My Most Disappointing Reads of 2019

To be honest I kind of don't want to make this post, just because I don't want to dwell on the books that didn't work for me personally. But I want to be completely honest too and not every book works for every person. The normal disclaimer: If you enjoyed these books, that's great. I'm happy you enjoyed them. If you want to check them out, do, and I hope you enjoy them more than I did. Truly. Opinions on a book are largely subjective and we bring different experiences, ways to read and tastes to the table. With that said, here are the books I read in 2019 that disappointed me personally and just my opinions.

The Ones I actually Finished

1.

Kim Reaper Vol. 1: Grim Beginnings by Sarah Graley

I love diversity in books and we need more of it. I'm queer and disabled. My queer goth heart thought i'd love this. I'm sorry but diversity in and of itself does not make a good book.

I couldn't stand the characters, the writing or the plot. The word "cute" was used so much I got sick of it. The romance felt rushed and not believable. I found Becka..manipulative. And their romance had issues I couldn't see any healthy way to work out. Kim, a part-time reaper, a job rooted in morality, didn't seem to have a trace of much needed empathy. The muscle man cat dad plot got very weird and not in a good way. I just...hated every thing about it. I gave it 1 star. Most people love it though so i'm the oddball here. I don't know what I missed but hey, no book is for everyone. My Review on Goodreads

2.

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

I knew better. I really did. But I wanted to read this "horror classic" anyway and thought I could get over it. I couldn't. I read it for a group read too.

I am so over "witches and witchcraft are evil. Pagans are devil-worshipers in league with actual Satan". I'm pagan. I've experienced first hand how we are still discriminated against and hated to this day. All the awful stereotypes and misinformation thanks to media. "Product of it's time" doesn't work when we still have that discrimination going on in this day and age in my honest opinion. I'm not sorry, you don't need to demonize an entire group of people like that to make a horror book. It has real life consequences.

There was stuff I liked about the book. Rosemary's character arc for example and it DID keep me interested enough to finish reading it, but how much of that was just the "It's a classic" and it was a group read I don't know. I gave it 2 stars. My Review on Goodreads

3.

Glitter blood: A Chapbook by Kayla Bashe

I...didn't understand like 98% of this. I'm sorry. I didn't think it was bad, and I liked a few things but it mostly just went over my head. I don't think this kind of poetry is for me. I gave it 2.25 stars. My Review on Goodreads

The Ones I DNF'd (and won't go back to)

4.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Oh dear, if Rosemary's Baby didn't get me hated this one probably will! I DNF'd at 41%. I didn't care what happened. There is quite a bit of racism, sexism, transphobia and misinformation and stereotypes about paganism and at first I thought there was a reason but honestly it got to the point it just felt like (to me) too much with no point. I hated the MC, I was bored, I don't feel well at the time and I'd rather not waste my time on a book i'm not enjoying. Glad I got it from the library.

It was also a group read so I felt bad that I couldn't push through it. Maybe there was a point in the end or something, I just didn't care to push through it to find out. Also I read it when I had recently came out as trans and there is a bunch of transphobia currently going on in the world...government...so I just didn't want to deal with it in a book. It might have just been the characters but I still wasn't enjoying it anyway so *shrugs*. My Review on Goodreads

5.

The Dead House by Billy O'Callaghan

I'm just going to leave My Review on Goodreads copy/pasted here..

I was liking it ok enough but not loving it. It's told in Mike's POV, which the story isn't about Mike it's about Maggie, his "friend" that treats him like an ATM machine, and the house where he doesn't even spend much time in apparently. Mike's a bit of a jerk too and a good part of the story is useless information on his art dealing business. They end having a seance because Maggie, after using Mike's money to fix up the house she just bought that was in ruins, has a house warming party with him, Ali and Liz. There is a dull romance between Mike and Ali. A ghost of an evil pagan dude gets summoned. I am so done with evil pagan stories.

Also TW for domestic abuse, suicide, rape. All of which are personal to me. And I found it all kinds of no. I was thinking i'd make it through but no, I can't. DNF at 44%. I initially got it from Netgalley but never read it so I tricked myself into finally getting around to it by borrowing it on Hoopla. Stupid decision.

6.

Bent at the Spine by Nicole Markotic

I read 34% and that was a struggle...and it's a poetry book. I'm sorry but I didn't understand a damn thing. Bent at the Spine...hell I have scoliosis and multiple disabilities. It sounded like it was perfect for me but I truly didn't understand it. It just went completely over my head. My Review on Goodreads

7.

Honey Girl by Lisa Freeman

I didn't get it and it just made me very angry, in 65 pages. I thought my queer summer loving heart would love this novel.

There are a bunch of stupid rules that I couldn't wrap my head around. Girls can't be smart. Girls can't surf (if I wasn't disabled I would LOVE to surf-i'm afab and grew up as such). Don't eat in front of guys (I didn't get to that part but saw it in another review) among more than 20 others. And apparently they never bother to question them. They bow down to the rules that aren't written anywhere but are some unwritten code.

The girls all seem to be spoiled stuck up air heads and I couldn't stand them any longer. The number of things that angered me in just 65 pages is just... What is it with needing to fit in? I don't understand it but even if I could, to this level...just...why? And why would you want to fit in with a bunch of stuck up arrogant girls of all people?

Personal things I won't mention also got to me. My Review on Goodreads Sidenote: I keep having to edit reviews on Goodreads because of these blog posts, due to having realized and come out as non-binary trans and a demiguy. I only edit them as little as needed but it can still be awkward because Goodreads acts like I just read it when all I did was edit a couple words.

8.

Red Rain by R.L. Stine

I got 300 pages in, or 70%. I found it to be a hot mess and it seemed painfully obvious Stine doesn't normally write adult novels. I usually enjoy his kid and teen stuff as I love Goosebumps and Fear Street over-all. It was a buddy read with a few other people and I think all but one of us DNF'd and none of us liked it. I don't even know how to describe it but a hot mess. My Review on Goodreads

Have you read any of these and if so what were your thoughts? If you enjoyed them, I am truly glad for you. Feel free to discuss what you liked about them, we can have different opinions on a book. Maybe i'll see something I missed. What were your disappointing reads of 2019?

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