the most disappointing books I read & DNF’d in 2024 👎🏾

[@thisstoryaintover]

So sorry for the misinformation folks, Vita Nostra is authored by Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko who are UKRAINIAN authors NOT Russian. Thank you to those who pointed it out 🙏🏾

[@Mad.E]

I'm always always grateful and hyped when I see videos about not-so-good books because my to-read list is way way too long and as someone who reads very slowly, I can't afford wasting a lot of time on bad books and missing out on the good ones

[@JaylenePryorReads]

Your transparency is refreshing.

[@DariaKull]

vita nostra is my favorite book. like the one. but i definitely understand why someone wouldn’t enjoy it. the writing style, the atmosphere was hitting it for me cuz im slavic myself

[@meagerz]

I have liked all of Emily Henry's adult books, except Book Lovers. That one somehow just did not vibe with me. I think I did love Happy Place because I could feel how the friend group felt like real people who had real problems/life events they could not or werent willing to share as real friends do. (Minus the decision at the beginning to have Harriet and Wyn who are STRANGERS at the first summer, share a room! I know it was a plot convenience, but it still bothers me)

[@rosebud7233]

I think your discussion about Emily Henry books is really interesting. Prior to the release of funny story, Beach read and book lovers were my two favorites of hers, and I didn’t enjoy happy place. However, I absolutely loved funny story, and it replaced Beach read as my favorite of her romance books. Although our experiences are different, I related to Daphne a lot in terms of her personality and thought processes. I loved her being a children’s librarian, and in addition to the romance with Miles, I really loved her growing friendship with Ashley in this book!

[@luckyluna62]

Vita nostra is one of my faves but I could see how it’s not for everyone 😂 I need to find more Russian literature 😮

[@musingsonbooks3096]

The authors are Ukrainian, not Russian.

[@arianab.99]

ldk about worst but my best in 2024 was Your Life Your Game by Keezano. It beautifully shows how connecting with God and building meaningful relationships can lead to spiritual growth and success in both your personal and professional life. This book truly changed my life..a must-read. God bless❣❣

[@OliviaLondon1980]

I Totally agree

[@tammiegipson8870]

I have read one Tessa Bailey book and she is not the author for me. I read Dial A for Aunties and thought I would love it but I agree how repetitive it was. One book I was really disappointed by this year was Middle of the Night by Riley Sager. It was so boring and it wasn’t very thrilling. Love how you still keep the positive vibes even with books you don’t like.

[@Booklovergia]

11:45 I felt the same way about saving Noah. Absolutely insane that people cry over that book

[@kristen7623]

I hated the writing retreat!!!

[@sc31337]

Happy new year Jananie! I liked the Writing Retreat but I totally agree with your critiques of it, imo it’s just a solid debut novel but the toxic relationships kept me entertained! My worst 2024 reads were definitely Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders and the sequel Moonflower Murders. I gave the second book a chance because everyone said it was great but I should have trusted my gut. Like it was just so homophobic and racist that I was shocked 😭 Other books that weren’t outright offensive but still disappointing were The Night of the Storm and An Antique Hunters Guide to Murder!

[@thisstoryaintover]

Haha I can definitely see how the toxic relationships are entertaining!! 😂 And agree that it's still a really solid debut 🙌🏾 omg I'm so sorry you had to go through that, it sounds awful 😬

[@storiesofwonderland8900]

I DNF'd the Writing Retreat, I remember not being invested and not caring, still feel sad because the premise still sounds right up my alley

[@christ5711]

Loved the video✨ I can very much get why Vita Nostra would be a DNF😂 I read it a couple years back, and by the end I was very unsure on how I felt, and am STILL unsure tbh. A lot of that stems from the ending which I for the life of me could not really understand, and the magic, while being a bit intriguing, I found to be too hard to grasp. And the MC wasn’t grabbing me much along with some of the other characters

[@christ5711]

A more positive thing tho is that the mystery surrounding the school and the unsettling academic vibes when the MC was attending were pretty well done imo

[@thisstoryaintover]

Mystery and unsettling vibes were definitely on point, agree!!!! Wish I had the patience to get to the end but alas!

[@angelaholmes8888]

I totally feel the same about it happened one summer here's my picks Memnoch the devil by Anne rice book 5 in the vampire chronicles Sex lies and sensibility by nikki Payne it's a modern take on sense and sensibility Same time next summer by annabel Monaghan Steelstriker by marie lu Flying solo by linda Holmes The love song for ricki wilde by tia Williams It happened one summer How to end a love story by Yulin kaung

[@imnotobsessedwiththat4162]

Oo I’ve heard a lot about Annabel Monaghan. Was that one not good?

[@angelaholmes8888]

@imnotobsessedwiththat4162 nope it wasn't good I did enjoy her first book

[@LibrariesandLattes]

I also did not like It Happened One Summer, those spice scenes were something else 😳😂 I did love Map of the Otherlands and Funny Story, but your critiques make sense. I loved Beach Read and Funny Story but not Happy Place, haha. My worst books of 2024 were Powerless by Lauren Roberts, The Wishing Game, The Power, The Last Word, All the Colors of the Dark, House of Sky and Breath, and A Curse for True Love 😬

[@thisstoryaintover]

Haha agree 😂 and I'm glad you enjoyed them even if I didn't!! And holy, I have been hearing about Powerless so much but glad to hear it may not be worth it

[@SabrinaEpicness3]

Honestly, any book that has book art that looks like Funny Story and It Happened One Summer are instantly a turn-off for me and I would probably never even attempt to read it unless I was heavily convinced to. They all remind me of bad Hallmark movies. Almost always the same cringey love story with different but still very similar characters, and the same exact artwork style and "quirky" book title. 🙄

[@badfaith4u]

I enjoyed Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands and Funny Story. But I can see why you didn't enjoy them from your explanations.

[@thisstoryaintover]

I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed them! ✨

[@ruaks4323]

My worst book that disappointed me and did not meet my expectations is a book everyone loves, as long as the lemon trees grow. i love historical fiction, love diverse authors from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds, wanted to support a poc however that book read like the worst bits of fanfiction. the writing style was so cringy, i found it hard to connect to the characters and it was just not worth the money i spent on the book.

[@Alewo2735]

I also DNF'D Vita Nostra and I recommend looking up spoilers for what it's actually about because it's not just a girl at a school and when I found out, I was SO glad I stopped. LOL It's the most pretentious premise I've ever come across!

[@thisstoryaintover]

OMG WHAT. my curiosity is piqued, I will have to search this up 👀👀

[@LatinLector]

I adore Emily Henry and honestly love that she’s going in a more contemporary route. Totally not for everyone though so I get it. The book I hated the most this year is probably Tower of Dawn by SJM. I have to come to terms with the fact that I will probably never finish this series.

[@thisstoryaintover]

I get that!! If I were more into contemporary fiction then I think I'd be happier about it but alas. And omg I've been there with SJM and just could not go further after Queen of Shadows tbh

[@zarata-z2z]

I didn’t like Funny Story either! To me it feels like she is trying to rewrite Beach Read/Book Lovers and it just feels rote. I actually did like Happy Place because I felt like she was trying something new.

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

I liked the writing retreat 😂😂

[@thisstoryaintover]

Love that for you 😂🫶🏾

[@heather2066]

I was really disappointed by the writing retreat. The first half was good but i really dislike when a character turns psychotic or crazy with no foreshadowing, it felt like it was only done to make steaks or tension.

[@thisstoryaintover]

Agreeee completely!!

[@josieann4390]

💜💜

[@ronettewinston1706]

I didn’t like Funny Story either!

[@CCCC-o2z-z3u]

PLEASE take a little more care in identifying authors in the future - Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko are NOT Russian authors, they are both Ukrainian. Ukrainians don't need to be erased further :)

[@thisstoryaintover]

Thank you so much for calling this out!! Definitely didn't want to erase their identities, and will be more careful in the future 🙏🏾

[@CCCC-o2z-z3u]

@@thisstoryaintover Ty, sorry for snarky comment - my immediate reaction was just frustration, I know you do a lot to highlight marginalized voices so I appreciate you acknowledging this.

[@cocotae7333]

Finally someone agreeing with Funny Story being so mid

[@thisstoryaintover]

😂😂😂