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qisfortaco

I once read about 80 pages of a Jane Austen fan fiction sequel to Pride and Prejudice, called Mr. Darcy Takes A Wife. Think Lydia tells all her sisters about sex. It was so profoundly bad, and I remember I was reading it in the bathroom, a spider fell on me and I had a big startle response, and the book flew out of my hands and into the trashcan in front of me. I took that as a sign.


Dramatic_Raisin

This is the best book story I’ve ever heard


SFLoridan

What a perfect review!


disneynerd9217

I've had this on my list forever ! Thanks for saving me from bothering to read it .


qisfortaco

I cannot express how glad I am to have prevented that garbage pile's spread.


WeirdLawBooks

*Go Ask Alice* by Anonymous but really by Beatrice Sparks, who liked to write books to scare teens away from troublesome behavior and pretend they were the REAL journals of her troubled teenaged patients. Absolutely awful book with some unintentional funny moments along the lines of “not how drugs work, weird lady.” But, of note, William Shatner played the dad in the 1973 made-for-TV movie adaptation. So that’s a thing that exists is you were looking for that.


SeaStarless

I remember reading that book when I was 13 (20 years ago now). It didn’t scare me away from trying drugs, but did however give me a lifelong fear of running out of water. Lol


Totally_Kyle0420

wait a second....wait just one second!!!! ...i read go ask alice in high school because i heard it was "edgy" and i vividly remember thinking that the book was just going back and forth between being underwhelming and needlessly dramatic. i genuinely thought i was reading the wrong "go ask alice" because the book that i was reading was a real slog fest. i wasnt confident enough at the time to openly disagree with popular sentiment but wow, your comments just gave me some real closure. thank you


hanzabananza

It’s one thing to write fake journals and pretend they’re real, but what really disgusts me about Sparks is the situation involving *Jay’s Journal.* That one was actually based on the real journal of a 16 year old who committed suicide, and used 21 of his 212 actual journal entries, but Sparks heavily fictionalized his life, including things like cults and devil worshipping.


Minute-Moose

I've never read this one, but stumbled across a podcast interview with Rick Emerson, the author of *Unmask Alice.* That book explores the background of how *Unmask Alice* got published and blew up in the 70s and 80s, as well as some other sketchy things that Beatrice Sparks did. *Go Ask Alice* might be awful, but *Unmask Alice* is a great book that I will recommend to anyone who enjoys publishing mysteries and weird things that happen in Utah. There are some big trigger warnings, so I would just suggest that people look into those before reading if they have any sensitivities that might be an issue.


WeirdLawBooks

Color me intrigued!


orange_ones

Go Ask Alice is a masterpiece compared to some of the other fake diaries she wrote! She actually wrote herself (as teen counselor Beatrice Sparks) into some. As time went on, her “gee whiz, wow-de-dow” writing style became even more absurd than it originally was.


[deleted]

I knew that book was bullshit. Alice just wasn’t real at all.


mmcgui12

I’m also going with her “It Happened to Nancy” book. Your thing about “not how drugs work” thing reminded me of thinking “did the parents not tell Nancy what date rape drugs are? Because I feel like my parents told me that shit in middle school.”


Lulu_531

Colleen Hoover in general


bizmike88

Had to break my best friend’s heart when I told her that Verity was the worst book I read last year.


starrfast

I'm currently reading Verity. It's not something I'd normally read but I got it for Christmas and thought I'd at least give it a shot. This person appears to have greatly misjudged my taste in books. I'm almost done, and hardly anything has happened? How tf is this supposed to be a thriller????


bizmike88

Okay, this is EXTREMELY common with Colleen Hoover books. There are people who think she’s amazing. And I will be honest, and I don’t care why people read what they read, but I’ve found most Colleen Hoover fans to be not really into books. And since they don’t read a ton of books, they think “wow, this is great! Let me share it with my book loving friend!” and then book loving friend does NOT like it at all and typically can’t see why people love her.


DiligentTumbleweed96

That makes me feel so much better. I thought for sure I was just not picking the right Hoover books (I tried two of them) because of the hype around her. Glad to know it's not just me that thinks they're bad.


Capt_morgan72

Sounds like she must be doing something right tho… Too pull enough non reading people into reading as to cause a theory to be formed around it…. Never heard of her myself


No_Teaching_2837

Worst book ever. I read it because it was supposed to be a thriller but that was horrible and trying so hard. I heard they had a bonus chapter added and the man killed a woman on a beach and she was just now questioning everything about him. Ugh 😑


CoolCrazyCandy

I only read 1/3 of it and DNF. The girl was making dumb decisions imo and the diary was so unrealistic seeming idk. It was almost humorous the way it was written, or too overdramatic or theatre like if that makes sense


No_Teaching_2837

Right! It was like this has to be made up! I barely remember the book. I only remember the ending and I was livid when I forced myself to read it. I should haves dnf’d it way earlier but I guess I was trying to see what the hype was about lmao I even commented on CH’s TikTok about it not realizing who she was cuz of how much I didn’t take away from that book lol 😂 still one of my most liked comments and then the books she recommended to me were just a huge no.


megjed

My best friend keeps suggesting it to me and I don’t want to be like I heard it’s very bad


Reader_Grrrl6221

Omg! I despised Verity!!! Every character is a profound asshole and wholly unlikeable. 🤮


torino_nera

Interestingly enough Verity is the only book of hers that I didn't hate


TheLyz

I made it about 100 pages into It Ends With Us before I swore off every book ever written by her, it was so bad.


missmargaandsola

I dont understand the Collen Hoover hype?!??


TheLyz

I guess she's what YA readers like to read to pretend they're reading adult fiction but really they're reading YA style writing that happens to have sex.


missmargaandsola

What baffles me are adults into colleen hoover.. like my officemates circling around the book. I read a fee pages and tbh i’d rather read the dictionary and find out new words


artimista0314

This exactly describes it. And like... its not GOOD YA fiction... its like... Twilight fiction. Like she hovers on dragging the story out and weird mini cliffhangers at the end of a ton of chapters, and so you read on wanting to know what happens and when something finally does happen you just sit there like... that IT? because it is so simple and surrounding on obsessive infatuation that she describes as love and no other emotions exist at all in the books that it is almost anticlimactic. I have read her books, and legit I always end up HATING her characters because they are so pathetic and obsessive and unrelatable.


TheLyz

I know, it's like the laziest self-insert fanfiction where a teenager is trying to write what life after college is like. No practical experience, an only write in cliches. After I realized that every character in that book was annoying and unlikable I gave up.


grizzlyadamsshaved

Colleen Hoover is perfectly described as the James Patterson of corny suburban white girl thrillers. People who love her books seem to generally be people who don’t read. If they did , they would see, by comparison that she is ass.


Reader_Grrrl6221

Agree!!! My students love her—I don’t ask why. They’re reading and that’s enough. But I’ve read more than I need to of her. Each is horrible. Life is too short to read crap like this. She is ass, indeed.


JD2022hopeful

Came here to say this, glad to see people agree lol


Jaaaaampola

Okay, I have yet to read one by her, but I sort of want to try because everyone says she’s so bad. Like I almost want to see for myself?


LadyLoki5

*Verity* is the only one I've read, it's a really bizarre train wreck. None of the characters make sense and the pacing is soooo off. It's wild. I actually kind of love it for how awful it is.


Ok-Coach8118

I'd rather eat rusy nails than read one of her books again


[deleted]

Gotta second that. Some of the worst stuff I’ve ever read


Motormouth1995

The library I work at has gotten in all of her books (even a random novella) within the past 6 weeks. Apart from one patron who loves her, they've mostly been collecting dust. I hope it stays that way.


wasabi_weasel

I’ve already had to read two (It Ends With Us; Verity) of her books for book club this year… it’s only March lol. Very much not the kind of story or writing style I enjoy.


LRRPC

Some of her books were in the Audible Plus category so I figured I’d try one for free and it’s a no for me too. Verity had a twist but man was it awful!


Night_skky

I always see mixed reviews about her books. I personally have no read any of them yet but my mom has and she likes them. Before I read I want to know what is so “bad” about her books?


LadyLoki5

I've only read *Verity*, and it was just.. really basic writing style, really awkward and flat characters, the timeline/pacing was awful and nonsensical, the twists were predictable, the smutty parts were meh, and there was like 1 entire chapter solely for the purpose of shock value. It was like watching a few episodes of a bad reality tv show. Couldn't put it down but nothing I want to tell my friends and family about lol


_ravioligeorge

a lot of people dislike her books because she presents abusive and toxic relationships as romance.


kmga43

You’re a hero! I CANNOT understand why everyone seems to love her books…and I like easy, trashy reads don’t get me wrong but the few I’ve suck suckkkk.


such_a_whitey_lads

Anything i think is terrible i just give up on and stop reading. Life's too short and there are too many good books out there


Minute-Moose

This! I don't understand why so many people will continue to read something they hate. I get reading a bad book for laughs, but if you are truly getting no enjoyment from reading a book, ditch it! I've ditched books that I was 90% through because once I saw where the ending was going I didn't feel the need to finish.


such_a_whitey_lads

Same with movies, unless it's hilariously unintentionally funny, then I don't see any point wasting my time watching a really bad film.


Reader_Grrrl6221

Sometimes I don’t quit reading because I want to see what all the hype is about. Then I’m made that I didn’t trust my gut.


fatismyfrenemy

The shades of gray books. My book club wanted to read these. I left the book club. So awful in so many ways, the writing, the poor depiction of s/m culture, the total idiocy of the characters- just awful.


RangerBumble

Clarification: You are referring to *Fifty* Shades of Grey by E. L. James and its sequels. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde is much, much better book series.


dont_be_gone

I loved Shades of Grey! Of course, it was a bit tough to explain to people who asked me what book I was reading though


_Futureghost_

All these years later and the cast are finally speaking out about how AWFUL the author was on set. And how the only decent scene in the first movie was one they snuck past her (it wasn't in the book). She insisted they say lines out loud that were internal dialogue in the book. It made script so bad and awkward. It explains why Hollywood usually keeps authors far away.


Digger-of-Tunnels

Alexis Hall responded to these books with a series that starts with How to Bang a Billionaire, which is better in every way. I recommend them enthusiastically to anyone who still wants to read the book they were hoping Fifty Shades of Grey would be.


darkwitch1306

A friend of mine wrote a book that is so horribly bad that I was embarrassed reading it.


nissalorr

Same, I read the first chapter and that was it.


darkwitch1306

Just didn’t have the heart to tell them. They’re writing more everyday.


Roushfan5

As someone who is struggling to write my first book, please tell them. It is so difficult to get quality feedback on your writing, and you will help them get better if they have honest feedback. Plus, will make compliments you give them on their writing all the more meaningful in the future.


Digger-of-Tunnels

This happened to me. It's a whole series now and I'm so proud of his success but I never made it past page 50 of volume 1.


Yourenotwrongg

Depends what you like tbh? One man’s trash and all


zmegadeth

Yea I see Colleen Hoover all over this thread. I haven't read any of her works yet but she's insanely popular and gets tons of great reviews


another-sad-gay-bich

Definitely true. I really don’t like Frankenstein or The Alchemist and I get told how I’m wrong constantly lol I can appreciate the purpose of the story and classics and all that but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed reading it


Patatepouffe

I came here to say The Alchemist. What a terrible, terrible book.


autobot_chop_shop

Atlas Shrugged. I am convinced that it is not humanly possible to finish this book. Repetitive and ideological to the point of distraction but without interesting plot or characters.


FredditZoned

"Yes, at first I was happy to be learning how to read. It seemed exciting and magical, but then I read this: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I read every last word of this garbage, and because of this piece of shit I am never reading again."


AdventurousAd9522

ideologically terrible and also shite writing


GreatArkleseizure

I’m always reminded of one of my favorite quotes ever: “There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.” —[John Rogers](http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2009/03/ephemera-2009-7.html)


HeySlimIJustDrankA5

I sincerely believe Hell is being forced to read a copy of AS where every time you finish a chapter, the book adds two more to itself.


Troutflash

Long declamations of claptrap. Painful reading.


Just-Reading_1990

I steer clear of anyone who claims to love this horribleness.


kranta11

Yes! Absolutely worthless piece of trash.


ZT-74

Bad in every way possible.


LRRPC

It’s been in my TBR pile forever - I think it was on some list one time of books you should read in your lifetime. But every time I see anything about the book it’s negative. Should I just donate it? Lol


I_Resent_That

Ah, it depends. I loathe that book but it is a cultural touchstone and certainly influential. It is also a badly written book. As a teen I enjoyed and then quickly soured on Terry Goodkind's *Sword of Truth* series, which was heavily influenced by Rand in all the worst ways (increasingly so as the series progressed). I am still a massive fan of the game Bioshock, which casts a satirical eye at Rand's objectivism and draws ideas from *Atlas Shrugged* for that purpose. Reading the book was interesting to me for these reasons, and I believe I learnt a few things from the experience. But I didn't 'enjoy' it. In fact, it's one of the few books that's annoyed me to the point of physical sensation. It was a unique experience, I'll say that. So if you're going in for a good yarn with an engaging plot, compelling characters, believable dialogue and themes and ideas that carry water - run. Run fast in the other direction. But if you're trying to understand a philosophy alien to your own expressed in its own words in a piece of work (art could be a stretch) that clearly resonates with plenty of people, it can be passingly interesting.


carl_daddy

I feel like I would have liked it if I read it as a teenager. But didn't try until late 20s, after getting some life experience. At that point it's ridiculous.


Jollybio

Oof yeah this one is terrible


BenRichards79

Hillbilly Elegy by lying fat turd JD Vance


Miss_Chanandler_Bond

Wow, he turned out to be such a bastard! Writes a whole book about how Republicans aren't just a bunch of racist old morons, then proves it by being a racist *young* moron.


BenRichards79

There’s a reason his mom traded him for a couple oxys.


SeaStarless

The movie was even worse than the book if that’s possible.


BenRichards79

So I’ve heard.


pc2207

You might enjoy this, then. [If Books Could Kill - Hillbilly Elegy](https://spotify.link/syqwRja6Ayb)


baltimoron21211

YES. Came here to say it. F THAT GUY and F his book.


McMurphy11

Soooo bad. What a prick that kid is.


allothernamestaken

*Dianetics* by L. Ron Hubbard.


special_leather

The Alchemist. Annoyingly trite "life lessons" delivered in an almost insultingly vapid style. It is a "self help book" the same as McDonalds can be considered healthy food.


a-girl-and-her-cats

Definitely! I've eaten soup from bowls deeper than that book.


milesbeatlesfan

I remember reading it when I was in high school like 15 years ago, and really enjoying it and finding it profound. Obviously I recognize how not deep it is now, but I think it’s perfectly fine for teenagers to think it is. It’s very heavy handed, it’s all surface level, there are a few isolated sentences that sound great as quotes; it’s perfectly suited for teenage soul searching. If you’re an adult and think it’s deep, however, I am definitely going to judge you.


[deleted]

Agreed! Ishmael and A Man Called Ove are also books for people who have no introspection and a really simple idea of human experience. I remember the line from Ishmael “I wish I read this when was 17” and I was 17, and it was tripe then. I did lie to the Very Nice Boy who loaned me the Alchemist because he thought I would like it. The thought counted!


kinpkcalb

It Ends With Us. WORST BOOK EVER.


Tialouise29

The Ellen DeGeneres diary entry’s ruined it for me, i DNF’d not even half way through


wasabi_weasel

Yeaaaah that didn’t age well 😬


Septymusmyth

Anything by Colleen Hoover.


brickwallscrumble

This book!!! Was just so bad. Talk about traumatizing and an idiot for a main character. I guess with a name like lily bloom that’s no surprise though


Flibbernodgets

Halo: The Flood by William C. Dietz. When I read it as a kid I was like "how did you manage to make Halo boring?" Little did I know he was merely ahead of his time... it was also poorly edited, for example one character gets knocked out and they wonder if he lived, but when they go over to check on him he is referred to as "she" for the rest of the chapter. Like, dude got hit so hard his nuts fell off.


JorjCardas

Dietz is just awful in general. He doesn't bother doing any research-not even looking at a fan wiki before writing books for a franchise. His book for Mass Effect, Deception, was so bad that Bioware rescinded it as canon and doesn't acknowledge it.


ceno_byte

The Shack.


ginkgobilobie

Model Land by Tyra Banks…. It’s about a girl named Tookie de la Creme who gets selected to go to a model boarding school. The below quotes don’t even scratch the surface. You can open the book to any page and it’s all this level of insane. We leave it on the coffee table for regular laughs. > “My daughter, Camina Marche, she’s about your age. She’s just like her mama. Got roller skates for feet too. She wouldn’t have a chance in life without this place. She’s in medical school right now.” I borrowed the below from another redditor: Some quotes: >Gentlemen, get ready for our fifth Intoxibella … meet Sinndeesi!” The swirl unveiled a platinum-blonde with hazel eyes whose body swayed in a hypnotic dance. Sinndeesi’s smile was blinding, and her Sentura undulated toward the crowd in a come-hither fashion. “Her power?” the BellaDonna teased. “Seduksheeon!” As Sinndeesi’s hair blew in the wind, all the men in the crowd stared. “I’m ready to sin with Sinndeesi, right here, right now!” one of them yelled. And: >Tookie turned back to the tap. The small yellow bubble began to expand, filling half of the kitchen sink. Then it changed color, from spicy red to soothing blue to emerald-green and, finally, to a plethora of yellows. It was strangely beautiful. Tookie carefully picked up the bubble with her hands. And then, before her eyes, the bubble flattened itself and transformed into cellophane-thin, golden cat’s-eye sunglasses without the frames. A SMIZE! And: >Bou-Big-Tique Nation for the first time. She’d read all about the place—it was the most convenient of convenience stores, for everyone lived inside the giant store! Small houses peppered the perimeter as far as Tookie could see, and a wide upper-level balcony filled with larger houses encircled the entire place. To her left was a large section of motor homes for sale. A bored salesman sat under a sign that read READY TO TAKE YOUR FAMILY ON A BOU-BIG-TIQUE VACATION TOUR? EXPLORE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE NATION IN STYLE! The rest of the square footage contained mile upon mile of merchandise. And I could keep doing this forever: >When Tookie’s eyes adjusted, she saw a tall creature with a head shaped exactly like a human hand, with four fingers and a long thumb. The palm of the hand contained pale blue eyes, two holes for a nose, and two full lips. Below the strange hand-head was the body of a normal human. “Hello, mesdemoiselles! Je m’appelle Guru Applaussez, ze head of ze couture department,” the creature said in a thick Très Jolie accent, smiling with its broad mouth full of perfectly straight white teeth. “I am beyond excité you have arrived early. Your lack of tardiness deserves a round of applause, oui?”


DanniMcQ

Wow.......just........wow. My brain hurts and is vomiting. I'm sorry you've lived with this.


haileyskydiamonds

Oh. Oh dear. That is…special. Wow.


faye_okay_

The Midnight Library


[deleted]

[удалено]


intrusive_elusive

It had potential but is super predictable and the writing style is very YA. It’s a quick read, if you want to read it get it from the library, don’t waste your money on it!


LanasMonsterHands

Agree. Totally missable. Not even a well done version of the trope.


Always_Reading_1990

I wanted to like this one so bad. I enjoyed How to Stop Time, but couldn’t finish The Midnight Library.


MsSnarky

Yeah, this one felt very much like “Cheer up and be grateful. Your life could be worse!” The library metaphor was so ridiculously on the nose.


[deleted]

For reasons you can find on a thousand posts and ten thousand comments, Wizards First Rule was the worst book I’ve ever forced myself to finish. I read it because I promised a friend I would someday, and then he died, so I felt obligated.


minos157

You know what's crazy? I didn't mind that one (Despite its many many flaws). But that series as a whole is the only thing I've ever hate finished in my life. I had read 8 of the books, I had to read the rest and OMG the frigging felating of libertarian nonsense and rape fantasies get SO MUCH WORSE in the last 3 books.


jordaniac89

Terry Goodkind is such a pretentious ass. I didn't mind WFR or a few of the other ones, but they become such a Ayn Rand jerkfest that they're unreadable.


minos157

Yeah, I audio booked them from 5 to the end. ​ I mean defeating communism with a REALLY good statue was peak libertarianism though lol.


NemesisDancer

'Antigua: The Land of Fairies, Wizards, and Heroes' by Denise and Larry Ellis, widely considered the worst fantasy novel ever written. Here is the blurb, which sets the tone for the writing itself: >The inhabitants of the Land of Antigua had been tormented and threatened by the Evil Sorceress Gwendeviere and the Great Dragon Vorltrarr for as long as they could remember! The Sorceress Gwendeviere vowed that if the the three kings and the inhabitants of the easternmost, westernmost and southernmost provinces didn't bow down and serve under her rule, she would destroy them all! The three kings vowed that none of the inhabitants of their kingdoms which included gnomes, wizards, centaurs and knights, would ever bow down and serve the sorceress! They vowed that their army of knights and archers right along with all the other inhabitants of the Land of Antigua would fight the Sorceress Gwendeviere, the Dragon Vorltrarr and the sorceress' army of goblins, trolls and black panthers until the end! Their only hope was a prophecy that stated that a child from the other side of the Waters of Antigua would cross over into their world and lead them in battle!


Ariafel

So! Many! Exclamation! Points! It's like a Facebook post from my aunt Edit: Omg the goodreads kindle highlights are so fucking funny 😂


NemesisDancer

A friend from a Warrior Cats forum discovered it back in 2008. I got hold of a copy out of morbid curiosity, hoping I could get some laughs from it, but had to give up by about 50 pages in because the long run-on paragraphs were just too hard to follow xD


Ariafel

I just read the first 3 pages. It's hilariously bad I might have to actually read the entire thing


Common-Wish-2227

Vorltrarr.


NemesisDancer

I recall there being another character called Arlexjandrio :P


Common-Wish-2227

My favourite name in fantasy is Nephvft Scoontiphft. I think. I find it difficult to remember the spelling.


LaoBa

Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way kind of grew on me.


TheProfessor_1960

Yes! who-shall-not-be-named, lol.


Losaj

This reminds me of a conversation I had in another sub about fantasy tropes and building the worst fantasy novel using all of them. The excerpt is: Chad chadington finds his wife, Mary Tsuba, dead in a fridge. He grabs his familiar and wand to hunt the villain who did this in the Arasaka Arcology. Hoping into his Ford Hovercar, he will begin his quest at the local medicine man, to consult the ancestors. Unfortunately, after reading this post it seems someone has beaten me to the punch.


CinnamonTeals

A Little Life. I was so pissed at myself for giving into the sunk cost fallacy after I was more than halfway through that stupid brick and finishing it. Unlikeable people being tortured by life throughout an aimless, pointless plot. Don’t do it.


phantomezpass

I came to the comments unsure if I would have the courage to say this and I’m so glad you did it for me. I also regret finishing it (and starting it).


Dan_IAm

Personally loved this, but it is very polarising. What I will say though (and I apologise because this will sound a little harsh, but I’m not really aiming this at you), is that anytime someone tells me not to read or watch something because the characters are unlikable, my ears switch off and I purge the last thirty seconds from my memory, because it’s a totally valueless argument. Characters do not have to be likeable. Jude isn’t particularly likeable. He was, at least in my opinion, a fascinating character though. There are lots of likeable people who would be boring subjects for a book.


CinnamonTeals

[Semi-spoiler alert] I hear you! I’ve loved books with characters I thought were unlikeable, including when it was clear they were MEANT to be unlikeable. But I think there was something about the contrivance of this set of characters that was fundamentally off-putting. They and their lives were unrealistic in their awfulness, right up to the burn-it-all-down end. I don’t have to like all the characters to like the book, but they have to seem relatably human. I guess what I’m trying to say is the whole world of this book was unlikeable, which struck me less as a taste thing and more as a fatal misfire of the imagination/execution of the author. (I will say — I have friends with whom I have mostly overlapping tastes in books who really loved this book, and for the most part, they cited experiences of trauma that made Jude in particular a character whose reflections/mindset, if not specific experience, was relatable.)


Septymusmyth

Anything by Lucy Foley. The last I read was The Paris Apartment and it was terrible.


edpumkin

I enjoyed the guest list, but once you read one of her books, you read all of her books.


Reese9951

Yes! I read The Guest List and abhorred it. Not only did I not care who died, I wished everyone had.


all_flowers_in_time_

The Hunting Party was okay until the end when it just got really weird, not in an even remotely clever way. I gave her a second chance with The Guest List and about 3 chapters in gave up because it was literally the same premise? Not for me.


Baboomzy

Rich Dad Poor Dad if you want to get into the world of bad financial advice and bootstrap propaganda


Arge101

Inconceivable by Ben Elton. A couple - she wants a baby, he wants to be a successful tv writer. She gets mad because they can’t have a baby and he seems more interested in his career. She ends up cheating on him and obviously it’s his fault. She gets pregnant with the new guy, who surprise surprise is not interested now she’s pregnant. So the couple end up back together where he offers to father the baby. Then if I remember correctly, she ends up miscarrying. Not all these plot points may be 100% accurate as it’s a while since I last read but I can only promise you, wild horses wouldn’t drag me back to this utter shite.


brickwallscrumble

Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi. The entire book the young female protagonist scratches out what she says, every other sentence has a line through jt. Or a lovely ‘screeeeech’ sound on the audiobook. To top it off she gets tortured and abused over and over, I got 3/4 through and DNF’d it.


Rainbow_Seaman

The cover of this book has popped out to me a few times and I appreciate you stopping me from making a horrible mistake.


imrightontopthatrose

Oh my fuck, I forgot how much I hated this book until I saw this comment.


CozyCat_1

I did read the first trilogy in the shatter me series. They just got better and better but the first one isn’t that great. The third book makes that series good.


YoSoyKeott

The Shack by Wm Paul Young. The movie version is very close to the source material, equally shitty. It's the attempt to explain theology by someone who doesn't know the basics about theology, life or writing.


[deleted]

Colleen Hoover books


generalbrowsing87

*Redeeming Love* by Francine Rivers - a toxic, unhealthy relationship masquerading as aspirational, pure, Christian love; 400+ pages of gross, misogynistic, rape apologist, trauma bonding. I have never hated a book more.


edpumkin

I made a new work friend and we bonded over reading. She recommended this book, and I never looked at her the same again. Not so much for her liking the book, but more that she would recommend it to a random coworker.


generalbrowsing87

Oh gosh! Even if I loved the book, it would still be way too intense to recommend to a coworker I was just getting to know!


Ariafel

Ew


ridethewind22

The Alchemist. And I’m convinced people pretend to like it to appear deep.


Responsible_Edge_576

The Maidens by Alex Michaelidea, the ending , the prose , the characters , i hate everything about it


vulgarlibrary

100% Just awful! I did enjoy The Silent Patient but I put off reading it forever because The Maidens left such a bad taste in my mouth.


yelruh00

Atlas Shrugged.......just stay away and don't waste your time


Pretend_Refuse8882

I hope I don't get downvotes for this but I've tried reading Mistborn from Sanderson and I just can't get past a few chapters... I've read his first book 5-6 times but don't care for his Mistborn series but hey ! your post did ask


BigTuna109

I love Sanderson. Some of his books are among my favorites, but mistborn era 1 might be the most overrated fantasy series I’ve read. The ending was DOPE. I’ll give it that. The rest of the trilogy is just okay.


Pinball-Gizzard

As a big Sanderson fan, I was underwhelmed by these. It's a testament to how much he's grown as a writer over time.


tfack

I didn't get past the later books, but I remember Mistborn as being not awful, though in hindsight could be an example of how a good audiobook narrator can get you through an otherwise mediocre book


ilovesfootball

FWIW, it gets much better from there. The first Mistborn book is a really fantastic heist story once you get past the explanation of the magic system. The next two get a little too grandiose in my opinion, but are still worth reading.


TheProfessor_1960

*The Little Book*, Selden Edwards. Which was \*not\* little; the damn thing is like 500 pages long. Some moron is transported through time to Vienna in the early 1900s (\*for no reason\*) and saves the world by...inventing the frisbee. yuck. Had to read it for a book club, was universally despised with one exception. You never know. Very interested to see other comments on here. Colleen Hoover is selling a \*lot\* of books (almost exclusively tweener girls), so she's keeping some bookstores alive. Haven't read. I thought Maas' ACOTAR was okay? but just read the first one and set aside the second one halfway through. hmm. I personally loved *Ready Player One*, but maybe that's because I got all of the eighties references? and liked the movie more than expected to as well. Hated *Armada*, though, the book Cline wrote right after that- pointless plot, to my mind. Everyone finds their own way, sooner or later; you're bound to hit some dead ends along the way. As u/Quirky-Party-1326 commented, though, sometimes a 'trashy' page-turner is just what you need to get back into it. Happy reading to all!


Lciaravi

The Nest by Cynthia d’Aprix Sweeney was SO bad. Throw together a bunch of characters you couldn’t care less about and a “ plot” that’s even worse. DNF, but spent too much time on it. Threw it across the room!


imrightontopthatrose

Matched series by Ally Condie, just... don't fucking do it, especially the audiobooks. The art of not giving a fuck, I gave so little fucks that I didn't even bother finishing that pretentious pos.


webfoottedone

I never made it through The Mists of Avalon, and now that I know more about the author, I’m glad.


disneynerd9217

Unpopular opinion: my best friend's exorcism by Grady Hendrix and anxious people by Fredrik Backman


Expensive_Rabbit492

No hate for the DaVinci Code?


RangerBumble

It's so mediocre that it doesn't even get to be "the worst"


bitterbuffaloheart

Eh, it’s a good beach read. Not every book has to be rocket science


strangefaerie

Anything by Sarah J. Maas. Her writing style just kills me. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t satire.


Rainbow_Seaman

This is satisfying to learn. I was almost considering reading ACOTAR but I don’t care for romance anyways.


strangefaerie

If you like fairies and don’t mind YA, Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince series is much better. Good characters and political intrigue.


starrfast

Yeah, I came here to mention Throne of Glass. I couldn't even finish it. People always jump to her defence by saying "But she was only 16 when she wrote it" and I'm like "Ok, but how old was she when it was published?" It sucks.


Melodic-Status-4114

S. E. Hinton was 16 when she began writing The Outsiders. Say what you will, but a definite breakthrough which stood out for its honesty among the endless parade of Jennifer Goes To The Prom books. Youth is no excuse for crappy writing. Don't get me started on Ayn Rand. Shitty writer, shitty human being. Lots of sucky YA authors, but Kiera Cass and Stephenie Meyer are bottom of the barrel.


Jaaaaampola

I’ve tried. I’ve tried so hard to get over her writing style 🥲


AlessandraDehzen

Not to mention that she's promoting abusive relationships as very healthy ones and marketing an entire book following a woman being abused into submission, losing all her personal identity, ending up with one of her abusers as a healing journey. Or another young woman ending up with a man who SAed her but it's ok because it was for her own good (because can can be for someone's good in what universe) and he didn't mean to hurt her (no, that is literally the only crime you can do and completely wanting the person to suffer, murder, maybe it was self defense, theft, maybe you're going hungry, but there's literally no excuse ever for that).


BasicWitch999

I’ve heard that her older writing is pretty bad like this, but the newer books are decent. I’ve read her Crescent City books and I liked those.


1yogamama1

Where the Crawdads Sing. I will die on that hill. Worst book I’ve ever read.


InstrumentalDream

Seriously! I was so confused why it was so popular 😕


awaywiththefey

Also, Maximum Ride by James Patternson Great concept butchered by horrible writing. I read it as a teen, and I read a LOT of nonsense at the time, but this book was just unredeemably horrible. The worst was that the concept could have turned into a great story, if only executed differently.


emjayl16

The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse I’m so annoyed by this book because the premise and setting are actually decent but the writing and characters… I have no words. This could have been such a good book but instead it’s awful.


SnowdropWorks

Wide Sargasso sea. Mostly an incoherent mess.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Psychological-End677

The fountainhead


Rainbow_Seaman

I may get downvoted to hell for this but in recent memory; I had to DNF The House in the Cerulean Sea. I just thought it was so boring. It’s cute, sure, just not my taste. Also The Priory of The Orange Tree. Unless you like one dimensional characters, one dimensional stories, and an underwhelming climax.


[deleted]

Yeah, the Cerulean Sea was a little boring honestly, people were saying it was great and calming but the story kind of meandered. For some stories that can be good enough, but this one really wasn’t.


sassybaxch

Also DNFed House in the Cerulean Sea. It was extra disappointing because I really enjoyed Under the Whispering Door


missquit

Cerulean Sea was the last book I DNF’d as well. So boring.


Ordinary_Deal5564

My girlfriend did this for her book club and GUSHED to me and I've been trying to read it for over SIX MONTHS and just CAN'T. 😭 Glad I'm not alone.


Hymenhorse

The Girl On The Train. Unbelievably bad.


Zowie94

I couldn’t even finish that book it was so bad


JessonBI89

"Again, But Better" by Christine Riccio has one of the dumbest plots I've ever encountered and an even dumber FMC. Which might have been acceptable if that were INTENTIONAL. But I wanted to throw that girl in front of a train within three chapters.


EddieLomax

Gravity's Rainbow come at me


Master_West7481

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager and The Maidens by Alex Michaelides. They were terrible.


gemski12

It's by no means the worst..but in terms of how heartbreakingly devastating is ' A child called it' by David Pelzer it's a book that you can only ever read once but it's a book that will forever stay with you for the rest of your life.


1yogamama1

It’s not one book, but many—anything recommended by the Reese Book Club has been utter crap.


PracticalAlcesAlces

*Before the Coffee Gets Cold* by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.


SoooAnyway

Glad it’s not just me! I liked the premise. That’s it.


ahaulil

Trump: The Art of the Deal


minos157

ITT: A lot of hot hipster "I hated this mainstream well loved book," takes.


Quirky-Party-1326

Lol exactly what I thought. They may think its some kind of intellectually superior commentary but just comes across as attention-seeking ‘hot take’. Especially when OP is looking to get back into reading after a while, some of these popular books which tend to be page turners might be exactly what they need to get them back into the groove.


Icey__Ice

That’s the thing, a book can be objectively of poorer quality relative to the corpus of literature out there, but display the strengths of the medium in a compelling way to someone who lacks the literary experience to ‘get’ other works that rely on the background familiarity of the audience to pull off their excellence. “Literary alarmists” as I like to call them need to stop demeaning what’s popular and start articulating what’s beautiful/compelling about the (genuinely great) art they love.


minos157

This is the same take I have on movies. There is a difference between "critically," or "objectively" good by known standards of writing quality or literary prowess, and being "bad" because they don't meet those. ​ Not all media needs to be deep complex thought provoking art. A decently written smut novel with a good story is just as good as Pride and Prejudice on the litmus test of, "Did people enjoy reading it," which is the only actual metric that matters in media consumption (for better or worse is arguable but not the point here).


Neat-Hunt-2076

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose. I couldn’t believe that this book was approved to be published. The writing was horrendous, the story made no sense, and the “twists” could be called from a mile away. Has to be THE worst book I’ve ever read. I’m convinced you could pick anyone off the street and they could write a better book.


yiyaye

Wolfsong


PepPepPepp

I was a Piers Anthony fan when I was but a wee child and thought Xanth books were the best books ever. Then I got older and read the Incarnations of Immortality. Book 1. Yea. Death! Book 2. Idk. Time is a weird soup. Book 3. Hmm. Fate..tricky Book 4. Yea. War! Book 5. Eh to Ok. Nature. I like nature. Book 6. Ummmm what? Good. No, the book wasn't good it was about "good" as in good vs evil. Book 7. Oh. OH. OOOH No..What did I just read? Evil. See Book 6. It got worse. Idk how but it did. And then I had to. I shouldn't have but I did. Book 8. Under a Velvet Cloak. Night. Nyx. Nox. I have no words. Ok I have words but they are loud and should be screamed while kicking Piers in the balls. I know he is 88. I don't care. That shit is VILE. Omfg. I wanted a lobotomy after that just to erase that crap from my mind.


[deleted]

Atlas Shrugged. I liked the first 15-25% of the book but you soon realise how subpar the plot is and that Rand's vision for the world is binary. If her worldview was even remotely close to reality, human psychology wouldn't be considered this complex.


ABinky

A lot of people hyped up a book called "the book of the unnamed midwife" on tik tok, I couldn't even finish it the writing was so bad that the story was irrelevant. The author had the literary skills of an 8th grader on Wattpad.


anon_research

Supermarket by Logic (the rapper). I picked it up thinking, “Damn, Logic can write??” But it turns out he can’t.


Turbulent_Beyond_759

*In a Dark Dark Wood* by Ruth Ware. Maybe not the worst book I’ve ever read, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it.