The Worst Books I Read in 2023 🙅🏻‍♀️

[@jamesduggan7200]

Maybe we need a meme to express that feeling you get when after reading the last page you wonder if maybe someone tore out the real ending.

[@haileyhughes]

sweet gabby, you are not too sensitive!! you are perfectly sensitive just as you are 🫶🏼 extreme horror is a difficult genre to navigate even for those of us who engage with it! also… tell me why i’m hearing your reasoning behind why you hated some of these romance heavy thrillers & taking them as recommendations 💀💀🩷🩷🩷

[@gabbyreads]

aw thanks Hailey, I appreciate that! And lmao haha, I love it! I hope you enjoy those thrillers more than I did!

[@devonmunn5728]

It's also ok if it isn't for her. I've read things like the Crossed comic series so at this point I'm desensitized to that type of shit

[@AmandaPace85]

You’re always so respectful when it comes to talk about books you didn’t like it. I’m sure the next books for your book club are gonna be much better you’ll see 🎉🎉 cannot wait to read them with you guys 💜

[@bby.kaylamarie]

GABBY!!! Red is your color😍😍 STUNNING! Okay back to the video lol

[@gabbyreads]

Thank you!! 🥹🥰

[@monikaliane]

I get ppl feeling like damn u didn’t like that?!? I loved it! But then to be mad about it is weird.

[@camfan54lisa]

Yes! One youtuber was really ugly about it based on Goodreads awards and another book popular with Booktube. I was a really big fan but she was super ugly in 2 videos about it. To each their own! I always get the hype but it may not be my hype!

[@mlcoffey2]

Im glad you explained ypurself in the beginning, even though you didn't have to. I appreciate your opinions and know that you honestly gave them a chance. I can't be that gracious. I just dnf them and move on and hope the next book is better.

[@beccabee8439]

Omg yes I absolutely hated You Shouldn't Have Come Here, it's also one of my least favorites of the year. Sucks because I've come across the author's tiktok a few times and she seems like such a cool person. Hopefully I will like a different one of her books

[@kellyjohnston2977]

Gabby- You’re always so incredibly respectful when it comes to talking about books you didn’t like it. Great job reviewing these books! I totally agree with you, especially on “You Shouldn’t Have Come Here”, I didnt like this book at all. I like the author and have enjoyed some of her other books, just not that one.

[@Bookables]

Haha yes to twisted love story! I totally forgot to put that in my worst list 😅 but gah it was literally about a toxic couple, it was almost like reading a coho book and I was like wait….i thought this was a thriller.

[@gabbyreads]

exactly!!! hahaha like where are the thrills I was promised

[@sheyannestewart2241]

Your hair looks so good omg!!!

[@gabbyreads]

aw thank you!! :)

[@jessicajacobson2337]

It’s Me, Charlie was so gross. I knew immediately what scene you were talking about! 🤢 I’m reading a book from Netgalley right now called Dummy and it’s actually pretty creepy!!! I’m not sure when it comes out but you should check it out!

[@melissabereading]

My worst books are: rouge, midnight is the darkest hour, twisted love, lovelight farms, & a twisted love story. I DNF a lot of books this year but these I powered through because I was convinced it would get better, but they never did.

[@mattthepageturner9128]

even as someone who reads and enjoys extreme horror, it's me charlie was BAD

[@erieluck75]

I dnf'd Midnight is the Darkest Hour. I also couldn't stand all the Twilight references. You Shouldn't Have Come Here felt like the weirdest romance book ever. The guy was super creepy, and the girl ignored all the red flags. The ending was so stupid. I think I like the author more than I like her books.

[@GothicBookLover]

I'm finding publishers and marketers at publishing places are labeling too many books under a general genre such as thriller instead of maybe splitting the genre label into sub-genres. For instance, it sounds like the books you didn't like and were 'boring' are more along the lines of romantic suspense/romantic thrillers while you're looking more for a plain general thriller/suspense novel.

[@josianneb10]

My worst book was « Good bad Girl » by Alice Feeney. I was so disapointed. Didn’t like it at all. Waste of my time.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Here's my worst books of 2023 Normal people by sally Rooney Crossroads of twilight by Robert Jordan A chain of iron and gold End of watch by Stephen king Poster girl by veronica roth The reunion by kayla Olsen The flatshare by beth o'Leary

[@bookinhand_]

Yes! Finally !! You should have come here was the worst book I read this year! So so bad ! The worst dialogue I have ever read lol and NOTHING HAPPENS 😂 Should be 'You Shouldn't Have Read This' 😤

[@aprilhutchens2105]

Worst book EVER. I was legit angry about that book 😂

[@gabbyreads]

that would've been a more appropriate title tbh hahaha

[@aprilhutchens2105]

OMG yes. I didn't read most of these but I sweartagawd "You Shouldn't Have Come Here" is legit the worst fucking book I've ever read. Literally how dare Jeneva Rose write that book? That ending came out of nowhere. Truly awful.

[@taraselly3831]

I felt the exact same way about nineteen claws and a Blackbird. I was so excited for it and it was such a flop 😢

[@livslibrary]

Still sad The Chateau wasn’t a hit for any of us. 😂

[@gabbyreads]

hahhaa same what a bummer!!

[@emilyann4054]

Glad I’m not the only one who thought The Chateau was boring af - literally nothing happened the whole time!

[@zhivkopetrov6767]

Hi Gabby, just FYI in the Norwegian language Jo is pronounced more like YOU, not like JOE 😊 Also when talking about translated fiction we have to take into consideration that may not be the writing style that is bothering us, but the translation itself may just not be good, and in some cases - pretty bad, actually and can ruin the book completely.

[@judychapman1868]

Gabby, great job reviewing these books!!! I totally agree with you, especially “You Shouldn’t Have Come Here”, I hated this book and DNF it around half way through…. Another book I couldn’t stand was The Bad Place” by Dean Koontz, the story made me so sick to my stomach!!! ❤❤Judy❤❤

[@queenkim8631]

My worst books of the year (off the top of my head) - I know you know by Gilly MacMillan - Nana by Brandon Nassey ‐ The Laws of the Skies - Twisted Love Story And the WORSTTTT - Perfume by Patrick Süskind

[@taraselly3831]

Perfume is one of my all time favorites 😅 but I completely get it why people hate it.

[@DeluluSwiftie]

I like Perfume because it's really well-written, but the plot does have the potential to give people the ick 😂

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

I haven't read a single good review of A Twisted Love Story

[@christinacampbellbooks]

I also did not like The Snowman by Jo Nesbø. It's not just you 😂☺

[@camfan54lisa]

A Twisted Love Story was like a teenage girl's angsty diary of a toxic relationship... it was all over itself and just kinda went no where!

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I haven’t read any of these 🥳

[@gabbyreads]

I love that for you hahah

[@amberlimbaugh]

I read a lot this year, and I know I'm the outlier here, but man...Monstrilio was just awful to me. 🥴 My worst book of the year. I had such high expectations 😩

[@Emmzz4071]

I read it’s me, Charlie after seeing your reaction and I just didn’t get it. I only got sicky at one point but that’s actually what I like about extreme horror. I find horror books too bland because there isn’t enough body horror. That seems to be the only thing that scares me. Please tell me I’m not odd here 😅

[@sheyannestewart2241]

I’m so jealous of your success rate!! I had 55 books that were 1 and 2 stars this year.

[@user-qu8zs7vs1x]

It may be time to change genres or pinpoint what exactly the trend is, I don't think ive ever seen anyone give over 50 books a 1 or 2 star rating in a year

[@Paperista]

My worst was How to Sell a Haunted House. Laughable how bad it was for me.

[@Lia23235]

I hated the night house so much that I returned it. Even though that's something you shouldn't do.

[@lmbk3294]

Ward D, The One, Verity & Zero Days were my worst

[@TheBookCourt]

Ward D was just awful. One of the worst books I have ever read.

[@aprilhutchens2105]

​@@TheBookCourt Oh no I loved it 😮 lol

[@erinlchapman61925]

A Twisted Love Story was terrible. U did not have wrong expectations they marketed that as a thriller and it was NOT. I hate it when they do that!! Same with Midnight is the Darkest Hour although I didn't think that one was quite as bad bc at least they had that part near the beginning where they went to investigate the bikers or whoever but still so mismarketed and I love both of those authors too. Terrible lol

[@The_onset_tutor]

It’s me Charlie sounds like the extremity of terrifier 2, a movie that ruined horror for me, and movies almost.

[@Alicia-606]

I really didn’t enjoy Midnight is the Darkest Hour either! 😬

[@abbisaiya2797]

Do you have a PO Box? I just finished a collection i think you would love. Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology. Would love to send you a copy!

[@gabbyreads]

I don't have a PO Box unfortunately, but that is so sweet of you to offer thank you! That book is on my TBR! :)

[@susanspisak65]

Such beautiful hair color …. Lovely young lady with great book recommendations!!

[@gabbyreads]

thanks so much!!

[@andresalarcon5671]

i enjoyed midnight is the darkest hour! haha

[@marshalmallow7192]

I loved loved The Drift 🥰

[@kaesinfinitelibrary]

My favorite thing about your videos is how a running inside joke has become picking your least favorite books for your own book club 😂😂😂😂

[@janesocalgal2278]

I'm not an author, not a blogger. I'm just a reader. I do not understand why you read 1 ( or 2 ) star books. Why don't you dnf book a book that you do not like. There's a blogger on TT that says she's going to start dnfing more books, so she can move on to another book that she wants to read. I really enjoy your vlogs. I know that we have different tastes in books. I never rate lower than 3 stars, since I don't rate/review books that I've dnf'd . Do you feel pressure to power through (most) every book? I'm less than 5 minutes into this video. I watch almost every video that you do. I appreciate the work and long long hours. I love that reading is so important to you.

[@sheyannestewart2241]

I gave about 50 books 1 or 2 stars this year. Sometimes it’s about powering through because I didn’t realize how much I wasn’t liking it until I was too far in to stop. Or something happened later in the book that made me dislike it.

[@janesocalgal2278]

@@sheyannestewart2241 I do tend to scroll passed the super low ratings. I usually write reviews for myself, so I can remember the book & my favorite parts of the book.

[@lmbk3294]

She said some were for her own book club or a friend’s book club so she kind of had to!

[@tiaragrooms25]

Also sometimes the ending makes the struggle worth it.

[@gabbyreads]

Thank you for your support! And yeah, sometimes I do still finish books even if I know I'll probably hate them. Sometimes I have to finish reading them for a book club, or for a reading vlog I'm working on. Or sometimes I just want to finish a book to see just how ridiculous the ending is. Not every book is going to be a new favorite, and I don't expect them to be. I'm lucky that I only had six books this year I rated one star out of the 200+ I read, so the majority of books I read, I do enjoy. But every now and then I get books like this that I end up hating unfortunately, it happens!

[@themoodypages]

You shouldn’t have come here was awful 😭

[@amritasengupta5251]

Hmmm people still doing disclaimers? 😢

[@gabbyreads]

hahah I have to because it's inevitable I will get comments if I don't, I'm already getting comments from people being upset even with the disclaimers lol

[@Oniomuzio]

Damn you're On Fire :P

[@RivetingReads]

Completely agree about The Chateau 🪦🪦🪦 sorry we had to suffer through it hahaha

[@offline._archive]

my worst books for this year are Nestlings (nat cassidy), Revenge (yoko ogawa), The writing retreat (julia bartz), and Grievers (adrienna maree brown).

[@kristenchumley1421]

The Writing Retreat was my worst book of the year.

[@aprilhutchens2105]

Ahhhh I have TWR on my shelf right now to read next week 🤣

[@offline._archive]

@@aprilhutchens2105 there's a good chance that you'll enjoy the book! i've heard so many people enjoying it :)