Every year we get so excited to pick up new releases or finally grab that one book off the shelf that you’ve been eyeing since you bought it. And unfortunately, there will always be some books that just don’t live up to the expectations that you had. Well, this year there were a few books that failed to hit the mark for me. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I didn’t end up enjoying the book at all, but maybe it just didn’t quite live up to the hype I had built up in my head.
Freeks by Amanda Hocking
This one just fell a little flat for me. It was interesting but I feel like the paranormal/fantasy aspect of the story could have been more fleshed out and really expanded on. I was hoping for something a bit more creepy than what I actually got. It was more of a love story than a mystery.
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
I must be the only person in the world who thought this book was just weird. I will never understand all of the hype that it got. It was obvious what the twist was going to be from the beginning. Talk about a book with too much hype…
Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1) by Robin LaFevers
This book wasn’t terrible, just lacked as much action as I was expecting. I did enjoy the slow burn romance though, which definitely helped keep my attention. Maybe if I had read the book instead of listening to the audio version, I would’ve enjoyed it more.
Romanov by Nadine Brandes
Now I am well aware that I’m still in the middle of this one, but I can already tell you that I’m really disappointed by it. Y’all, it’s just so freaking boring. And for those of you in the back… IT’S SOOOOOO BORING! I’m three-fourths of way done with it and her family is just now getting shot. Ugh.
Pride by Ibi Zoboi
I really liked the idea of concept of this modern day retelling of Pride and Prejudice. However, I just could not stand Zuri enough to care whether she would get a happy ending or not. She was just such an unlikable person and definitely beats Elizabeth Bennett by a mile on being judgmental of others.
What are some books that have disappointed you so far this year? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, what did you think of them?
Wonderfilled Reads 
At least the covers are cute 😂
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Hahaha there’s always a silver lining!
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I have Pride on my shelf and I keep picking it up and wanting to try it and then gently placing it back on the shelf. It is a beautiful book but I haven’t felt like a retelling lately (this year). It has gotten massively mixed reviews.
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Yeah, I just really didn’t the main character which ruined the rest of the book for me. I did like the premise though!
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I started Romanov and never finished-not sure that I will!
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Yeah I’m considering DNFing it as well, but I also feel like I should just finish since I only have like 2 hours left in the audiobook.
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I found An American Marriage too slow. I loved the idea but I’m stuck 2/3 way through. It’s harder to stop reading when everyone else thinks something is amazing!
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Oh gosh, I know that exact feeling! It’s always a struggle because you want to see what everyone else loves so much.
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Sorry you didn’t like Grave Mercy better. I loved it, but you have to be expecting political intrigue and stuff like that more than a ton of action
Are you planning on reading the rest of the series? The third book is my favorite!
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Yeah and I love political intrigue too! I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had actually ready a physical copy instead of listening to the audiobook. I do plan on finishing the rest of the series!
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Aw, i’m sorry none of thoses lived up to the expectations you had – I personally hasn’t read any of them (nor am I attracted to them).
Freeks’ cover is so pretty!! But again, any book with a circus made me think of “The night circus”.. and specially this one xd As of which- I wanted to like the night circus SO MUCH but alas, I dnfed it as I was absolutely lost and had no idea what was going on ahah.
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Oh, yeah I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Night Circus either. But be assured that Freeks is nothing at all like that book, haha. The writing is straightforward and they’re actually traveling around in a small modern day circus. It definitely lacks the over-the-top language that Morgenstern enjoys using, which definitely made that book a little hard to follow.
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“I’m three-fourths of way done with it and her family is just now getting shot.”
Omg I feel so bad for laughing at that, but I did!
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Hahaha I know it sounds bad but it was so true! I really thought would happen earlier on in the book.
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