Disappointing Reads of 2018




Disclaimer: Just because I found a book disappointing doesn't necessarily mean I hated it or suggest that you don't read it...it just didn't live up to all my hopes and dreams. These things happen. :)

1. Nice Try, Jane Sinner - Lianne Oelke

I had read about this book in Entertainment Weekly months before it was released and preordered it almost immediately, so I was excited to get it. For me, it was just average. Again, I had allowed myself to get hyped just because a magazine I like gave a little blurb about it. The book is good, but it just didn't blow me away. 

2. Otherworld - Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller

Not even Jason Segel's wonderful narration in the audiobook could save this for me. I'm a massive fan of his, so I preordered this book as soon as I heard about it and had a really difficult time getting into the story on my own. I stuck through til the end of the audio, which was honestly the only way I could handle it, and it did nothing for me. I won't be finishing the series, even though I love Jason Segel so much. This story has been told before.

3. Emergency Contact - Mary H.K. Choi

I was so excited to win an ARC of this book, which had a lot of pre-release buzz. Since I read this book before most of the masses, I wasn't fully aware of just how quiet it was. There's nothing wrong with that, and I know people have enjoyed it when they did know. I just wasn't expecting it, so my experience with it was kinda slow and boring.

4. From Twinkle, With Love - Sandya Menon

When Dimple Met Rishi was a big book in 2017. I didn't love it, but I was excited to see if Menon's writing strengthened for her sophomore book. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. The book read like more of a middle-grade, which is fine if you know that going in. Points for creating awesome male love interests...but I don't know if I'll be picking up her future books.

5. The Perfect Mother - Aimee Molloy

I personally love jumping on the hype train of a book that is getting praise before it even hits the shelves. The Perfect Mother has already been optioned by Kerry Washington...I was reading to dig into the hot thriller of 2018. It was pretty boring. Motherhood is so complex and there are writers who have explored that within the mystery/thriller complex with great results (Liane Moriarty). Unfortunately, this was a let down and not very gripping considering it's meant to be a page-turner.

6. Lies You Never Told Me - Jennifer Donaldson

Okay, this book didn't really have any hype and I wasn't necessarily looking forward to it, but the beginning hooked me so I ended up buying it. Blah. It got a whopping one star from me. I predicted the twist almost immediately and it was just...not good.

7. Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli

Oh, this book. The winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for YA Contemporary...there are many, many, MANY people who loved it but there are also many who were disappointed and I am one of those girls. I've seen it written quite a few times and agree that it feels like fan fiction. Albertalli took something that fans had seen and written fic about and then made it canon...but to me, it never felt natural. I should also say that I didn't necessarily love her last book, The Upside to Unrequited, and I'm thinking she just might not be the author for me.

8. The Cheerleaders - Kara Thomas

I've been wanting to pick up one of Thomas's YA thrillers for a couple of years now, so when I got approved for her latest, The Cheerleaders, I was thrilled! Unfortunately, I thought the story was quite slow-moving and not as engaging as I would've hoped. I'm still gonna check out her others, though!

9. The Summer of Jordi Perez - Amy Spalding

I wrote a review on this that you can read here, but man was I disappointed with this book. I was excited to read a cutesy F/F romance with a fat and body positive lead character but I just couldn't get into this writing. I found the main character, Abby, to be very whiny and "woe is me" for no good reason. I also felt like the romance was seriously lacking. Where was the building tension? 


See any books you liked? Any books you agree with me on?

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