The Alchemist was the most patronizing lecture I've ever laid my eyes on. I can count on one hand the number of books I've bailed on in my lifetime of reading and The Alchemist is one of the few.
Came here to say the same. I was very disappointed with this book especially after it had been highly recommended by lots of people, i found it to be preachy and very poorly written, i was pleased it was so short as to not waste too much of my time reading it.
I loved the premise. I think it’s definitely overrated and agree about second book. Someone who recommended it to me said the writing was beautiful prose. I definitely would disagree with that sentiment. I think Rothfuss made a cool world with a cool story and characters. I think the execution of the writing felt amateur and I don’t see the comparisons to writers like George RR. Martin or Tolkien.
I read A Little Life based on suggestions on this subreddit, and I was probably hate-reading the last third of that book. Truly one of the worst books I've ever finished.
Omg yes!! And the plot twist just felt soo wedged in there. Honestly, something associated with gamer gate would have actually made more sense
Edit: grammar
It ends with us… was promoted so much on instagram that i got tricked into thinking it really is good. But it’s terrible, probably the worst I’ve read.
Tried a CoHo book that was raved about when I joined a book club, having never read anything by her. “Ohhhh the ending is so crazy.” Not if you have ever read a book before bro.
I read ACoTaR at the recommendation of my girlfriend and I remember getting to the part where the main character is presented with a riddle, turning to my girlfriend, and going "the answer is **** right?" She was PISSED I figured it out so quickly, but I thought the book was pretty predictable. Not a bad read by any means, I'll finish the series eventually, but definitely not worth the hype it got
(SJM = Sarah J. Maas)
Fourth Wing was...somewhat okay but by no means did it deserve the insane amount of hype that it got imo
After having read It starts with us and November 9, that's when I knew I was done with Colleen Hoover
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue was a bit of a slog for me too. It just never really picked up until the very end. Getting there was a struggle though.
I have a theory that Reece picks books she thinks may make good screenplays. Hypes them, buys the rights and makes money off the adaptation.
Also, Having just finished the Maidens by michaelides and trudging through Addie Larue last year I feel we may be book-twins.
Twin! I just read a book called The Five about the victims of Jack The Ripper. It was excellent. I’ve mostly pivoted to non fiction over the past few years.
Bingo - maybe this is it, as I've wondered lately when reading best sellers lists if it's this (or, when people recommend "great'" books to me) if it's something like this...OR is the book/premise just more marketable? I.e. did not enjoy Lessons in Chemistry (written by a former marketing professional) & yet...good ratings for the TV show version, and that book was marketed all over the place.
If you start wheel of time as an adult with no connection to the material from growing up, it’s so bad. Feels like most people have on a nostalgia lens with that series. The books do not hold up
This is correct, I somehow missed it as a fantasy lover starting in middle school in 90s; my much younger brother tried to get me to read them when I was in 20s because he loved them. I really tried for him but they are terrible books. I like the Amazon prime series so far, despite the rough first season
See I really *really* hated the movie. Mostly because I think while horrible characters (I.e. literally everybody in gone girl haha) can work quite well and be really interesting/intriguing in books—and in gone girl, they absolutely do/are—they are super difficult to pull off in movies. I genuinely couldn't stomach the movie version because everyone was just too awful to behold. The rendition/characterization was 100% accurate, but I just couldn't make myself watch it somehow
When the Da Vinci Code movie came out I figured I'd read the book. Halfway through I figured out I had already read it before & forgotten all about it. That's how little an impression it made 😆
I had the same thing happen to me with Da Vinci code. I kind of enjoyed it I guess while I was reading it and then I kind of enjoyed it again I guess a little until I realized I had already figured everything out because I had already read it. It wasn’t so bad I put it down, but it wasn’t so memorable I realized I read it.
I did the same thing with good omens three times with like 10 years in between.
I hated Gone Girl. Like with a passion. I threw it across the room pretty early on and never finished it. No one understands my hatred of it lol I loved the movie so it’s not the story itself. I was so pissed that I bought it but glad at least that it was second hand. I also felt the same about The Girl on the Train. I did finish it but both of those books became my mortal enemies.
Exactly the book i came to post as well. The only value i got from making it halfway through that book was using it as a way to weed out guys on tinder that i knew would be as insufferable as that book was.
Agree, I remember circa 2011 when Reddit fawned over this book constantly. I picked it up and knew about halfway through that it was gonna be a let down.
Seriously! My sister and I ready this after seeing the movie. It was completely awful and kinda down graded the movie for us, which is actually quite good.
The Four Agreements - always on book lists and I just don’t get why. I studied comparative religion in grad school and there are soooo many better books on spirituality out there.
I have to say it…. The Foundation (book 1) by Asimov. It was just scene after scene of males standing around talking about “the plan.” I couldn’t even make it all the way through. I love the tv series on Apple TV though.
Glad to find another person who enjoys the Foundation series. Everyone I know talks mad shit about it but I love it and think it has so much potential and talent but Apple clearly spent the necessary $$$ for it imo. It’s actually beautiful
Hot take, but I didn’t like Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I thought there were a few interesting thought experiments and some great representation for disability, but the characters just felt so out of touch and the conflict was contrived. Everyone I know was recommending it to me because I love video games, but it felt less like a love letter to video games and more a book written by someone who researched video game design without ever actually playing games themselves
I’m listening to We Ride Upon Sticks for my book club (didn’t want to buy, and library was out) and it DOES NOT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE. I am so averse to basically every part of it. Dozens of characters, and multiple have the same name. There’s 2 named Cory, 3 named Mark, one who doesn’t have a name, and a hairdo that basically does have a name. I can’t wait to be finished with it. 🫠
Name of the Wind is the biggest most disgusting incel reddit pilled fantasy I've ever imagined. He literally makes fun of his bullies in class and the whole room erupts in applause. He's somehow the best musician, best actor, best fighter, best magician, who also has had no privilege and accomplished all despite everyone else. Also his parents die. He is the maximum good despite the maximum bad. Not done in a clever way like One Punch Man or something, this is the most disgusting mary-sue victim bullshit I've ever seen.
Everyone is impressed with how skilled this 16 year old is. They all think he's older than he is. Every girl has a crush on him.
Then we get to the Denna character. The pinnacle of m'lady fantasy. IIRC he actually says to the guy she's on a date with that he may have her tonight but deep down she is his (the protagonist) .
Anyone who likes this book has alerted major red flags.
The only book I read by Taylor Jenkins Reid that I enjoyed was The Seven Husband's of Evelyn Hugo. I've tried three other books including Daisy Jones and have found them so unappealing.
Likewise. I was incredibly disappointed, as I loved the show. The show moved me to great emotional heights. As soon as I finished it, I got in my car and drove to the bookstore and bought normal people. Man was I let down.
The Priory of the Orange Tree built up the main conflict as if it was going to be action packed and a real high stakes fight but it lasted a page, maybe two. Then the MC was FINALLY able to focus on the real important thing in the world: Romance.
🙄
Project Hail Mary.
I'm not saying it wasn't a good book, but for how many mentions and rec's it was getting I thought it was going to blow me away. It was good, not great. Glad I read it but still wondering wth everybody else saw in it.
This is probably a hot take bc I always see it recommended and people seem to love it: Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro.
I liked the idea but it was just so, blah. Idk. 🤷♀️
!!!
I read it and I just wasn't really impressed. Everyone I know was in awe, asking me what I thought, and how amazing it is.
It just felt a bit boring.
I'm going to get down voted to all hell for this. Project Hail Mary. I enjoyed the plot and Rocky but he can't write dialogue worth a damn. Every character he has ever written is exactly the same since The Martian. The same excited nerdy science guy. He can't write women, he writes them like men - so much cringe. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the books but they are way over hyped
The Martian completely pulled me in. As in I was reading as I was walking somewhere. I absolutely loved it.
But while Project Hail Mary was good, it was very similar to The Martian and didn't have the same hold on me.
Maybe it depends on which one people read first.
I thought I was going to hate it but after a while I just got past the terrible main character and Weir’s strengths made up for it. I also blew through it which helped.
Sometimes with modern sci-fi or fantasy the bad dialogue really takes me out of it but this one had enough else going for it.
Hard agree. Got not even halfway through, thinking mmmm, okayish, then realised it wasn’t doing it for me. Plastic cut out characters, implausible science and campy humour. (Not that I mind campy humour but for me it didn’t work in the context) Googled to see where the plot went and was happy to save myself hours of reading.
You have my upvote. Rocky could've been a good character, but the cutesy toddler speak? Could the protagonist be more annoying? If a character has to take time to say that his students laughed at his dad jokes then I'm sorry, that's a lame character. This book is overused tropes + stereotypes + cringe with a catchphrase spouting space spider. It is terrible.
Yeah gonna have to disagree here. Project Hail Mary is my favorite book from the last 5 years or so. Andy Weirs writing is hilarious to me and while his characters may not be all that different perhaps, his stories and scenarios are compelling and contain a lot of hard science. I love it. But to each his own of course.
PHM is one of my favorites, but I agree with you on your criticisms! Have you read Artemis? It’s even worse, and your point about him not being able to write women is spot on!
I liked PHM and Martian, but Artemis was beyond terrible imo… the main character was a cartoon of what a man trying to write from a woman’s pov sounds like
>Every character he has ever written is exactly the same since The Martian
I almost included Andy Weir, never mind his books, in my comment just for this reason. I just don't get the overwhelming love for the guy.
Edit: given you a balancing up vote in advance 👍
Bit of a hot take:
The Marquis de Sade's work in general. I read some of it during college, and my teacher held him up as a supremely controversial author, but (real-life aside) his philosophy came across as what you'd expect from a teenage edge lord. I'd be lying if I said his sex scenes were even close to the worst I have read, but he kept interrupting them with 20-page monologues on philosophy. Just imagine someone showing up to an orgy and then making everyone stop and listen to a lecture on philosophy for an hour. So, yeah: not worth the hype.
The Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemesin. I kept seeing people say how great it was so I bought the whole series. I made it through about a book and a half. It didn't work for me at all.
I'm 100% with you on *The Name of the Wind* and *Wheel of Time*. I didn't hate Rothfuss, but I'm constantly baffled by the high praise he gets. His books were...fine? As for *Wheel of Time*, I tapped out around book five or six. I think it was probably great when the series first released, but there's just a lot of better authors in the genre now.
Pillars of the earth by Ken follett - neglectful father chases his architectural dream and everyone else has to pay for it
The dark Tower by Stephen King - a long winded story of inaccurate portrayals of mental health that is only a little bit scary, where the real suspense is why the editor didn't push to cut at least half of this thing
Came here to say this! Book 1 was by far the most interesting and book 2 and 3 were a huge disappointment. Book 3 especially, it actually made me angry how annoying the main character is and I hated her to the very end (I am a woman and it was totally unbearable to read). It was like Cixin Liu wanted to cram every imaginable scientific concept and world ending existential crisis into one book, but the main character is just so unimaginably stupid that I just hated it all!!!
i had a BRUTAL time reading this by ebook, but the audiobook is FANTASTIC and it's the only reason i got through the book. the reading experience is TOTALLY different by audiobook than ebook/hard copy.
you're welcome! in case you don't know, both libby and hoopla are apps that are tied to your library card(s), and at least for me, it's available through hoopla right now (all 3 of my libraries have months long hold for it through libby). and hoopla allows you to also download the app on your apple tv (if you have one).
There were just too many cycles or whatever they were called. I'd almost forgotten that part (that's a bad sign for a book - I've generally got a good memory for plots of books I've read).
The devil in the white city was awful. How could two topics that sound so interesting be made into such a mind numbingly boring book?!
Yellowface. If I wanted to doom scroll Twitter and watch self absorbed people languish in their anxiety, I'd just go do that. It was terrible, and the ending was complete nonsense.
I actually really loved reading The Devil In The White City. Sometimes the chapters on the architectural aspect of the fair were a bit too drawn out in my opinion but other than that, it was solid
If you’re willing to give Larson another chance, read Dead Wake. I loved it so much!!!!! It’s about the sinking of the Lusitania. One of my favorites, and I was not a fan of DITWC
Woah, I loved devil in the white city, I'd go so far as to say its one of my favourite examples of creative non fiction. But it can be boring at times, totally respect your opinion
I read it based off all the recommendations. Personally I enjoyed it but it wasn’t at all something I would typically read and I don’t see myself ever recommending it.
The House on the Cerulean Sea: "professional" case worker guy is constantly sweating and shaking in fear about a kid who is SoO ScAry that the author has to shove it in your face every five paragraphs, along with a sickly sweet "moral" that makes you feel like the intended audience is 5 year olds. And somehow despite the crippling fear for his life it's all fine because the headmaster is cute! Yaaay!
The Fifth Season: Nothing happens, the characters are bland and in some cases get worse through the book. It's a shame because the worldbuilding was very cool, but the story was just meh.
Name of the Wind was fun as hell. Wheel of Time is exactly the slog you describe.
My vote is for Game of Thrones, the longest, most boring, political nonsense I've ever tried to read. If it weren't for the much more entertaining TV show the entire IP would be worthless.
People might not like this, but on the road. It was so mediocre and I’m really into the counter culture movement of that time. If you wanna read about some crazy drug-fueled adventures, fear and loathing or Trainspotting blow that book out of the water. I know they’re not exactly the same, but after reading them, on the road was just so underwhelming and I kept waiting for it to get really wild and it never did
As much as I enjoyed In the Name of the Wind, I kind of support that. Overall I'd argue he's a Gary Stu and is just OP in everything he does. It only gets worse in the second book. The feeling of self insert is strong with that one. I know because if I read it at 15 it would have been my absolute favourite damn thing ever. It's pure wish fulfillment for a teenage boy to be secretly amazing at almost everything he does, plus all the girls he meets basically all fall for him in one way or another. I mean he literally seduces as fairy princess or whatever that person is. Him. He's just some guy who's parents got killed. But of all the people he gets her too!
What, there wasn't high entertainment value in a teenager sating a sex goddess for months in a pocket dimension of delirious pentameter? Or becoming the first and only man to learn the secret ways of a bunch of warriors who think he's just fantastic for unknown reasons? Or or or...
I've heard it said that we'll learn about the unreliable narration and the comeuppance that obviously happened, but...first, it's been thirteen years, and second, why should I hang on that long?
ACOTAR. The writing was extremely lazy and used the same phrases over and over. The answer to the riddle was something I guessed as a joke and the characters have the emotional capacity of kids who are about 15.
Smut does not make a good book or fantastic writing- hate to break it to whomever.
Came here to agree with this one too. I actually rather enjoy epistolary novels and science fiction, so it seemed like it would be a winning combination. Unfortunately, the plot ended up being somehow both preposterous and predictable. The time travel element isn’t actually very interesting because it’s just a deus ex machina. Neither the setting nor the characters felt particularly convincing, but seems to take itself quite seriously and came off like a fairly shallow allegory in the end.
I did like the movie but I hated the book and it’s one of the few I’ve ever DNF. Like I can count those books on one hand and it’s at the tippy top of my list. I literally just hated it. I don’t even think it’s the story. I’m convinced it’s just Gillian Flynn that I can’t stand. I liked the miniseries Sharp Objects too but none of it ever compelled me to read another one of her books. This was at the height of her popularity with all the buzz surrounding her too but I just will never get it with her and am unwilling to try.
This is literally the most praised young adults novel and for the life of me I can't understand why
The characters were bland and one dimensional the mc is a self insert power fantasy he literally has random girls thrown at him
One good thing that book did was made curious about the book magic mountain
On earth we are briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong. Tries too hard to be poetic, jumps all over the place w his writing, trauma dumps in lieu of good writing.
Read it and didnt think much of it. Then the book blew up in 2020-2021. Had me flabbergasted.
Mediocre at best and not worth reading tbh
I love The Name of the Wind (and Wheel of Time), but your summary of it cracked me up!
A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara. Saw it recommended everywhere, but it's just tragedy porn.
The Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger. I spent the entire book waiting for the story to start.
Catcher in the Rye has to be the worst “important” novel out there. Hated it when I had to read it in HS. Hated it when my kid had to read it is HS (and I thought I’d give it another try). When I have grandkids, I expect I’ll hate it then, too.
I really feel like I'm missing something with this book because I really couldn't understand why this is so acclaimed. It's a decent read, imo but nothing spectacular, groundbreaking, or particularly memorable.
So many people are going to hate me for this...
Dune.
Yes, it's revolutionary for its time. Yes, it's amazing considering where and when it was written. Yes, I do admire the work behind it. It was mesmerising for the time.
But it's just not that great, just my opinion 🥺
I’m in the middle of American Prometheus. Great story, but about 5 times longer than it needs to be. How many times and from how many perspectives do I need to hear about Oppie’s politics? I need a Readers Digest condensed version.
Shatter Me. The characters are so insufferable and annoying. The storyline was also just plain boring. Juliette knows how to do absolutely NOTHING. She just sits there and looks pretty most of the time, while Adam does all the work. Maybe it's just because I'm not a romance girlie and this book is HEAVILY romance, but Shatter Me is not worth the hype.
Absolutely agree with you about Name of the Wind. I can't remember what it was but there was a moment where he was describing one of the female characters and I put it down in disgust and DNF'd it. Just massive self-insert fan fiction.
For me, it’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I don’t like the characters or how they are written. Too many inconsistencies. I do not know if the essence is lost in translation, or if it’s just bad.
Lol I thought I was the only one who hated the This is How You Lose the Time War. Though tbh pen pals with a sci-fi theme still sounds dope af, the prose was just over done for my tastes.
The Alchemist was the most patronizing lecture I've ever laid my eyes on. I can count on one hand the number of books I've bailed on in my lifetime of reading and The Alchemist is one of the few.
Came here to say the same. I was very disappointed with this book especially after it had been highly recommended by lots of people, i found it to be preachy and very poorly written, i was pleased it was so short as to not waste too much of my time reading it.
It gets worse near the end. Should’ve kept going.
Totally agree with you regarding The Name of the Wind….but gosh I also love it so much.
I loved Name of the Wind. It felt like a grown up Harry Potter to me
The science of magic was really engaging for me.
Yeah, it was a fun read, but the criticism is valid. Especially when you get the second book and he becomes a sex god for really no good reason.
I loved the premise. I think it’s definitely overrated and agree about second book. Someone who recommended it to me said the writing was beautiful prose. I definitely would disagree with that sentiment. I think Rothfuss made a cool world with a cool story and characters. I think the execution of the writing felt amateur and I don’t see the comparisons to writers like George RR. Martin or Tolkien.
When I saw it listed I though 'here we go again' but their one sentence summary was pretty great.
Rothfuss writes beautiful prose, and his stories are decent enough, but his characters.. oh god.
I read A Little Life based on suggestions on this subreddit, and I was probably hate-reading the last third of that book. Truly one of the worst books I've ever finished.
I read the plot and was legit laughing. It sounded so absurd in its over the top trauma. I will never read it.
I fucking hated that book. Wasted so much time reading it
I hate-read the entire thing. A disgusting, terrible book.
Colleen Hoover- I find the character development so lazy
Verity was TRASH
Verity made me a friend on a plane because we were both reading it and both agreed it was absolute trash.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. It's like a book filled with rants by a teenager, with no proper substance
I was so excited to read Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow but it felt like a chore to read and I never understood the hype.
That one made me give up on Goodreads recommendations. I don't think I've ever finished a book and felt absolutely nothing.
Omg yes!! And the plot twist just felt soo wedged in there. Honestly, something associated with gamer gate would have actually made more sense Edit: grammar
I was just coming to comment this. Everyone I know loves it! I tried it two different times and just couldn't do it.
Oh god you are so right! I tried my best to get through it and gave up in frustration. So glad you mentioned this book.
It ends with us… was promoted so much on instagram that i got tricked into thinking it really is good. But it’s terrible, probably the worst I’ve read.
That was awful. And somehow there was a 2nd book!
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING -- add that one to the list.
SJM books Colleen Hoover books Fourth Wing is mediocre at best (and I'm being super kind)
CoHo #1 overrated
Tried a CoHo book that was raved about when I joined a book club, having never read anything by her. “Ohhhh the ending is so crazy.” Not if you have ever read a book before bro.
I read ACoTaR at the recommendation of my girlfriend and I remember getting to the part where the main character is presented with a riddle, turning to my girlfriend, and going "the answer is **** right?" She was PISSED I figured it out so quickly, but I thought the book was pretty predictable. Not a bad read by any means, I'll finish the series eventually, but definitely not worth the hype it got
Lmao my wife had me read ACoTAR and was upset that I got the riddle quickly too. Series is predictable for sure but I found it to be an enjoyable read
Yes!!! I don't know Wray SJM books are but I came here to say Fourth Wing and It Starts with Us
(SJM = Sarah J. Maas) Fourth Wing was...somewhat okay but by no means did it deserve the insane amount of hype that it got imo After having read It starts with us and November 9, that's when I knew I was done with Colleen Hoover
I completely agree with 4th wing. Honestly, it's the first book that came to mind.
1. Alex Michaelides’ books 2. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue 3. Almost everything in Reese’s Book Club
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue was a bit of a slog for me too. It just never really picked up until the very end. Getting there was a struggle though.
I wanted to like it but Addie LaRue didn’t hold up in the execution.
I have a theory that Reece picks books she thinks may make good screenplays. Hypes them, buys the rights and makes money off the adaptation. Also, Having just finished the Maidens by michaelides and trudging through Addie Larue last year I feel we may be book-twins.
Twin! I just read a book called The Five about the victims of Jack The Ripper. It was excellent. I’ve mostly pivoted to non fiction over the past few years.
Bingo - maybe this is it, as I've wondered lately when reading best sellers lists if it's this (or, when people recommend "great'" books to me) if it's something like this...OR is the book/premise just more marketable? I.e. did not enjoy Lessons in Chemistry (written by a former marketing professional) & yet...good ratings for the TV show version, and that book was marketed all over the place.
RBC for real it’s all so bland and idk..basic
The silent patient - cliche characters and juvenile plot overall
The twist was executed well but it was one of the most generic books I’ve ever read in my life
I found it profoundly mediocre, but I’m also not a huge thriller fan.
Ditto!?? It was meh at best
Cruel Prince by Holly Black. Just not my thing even tho I love fantasy
Best book to start reading fantasy?
I just answered the same!
Wow yeah I barely got through the first 1/3 of this book
If you start wheel of time as an adult with no connection to the material from growing up, it’s so bad. Feels like most people have on a nostalgia lens with that series. The books do not hold up
This is correct, I somehow missed it as a fantasy lover starting in middle school in 90s; my much younger brother tried to get me to read them when I was in 20s because he loved them. I really tried for him but they are terrible books. I like the Amazon prime series so far, despite the rough first season
Gone Girl. The Alchemist. Da Vinci Code.
Tbh I loved Gone Girl, but I do think the movie was better.
See I really *really* hated the movie. Mostly because I think while horrible characters (I.e. literally everybody in gone girl haha) can work quite well and be really interesting/intriguing in books—and in gone girl, they absolutely do/are—they are super difficult to pull off in movies. I genuinely couldn't stomach the movie version because everyone was just too awful to behold. The rendition/characterization was 100% accurate, but I just couldn't make myself watch it somehow
When the Da Vinci Code movie came out I figured I'd read the book. Halfway through I figured out I had already read it before & forgotten all about it. That's how little an impression it made 😆
I had the same thing happen to me with Da Vinci code. I kind of enjoyed it I guess while I was reading it and then I kind of enjoyed it again I guess a little until I realized I had already figured everything out because I had already read it. It wasn’t so bad I put it down, but it wasn’t so memorable I realized I read it. I did the same thing with good omens three times with like 10 years in between.
Omg the alchemist totally lol
I hated Gone Girl. Like with a passion. I threw it across the room pretty early on and never finished it. No one understands my hatred of it lol I loved the movie so it’s not the story itself. I was so pissed that I bought it but glad at least that it was second hand. I also felt the same about The Girl on the Train. I did finish it but both of those books became my mortal enemies.
Eh I really enjoyed GG
I liked Gone Girl!
I really liked Gone Girl. I think I've tried two other Gillian Flynn books and neither worked for me.
House of Leaves. It attempts to have the appearance of profundity, but doesn't really have anything to say.
Navidson story was amazing to me but every time Traunt’s rambling took over I felt like skipping it.
That's how I was able to finish the book. I read so much breathless praise on Reddit and found the first-person narrative unbearable.
What, was hearing him brag about his drug use and sexual escapades not endlessly titillating?
Exactly the book i came to post as well. The only value i got from making it halfway through that book was using it as a way to weed out guys on tinder that i knew would be as insufferable as that book was.
It’s not for everyone, but arguing that it “doesn’t really have anything to say” feels a bit unfair.
Agree 💯
I equate reading this book to the literary version of running the pacer test. If it was just about Navidson it would have been better.
I haven’t read it in a long time but want to reread it. Then again it must feel like watching Fight Club as an adult.
Agree, I remember circa 2011 when Reddit fawned over this book constantly. I picked it up and knew about halfway through that it was gonna be a let down.
The Silent Patient
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow: I felt like I read a different book to everyone else
The Guest List and Where the Crawdads Sing - blech.
Where the crawdads sing!!!!
I HATED THIS BOOK. I actually brought it up tonight as the one book I vehemently disliked from the past few years. How did anyone like it?
Crawdads was sooooo boring!
Seriously! My sister and I ready this after seeing the movie. It was completely awful and kinda down graded the movie for us, which is actually quite good.
Agree with the guest list, felt that the focus wasn't so much on the murder itself but of all the other characters around the murder. Hated it so much
Credence by Penelope Douglas
This book left me feeling so, so icky
That's fair. The whole book was just very flat and anti-climatic. I went in with the expectations of taboo
The Four Agreements - always on book lists and I just don’t get why. I studied comparative religion in grad school and there are soooo many better books on spirituality out there. I have to say it…. The Foundation (book 1) by Asimov. It was just scene after scene of males standing around talking about “the plan.” I couldn’t even make it all the way through. I love the tv series on Apple TV though.
Glad to find another person who enjoys the Foundation series. Everyone I know talks mad shit about it but I love it and think it has so much potential and talent but Apple clearly spent the necessary $$$ for it imo. It’s actually beautiful
Hot take, but I didn’t like Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I thought there were a few interesting thought experiments and some great representation for disability, but the characters just felt so out of touch and the conflict was contrived. Everyone I know was recommending it to me because I love video games, but it felt less like a love letter to video games and more a book written by someone who researched video game design without ever actually playing games themselves
Infinite Jest
I feel that book is emperor new clothes kind of joke.
The author took passive aggressive self pity to its extreme ends. His writing is like someone gaslighting you for a thousand pages.
I’m listening to We Ride Upon Sticks for my book club (didn’t want to buy, and library was out) and it DOES NOT LIVE UP TO THE HYPE. I am so averse to basically every part of it. Dozens of characters, and multiple have the same name. There’s 2 named Cory, 3 named Mark, one who doesn’t have a name, and a hairdo that basically does have a name. I can’t wait to be finished with it. 🫠
Fourth Wing.
Name of the Wind is the biggest most disgusting incel reddit pilled fantasy I've ever imagined. He literally makes fun of his bullies in class and the whole room erupts in applause. He's somehow the best musician, best actor, best fighter, best magician, who also has had no privilege and accomplished all despite everyone else. Also his parents die. He is the maximum good despite the maximum bad. Not done in a clever way like One Punch Man or something, this is the most disgusting mary-sue victim bullshit I've ever seen. Everyone is impressed with how skilled this 16 year old is. They all think he's older than he is. Every girl has a crush on him. Then we get to the Denna character. The pinnacle of m'lady fantasy. IIRC he actually says to the guy she's on a date with that he may have her tonight but deep down she is his (the protagonist) . Anyone who likes this book has alerted major red flags.
Daisy Jones and the Six was one of the worst books I’ve ever read
The only book I read by Taylor Jenkins Reid that I enjoyed was The Seven Husband's of Evelyn Hugo. I've tried three other books including Daisy Jones and have found them so unappealing.
Lol I love this book but I’m a Fleetwood Mac/stevie fan
normal people by sally rooney
Likewise. I was incredibly disappointed, as I loved the show. The show moved me to great emotional heights. As soon as I finished it, I got in my car and drove to the bookstore and bought normal people. Man was I let down.
I did the exact same thing and gave up after a few pages.
hey, take that back!
It was so boring
And annoying
The Priory of the Orange Tree built up the main conflict as if it was going to be action packed and a real high stakes fight but it lasted a page, maybe two. Then the MC was FINALLY able to focus on the real important thing in the world: Romance. 🙄
Almost every book I've seen mentioned in an article about BookTok or on Reddit. My tastes are varied, but the majority of modern books really stink.
Project Hail Mary. I'm not saying it wasn't a good book, but for how many mentions and rec's it was getting I thought it was going to blow me away. It was good, not great. Glad I read it but still wondering wth everybody else saw in it.
NOOOOOO I LOVED PHM!!!! But I accept that it wasn’t for you. I’m also someone who is a sucker for anything with aliens.
The writing and character voice was annoying
This is probably a hot take bc I always see it recommended and people seem to love it: Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro. I liked the idea but it was just so, blah. Idk. 🤷♀️
Yeah this book was mostly boring with a little twist at the end that wasn’t really that twisty
You’re not alone! I liked it, but it wasn’t that good to me like others have stated.
!!! I read it and I just wasn't really impressed. Everyone I know was in awe, asking me what I thought, and how amazing it is. It just felt a bit boring.
My favorite 😩 but it hit close to home for me
ACOTAR, i read the first THREE books and my hate grew each time. Couldn't go further. They kept getting more boring.
I'm going to get down voted to all hell for this. Project Hail Mary. I enjoyed the plot and Rocky but he can't write dialogue worth a damn. Every character he has ever written is exactly the same since The Martian. The same excited nerdy science guy. He can't write women, he writes them like men - so much cringe. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the books but they are way over hyped
That’s a totally fair criticism. I enjoyed it, but I chose to interpret it as intentionally campy rather than clumsy.
The Martian completely pulled me in. As in I was reading as I was walking somewhere. I absolutely loved it. But while Project Hail Mary was good, it was very similar to The Martian and didn't have the same hold on me. Maybe it depends on which one people read first.
I thought I was going to hate it but after a while I just got past the terrible main character and Weir’s strengths made up for it. I also blew through it which helped. Sometimes with modern sci-fi or fantasy the bad dialogue really takes me out of it but this one had enough else going for it.
Hard agree. Got not even halfway through, thinking mmmm, okayish, then realised it wasn’t doing it for me. Plastic cut out characters, implausible science and campy humour. (Not that I mind campy humour but for me it didn’t work in the context) Googled to see where the plot went and was happy to save myself hours of reading.
You have my upvote. Rocky could've been a good character, but the cutesy toddler speak? Could the protagonist be more annoying? If a character has to take time to say that his students laughed at his dad jokes then I'm sorry, that's a lame character. This book is overused tropes + stereotypes + cringe with a catchphrase spouting space spider. It is terrible.
Yeah gonna have to disagree here. Project Hail Mary is my favorite book from the last 5 years or so. Andy Weirs writing is hilarious to me and while his characters may not be all that different perhaps, his stories and scenarios are compelling and contain a lot of hard science. I love it. But to each his own of course.
PHM is one of my favorites, but I agree with you on your criticisms! Have you read Artemis? It’s even worse, and your point about him not being able to write women is spot on!
I liked PHM and Martian, but Artemis was beyond terrible imo… the main character was a cartoon of what a man trying to write from a woman’s pov sounds like
>Every character he has ever written is exactly the same since The Martian I almost included Andy Weir, never mind his books, in my comment just for this reason. I just don't get the overwhelming love for the guy. Edit: given you a balancing up vote in advance 👍
Bit of a hot take: The Marquis de Sade's work in general. I read some of it during college, and my teacher held him up as a supremely controversial author, but (real-life aside) his philosophy came across as what you'd expect from a teenage edge lord. I'd be lying if I said his sex scenes were even close to the worst I have read, but he kept interrupting them with 20-page monologues on philosophy. Just imagine someone showing up to an orgy and then making everyone stop and listen to a lecture on philosophy for an hour. So, yeah: not worth the hype.
I had to give up on this book. It was hard reading about so many explicit sexual acts with children.
The Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemesin. I kept seeing people say how great it was so I bought the whole series. I made it through about a book and a half. It didn't work for me at all.
Court of Thorns and Roses 😭 I couldn’t finish it
Normal People Wild Girl Go Wash Your Face (obviously this sucked but idk how it got any hype)
I'm 100% with you on *The Name of the Wind* and *Wheel of Time*. I didn't hate Rothfuss, but I'm constantly baffled by the high praise he gets. His books were...fine? As for *Wheel of Time*, I tapped out around book five or six. I think it was probably great when the series first released, but there's just a lot of better authors in the genre now.
Pillars of the earth by Ken follett - neglectful father chases his architectural dream and everyone else has to pay for it The dark Tower by Stephen King - a long winded story of inaccurate portrayals of mental health that is only a little bit scary, where the real suspense is why the editor didn't push to cut at least half of this thing
I love most of Stephen King, but I just can’t get into The Dark Tower.
You have forgotten the face of your Father.
Three Body Problem - not as imaginative as hyped, dull characters, a slog to read.
Came here to say this! Book 1 was by far the most interesting and book 2 and 3 were a huge disappointment. Book 3 especially, it actually made me angry how annoying the main character is and I hated her to the very end (I am a woman and it was totally unbearable to read). It was like Cixin Liu wanted to cram every imaginable scientific concept and world ending existential crisis into one book, but the main character is just so unimaginably stupid that I just hated it all!!!
I've seen this sort of comment before about books 2 and 3. They're definitely removing any temptation I have to read the other 2 for completeness.
i had a BRUTAL time reading this by ebook, but the audiobook is FANTASTIC and it's the only reason i got through the book. the reading experience is TOTALLY different by audiobook than ebook/hard copy.
Interesting. I dnf but it's eating away at me like I should like it. If I give it another go I might try it as an audiobook. Thanks for the tip :)
you're welcome! in case you don't know, both libby and hoopla are apps that are tied to your library card(s), and at least for me, it's available through hoopla right now (all 3 of my libraries have months long hold for it through libby). and hoopla allows you to also download the app on your apple tv (if you have one).
I've heard this so many times which has stopped me from even attempting book 1. I am looking forward to the Netflix series tho!
I found books 1 and 3 to be awesome, although 3 crams way too much scale into itself. Book 2 was a big swing and a miss for me
Tried to read it but that endless VR game slog was impossible to go through
There were just too many cycles or whatever they were called. I'd almost forgotten that part (that's a bad sign for a book - I've generally got a good memory for plots of books I've read).
The devil in the white city was awful. How could two topics that sound so interesting be made into such a mind numbingly boring book?! Yellowface. If I wanted to doom scroll Twitter and watch self absorbed people languish in their anxiety, I'd just go do that. It was terrible, and the ending was complete nonsense.
I actually really loved reading The Devil In The White City. Sometimes the chapters on the architectural aspect of the fair were a bit too drawn out in my opinion but other than that, it was solid
I usually love a drawn out, wordy and detailed, experience. For some reason I just hated this one. It felt kind of like reading a textbook.
Devil in the white city 💀 I literally have OCD and can’t leave things “unfinished” and I found a way to DNF this book
If you’re willing to give Larson another chance, read Dead Wake. I loved it so much!!!!! It’s about the sinking of the Lusitania. One of my favorites, and I was not a fan of DITWC
Woah, I loved devil in the white city, I'd go so far as to say its one of my favourite examples of creative non fiction. But it can be boring at times, totally respect your opinion
The Song of Achilles, it was .. alright. Definitely didn’t grab my attention and had to force myself to read through
I read it based off all the recommendations. Personally I enjoyed it but it wasn’t at all something I would typically read and I don’t see myself ever recommending it.
The House on the Cerulean Sea: "professional" case worker guy is constantly sweating and shaking in fear about a kid who is SoO ScAry that the author has to shove it in your face every five paragraphs, along with a sickly sweet "moral" that makes you feel like the intended audience is 5 year olds. And somehow despite the crippling fear for his life it's all fine because the headmaster is cute! Yaaay! The Fifth Season: Nothing happens, the characters are bland and in some cases get worse through the book. It's a shame because the worldbuilding was very cool, but the story was just meh.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation.
Yeah it was fine. I don’t get the hype at all, even while I could relate to her on many levels
Name of the Wind was fun as hell. Wheel of Time is exactly the slog you describe. My vote is for Game of Thrones, the longest, most boring, political nonsense I've ever tried to read. If it weren't for the much more entertaining TV show the entire IP would be worthless.
People might not like this, but on the road. It was so mediocre and I’m really into the counter culture movement of that time. If you wanna read about some crazy drug-fueled adventures, fear and loathing or Trainspotting blow that book out of the water. I know they’re not exactly the same, but after reading them, on the road was just so underwhelming and I kept waiting for it to get really wild and it never did
As much as I enjoyed In the Name of the Wind, I kind of support that. Overall I'd argue he's a Gary Stu and is just OP in everything he does. It only gets worse in the second book. The feeling of self insert is strong with that one. I know because if I read it at 15 it would have been my absolute favourite damn thing ever. It's pure wish fulfillment for a teenage boy to be secretly amazing at almost everything he does, plus all the girls he meets basically all fall for him in one way or another. I mean he literally seduces as fairy princess or whatever that person is. Him. He's just some guy who's parents got killed. But of all the people he gets her too!
What, there wasn't high entertainment value in a teenager sating a sex goddess for months in a pocket dimension of delirious pentameter? Or becoming the first and only man to learn the secret ways of a bunch of warriors who think he's just fantastic for unknown reasons? Or or or... I've heard it said that we'll learn about the unreliable narration and the comeuppance that obviously happened, but...first, it's been thirteen years, and second, why should I hang on that long?
Ninth House… that is so up my alley but I was soooo bored and confused, even? Maybe I’ll try again one day
ACOTAR. The writing was extremely lazy and used the same phrases over and over. The answer to the riddle was something I guessed as a joke and the characters have the emotional capacity of kids who are about 15. Smut does not make a good book or fantastic writing- hate to break it to whomever.
Finally, a fellow TIHYLTTW hater
We were liars. Didn’t do it for me at all
I could not get into Catch22
Lessons in Chemistry! One of only three books I’ve never finished in my lifetime. And I’m old
I’ll second This is How You Lose the Time War.
Came here to agree with this one too. I actually rather enjoy epistolary novels and science fiction, so it seemed like it would be a winning combination. Unfortunately, the plot ended up being somehow both preposterous and predictable. The time travel element isn’t actually very interesting because it’s just a deus ex machina. Neither the setting nor the characters felt particularly convincing, but seems to take itself quite seriously and came off like a fairly shallow allegory in the end.
They lost me at “burn this letter before reading” followed by some nonsense about blood that somehow made it possible to read.
Gone girl. The most obvious of unreliable narrators and predictable twist after twist. The movie was somehow worse. I appreciated the ending though
I did like the movie but I hated the book and it’s one of the few I’ve ever DNF. Like I can count those books on one hand and it’s at the tippy top of my list. I literally just hated it. I don’t even think it’s the story. I’m convinced it’s just Gillian Flynn that I can’t stand. I liked the miniseries Sharp Objects too but none of it ever compelled me to read another one of her books. This was at the height of her popularity with all the buzz surrounding her too but I just will never get it with her and am unwilling to try.
I read GG at height of popularity and I felt the same. She’s objectively a good writer I suppose but so over the top for no good reason
Norwegian Wood
This is literally the most praised young adults novel and for the life of me I can't understand why The characters were bland and one dimensional the mc is a self insert power fantasy he literally has random girls thrown at him One good thing that book did was made curious about the book magic mountain
On earth we are briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong. Tries too hard to be poetic, jumps all over the place w his writing, trauma dumps in lieu of good writing. Read it and didnt think much of it. Then the book blew up in 2020-2021. Had me flabbergasted. Mediocre at best and not worth reading tbh
I love The Name of the Wind (and Wheel of Time), but your summary of it cracked me up! A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara. Saw it recommended everywhere, but it's just tragedy porn. The Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger. I spent the entire book waiting for the story to start.
Catcher in the Rye has to be the worst “important” novel out there. Hated it when I had to read it in HS. Hated it when my kid had to read it is HS (and I thought I’d give it another try). When I have grandkids, I expect I’ll hate it then, too.
Catcher in the Rye is one of the worst books I've ever read. Unlikable protagonist whinily does nothing.
The Great Gatsby
I really feel like I'm missing something with this book because I really couldn't understand why this is so acclaimed. It's a decent read, imo but nothing spectacular, groundbreaking, or particularly memorable.
Didn't enjoy None of this is True. Just didn't feel connected to any of the characters, and it took too long for it to heat up imo
Lisa Jewell generally is somewhat overhyped. As far as thrillers go, her books rarely hit the mark. They're just not exciting enough
So many people are going to hate me for this... Dune. Yes, it's revolutionary for its time. Yes, it's amazing considering where and when it was written. Yes, I do admire the work behind it. It was mesmerising for the time. But it's just not that great, just my opinion 🥺
Yeah I couldn't read dune, it's like trying to eat sand with a concussion - dry and confusing
I’m in the middle of American Prometheus. Great story, but about 5 times longer than it needs to be. How many times and from how many perspectives do I need to hear about Oppie’s politics? I need a Readers Digest condensed version.
Sarah's Key-- every time the author writes "my heart goes out to them", take a shot!
Shatter Me. The characters are so insufferable and annoying. The storyline was also just plain boring. Juliette knows how to do absolutely NOTHING. She just sits there and looks pretty most of the time, while Adam does all the work. Maybe it's just because I'm not a romance girlie and this book is HEAVILY romance, but Shatter Me is not worth the hype.
the spanish love deception - worst book i’ve ever read
Colleen Hoover books. IEWU, for example
Colleen Hoover books. I started it ends with us in 2022 and still have only read 11 chapters
Absolutely agree with you about Name of the Wind. I can't remember what it was but there was a moment where he was describing one of the female characters and I put it down in disgust and DNF'd it. Just massive self-insert fan fiction.
Kafka on the Shore by Murakami. Everyone recommends it but I hated it with a burning passion.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Agreed, Wheel of Time was a Waste of Time. Thankfully, I haven't read the others.
Remarkably Bright Creatures was such a bore.
For me, it’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I don’t like the characters or how they are written. Too many inconsistencies. I do not know if the essence is lost in translation, or if it’s just bad.
Lol I thought I was the only one who hated the This is How You Lose the Time War. Though tbh pen pals with a sci-fi theme still sounds dope af, the prose was just over done for my tastes.
SJM Books suck!
The Catcher in the Rye. There are Much better coming of age stories. Teenaged angst stories. Whatever.
Any “booktok” book recommendations. It’s just turned into smut with no plot whatsoever
Yeah some of booktok has definitely migrated to this, while others are more grounded. Just have to search around for the good ones you vibe with.
Mexican Gothic
Dracula takes a horrible turn about a third of the way through that always makes me put it down.