2018 has been an amazing reading year! I have become a lot better at choosing books that I love, and I think that is largely because of blogging. That said, there were a few books that I had high hopes for and they left me feeling disappointment. Some of these I really did not enjoy, and some I thought were okay but not as amazing as I was hoping for!
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
I have only read one other book by Victoria Schwab and I enjoyed it! I was excited when I saw she wrote a middle grade novel that involved ghosts. I was looking for fun and light reads for Halloween and this one seemed perfect. I was sadly disappointed! I found it rather boring and felt no connection to the characters; however, I will try the second book in the series when it comes out because I felt this one was setting up for something better!
The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
The Dinner List had so much potential! I loved the premise, but the story kind of dragged! I found myself skimming the chapters that took place in the past because I was not invested in the relationship. I wish that the book focused more on the father-daughter relationship. I think I was most disappointed by this one because I absolutely loved the idea but it just did not work for me. Having Audrey Hepburn as a character was a delight though!
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
I do not know what it is but Gillian Flynn’s book just do not work for me! I normally enjoy books that are dark, but I think her novels are dark in a way that doesn’t I do not click with. I can’t put my finger on it! I really wanted to love this one because everyone was talking about it when the TV series came out, but nope! I also thought it was a little bit predictable!
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
I think Celeste Ng is an incredible writer, but I just do not enjoy her characters. I have come to the realization that I have to feel a connection to characters in some shape or form in order to fall in love with a book! I found myself not understanding the characters in Little Fires Everywhere or their motivations. If the story was more about Mia and less about the teenagers I think I would have really loved it! She was a character who I found compelling, while the others felt flat!
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favourite novels of all time, so I was excited to read some of her other books! I had heard good things about One Trues Loves, but it was not my favourite. It was an interesting idea but I thought the conflict was solved way too quickly and neatly, and I hate when there is a love triangle and one love interest is made out to be horrible and the other is made out to be perfect- it feels cheap!
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
For a book that is over 700 pages, I read this fairly quickly! It is a book that is hard to put down, but as time goes on the more I realize how much I really did not enjoy it. I felt it was way too long! I also found it to be unrealistic and I have heard others describe it as “misery porn” which I completely agree with. So many horrible things happen to one character that I almost became numb to it. The book is also pitched as a story about four friends, but two of them are barely in the book. The writing was beautiful and I absolutely adored Willem, but I just had too many issues with this book that I can not look passed!
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
The Belles is another book that I thought had so much potential that is just didn’t reach. The magic is interesting but not well explained, and I wish there was more world-building. I also found myself getting annoyed by the main character! It was not horrible but any means, but it was not as good as I was hoping.
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
I would describe How to Stop Time as average! There are so many time travel novels out there that it is difficult to be original. I felt that there was nothing special about this one. I really enjoyed the chapters about the main character’s past but the chapters set in the present dragged for me! I will say that I also read The Humans by Matt Haig this year and thought it was wonderful!
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
A Wrinkle in Time is one of those books I wish I had read when I was younger! I think some of the magic was lost on me, and it ended up taking me forever to read this very short book! I do hope to watch the movie at some point; I am sure that it is wonderful!
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
The Light We Lost is the one book I read this year that I can confidently say that I hated. I have so many issues with it that I do not even know where to begin! I do not think I have ever read a book that was so emotionally manipulative. The two main characters are so completely selfish and I was actively rooting against them, which I do not think the author was going for! I love you Reese Witherspoon but what were you thinking choosing this for your book club! That said, a lot of people loved it!
I would love to know your thoughts on any of these books! Also, what was the book that disappointed you most in 2018?
