otherwise known as CAUGHT THE VIBE)

 

There you have it! If you like the tag, consider yourselves tagged to do it, and share your thoughts on some of these tropes (and my CORRECT opinions) in the comments!

In the meantime, happy reading

 

 

Come hang out with me:

Goodreads | Storygraph | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

*Vectors graphics designed by Freepik and Canva