12 Letdowns From 2023 // Worst Books

Hi Friends,
Today I’m talking about my worst reads of 2023. Now this year, it is more disappointments than worst books, because 2023 was a fairly good reading year for me. I had mostly 3 and 4 stars, and I don’t consider a 3 star to be a bad book. So, with all that out of the way, let’s jump into my top 10 most disappointing reads of 2023.

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Buy BookI thought that this was going to be such an interesting YA thriller, but it was fairly confusing. I am still not sure of the plot. The book was very weird, and the writing style wasn’t my favorite. And, for a thriller, it wasn’t necessarily a thrilling book. You see what I did there?

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Buy BookFrankly this isn’t a huge disappointment since I didn’t really have high expectations going into this book. I hadn’t heard anything about it, but as someone that grew up watching ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’, I wanted to get similar vibes from the show. But, for a book based on Spike, the character wasn’t very reminiscent of his television counterpart.

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Buy BookThis book frustrated me to no end. Besides the writing, it has no redeeming qualities. I wouldn’t even call it a romance story. Well, it might be a romance, but a messy one (that isn’t exactly romantic). Also, anyone can see where the plot is going to go? The ending was crystal clear, making me wonder what the point to the story was. Needless to say, I wasn’t a fan.

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Buy BookI wish that I loved more from this author, but I just can’t seem to enjoy much that I read from her. Although, I can’t seem to stop reading her books either. This plot was very generic, and I’m not a fan of books based on snobby rich kids. This is like Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars, which might appeal to some, but for me it didn’t work at all.

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Buy BookI was so disappointed in this book, because I was hoping for a cute supernatural romance but it was very slow paced and cringy. The storyline wasn’t very engaging, and the characters barely had any chemistry.

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Buy BookI have a love/hate relationship with the Disney Twisted Tales books, but this one was low on the totem pole for me. I didn’t get ‘The Little Mermaid’ vibes, and truthfully, I was barely making it through reading the book. It could be that the ‘What If’ storyline didn’t work for me this time around, but the story wasn’t captivating as other books in this series have been.

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Buy BookIn my opinion, this book was not good at all. It completely read like a middle grade, and the story was not compelling at all. I wasn’t a big fan of the characters or the supernatural elements. But the book cover was so pretty that I wished I liked the inside more.

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Buy BookThis book sounded so appealing, but it was a struggle to get through it. The magic aspect felt weird in the story, which isn’t good when it’s the basis for the plot. And, it’s never good when you have a dual timeline story but only one of the timelines is actually interesting.

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Buy BookI don’t know if it’s the fact that adult are writing teenagers but the main character in this book was so unrelated and immature. The biggest problem with this book is that it was boring. I know that’s a bit harsh but I can honestly say that I was bored throughout the whole book. That’s not exactly the reading experience I was looking for.

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Buy BookThe main character drove me insane throughout the whole book. Also, I like books where things are actually happening. However, I wasn’t aware that this is a ‘Death On The Nile’ retelling, which I have heard struggles with a slow moving plot as well. Still, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to anyone.

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Buy BookI can’t believe that I even read this book considering I had such a distaste for the first book, ‘So, This Is Christmas,’ in this companion series. Hopefully, this will be the last book because I can’t get behind the characters, the romance or the writing. It feels like I’m reading about two middle schoolers. That’s all I’m going to say.

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Buy BookI cannot begin to tell you how sad I am that this is most disappointing read of 2023. I am still a Holly Jackson fan, but this book was a major flop. It could be that she wrote it fairly quickly, but every part, from the plot to the character, was bad. I know that it might be for some people, but I am not one of those people.

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In the comments, let me know what some of your disappointing reads for 2023. Remember that nobody’s reading experience is the same, so if you liked any of these books that is great! They did not work for me. Before you go, please follow my blog, so that it continues to grow.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny