Since I appreciate balance in life, I think it's fitting that I talk about the worst books of 2022 (in my opinion). Just a warning that these reviews will be salty and probably not super helpful or constructive.
Books I Deeply Regret Subjecting My Eyes/Ears To (a.k.a. the one star books):
I don't give 1 star to books very often. They have to be really bad to get the honor of a singular star, and these books made the cut.
Lightlark by Alex Aster
Lightlark was hands down the worst book I read all year. I had seen it floating around on TikTok, and I went in with high expectations.
I was expecting a vivid setting with strong characters and a swoony romance. Instead, I got a bland setting with stereotypical characters and the most asinine romance I've ever seen.
Here is my favorite review of this book. It perfectly sums up my thoughts on the book.
I'd recommend Lightlark to nobody - unless you like half-baked stories.
Sacred Hospitality by Olivie Blake
Sacred Hospitality is a short story that accompanies The Atlas series. And it's the most useless, pointless book to ever exist.
It's literally one scene of two main characters talking about the most stupid stuff. Sacred Hospitality is 100% fan service for the people simping for Libby and Nico, and I'm not here for it. It reminds me of A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas. No one asked for it, it served no purpose, and it sucked.
I couldn't even give it a singular star because it was that pointless.
I'd recommend this to the person who is way too invested in the characters of The Atlas Six and who wishes that Nico and Libby were a couple.
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
I feel like this is going to summon all of the TikTok girls who love SJM. I'm so glad you like this book; it just did not work for me.
I used to LOVE SJM. Throne of Glass used to be my defining character trait. But then I read other books - books with better fantasy and books with better romance. At that point, her books didn't feel like they were the pinnacle of literature. So, I drifted away.
Most of the time, I can enjoy an SJM book even if I don't love it. This book was awful though. Aside from the ending, the book was unbearable. It was so boring and bland, and the romance made me queasy.
I'd recommend this to people who hate themselves.
By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate
I have a full review of this book, so I'll keep this brief. By Any Other Name was rough. I do not recommend.
Books I Wish I Hadn't Subjected My Eyes/Ears To (a.k.a. the bad two star books):
2 stars is my default rating for a book I feel "meh" or "ehhh" about. But, there are some "bad" books that are not bad enough to make a 1 star that happen to make a 2. These are those books from 2022.
The Steminist Novellas by Ali Hazelwood
These three novellas were the most pointless sounds to ever enter my ears. All of them felt like a Love Hypothesis rip-off, and all of them were extremely predictable.
The main female lead is always "small" and "clumsy." The man is always "big" and "strong." I'm so done with it.
I really want to love romances about women in STEM (as a woman in STEM myself), but if the romances are like this, I'll see myself out.
I'd recommend this to someone who loved The Love Hypothesis and who has a terrible memory, so maybe they'd think this rinse-and-repeat nonsense is good.
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
I have no idea what the heck happened in this book. It started out kind of fun - there's a group of people who are living in a haunted house. But what followed was the most boring, tedious 200 pages to ever exist.
This wasn't scary, nor was it unsettling. It was just ... bland. And I was nothing but bored.
I'd recommend this book to the person in your life who loves horror movies and has not read a single book in the last twenty years. They'll probably not read another book for the next twenty.
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
I genuinely considered giving this book 1 star because of how much I hated it. However, despite how stupid most of it is, there are some parts that were not awful (i.e. the representation of women in STEM and the Marie Curie jokes).
This book was like if you took The Love Hypothesis and turned the stupid factor up from 20% to 90%. The ending showdown came out of nowhere and felt extremely out of place for a workplace romcom. I'm also just so done with miscommunication. It's such a lazy trope, and this book depended on it.
I'd recommend this book to the same audience of the Steminist Novellas: someone who loved The Love Hypothesis and who has a terrible memory.
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
Before the TikTok girls come after me for putting this book on the list, please know that I gave The Atlas Six 4 stars. I thought it was a fun fantasy book with compelling characters and plot.
This book just felt super pointless. Libby's storyline was the only one that felt interesting. All the other characters felt like they were there to fill pages. No one had character arcs. No one grew. Nothing happened. The book ends of pretty much exactly where it starts.
I feel betrayed in a way - I thought this series had a lot of potential. But, I think the "vibes" of the Alexandrian society and the romantic ships got in the way of actually good characters and plot.
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Every Summer After started out so strong. I loved the setting and the two potential love interests. I was rooting for the initial couple because their interactions were so cute.
And then the twist happened...
There are a few things I cannot stand in romance books, and the twist managed to hit one of my main "icks" in romance. I hated it, and it completely ruined my enjoyment of the book. I hated the main character. I hated the secondary love interest. And, to be honest, I hated the main love interest for being such a pushover.
This was not romantic, and I'm deeply disappointed.
Books I Stopped Subjecting My Eyes/Ears To (a.k.a. the bad DNFs):
I DNF-ed (or Did Not Finish) around fifteen books this year. About half were okay books that I was not connecting with, and the other half were bad books that I actively disliked reading. These are the books I actively disliked.
Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy
This book was one of the most swift DNF's I have EVER done (4% in!).
In the FIRST CHAPTER, there's a scene where a woman is groped *solely* to make the main male lead more likable. I DESPISE the "fridging" trope and have no desire to read this book.
I would not recommend this book to anyone, unless you really like male characters who get praised for doing the bare minimum.
Court by Tracy Wolff
I was a fan of the Crave series before it popped off on TikTok. I actually really enjoyed reading the first two installments, even though they were extremely cheesy. The third one was a slog to get through, and the fourth was just painful.
It's almost as if Tracy Wolff forgot about why people are reading this book in the first place. I don't care about the world. I don't care about finding some magical artifacts that didn't exist in the last book but are conveniently made up for an adventure. I care about the teenage angst.
This book took itself way too seriously, which really made it unbearable to read.
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
I might be the idiot for this one, but I just didn't understand this book. My librarian recommended it to me as her favorite book ever, and sorry to say - it was not one for me.
It just felt pointless, and I could not push myself through the audiobook (even on 3x speed).
I don't have awful, scathing things to say about this book, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Dial A for Aunties was a masterclass in how to write a good cozy mystery. It was thrilling, funny, and an overall good time. This followup, Four Aunties and a Wedding, felt forced. It felt like the author was trying to recreate the magic of book one without a real story to tell.
The book didn't feel like it was funny - it felt like it was trying too hard. So, I guess I'm giving up on this series.
I'd recommend this book to the person in your life who consistently make stupid jokes and is completely unaware that no one likes their sense of humor.
Dune by Frank Herbert
If you heard "Paul" and "Jessica" were the two main characters in a book, would you picture a sci-fi epic set on a futuristic planet?
I watched the movie and really liked it. In particular, the soundtrack is phenomenal.
This book was just ... mid. I didn't really care about any of the characters, and the setting itself wasn't enough to keep me interested.
I think that this book could have a shot if I revisited it later (maybe when I'm fourty), but for now, it's a DNF.
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