Since I couldn't think of anything off the bat, I trotted my way to goodreads and looked at what I read. While the year isn't over yet, it doesn't seem like either of my current reads (Lovestruck by Kate Watson and Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare) will make the list. Keep in mind that this list is purely my opinion and that if a book makes this list, I probably didn't despise it with the passion of a thousand fiery suns.
Without further ado, here are seven reads of the year that fell short.
The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst
The Marriage Bargain was just so bland. This book feels like it was published in the early 2000s, maybe late 90s, but it was actually published in 2012. The sexist language and borderline sexual assault made me super uncomfortable. There's a scene where the protagonist voices her reluctance during a sexual encounter and the love interest responds with, "I don't care." WHAT!! Needless to say, The Marriage Bargain does not stand the test of time.
Mr. Nice Guy by Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer
This book was a hot stinking mess. Both protagonists were just so horrible. I forgot their names, but the female protagonist is a total bitch and is only slightly better than the male protagonist (Lucas maybe??) who was just such a selfish, sexist, judgemental person. Sure there's some growth, but not enough to make up for the majority of the book where both protagonists are just horrible people. To top it off, the romance between them (which wasn't the main focus, imo and shouldn't have been marketed as a romance novel) had no spark.
Come for Me, Darling by Alexis Anne
There wasn't anything downright horrible about Come for Me, Darling; it was just boring. I didn't care enough about the romance, and the book wasn't even that erotic or risque, which I expected from the title. Also, I'm pretty sure this took place in the South, and it seemed stock full of Southern cliches.
Say You'll Remember Me by Katie McGarry
This novel gets a big fat HELL NO from me. I read some other Katie McGarry years back, and Say You'll Remember Me was my reintroduction to her. Let's just say my reintroduction started with Say You'll Remember Me and ended there. If you want to know more about my issues with the book, I would love if you checked out this post, which details the blatant victim blaming in the novel.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
I went into this with the lowest expectations possible, and Red Queen didn't even meet them. Red Queen is such a well loved book a series in the YA world, but I found it really underwhelming. The love triangle? who cares. The world building? Lacking and honestly, confusing. The twist? Not that uprising. Basically, Red Queen was a big sigh. But since someone gifted me the second book a year or two ago, I might give the second one a chance.
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
Okay, so it's probably a little unfair to put Annihilation on the list. After seeing the movie adaptation, which I absolutely loved, I had to read the book. When reading the book, I was just really taken aback. There are pretty major differences between novel and movie. The novel is also pretty slow, and I lack patience when I'm reading. At the end of the day, Vandermeer excellently ramped up the tension, but it just didn't work for me. This is the only one I would recommend on the list.
Deklan by Shay Savage
Deklan was pretty stupid. I read this in less than 24 hours, but it was cheesy as all get out. The main character basically has no common sense. The romance isn't an equal partnership, and Kera's just accepts that. I was pretty disappointed with this one since I've heard such wonderful things about Shay Savage. Hopefully there will be better luck next time, if there is one.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What are some of your worst books of the year? Hopefully you didn't have too many bad reads!
Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!
Happy Reading and Happy Holidays!
Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!