What Made Me Read This Book End-to-end Within 24 Hours
Netflix and chill??? A ‘Never Have I Ever (Before) kind of account.
1.45 pm, Jan 20 (Yesterday)
(2022, for those reading in 2030. Oh, btw thanks for reading!)
Okay, jokes aside; let’s get to the point.
My most-awaited parcel arrived from Amazon yesterday. Why most-awaited?
Because it’s the copy of The Kissing Booth 3!!! If you’ve read the most recent of my articles you’ll know why I’m saying that—well, typing that.
Basically, I binge-watched all three movies—The Kissing Booth 1, 2, and 3— in one day and it was (well, it is, too!) all on my mind for days that followed.
I wanted to read the book but was not sure if I could because I’ll be having my exams starting this 25. Plus, I knew the story so I thought it might become boring and that will take the sheer joy out of it.
But guess what, I wanted to read the author, Beth Reekles, so bad.
Beth Reekles, the author
I think I first heard her name some two or three years ago when I first landed on the website of Wattpad.
They had her book and her featured in a blog that was basically about how she got published traditionally (it means when you publish your book with a publisher, and not self-publish it), by Penguin Random House UK.
The book was none other than The Kissing Booth.
She had started writing it, The Kissing Booth (TKB), on Wattpad, one chapter at a time, when she was 15.
By the age of 17, she signed a contract of publishing her book with PRH.
I vividly remember with how much excitement I read that blog post. ‘How much exciting it’d be, getting a book deal at 17!’ I’d wonder.
I first heard about The Kissing Booth and Beth Reekles at that point. Though Beth Reekles slipped out of my mind, The Kissing Booth stayed, resting in some far-fetched corner…
…until very recently.
Netflix
…until I saw its poster on Netflix.
And I was like: “Wait, what? Is this the same thing? Noooo! Can it be? Well, well, well, let me see the description and all…oh my god, it is! I can’t believe that!” while still having a smile on my face, sitting in my room, alone.
I remembered that I read something about the movie adaptations in the blog post back then as well.
And you know how the rest of it went.
I completed watching all the three parts in one go. And oh my gosh, I cried more than a couple of times and was about to cry in like every sad scene.
That teenage thing! Right? Haha! Well, maybe.
Binge-watching the movies was as easy as…well, binge-watching Netflix. Right?
But will I be able to even finish the book, given I’d already watched the movies and had exams starting this 25th?
I doubted.
But because of all the mind space, it consumed at that moment (not very different is the situation now also, not to mention, and I’m not sad about it), that I decided to purchase it.
I was excited that I’d hold that book which I had known of for years but never really had read it. That author’s book who started writing it in her teens, at 15 to be precise.
I don’t know why but it felt kind of special—different. And I wanted to read it so bad. Sorry, my TBR-listed book, you’ve got to wait a lil more, I think!
But as soon as I held the book in my hands and was about to start reading it, I read something that brought a smile, and a chuckle too, on my face.
The Special Touch
It was merely a coincidence turned the Special Touch, for me.
But I took it as the latter.
The moment I opened the book and turned a couple of pages, my eyes read this:
“For all the bookish fifteen-year-olds with a story to tell”
I thought—like no kidding—this book was written for me. I knew the context though. Nevertheless, this was the most epic start of any book I’ve ever read.
The Special Effect
The Special Touch had its Special Effect.
Remember the first paragraph’s title, “1.45 pm, Jan 20 (Yesterday)”?
That 1.45 pm is the time I got my book delivered by Amazon.
(I was not wearing a watch when I received it; I checked it from the ‘Your Orders’ page. Just wanted to clear it as when I’m proofreading this I doubted how I know the exact time. Was I wearing a watch?)
And the special effect that this book and line of dedication had on me made me read this book within 24 hours.
In the beginning, I just wanted to read it. But around midnight it hit me:
“Wouldn’t it be so cool and memorable if I finish it within 24 hours of starting?”
I read it until it was 3 am; day: today. My friend was watching some movies on his tablet and I was not feeling any sleepy. So I read.
Amidst reading, I also re-watched The Kissing Booth and cried again! A couple of episodes of Mr. Iglesias too, to get some laughter, and I was back at reading.
What a night it had been thus far!
I slept around 3.30 and woke up at around 10 when my Dad called.
I had more than half of my book finished and the goal seemed achievable.
Fast-forward to only 4 pages and 30 minutes left. I called my friend and updated him that I might finish it in 24 hours. He was still half asleep as he watched two more movies after he went to his room, as he told me after I asked why was he still sleeping in the afternoon. His YouTube history was telling the same story.
We both skipped the lunch—he was half asleep and in no mood to get out of bed anything soon and I, in no mood to keep the book down before it was finished; 24 hours mark was near!
I went to his room and in there I finally finished the book! There were still a good 15 or so minutes left.
So what actually made me read this book so fast?
I think there was more than one reason for it.
First of all, obsession. I completed a freaking whole 400-pages-book in 24 hours! I can’t believe myself. But it’s so cool!
Secondly, I think it was just the right time to read this book. Ten years from now, and maybe it’d feel childish. Ten years earlier, and I might’ve gotten bored. Time just felt right and so there I went.
And I think that was the biggest reason for them all.
Third, is the dedication page. It was just so spot-on! Maybe it might seem a little thing but god, how I describe that moment when I read it in words!
In the end, I just want to say this:
I loooooooooooooooooved this book (and films) a lot! Like a hell lot. This is my first book which I challenged myself to finish in 24 hours and I did. Also, those three Netflix movies are one of the first binge-watched Netflix movies of my life. ☺️❤️
So yeah, that was kind of an experience. And one I’ll hardly forget, ever.
I think that’s it for this article. Until next time, bye and take care, and I love y’all! ☺️❤️🙏👋🧡
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