Books Everyone Else Likes, but Me

We all know how fun it is to rant about the books we don't like and it turns out it is equally as fun to write about them! Today I picked a bunch of books that are popular with everyone else, but definitely are not on my favorites list. I do have to explain that the main reason I don't like these books stems from the writing and not usually the plot. All of these books have really great ideas, but the way they were written does not work for me. Please do not start to hate me because I don't like your favorite book! I mean no offense to any of you! Books can be perfect for one person and terrible for another, so just because I did not like these books, it does not mean that you will hate them! I hope you enjoy!

1. What Happens When You Mix The Hunger Games, The Fifth Wave, and The Darkest Minds With Bland Writing 

I read this book after a bunch of my friends told me I would love it. It took me forever to read and I only finished it because I hoped the ending would be better. The characters were super extreme and the way they act is so not how fifteen year olds are. I love dystopian novels, but this just felt like overkill. The romance also felt super forced and this is coming from someone who loves romance in every single book. Marie Lu just does not work for me. If you want an alternative to this book, try The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. Both are fast paced dystopian novels with corrupt governments.     

Legend by Marie Lu
My rating: ❤❤

Leaving readers confused and underwhelmed, Legend by Marie Lu does not live up to the hype. June is from one of the wealthiest families in the Republic. She has been groomed since birth for the elite military that serves her ever at war country. Day, the Republic's most wanted criminal, hails from the slums. He just wants to fight for what he believes is good. When Day becomes the number one suspect in the murder of her brother, June sets out for revenge. As June starts to hunt Day, she sees that he may not be everything the government makes him out to be. As the secrets start to unravel, June and Day must work together to discover what is really going on in their country. I really did not enjoy this book. The characters were completely unrealistic and there was no way for me to relate to them. The story was interesting, but it was really confusing and hard to follow. The setting kind of felt like a bunch of different dystopian novels mixed together. This book did come out before a lot of the other dystopian novels, but by the time I read it, I was really sick of the same type of story. When I finally finished the book, I had no desire to continue with the series. Even though I kind of wanted to see how the story ended, the writing was so bland that it totally outweighed it. I would only recommend this book to people who have already read something by Marie Lu and loved it.

2. And You Thought We Were Liars Was Confusing 

I honestly hated this book. I read it my Freshman year of high school during a week of testing for the other grades. We had big blocks of time to do what we want, so of course I decided to read. I ended up finishing the book during my first period Spanish class (which was entirely full of Sophomores because, I am so cool and a year ahead, so everyone was still testing 😂.) I had nothing else to do so I reread the ending over and over, trying to make sense of it. In order to write a good book, the characters have to be realistic enough for the reader to relate. The characters in this book had no redeeming qualities or anything to make them believable. If you really want to attempt this book, try We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. The plot of this book has the same kind of feel and a lot of the same events seem to happen. If you get through We Were Liars and did not feel at all confused and you really loved it, then try this book.

Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten
My rating: ❤

Readers should be prepared for extreme confusion and outrageous characters in the unsuccessful thriller novel that is Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten. June and Delia were closer than best friends, until one fateful night broke their bonds. A year later Delia is gone leaving only a suicide note behind. in an attempt to help with her grief June starts to notice some cracks in the story of Delia's death. Soon June is investigating Delia's murder and it seems like everyone in her life is a suspect. As the truth starts to come out, June learns that Delia is not the person she thought she was and there is more to her death than June could ever imagine. This might be the most confusing book I have ever read. I have read and reread the ending and done research and I still do not understand the ending. The characters are insane and completely unrealistic. This book takes a lot of mature subjects and difficult situations and kind of glorifies them. Suicide is completely idolized and all of the characters are bordering on psychopaths. I really disliked this book as it was frustrating, improbable, and slightly horrifying. I would not recommend this book to anyone and to those who really want to try it, you should be issued a trigger warning.

3. If I Wanted to Hear Someone Complain I Would Just Go Find My Sister

The only reason I think this book got popular is that there is a lack of LGBT books, so even the ones that suck are promoted. There is a simple solution to this problem, just write more LGBT books! I just hate the fact that it has taken this long for us to finally have characters in books who struggle with real life issues such as coming out as gay and what we end up with is this. This comment also goes for Will Grayson, Will Grayson. (see below) There are so many better books than this where the main character is going through the same thing as Simon. Try I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson or Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe or The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli!!!!! You want something in the fantasy genre, try Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. (I have a full review of I'll Give You the Sun Here and for Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and Carry On I have spoiler free reviews on my spoiler free review page!) See, so many better options, including one by the same author. The two good things I have to say about this book are that it was better than Will Grayson, Will Grayson and the cover is awesome. 

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
My rating: ❤❤

Becky Albertalli disapoints readers with a whiny, slow book, that feels a little bit too much like Will Grayson, Will Grayson in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Simon is not ready to come out as gay, so when an email to his mysterious pen pal Blue falls into the hands of trouble maker Martin, Simon has no choice but to submit to his blackmail. Being Martin's wingman isn't easy and it seems like Simon's friends are growing away from him. Simon's junior year shouldn't be this difficult right? This book was boring. There isn't much going on and the problems feel really exaggerated. Simon's life feels like the movie GBF, but without all of the comedy, so its just melodramatic teenage angst. As you can see, there is so little happening in the book that I was barely able to write two sentences describing the plot. Speaking of the plot, it is super predictable. The second Simon mentions writing to a mysterious pen pal you know who it is and the rest of the story is just as easy to guess. The book is fine if you don't like action or real movement of plot. The funny thing is, Becky Albertalli is a really good writer. The Upside of Unrequited is fantastic and her writing style is completely different from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. You can read this book if you think it sounds interesting, but if you did not like Will Grayson, Will Grayson then you will not like this book either.

4. Why John Green Why?

Okay warning I hate David Levithan. Everything I have read by him I really didn't like. His writing just doesn't work for me. I love John Green. I was so disappointed by this book. I was disappointed for basically the same reasons as Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Also Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda has a lot of the same plot as Will Grayson Will Grayson. Gay guy struggling to come out to his friends and familya and in an intense secret relationship with an mystery guy. I wish that only John Green has written this because then I think I would have liked it more. 

   

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green
My rating: ❤❤

John Green can only work so hard to cover the disappointing nature of David Levithan's writing in Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Will Grayson could not be any more different from the other Will Grayson. One is in love with a girl and is friends with Tiny Cooper, creator of the autobiographical musical Tiny Dancer. The other is in love with a boy he met online and is about to learn that his best friend Maura might not be quite as nice as he thinks she is. Both will meet on one fateful night and their lives will be forever intertwined. John Green does not deserve to have a book rated as only two stars by me. So I am giving all parts written by David Levithan two stars and everything written by John Green three and a half stars. I really did not like where this book went. Will Grayson two (written by David Levithan) was horrible to read about. He was boring and his depression didn't feel real, it kind of felt like it was being made fun of. Will Grayson one was okay, but the real star of this book was Tiny Cooper. He was interesting and fun and totaly extreme. I loved Tiny, but he couldn't pull for everything else in this book that was not good. I know a lot of people love this book because it was the first LGBT books to get really big, but its fame doesn't make the book good. I'm not quite sure who I would recommend this book too as John Green fan don't always like David Levithan and David Levithan fans seem to rarely like John Green. So I would recommend this if you really love them both.

5. The Plot is Fantastic...If Only the Writing Was Good 

This book should have been good, but sadly it wasn't. It desperately needed better writing and some comedy to cut through all the drama. This book is something that I would actually recommend to others, but only if they want something really easy that has a lot of plot twists. If you love comedy, then do not read this book as you will probably hate it. Otherwise, if you can get past the writing, the story is really great.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
My rating: ❤❤

The Maze Runner by James Dashner shows just how much terrible writing can ruin a great plotline. When Thomas wakes up all he can remember is his name. He is welcomed into a community of all boys, all around his age, all who have had their memories wiped. They live surrounded by a maze full of terrible creatures. Thomas seems perfect for the job of the maze runner, a person who creates a map of the maze before the gates close. When a girl shows up and some how remembers Thomas, they realize that there might be more to their community than meets the eye. I wanted to like this book so badly. The plot was fantastic and the story was fascinating. The writing was awful and at such a low level of vocabulary that it just ruined the whole book. The characters were not that great either. Because they can't remember anything of their past it was kind of hard to get to know them or relate to them. I wish the writing was better because then I think I would have enjoyed it more, but I guess life isn't fair. I would recommend this to fantasy lovers and people who are looking for a really really easy read. I do have to warn you that while the writing is simple, the plot is confusing.