The Worst Books of 2023

Let's talk about the most disappointing reads of 2023!
Check out my Verity vlog here: • Did BookTok Fool Me ab...
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Books Mentioned (all links are affiliated):
THE CHRISTMAS MURDER GAME by Alexandra Benedict - amzn.to/3W8JMp5
BLITZ by Daniel O’Malley - amzn.to/2ZuOcyv
MR MERCEDES by Stephen King - amzn.to/3jYOZBZ
I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU by Rebecca Makkai - amzn.to/3H97OL8
THE SUN AND THE VOID by Gabriela Romero-Lacruz - amzn.to/3JrGJo9
THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY by Louise Penny - amzn.to/3WM5EI2
SHE EATS THE NIGHT by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda - amzn.to/3kVIj88
TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin- amzn.to/3LpZ2LB
DEVIL HOUSE by John Darnielle - amzn.to/3qIh8jQ
OF BLOOD AND BONE by Nora Roberts - amzn.to/3LIuxzX
THE VILLA by Rachel Hawkins - amzn.to/3TeOkeV
FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT by Elle Cosimano- amzn.to/3QmOrlw
SPLENDID by Julia Quinn - amzn.to/41ceeBB
VERITY by Colleen Hoover - amzn.to/40HSxIw
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Disclaimers: Unless specifically noted by me in this video, title, or description, this video is not sponsored and I have not been compensated for its creation or publication. If I receive any form of compensation, or if I am provided with any books or goods discussed in this video for promotional consideration, I will disclose that in the video or description. All links with a "**" in front of them are affiliate links, and I will receive compensation for using any of those links or codes.
Any video on my channel is reflective solely of my opinion and is for entertainment purposes only. Any copyrighted materials or excerpts are for "fair use" for such purposes as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. (Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976)

[@bobbieross2995]

I used to feel that when you start a book you have to finish it. I’m older now and as an avid reader I give an author 50 pages to entice me. If they can’t do that it’s on to the next one. So many books so little time.

[@JiniaParkerMeanwhileinflorida]

Same! Took ages to get here!

[@bookslikewhoa]

Amen! Life's too short!

[@nitzeart]

I give it around 10% of the page count. Because if it's a long book, it probably needs a little more time. But I'm totally with you! There's too many books to read not to dnf when you want

[@robynology101]

@@nitzeartexactly. I give 15% for the same reason. I guess I’m generous 😂 But you definitely have to consider the page count before deciding when to DNF

[@YW2324]

I nearly had to dnf a classic murder mystery, because it was more the author talking about stuff then dialogue. But the ending was pretty good 😊

[@jakebates5918]

You know what didn't disappoint? That eyeshadow color! It looks so cute on you!

[@jakebates5918]

Also, totally agree, Verity sucks!!

[@messy678]

Yes!!! I am a mom of 2, born 17 months apart, and I was SO CONFUSED reading Finlay Donovan. Like, how? HOW?! I barely had time to shower, much less galavant all around town with my nanny (shouldn’t she be watching the kids??) having multiple romances and solving murders. It was so painful- the humor fell flat for me, but mostly, I just thought she was a shit mom, which made her distasteful to me. I did read the second and it was worse and I happily washed my hands of the whole series. Also, this has been a shit reading year, just in general. I’m seeing this same sentiment from a lot of readers.

[@YW2324]

Ya doesn't sound like it be something I'd like 😉

[@chelsey8737]

I think a video explaining why romance as a genre quickly feels outdated would be so interesting

[@TheGoofy1932]

Finally, someone has placed CoHo at the top of the correct pedestal. Now, if we can get the same results for SJM and Feeney we'll have a "winning" trifecta. 😂 At least you got through Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I DNF'D it as I found it so boring 💤 that it was beginning to feel like I was never going to see another tomorrow.

[@golivia8084]

One of my favorite videos every year, I just love listening to people roast books 😅

[@PokhrajRoy.]

The best kind of review is that of a bad book. Schadenfreude Max Pro

[@EP-hm5ue]

This was my worst reading year. Looking through my Goodreads shelf for 2023, I’ve read 65 so far and can count on one hand how many I truly liked. Some were so forgettable that I had a hard time recalling what the story was about.

[@bookslikewhoa]

I'm so sorry to hear that - I hope 2024 is a better year!

[@karlandreasen]

One genre I like is pop nonfiction and by far the worst book was "The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery" by Adam Gopnik. The skills he "learned/mastered" were magic tricks, learning to drive a car, and peeing in public...not even joking. Terrible read. Felt like he owed his publisher/agent a book and so he just word vomited ~250 pages so he could fulfill his contract.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oh that's too bad! I really like his memoir about living in Paris, but I read that years ago

[@jennawhite1277]

God I feel so seen by this list. I was so disappointed and started really hating TomorrowX3 by the end, and I HATED Verity.

[@filmjkk]

Tomorrow x3 author sounds like she never played a video game in her life.

[@susanneill7142]

Hi Mara! Just found your channel & love your vids. I tend not to read books/authors that get lots of attention on GoodReads like CoHo (what I follow on TT is not very book oriented but that may change) or lots of gushing revs in The Wash Post & NYT, like E Farrante. So I love hearing from someone like you that has read & suffered through a book like Verity & completely validates my lack of desire to read it. So thanks!! 😊

[@hygrpfrt]

I totally agree with you on Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow ... When I was reading it, I kept expecting more because it was meh.... and it just kept on going like that until the end.... 😢

[@cerrad.]

Interesting to hear other perspectives on Tomorrowx3 and I Have Some Questions for You, that I both enjoyed. I think there’s something to be said for expectations, especially for the Makkai book. I’m not a mystery reader generally, so I didn’t mind when things were left unanswered, etc but I can see how that would drive other people nuts. BTW, would love to see a breakdown of romance tropes over time, if you’re ever so inclined 😊

[@RR-xl6yc]

If you think line editing was bad in a book from the nineties, what do you do with ones from today? Read 2 new books this weekend - one was Nora Robert's Inheritance and it referred to "his fathers office" - no apostrophe, and the other had the entire first half of a (long) sentence repeated before it got to the second half of the sentence. And since i read very fast/skim sometimes, who knows what else I might have missed. Considering they were both approximately 30 dollar hardbacks I was happy to have read them from the library and not purchased them. They're not the most egregious mistakes I ever saw (that belongs to using the word udder instead of utter), but big publishers should be able to pay to have their books edited properly. Sorry for the rant, but I hate being taken out of the story for bad editing.

[@bookslikewhoa]

It doesn't bother me if it's one or two mistakes, but Splendid was really egregious - to the point I couldn't ignore :(

[@fireflylitnight]

Don't be shy, what book used "udder" instead of "utter" 😆

[@RR-xl6yc]

@@fireflylitnight I don't remember the specific book, but it was one of the J D Robb books. I remember it well enough that if I had to guess it was in the high 40s or maybe into the 50s. I feel li,e the co er was yellow, but I might not be remembering correctly. It was the hard cover soon after release (borrowed from the library), so hopefully it was correct in other editions. I remember thinking that this is Nora Robert's, they should be able to afford an editor for her books. It had to read it a few times (and show it to my husband) because I was so shocked. Plus if you read the series you know what Eve thinks of cows, so somehow that made it funny too....

[@rz5293]

I read only one of the Inspector Gamache books some time back, thought it was gonna be sort of cozy and nice, but my god it was so BORING. Sooooo slow paced, so uninteresting... I was skipping pages upon pages.

[@user-uk1tl4ct9y]

Finally getting around to watching this! These lists at the end of the year are also my favourite part ^^ I've had such a weird reading year. Usually, I mainly have four or five stars because, I thought, I'm pretty good at picking what I like. This year was,,,,, not that lol. Out of 80 books, 20 I didn't even end up rating because I, for some reason, picked a lot of books I'm just not the right audience for or I just couldn't make up my mind about how I feel about them. And then I have like ten 2 stars, which sucks and about fifteen 3,,,, many of which could've been bumped down in retrospect. idk, this year was not my year, reading-wise lmao. I think, my most disappointing book was Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers (2 stars). Definitely wasn't the worst but I actually had high hopes for that one.

[@kellyroll8108]

thank you for confirming my opinion on how bad Verity as. The whole headboard biting thing alone was enough formeto want tostop reading but I plowed through. Bleech

[@gerridauer9092]

And this is one of the reasons that I stopped reading “best sellers” and switched to a lot of DSP Furrowed Middlebrow authors. Most of the authors I am reading are English or Scottish and written between the 30’s up through about the fifties, occasionally a little later. D. E. Stevenson, Molly Clavering, Barbara Pym, Elizabeth Fair, Elizabeth Cadell etc. For anyone that wants a cozier reading experience, or life softening as they say, these are fantastic. It’s totally changed my reading experience. There’s enough to stress over in real life, I don’t need that in my reading life. And if I want mystery, Agatha Christie or Patricia Wentworth’s Miss Silver series, skip the first. If I want more modern mysteries Elizabeth George or Martha Grimes. I enjoyed your video. I’m always looking for a new BookTuber to guide me to some good authors or away from the bad.

[@KatieReadsKoziesAndMore]

I preferred book 2 of the Finlay Donovan than book 1. Book 2 was more of a cozy mystery, not a zany story. My least favorite book was The Couple at No. 9 by Claire Douglas. I DNF’d it after skipping ahead to the last two chapters.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oh that's interesting - maybe that's why some people didn't like the first Finlay book but did like the second

[@arlissbunny]

I had such an insanely great reading year. Possibly as many as three new all time faves and they were all front list. Crazy, right? I wish I could have passed some of that vibe on to you. You deserve it for all the truly hard work you do for us. Worst book? Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor. I would fight you on Finley but I see your point.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oooo, I'm so glad to hear you had such a great reading year! Hoping that energy rubs off and continues for you in 2024

[@YW2324]

I've heard mixed things about Finley Donavin, especially the second book

[@LaurasLibraryCard]

I agree with many others-- would love to hear your thoughts on romance genres over time/ romances becoming dated quickly!

[@theblueiMe]

I like Finlay but I forgot about how nervous I was for the kids. I was wishing, she would just finish her book and then do the mystery. Especially because her husband is portrayed as a bad father so I really didn't want him to get the kids.

[@bookslikewhoa]

SAME! I was really nervous about the kids being with him :(

[@helenboyle3357]

I agree with you on Louise Penny. On paper I should love her books but it is meh

[@jonnie7891]

I enjoyed SK but I’m an old millennial so we come out the womb stanning Stephen King. Blame our parents 😂 SN: Love your hair! I’m loving the length and the styling

[@bookslikewhoa]

Thank you!

[@Nixreads]

I read Finlay Donovan and am undecided if it’s worth continuing :/ I live in Quebec so Louise Penny is on my radar but I’ve only seen bad reviews from booktubers I trust so far, I don’t think I’ll like these😅 Also, your hair looks so nice 😊

[@MarieOnYoutube]

I’m scrolling so fast to find that Verity reading vlog 😂 I’m always up for some coho snark

[@AdyGrafovna]

I am primarily a litfic reader… I HATED Makkai’s new book too. It’s a huge disappointment because I absolutely LOVED The Great Believers years ago and really expected to love this book as well.

[@mperales00]

I know I'm late to this video, and this has nothing to do with books, but where did you get your cardigan/sweater? I love the colors and the blue looks great on you 😄❤

[@bookslikewhoa]

Haha it’s from Teddy Fresh!

[@MandyLovesBooks]

Can you PLEASE do a deep dive video into the history of romance? You are so well spoken and I’d love that from you.

[@impastomusic]

Lists are my love language! I had a pretty good reading year, so I don’t have any worst books, but one of my least favourites was the new Murderbot entry. I binge-listened the entire series earlier in the year and had a lot of fun, but the latest entry was very meh for me. I prefer the novella length in this series, and I didn’t get as much emotion or snark as I hoped for.

[@bookslikewhoa]

That's very fair - while I liked the book for what it was, it was also the Murderbot entry that made me realize I needed to take a break from the series for a while. I think they're starting to feel too same-y

[@tawnyachristensen7310]

Sad to see Louise Penny on this but happy to see Colleen Hoover :)

[@bookslikewhoa]

win some lose some ;)

[@PrimmsBookCave]

We don't have a huge crossover in books we both read but I felt the same way about the three books from this list I've read (Tomorrow x3, of Blood and Bone, and Verity)

[@camfan54lisa]

Yes on The Christmas Murder Game! So meh.

[@cleverkrowbooks13]

I kept encountering a ton of mid books this year, too. It felt like everything was a 3. Not bad enough for me to put down, but not memorable in any way.

[@Vanitas1131]

Thanks for the safe space 😅 because I was so disappointed by Finlay Donovan. I thought, if Kayla loves this, I want to try it and it should at least work a bit. I was disappointed through the whole book.

[@evajanczaruk8790]

I have a problem. I have found that I have had the same opinion for several of the books you have on your list for almost the same reasons BUT I still have a couple of physical copies of books still on my TBR that hit your list. To read or not to read, that is the question.

[@bookslikewhoa]

If you already have them & you don't have a problem bailing on them, I say give them a try! They might work better for you than they did for me

[@lesliepowell-mccarty7067]

I loved the Bill Hodges trilogy! Oh, and your makeup is lovely today. 🤗

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oh thank you!

[@dianabanana7394]

By far my worst book of the year is A Most Agreeable Murder, which is a debut historical mystery. The cover is so cute but that was all it had going for it 😔

[@thefairylibrarian3282]

Haven't read any of these, but i guess we do have something in common as i have 0 interest in Tomorrow x3 and Finlay Donovan despite the hype. My least favorite book of the year was definitely Pandora bu Susan Stokes-Chapman. It was waaaaay to long. It was 400 pages and should have been a novella or even a short story. The ending was just a drug trip

[@EnragedTiefling]

Oooh no re: Devil House, I picked that up at a Mountain Goats show I went to because i wasn't aware he wrote novels. I haven't read it yet, but now I'm a little concerned to.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Hopefully you enjoy it more than I did! If you already like his song writing, it may be better for you than it was for me

[@YW2324]

Have you read a book 📚📖 called The Murder of Mr. Whikham? It takes characters from jane Austin books, and puts them in a murder mystery. Takes place in 1820😊

[@CodexPotter]

I feel both sides on Finley Donovan. I liked it and did have fun but I also was getting anxious about the kids and didn't feel myself fully immersed. I'm glad I didn't continue because it seems like they've gotten worse but for me I felt like it was a solid 3 stars and like I was the only one who didn't love it.

[@sandeesandwich2180]

I also DNF'd Devil House -- just could not see the point of going past the first 10%. It's not really my genre, but also the narrator I could not get -- too self satisfied, maybe? Also DNF'd Finlay Donovan. I felt like it couldn't decide what it was. Or maybe I couldn't decide what it was.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Self satisfied is a good way to describe it :/

[@deirdrebeecher3508]

Oh man Daniel O'Malley himself mangles the pronunciation of Myfanwy, he rhymes it with Tiffany, which is not the Welsh pronunciation. I'd forgotten about it until I watched the tv series and then got the ick.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oh noooo! I honestly try to avoid saying her name because I always get nervous and forget what I looked up

[@annier5914]

my least favorite of the year was my nemesis by charmaine craigg! i love literary fiction but it was too plotless even for me haha. and i have some questions for you was one of my faves of the year but your critique makes a lot of sense - although i do enjoy mystery i def was approaching it as a litfic reader first and foremost

[@bookslikewhoa]

I'm glad you liked that one more than I did! I think it has a readership, but it just wasn't me :(

[@michellemurray4044]

I have tried several fiction pulitzer winners thinking they were supposed to be fantastic but had to DNF half way through. They didn’t get better and life is too short to hate what i am reading!

[@bookslikewhoa]

Amen! DNFing is your friend

[@literatelyalees]

Verity was on my worsts list last year. Horrible! 😂

[@melissamybubbles6139]

I don't read a lot of fiction so I guess I know which books to avoid when I do pick up fiction. Thanks.

[@lorifrederick2367]

I read Verity and It Ends With Us. That is 2 weeks i can't ever get back in my life! Every time i went in B&N and saw a whole table of her books, and i visibly shuddered!

[@kateworkman921]

So, I had never read a Stephen King book before, even though I have a small collection on my shelves. I've actually started Lisey's Story several times and never made it past thirty or so pages. But I picked up Mr. Mercedes and began it back at the start of 2020, and I. Loved. It. It hooked me right away, I cared about the characters, I loved the tension it created, and the scene where the mother dies? Omg. That stayed with me. That was horrifying to me. Aside from that trilogy, I've read four of his other books, (Dark Half, Rose Madder, Long Walk and Salem's Lot,) and while I liked those, (especially the atmosphere in Salem's Lot,) I haven't liked any of them as much as the Mercedes trilogy. I've actually never read a Colleen Hoover book, but I've seen a lot of videos talking about how awful the different books of hers are, so yeah . . . I have no real desire to read anything by her, and am donating the one book of hers I did buy before all the complaints about her books became so mainstream.

[@aprilhutchens2105]

Yes Coho is problematic for sure 🤣 As an avid SK reader, his best book in my opinion was "Needful Things". It's a heckin chonker but SO good. There's only one tiny thing I would change. Highly recommend.

[@kateworkman921]

@@aprilhutchens2105 Yeah, I've seen different videos talking about the problematic relationship and such in Colleen Hoover's stuff. I read the next two Fifty Shades books after a coworker told me I couldn't stop at just the first one, and had to read the other two, because "it got SO much better!" and "you can't judge a trilogy on just the first book!" Her second point, I agree with. I shouldn't judge a trilogy on one book. Yeah . . . It didn't get better. The second book gave me flashbacks of my own abusive relationship to the point where I had to put the book down and step away for about a week. I'm far enough away from that period of my life, I wouldn't get flashbacks, but considering I've heard Hoover's books glorify abusive relationships . . . yeah, thanks, I'll skip them. I'll go back to more Stephen King eventually. I've found I have to be in the right kind of mood to want to read something that immerses me so fully in a world. I appreciate when a book does it, but I have to be in the right headspace to want to read it. But I'll remember Needful Things. I don't think I own that one.

[@user-iz6cc6lz3j-Vickie]

I have 2 bags of books to unhaul that doesn’t do it for me. A Louise penny and several Nora roberts. I use to live reading Nora Roberts books but now I just can’t get into her anymore

[@kadamowicz68]

Dang I loved the Bill Hodges trilogy, but when I watched the series the Holly character was waaaaay better on screen. But I did have to look past some malarkey on King’s part.

[@kate-ne]

Completely agree on Night Eaters. I found the plot slow and hard to follow, it just didn't feel complete. It was a cool concept and felt like it could have been better for more editing and more action. Was bummed about it.

[@lilyc7922]

The way King writes is not conducive to mystery / detective novels, which is a problem cause that’s what he’s so focused on lately. He’s the kind of guy who starts writing and sees where things go from there, but a mystery isn’t good imo unless it feels like the author planned something there. Good for him if he’s having fun lol but it means there’s not a lot of interesting shit coming from him lately. Although I was pleasantly surprised by Billy summers, it’s still not horror (would call it more crime) but it worked for me

[@KatieColson]

GOD BLESS you for posting this so early. I am living for this.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Gotta get the negativity out the way early!

[@unhingedwoman]

Verity 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ My worst was Fourth Wing 😵‍💫😵‍💫

[@RoseRamblesYT]

Not sure why but your comment about Finlay Donovan being stressful to read made me think of the fact that I don’t really enjoy media that heavily relies on secondhand embarrassment humor. As for the book, I’ve never read it and the stressful aspect you mentioned gives me pause on whether or not I’ll ever pick it up.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Exactly! It makes me squirm too much to be fun

[@lydiam.1833]

Oh my gosh. I DNF'd Finley Donovan for the same reason you didn't care for it. The kids and custody business. Thought I was just weird lol.

[@gerridauer9092]

My worst read of the year was Lessons in Chemistry, for book club. Last year was Everything he Never Told Me.

[@P.Ross192]

Yes, what was the obsession with Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow? I agree it was OK. Another similar story that is WAY better is Others were Emeralds- Lang Leav

[@jkpiowa]

Finlay Donovan was so awful! I got like 25 pages in and was so stressed and thought all the characters were awful, Finlay included.

[@Sofia_Monteiro]

Thank you!

[@YW2324]

I love murder mysteries set in big houses or mansions or resorts. Etc

[@mj_libros]

Yep, I DNF'd Finlay Donovan. I was reading it physically, it didn't work for me in any way. I've always found Julia Quinn disappointing (that includes the Bridgerton series), which, I know, is controversial. I'll take your word on Verity, I tried CH once and never again. My most disappointing book this year might have been The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary. I loved the Flatshare so I keep giving her another chance but each book she writes seem worse to me.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oh that is such a bummer! I hate it when you like one book from an author but are never able to capture the magic

[@marisagettas]

My worst books of the year: NO EXIT by Taylor Adams (I was reminded why I mostly read from female/femme/non-binary authors) PAGEBOY by Elliot Page (I felt this was written too soon, their descriptions of trauma fell flat for me) TEACHER OF THE YEAR by MA Wardell (not a good romance book)

[@martinmeek2766]

Love your bookshelves.

[@holly_a_reads_away5120]

Omg thank you, Finlay Donnovan gave me sooo much anxiety the whole time. Ionly finished it to stop the anxiety

[@emmetthartwin2139]

I'm 100% with you about Blitz -- I loved Rook and I liked Stiletto and I didn't really like Blitz much at all, which was so disappointing. I'm glad I wasn't alone in that.

[@lmbk3294]

100% agree on Verity. When I see people give it 5* and I immediately know we can’t be friends haha😂. Ward D was just as bad IMO

[@athenasbibliotheca8099]

I haven't read any of these books, but the hype of Tomorrow x3 really makes me want to give it a try.

[@giantcupofcoffee]

Tomorrow3 was just an unhealthy, toxic friendship. Halfway through I started wondering why I should root for them to make up for the millionth time. I’m a cozy mystery reader and there’s this weird thing where booktubers will hold up something like Finlay Donovan and call it cozy without realizing they’re using a label that already exists and applies to a genre with its own fairly strict standards and conventions. Tbh it’s a sign that a creator probably isn’t for me if they’re missing whole swaths of information like that.

[@bookslikewhoa]

That's a good way to put it - by calling it cozy, I had one set of genre expectations that were then not met by what the book was trying to do

[@misspopcoin2204]

I didn't love tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. It promised to give 80s video game nostalgia to readers who grew up in that era. Instead in mentioned a few classics, but mainly focused on the fictional games the characters were making, & the growing conflict between the 2 main characters. I did not care for the 2 main characters at all. In my opinion they were horrible. I get it, their supposed to be flawed. But theres a difference between being flawed & unlikable. They were just unlikable. Most of their conflicts could have been avoided, if they had just sat down & had a proper adult conversation. To me, they didn't really grow through the course of the story. They kind of stayed the same. Verity was so disappointing. Everyone keeps saying "that's the best plot twist I've ever read." Those people need to read more thrillers. Because that books plot twist sucked.

[@itchystitchy]

Your makeup is looking really nice, lately. Love it!

[@dmurfval702]

I did not like Finlay Donovan is Killing It. At all! I thought I was the only one that didn't like it. Just found you. Great video.

[@camfan54lisa]

Verity was a 1 star for me too! Just awful in the end. I enjoyed her writing style, fast and easy to read but the chemistry was awful. The potential best villain ever then bam... or so you thought. Ans it felt like the end was rushed!

[@internetkurator9256]

The Christmas Murder Game sounds like a very familiar movie...

[@YW2324]

Ya like almost all booktok books ate over hyped. But i haven't read any of them yet .

[@jeanninethompson6243]

Here for the tea ☕️

[@YW2324]

Ah the Christmas murder game is on my kindle tbr. 😊 Maybe ill atill check it put. Maybe ill like it ❤

[@greymyers4087]

I had a pretty polarized year… the most 4.5/5-star ratings ever, but also 35 books with 2-stars or less.

[@FromJulieReads]

Thank you for the safe space because I read Finlay Donovan when it came out and I don't get the hype 😂😂

[@Rosalind_Jane]

I once knew a Myfanwy who pronounced her name miv-FAN-wee if that helps

[@bookslikewhoa]

Noted! I always get nervous right when I'm tyring to say it and mess it up :/

[@HilaryBGreen]

Sci-fi element in Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow? Not sure about that.

[@mellomakes]

I tried Hoover’s It Ends With Us. DNF. One of the worst books I’ve ever attempted.

[@Brandie_La_Bibliophile]

I spent so much money on Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and absolutely HATED IT!

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oof that is the worrsstttt

[@marzipan9]

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person who liked The Villa. I did just finish her newest one, and I feel like her writing style has changed a bit from her first two with these next two. Her "voice" sounds more like her cozy witch mystery series.

[@marzipan9]

I think if you want something similar to Findlay Donovan that's zany hijinks accidental murder with no kid stress, I'd recommend How to Kill Men and Get Away with it by Katy Brent. I really liked the first Findlay, but then she gets heavily involved with the Russian mob and I really really really hate it. A lot. I have an ARC of the 4trh one and if the mob stuff doesn't wrap up in this one, it'll be my last. I like zany hijinks, but not with the mob.

[@charmedvenuss]

i will preface my worst book of the year with the disclaimer that i dnf A LOT, so even my worst book isnt as bad as some others who actually have to finish 1 star books, but mine was Convenience Store Woman, as someone whose autistic it just made me so depressed to see someone so clearly autistic coded just be shat on for a whole book with very little resolution

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oof, that sounds like a rough one!

[@okaywhatev4]

The Tomorrowx3 slander makes me so happy. I just do NOT get the hype.

[@robgst100]

Love a good worst list! I like King in general, but I absolutely dislike that trilogy - he cannot write a mystery plot for the life of him. Speaking of Christmas mysteries, have you ever read The Santa Klaus Murder?

[@Marie45610]

I was also really bummed out by The Sun and the Void. It was the pacing that killed me. It took too long for things to get interesting.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Exactly! By the time it got interesting, I had checked out

[@debbanks6778]

you were generous with the book tomorrow,tomorrow, tomorrow.. it was an awful book

[@lorigongaware4981]

“Monkin’ it up”. 😂😂😂. You kill me. 😂😂😂

[@bookslikewhoa]

haha not sure what the right verb is for being a monk! :D

[@qwuzzy]

Fourth Wing definitely should've made the list

[@elskabee]

omg that eyeshadow is stunning!

[@YW2324]

I have some questions for you. My friend picked this one up. Need to ask what she will think of it

[@emmal7510]

I was considering trying the Finlay Donovan series, then I started seeing reviews of book 3. Even the people who liked book 2 seemed disappointed by book 3.

[@bookslikewhoa]

I've heard that - hopefully the 4th one gets back on track for those already into the series!

[@aprilhutchens2105]

I got like 50 pages into the first book....I was literally SO bored. 😴

[@gerridauer9092]

@@bookslikewhoaI enjoyed the first one but haven’t read beyond that yet.

[@annaswanangel91011]

For real, The Villa felt like a first draft or something. She could've done so much more with the bones of that story

[@bookslikewhoa]

Agreed! There was a great premise in there that was wasted :/

[@heathersumner4766]

Queen, You killed the eyeshadow look

[@I-am-a-unicornnn]

HAHAHAH, that's my worst book ever; I dnf'd and then only read the last chapter-it was like wtf is this STORY! lol

[@RodgersReads]

Disappointments are the worst. I would rather hate something than hope it's going to have a fav and find it to be aggressively mid

[@booksandjava]

I ordered the Christmas Murder Game a few days ago 😬😅😂

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oh no! I hope you get on with it better than I did!