Today I want to talk about Zoella’s Book Club.
I’ve seen many snide remarks against Zoella’s Book Club, frankly I don’t even want to mention The Guardian Article published yesterday in detail because it’s remarkably ignorant and basically an attack rather than honest and insightful criticism. What I will mention is how the author of said article mentioned how Zoe only promotes books with White Female leads and the books only feature ‘cute and glittery’ story lines of how girls fall in love with ‘pixie dream boys’. Ermm firstly can we just take a look at some of the books Zoe has in her book club;
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
This book actually largely deals with a young female lead dealing with her Anxiety Disorder, going through therapy and her journey to getting back the life that Anxiety has stolen from her. Like being able to leave the house.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
A book that deals with suicide, abuse, depression and anxiety
We were Liars by E.Lockhart
A character dealing with PTSD
These 3 books are just some examples from Zoella’s book club, as you can see they are not ‘cute and glittery’ they are stories featuring real issues.Personally it frustrates me that Zoella gets so much hate for her book club, why do I think she does?
Well frankly because she’s a ‘Celebrity’ not a term she would use to describe herself as she mentions in her Vlogs but she’s got a following and like all celebrities she gets attacked. No matter what she does, I believe someone or some media outlet would attempt to tear her down and frankly as a 22 year old who has watched Zoella for years I find it disheartening. I want to mention now that I’m not writing this post because I do watch Zoe and am a major fan, I do love her of course but I’m writing this from the reader in me. From the girl who suffers from Anxiety who is sick of readers being stereotyped for being ‘boring’ or ‘nerds’, for boys who don’t want to show they love to read because they are bullied and called ‘gay’.
Zoella being such an advocate for reading as a lover of books herself is a wonderful thing, I truly admire her for it. Zoe is helping to stamp out the stereotypes associated with reading and is encouraging more people to pick up books and give them a go. Shouldn’t the media be celebrating the fact that she is encouraging young people to explore worlds outside of our own? Shouldn’t they be celebrating the fact that here is a young girl herself using her platform to encourage readers to look into books that feature subjects of Anxiety, PTSD and bullying so they can understand the struggle and the daily life some people really go through?
Before Zoella came on Youtube and openly talked about Anxiety, I myself hadn’t seen any videos like it. I hadn’t read blog posts so open that described the feelings I was having, so I lived with my Anxiety for years but by lived I mean I slowly let it run my life. I stopped going to places I used to love until I finally got the courage to seek help and from there I’m becoming a different person. Zoella’s honest speeches on her videos and an insight into her life showed me that it’s ok and i’m no less a person – no less a normal human being for having Anxiety. This is important because Zoe is encouraging people to read books that feature Anxiety to show people who don’t suffer from it an insight into life with it, these books offer real honest experiences that truly reflect someone else’s life and by encouraging people to pick them up she is potentially saving a life. Saving someone from struggling within themselves and seeing that it’s ok.
Growing up there was never a book club I could join, there wasn’t a figure I watched or looked up to talking about books. To have someone like Zoella share her passion for reading is an amazing thing, one that I appreciate whole heartedly. I think some of the hate also stems from the fact she is a Youtuber who has covered Beauty videos in the past – ‘SURELY HOW IS SHE A READER’. Zoella is a channel that covers all sorts of topics, just because someone is into beauty doesn’t mean they can’t love to read as well, the fact she also had a following before talking about books exclusively doesn’t mean that she is simply doing this for an endorsement either. Follow her vlogs and you will have seen her talk about her love for books and books she is currently reading in the past, it is truly a hobbie she has taken up for a while and a passion for her.
This is probably a rant, but after seeing numerous comments shaming Zoella for her Book Club, I wanted to speak out and share my opinion. I hope the people who do criticize Zoe’s choices have read all the books she offers on her Book club and can offer a real perspective of the characters and issues they have within them. If they don’t then they are only making assumptions, wrong ones at that because Zoella’s Book Club does value diversity and the mere existence of the book club itself without the books it holds is spreading a message of positivity and telling people to share the passion and pick up the book.
What do you think of the hate surrounding Zoella’s Book club? Let me know in the comments below
mortalreader.wordpress.com 
They are doing that again?? Why?? I remember that the first time she launched her book club there was some article talking shit about her. I don’t know if it was The Guardian or not but I got mad at that time. They mostly said what was said in this article and they said she wasn’t a good role model because she was telling teenagers to read books with sex. Like, WTF?? What’s the problem?? That’s when they start wondering about those stuff and it’s not like the scenes were explicit. I’m not a huge Zoella fan… I watch her videos and I like but I can tell sometimes she also gets to my nerves XD. But I had that she keeps being criticized because of these stupid things while what she’s trying to do is to make more people to read and that’s great.
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Thanks for reading Catia, I agree with you. I think it will be a constant for her to get hate over this, which I wish she didn’t.
People critising her because she promotes books with a slight sex scene is ridiculous, its natural. It’s not like its explicit as you say. If people shield their children from absolutely everything – from sex from the real issues of anxiety, ptsd and abuse some of the books feature then these children won’t know the reality of it. You can’t expect a child to read stories of pure happiness and realize that the real world can be so harsh.
Urgh I feel like I could rant forever about this haha!
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Ugh, the hate around her book club is ridiculous. I’ve never really watched her videos but I follow her on social media and seen some collabs she’s done with YTers that I watch and she seems like one of the sweetest, most genuine people. I don’t get why people have an issue with her promoting books and encouraging young people to read? Even if they were “cute and glittery” stories, who cares? We don’t all need to be classics or literary fiction. The fact that she’s chosen books that have relevant issues to so many young people today makes it even more awesome. Honestly, those people who talk shit are too pretentious for their own good and have way too much free time on their hands.
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Yes Lauren exactly! It’s ridiculous to see newspapers such as The Guardian publishing articles with so much hate especially when the person clearly does not know the books she has suggested.
I believe its simply because she is a youtuber that she is attacked so often, these days people are so hooked on social media (me too) that reading isn’t picked up like it used to be. The fact that she is promoting people to read again is fantastic and I think it will stop children being bullied for loving to read as well.
Thanks for reading! 🙂
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This drives me mad! At the end of the day – she’s promoting books and reading and people with influence like Zoella can do so much for making reading seem ‘cool’ or ‘exciting’ for lots of young people who may never have considered picking up a book for pleasure. I don’t agree with the criticisms made about the book choices, but even if I did, reading is reading is reading. We don’t all need to be forced into picking up Jane Austen or War and Peace in our spare time and based on the sales and the hype, she’s obviously on the right track with her recs! Nice post. 🙂
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Thank you Sammie! I agree, I think that’s exactly where some of the hate comes from – the fact that she isn’t promoting classics as well. This book club is for everybody but specifically you can see its for the younger generation, they are more likely to pick up a story about someone they can relate to within their time and then move on to other stories, she has seen a gap in the market and understands the demographic she is catering for.
Imagine if we had book clubs like this growing up? I would of loved it, maybe then I and others like me wouldn’t have experienced bullying for wanting to read!
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You’re welcome. 🙂 Absolutely – people (especially young people) need to be able to relate and identify to build up an enjoyment of reading and a trust in books before perhaps moving on to something more difficult/challenging as and when they’re ready. I totally agree! If nothing else, she’s got an incredible marketing/business brain on her shoulders haha. Omg can you imagine?! The only time people didn’t think I was a weird bookworm was when the Potter books came out, other than there was very little to recommend reading as being ‘cool’! Fair play to the girl, I think she’s doing an awesome job for young readers. 🙂
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Now only if other people understood that like us! Its a shame their trying to demonize her for doing good and spreading the book love joy!x
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I love Zoella and her book club
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All this hate business, it’s totally unjustified and annoying. I’m glad you wrote about it. You have a very engaging way of writing ( if my stupid Internet connection didn’t suck so much you’d see ) how I love most of your posts ♡
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Aw thank you for such lovely comments. I’m glad you enjoy my writing, it means the world to me. It’s definitely unjustified, it annoys me so much because some newspapers attack her and call her a bad role model but there tearing down a girl in her twenties? Ironic isn’t it. Hope you’re having a great day ❤
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Personally I think the online community, particularly youtubers, are just easy to hate on. I don’t mean that in a negative way, I mean that mainstream media really does like to attack them.
I also enjoy Zoe’s videos and I admire the success she has made of herself, the way she has spoken out about mental health and also managed her own anxiety to the point where she has travelled the world and spoken at conventions etc, I admire her as a business woman and a writer.
The fact of the matter is people love to hate her, which is sad, BUT she doesn’t let it stop her.
Since when has it been okay to slam somebody for encouraging young people to read?!
Some people need to get over their own literary snobbery and realise that it’s totally okay for young people to read books that aren’t bloody War and Peace or Shakespeare. When I was 13/14 I was reading books with no substance to them and no serious themes, yet here I am studying English Literature at university and obviously now focusing on and enjoying more intellectual books.
Sorry for rambling on, I think at the end of the day it says a lot about journalists that this is what they’re choosing to write about.
https://tenmoreminutesblog.wordpress.com
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Excellent Points! I agree, the fact that it keeps coming up as well in the news and they keep sprouting more and more hate towards her is truly just bewildering. I don’t get it but like you say people love to hate celebrities and they also I suppose any publicity for that news article they will love. The more angry people reading the article which is utter rubbish the more people that are visiting their site.
I love how she doesn’t let it stop her too!
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Well done! Beautifully constructed blog and great critique!
P.s I love zoe too hehe
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Thank you! 🙂
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this is exactly what I thought, ive read half the books in the book club and loved every single one! Zoe discusses issues in her videos alike the ones in these books, for people to say she only promotes “cute and glittery” books astonishes me completely! I don’t understand why she would receive hate anyway she is encouraging teens to read books and she is recommending ones she personally enjoyed, no one deserves hate in the first place but receiving hate over this is completely pointless. I reviewed “everything everthing” on my blog feel free to check it out!
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Good points! I definitely will check out your review 🙂
I wrote this post back in November and the fact now shes getting more hate is astonishing, like the articles saying how she is ruining reading because she promotes readers to read YA and not classics. When some journalists realise the damage they themselves can cause by trying to tear her down they will also realise the extent of change she has produced. She is a brilliant role model! Thank you again for reading and commenting 🙂
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No problem, your points were exactly what I thought. even if you wrote it back then I still felt it was relative with a lot of the recent hate shes been receiving. I love her and Alfie and they are both massive role models to me, being a teenage girl she has inspired me to be a better person and to speak my mind.
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Aw that’s lovely to hear that she and Alfie are role models for you. I love them both and find them to be very inspiring role models for me as well. I love that she also inspired you to speak your mind, keep doing that and don’t let anyone try to diminish your light. ❤
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