I read so many great books in 2016, but unfortunately they weren’t all 5 stars. Today I thought I’d share a few books that I had such high hopes for but just didn’t work for me.
The Siren by Kiera Cass
The Selection series by Kiera Cass will forever be one of my all time favorite series. The first three, anyways. When I found out that she had written a stand alone that was released in January, I quickly preordered it. Let me tell you, this was NOT the Selection series! I couldn’t believe how disappointed I was in this one. The cover is gorgeous, but it sadly doesn’t match the storyline. It’s about mermaids who can’t talk to humans, but the main character falls in love with a human. I got to p. 178 and DNF this one!
The Selection series by Kiera Cass will forever be one of my all time favorite series. The first three, anyways. When I found out that she had written a stand alone that was released in January, I quickly preordered it. Let me tell you, this was NOT the Selection series! I couldn’t believe how disappointed I was in this one. The cover is gorgeous, but it sadly doesn’t match the storyline. It’s about mermaids who can’t talk to humans, but the main character falls in love with a human. I got to p. 178 and DNF this one!
Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty
This was my biggest disappointment of 2016. I LOVE Liane Moriarity’s books. Big Little Lies and The Husband’s Secret were both on my favorites of 2015 list last year, so I was eagerly awaiting her new release. I kept waiting and waiting for the plot to pick up with this one and it just dragged. It’s about 6 adults who have a BBQ where something goes horribly wrong and you’re trying to find out what happened throughout the book. I just never connected with any of the characters and when we finally found out what happened at the BBQ, I didn’t think it was that big of a twist or shock. This one just wasn’t for me.
If this is your first LM book and you feel the same way I do, don’t let that stop you from reading her other books. She is one of my favorite authors!
This was my biggest disappointment of 2016. I LOVE Liane Moriarity’s books. Big Little Lies and The Husband’s Secret were both on my favorites of 2015 list last year, so I was eagerly awaiting her new release. I kept waiting and waiting for the plot to pick up with this one and it just dragged. It’s about 6 adults who have a BBQ where something goes horribly wrong and you’re trying to find out what happened throughout the book. I just never connected with any of the characters and when we finally found out what happened at the BBQ, I didn’t think it was that big of a twist or shock. This one just wasn’t for me.
If this is your first LM book and you feel the same way I do, don’t let that stop you from reading her other books. She is one of my favorite authors!
This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
I was so excited about this one when I saw it on GoodReads. It’s about a school shooting in Alabama. I live in Alabama and I always like to read books set in my state because it doesn’t happen all that often. I read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult years ago when I was in college and that book has stuck with me for the longest time. I thought this book would be the same way but I was completely wrong. I didn’t like this one at all. It was told from WAY TOO MANY POVs and I didn’t feel like the characters and school matched the setting. It felt a lot more urban that rural Alabama. I hated this one. I’ve had friends who have read it and loved it, so I must just be missing something.
I was so excited about this one when I saw it on GoodReads. It’s about a school shooting in Alabama. I live in Alabama and I always like to read books set in my state because it doesn’t happen all that often. I read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult years ago when I was in college and that book has stuck with me for the longest time. I thought this book would be the same way but I was completely wrong. I didn’t like this one at all. It was told from WAY TOO MANY POVs and I didn’t feel like the characters and school matched the setting. It felt a lot more urban that rural Alabama. I hated this one. I’ve had friends who have read it and loved it, so I must just be missing something.
Paper Princess by Erin Watt
I picked up this new series because I was trying to find something like The Selection series. This one is a Cinderella retelling, which I like. And the plot wasn’t all bad in this one. It’s about a girl (Ella) whose mom dies and her dad’s friend comes to get her and take her to live at his house with his 5 sons. I had MAJOR issues with the language in this one. Oh my goodness. The language was awful. I don’t consider myself a prude when it comes to reading, but the way the sons talked to Ella in this one was just nasty and awful. I decided to try the second book in the series when it came out in October and I couldn’t even finish it. If you can get past the language in this one, it might be a good book but I just couldn’t.
I picked up this new series because I was trying to find something like The Selection series. This one is a Cinderella retelling, which I like. And the plot wasn’t all bad in this one. It’s about a girl (Ella) whose mom dies and her dad’s friend comes to get her and take her to live at his house with his 5 sons. I had MAJOR issues with the language in this one. Oh my goodness. The language was awful. I don’t consider myself a prude when it comes to reading, but the way the sons talked to Ella in this one was just nasty and awful. I decided to try the second book in the series when it came out in October and I couldn’t even finish it. If you can get past the language in this one, it might be a good book but I just couldn’t.
The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
This one is the sequel to The Rose and the Dagger. I LOVED this first one so much! It’s about a king who takes a new wife every night and kills her the next morning. When he kills a girl’s best friend, she decided to come up with a plan to outsmart the king. I loved the romance in the first one and I couldn’t wait for the second to be released, but it was completely different than the first for me. The two main characters were separated for the entire first half of the book and it lacked the romance that I loved so much in the first. I was sadly disappointed in this one.
This one is the sequel to The Rose and the Dagger. I LOVED this first one so much! It’s about a king who takes a new wife every night and kills her the next morning. When he kills a girl’s best friend, she decided to come up with a plan to outsmart the king. I loved the romance in the first one and I couldn’t wait for the second to be released, but it was completely different than the first for me. The two main characters were separated for the entire first half of the book and it lacked the romance that I loved so much in the first. I was sadly disappointed in this one.
I read The Fill In Boyfriend by the same author earlier this year and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it! I thought KW was going to become my new Lauren Barnholdt, but then I tried P.S. I Like You and was kinda disappointed. It wasn’t all bad, but didn’t leave me with a smile either. I can’t even remember much about it. That’s how forgettable it was. I’ve heard people say they like this one better than The Fill In Boyfriend, but I didn’t think that at all. She has a new one coming out in January or February called By Your Side and it sounds much better!
I don’t think I’ve EVER read a Jane Green book. She’s written many, but I can’t remember ever reading one. My library has tons of her early 2000 books, but this one was the first I’ve read. It was released during the summer, when I have the most time to read. I picked this one up expecting a light hearted summer beach read. That is NOT what this book is. Despite the awful ending, I never really felt connected with the characters, which after reading this one, I think that’s a good thing. If I had loved the characters, the ending would have been that much worse.
I was so sad to not like a book that Reese Witherspoon posted on Instagram, but I just couldn’t get into this one. I read until I was about 80% done with it and just had to give up. The two main characters go searching for a girl who has gone missing. She’s texting them to come get her, but they encountered many obstacles along the way. This book was just so far fetched! I found myself rolling my eyes more often than not. I think this one has a sequel coming out soon, but I will not be picking that one up!
What Light by Jay Asher
And finally, I was so disappointed in Jay Asher’s new book. I LOVED this other two books The Future of Us and especially Thirteen Reasons Why. I felt like those two books had a purpose and underlying themes. This one just read like a fluffy teen book. I found the main characters so immature and annoying. I couldn’t even finish it.
And finally, I was so disappointed in Jay Asher’s new book. I LOVED this other two books The Future of Us and especially Thirteen Reasons Why. I felt like those two books had a purpose and underlying themes. This one just read like a fluffy teen book. I found the main characters so immature and annoying. I couldn’t even finish it.
So there are my biggest disappointments in reading for 2016. Please realize this is just my opinion. These aren’t bad books at all! They just didn’t connect with me.
If you’ve read and loved or hated any of these, please let me know! I’d love to hear your thoughts!
