My Top 10 Most Disappointing Reads of 2017

While I had a fantastic year in reading, there were some books that just didn’t make the cut. They either didn’t live up to expectations or they were just plain bad. So to complement my last post of my top 10 best reads, here are my top 10 most disappointing reads of 2017:

TELL ME THREE THINGS | Julie Buxbaum

This book is so cliché and unoriginal, it’s unreal. The new girl goes to a rich LA high school where everyone is super fashionable, and so, she feels out of place. And then all the boys suddenly fall in love with her despite her bland personality and all the popular girls get jealous and act like mean girls just ’cause. And somewhere in the rafters we got a cruel stepmother and a bad boy love interest. This book was so run of the mill that I regret having even bought it 😦

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#FAMOUS | Jilly Gagnon

A cute concept with not so cute characters. While managing to touch on some very important topics, such as technology’s influence on societal behaviors as well as cyber bullying, this alternate version of Alex from Target doesn’t really have much else going for it character- or plot-wise.

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SPLINTERED | A.G. Howard

I was so excited to begin reading this series. I’d heard some mixed reviews, but I was willing to give it a go because who could resist a dark retelling of Alice in Wonderland? The world-building was spectacular, but unfortunately, not all the characters were fully developed and the romance was sub-par, to say the least. I’m willing to give this series another shot because of the intriguing plot and setting, though.

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BLUESCREEN | Dan Wells

This book was my first DNF of 2017. I could barely get past the first few chapters. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters since they all seemed like assholes and the pacing was extremely slow. Also, the inclusion of Latinx culture and language felt inauthentic and google translated. The concept is cool, but the execution is something to be desired.

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SOUNDLESS | Michelle Mead

My second DNF of 2017. I’m a huge fan of Michelle Read and the Vampire Academy series. Unfortunately, this book was so boring that I couldn’t make it through to the end. Again, the concept was unique and interesting, but the execution was lacking in character development, plot construction, and world-building. The thing that bothered me the most, though, was the near-complete absence of Chinese elements even though both the synopsis AND cover allude to a story heavily influenced by Chinese folklore and culture.

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THE THOUSANDTH FLOOR | Katharine McGee

My third and final DNF of 2017. The thing about this one, though, is that it’s just not my type of book. I know there are many readers who love this sort of Gossip Girl/The Luxe story, but it’s just not for me. Too dramatic. It’s pretty entertaining and easy to devour, but it’s all a little much for me. So not a bad book, just not my type of book!

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OF FIRE AND STARS | Audrey Coulthurst

Oh the potential in this one. There aren’t that many LGBTQ relationships spotlighted in YA fantasy, so this book is a rarity. However, the world-building was rushed, the relationship was rushed, and the ending was rushed. Yet, the book was slow? It took forever to get to the important aspects of the book, but once it got to those moments, it accelerated past them and then teetered along to the next big moment. Hollow characters, thin plotting, and imbalanced pacing brought this book down for me.

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THE SPY | Paulo Coelho

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t. I think there’s something to be said when you know NOTHING about the subject, in this case Mata Hari, yet you know that something is off about the way the subject’s life is being portrayed. The re-imagined voice of Mata Hari felt very empty, devoid of any emotion, despite ALL the terrible events that occurred in her life. It just wasn’t very moving or insightful as it should have been, I feel.

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THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST | Holly Black

I love Holly Black. But I wasn’t feeling this book at all. The plot was so ridiculously messy and the characters were insanely unlikable, especially the main female character. I didn’t care a bit about the relationships and the faerie prince wasn’t as enchanting as I expected him to be. I enjoyed the diversity and the dark fae (which is something I can always count on with Holly) but everything else was pretty rough and kinda boring.

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THE DARK INTERCEPT | Julia Keller

I’d have to say this was the worst book I read in 2017. The cover and the synopsis looked/sounded SO promising, but the writing was elementary, the world-building was nonexistent, the characters were two-dimensional, the plot was…I don’t even know WHAT the plot really was…and the action/pacing was slow to the max.

 

Surprisingly, I don’t have many other disappointing reads to be included as dishonorable mentions! The ten books above were actually the only books that didn’t receive 4 stars or higher from me this year. However, there are some books that I rated 4 stars that were slightly disappointing to me, but I’ll save that for another post. I’m sure quite a few of you guys may be shocked by some of my picks, so get ready.

Anyways, that’s all for now! I’ll see ya soon with my Happy New Year post!