Hi Friends,
Today, I’m sharing my ‘Worst Books of 2024’ post. I do this every year, and I always like to include a disclaimer. This is not me hating on anyone who enjoyed these books or the authors. These are simply stories that didn’t work for me or that I didn’t enjoy—and that’s totally okay. Reading is subjective, and it’s perfectly fine to share your honest thoughts about a book. So, let’s dive into my list of the worst books of 2024!
12. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz (Author), Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)
I don’t think this is necessarily a bad book, but there wasn’t much to it. It’s a collection of middle-grade spooky stories. My husband actually read it as a child, and these stories scared him a lot. However, reading it as an adult, I had a very different opinion. Some of the stories are quite cheesy, with a few silly ones and, yes, a couple of creepy ones. Overall, though, it was a very simple book that didn’t entertain me much, which is why it’s on this list.
11. Mistletoe Season by Kathleen Fuller, Pepper Basham, and Sheila Roberts
This is another book I didn’t exactly hate, but I didn’t love either. Surprise, surprise—it’s a collection of short holiday stories. I’ve been pretty vocal in the past about not typically enjoying short story collections, so it shouldn’t come as a shock that this book made this list. Unfortunately, the stories didn’t stand out, and I wasn’t a fan of most of them. It’s not a book I’m likely to remember, and it’s one I probably wouldn’t recommend.
Related Post: Mistletoe Season | Book Review
10. Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
I hate including this book on this list or even giving it a rating because it’s a poetry collection, and it’s clear the poems are very personal to the author. However, poetry is a genre I don’t usually read, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. As one of my first poetry collections, I found it a bit too heavy. The subject matter was quite intense and not at all what I anticipated. While I can see how many readers might resonate with some of the poems, I didn’t feel any real connection to them personally.
9. I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang
I had such high hopes for this book, but it ended up being a major letdown. I’m not sure if I’m just aging out of YA, but the storyline didn’t unfold the way I expected, and the romance fell flat. In my opinion, it also sends a really problematic message about teenage love. Overall, I don’t have many positive things to say about this book.
8. What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
This is another book I was told was amazing, but for me, it was a miss. It’s an adult mystery thriller, and I expected the mystery to be fast-paced and shocking. However, I found the book slow, and the plot was very predictable. There were no jaw-dropping plot twists, and I saw the ending reveal coming.
7. Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
I really wanted to like this book, but the plot just wasn’t executed in a way I enjoyed. Sadly, my overall enjoyment while reading it was lacking. I will say that the ending was fairly interesting and somewhat surprising. However, it didn’t make up for the book as a whole, which felt very underwhelming and not enjoyable to read.
6. A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole
I am so frustrated that I bought into the hype behind this book because it’s not a romance I think should be romanticized at all. Again, this is a YA novel, so I had to keep that in mind while reading. But the ending was horrible, in my opinion. I honestly cannot believe the author went that route—it really made me angry. It’s not a book I think should be as popular or raved about as it is.
Related Post: A Thousand Boy Kisses | Book Review
5. A Game Most Foul by Alison Gervais
This is another YA book that I just didn’t enjoy. I liked the mystery plot and the Sherlock Holmes element. However, the story didn’t flow well, and I felt that many aspects didn’t quite work. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style or the characters. It was an easy read, but nothing special.
Related Post: A Game Most Foul | Book Review
4. Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison
This book had so much promise in the beginning, but I was really upset by the end. I will say, though, please take this with a grain of salt, as I might be a bit dramatic with my feelings. However, some of the characters’ actions—especially those of the female main character—really frustrated me. The ending was probably what caused me to drop this book’s rating significantly. Let me just say, I literally almost threw my phone across the room while listening to it.
3. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
I don’t understand why people say this is one of the best horror stories they’ve read. For me, there were too many unanswered questions, and the ending felt a bit open-ended. It seemed like the author was trying to be experimental and make this an elevated horror story, and maybe that’s what it is, but I just didn’t get it. That said, I’m not on the hype train for this book.
Related Post: We Used to Live Her | Book Review
2. Resting Scrooge Face by Meghan Quinn
This book had many good things going for it, but the love story was probably its downfall, which isn’t ideal since it’s a romance. One thing to note is that this is a second-chance romance, a trope I typically dislike. However, I’m slowly warming up to it, which is why I decided to give this book a chance. I feel like if the author had taken a completely different approach to resolving their relationship, I might’ve liked it more. But honestly, I didn’t care for the male main character or all of his excuses.
Related Post: Resting Scrooge Face | Book Review
1. Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
I had heard nothing but good things about this book, and the cover is adorable, but unfortunately, I don’t want to say I hated it, but I really hated it. Everything about the friends-to-lovers trope, the characters, the writing style, and the plot just didn’t work for me. There are many other things about the book that I didn’t enjoy, and it was almost a DNF for me, which should tell you how much I disliked it.
Related Post: Lovelight Farms | Book Review
There you have it—my Worst Books of 2024. It was actually a challenge making this list because I’ve had a very good reading year. In the comments, let me know if you agree with any of my thoughts on these books. Feel free to share some of the books you didn’t like in 2024. And, as always, hit the follow button so you never miss a new post.
Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny
It’s not really a Valentine’s candy, but I love sour gummies. But honestly, I’d rather have Valentine’s Day donuts than candy.
Absolutely! I love all types of books, but I’m especially into adult romances and romantasy novels these days.
I usually read a lot of romance novels around Valentine’s Day, but I’m a mood reader, so I don’t stick to one genre. However, because most books I read have a romantic subplot, they still fit the week’s romance theme.
A handwritten love letter! Being an affirmation girl, a simple love letter is enough to make my day feel extra special. And flowers would be a really nice bonus!
Of all the romance authors, I probably own the most books by Ali Hazelwood and Abby Jimenez. I love Ali’s books so much; I buy them as soon as they come out. Believe it or not, I have all of Abby Jimenez’s books and haven’t read a single one. It’s kinda embarrassing to say.
That’ll probably always be Five Feet Apart. It’s one of the saddest romance novels I’ve ever read. This book has the best teen love story ever! But if you read it, get ready for heartbreak.
This is a really hard question, but I’ll say Epicot. It’s a bit out there, but wouldn’t a Valentine’s Day date trying all that delicious food be so fun?
Definitely “Holly” by Adalyn Grace! It’s a Belladonna novella—a holiday one. I’m a huge fan of that series, so I can’t wait for this book!
“Love means constantly saying you’re sorry, and then doing better” is one of my all-time favorite quotes about love. It’s a quote from Emily Henry’s Happy Place, a really great second-chance romance novel!
So I checked, and I’ve got way more books with red spines than pink ones. Seriously, I never realized I had that many red-spined books!
