Hi all!

Today I am going to share my 10 worst reads of 2020. Last week, I shared my top 10 best, which you can check out here. I’m not going to review them or discuss the plots; I’m simply going to express why they made my list. Without further ado, let’s get into it. 

Disclaimer: If I mention a book on here that you loved, please don’t get offended. It’s just a personal opinion. It does not mean the book is bad or wrong. 

THE 10 WORST BOOKS OF 2020 

1.) This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this graphic novel. There was little to no plot and the main character was so unlikable. She slut shames, is rude to her best friend and has little no empathy for her mother, who is dealing with depression. I just didn’t connect with it at all, but the art style was lovely.

2.) The Vanishing Place by Theresa Emminizer

I was given the opportunity to read this new release on NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Rant incoming!

1.) Nothing was fleshed out. The characters were one-dimensional, the plot went nowhere and the dialogue was basic. 2.) A character dies and nobody seems to care. 3.) The description of the story, doesn’t match the plot. The Vanishing Place sounds super ominous and mysterious, but it doesn’t actually touch on any magical elements. 4.) The ending! This was my biggest issue. Theresa Emminizer has not announced a sequel to this story, so if this is a stand-alone, the ending was extremely unsatisfying. It was so abrupt. 5.) The female representation was uninspiring. One of the main characters laments that she’s a bigger girl, unsure why the boys would like her. One of the male characters refers to her as a stupid girl. I was not here for that kind of language. I would hope by now females are not body shaming themselves, nor being put down by males in young adult fiction. Not a fan!

3.) Terror Of Breakspear Hall by F.R. Jameson

This book was sent to me by the author, in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I had to give him some bad news. My biggest issue with the story was the over-sexualisation of the female characters. There was a lot of emphasis placed on the appearance and desirability of the women. However, the ones that were described as less ‘conventionally attractive’ were deemed ‘fat cows’ and ‘sluts.’ As a woman myself, I don’t tend to enjoy seeing female characters represented that way. I felt those sections could’ve been written more tastefully. Therefore, it received a very low rating. 

4.) Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia

This book won Best Horror Novel of 2020 on Goodreads. It made me question whether I read the same book as everyone who voted for it. I wanted to like it. I honestly thought it would be a favourite of the year, but I was so bored and underwhelmed. It took way too long for things to happen and when they finally did, I no longer cared. I didn’t connect to a single character, nor buy the romance. It was strange, confusing and not a good reading experience for me. Having said that, reading is subjective. A lot of people loved this book, so I’m not trashing it. It just didn’t work for me.

5.) Night Of The Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones

I didn’t hate this story, nor did I love it. I was able to read it within a day, finding the plot quite amusing. However, the narrator was extremely unreliable, making it quite confusing. I’m still not really sure what was real and what wasn’t. It had so much potential. I think I need to re-read it.

6.) Words On Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton

This book made me laugh, but there was literally no plot. Adam’s schizophrenia was the plot and to me, that’s not a story. It was an easy read and I liked certain aspects of it, but overall, I didn’t enjoy the lack of direction or the fact that Adam referred to himself as crazy, so many times throughout the novel. If somebody with schizophrenia picked this book up and kept seeing the word crazy, they would feel worse about themselves. 

7.) In Another Life by C.C. Hunter

This book was a bit of a roller-coaster for me. On one hand, it was very intriguing and easy to read. I was so wrapped up in the mystery surrounding the adoption; desperate for answers. On the other hand, there was so much slut shaming and emphasis placed on being ‘hot.’ The protagonist’s breasts were constantly mentioned and the mother was frequently tearing down the father in front of the child, which was so wrong. Lots of problematic stuff!

8.) Kingdom Of Souls by Rena Barron

This book was exhausting, draining and put me in a huge reading slump. I continued with it because I was curious to see what would happen, but overall, it was highly ambitious. Too much was thrown into the plot, which made it disjointed. Not to mention, so many events were left unexamined. I won’t be picking up the sequel.

9.) The June Boys by Courtney C. Stevens

I was given the opportunity to read this new release on NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I did not enjoy this book for several reasons. 1.) It was downright confusing. I had no idea who was who and how they were related. 2.) It was very strange. This is not your typical murder mystery. The writing is flowery and poetic, which takes away from the typical grittiness of the genre. None of it made sense. 3.) Thea never attends school, but graduates at the end. The majority of the plot was her trying to solve the case with her boyfriend, Nick. There was no chemistry between them. I felt zero connection to a single character or the story. It fell so flat for me. I wish the author would’ve made this novel more relatable. 

10.) We Are The Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

I wanted to enjoy this. I really thought that I would. The writing was beautiful. It even made me tear up in certain moments, but overall, there were too many things left open. I also felt it dragged way too much. Furthermore, there was a scene where something tragic happened and the main character’s mother didn’t even react. That was strange to me. The ending was weird and unsatisfying.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

– Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

– Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

– Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV

I hope you enjoyed this post! Tell me some of your worst reads of 2020. Thanks for reading.

Peace & Love xoxo